The Road to Edinburgh. A diary reflection. 

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Entry by: Martin Britt.

Prof Athony Williams

The first reading of Jomarzeb was held at Ramon’s place in
Beckenham in May 2025. I already knew, from a conversation we
had earlier, that I would be playing the role of Professor Anthony
Williams. Still, my first real encounter with Anthony Williams proved
far more intriguing than I had expected.

At first glance, the play appears to centre on the trio—Jo, Mar, and
Zeb. Yet during that initial reading, I quickly discovered that it was
also very much about Anthony Williams and his journey. Williams is
an atheist, a man with a scientific inclination, someone who seeks to
understand the world through numbers, equations, and logic. He is
privileged, successful, and seemingly lacks nothing. He is a man who
has no need to ask anything more from life.
Or so it seems.
As the story unfolds, a series of twists forces Anthony to question
everything he believes. It was at that point that I realised this role
would be far more challenging than I had initially imagined. The very
last word of the play—the first line in the opening scene and the 
final line in the final scene—is mine. Mine to hold, mine to embrace,
and mine to make sense of. That responsibility weighed heavily on
me.
How do I do Anthony Williams justice?
How do I make him funny? Serious? Troubled? Spiritual?
The answer, perhaps, is all of the above. Those contrasting qualities
are what make him unique. They are what allow him to evolve into a
completely different person by the end of the story.
Then came the rehearsals.
The rehearsals were testing because these characters are open to
interpretation. There is no single path to follow. The challenge for
me was finding a way to project Anthony’s enormous
transformation—from atheist to believer, from certainty to
faith—while keeping the character truthful and believable.
The interactions with the other characters, particularly the three
ghosts, became essential to that process. I count myself lucky
because I developed a wonderful chemistry with all of my fellow
actors, especially Mary, Koby, Mark, and Erik. Their generosity,

talent, and commitment helped shape my own performance and
allowed Anthony’s journey to emerge more naturally.
The performance at the Chelsea in London marked an important step
in the right direction for me. The reason was simple: the audience
reaction.
It exceeded all my expectations.
There were tears. There was laughter. There were hugs. There were
heartfelt thank-yous from audience members who had clearly been
moved by the story. Watching people connect so deeply with the
play was both humbling and rewarding.
That response gave all of us renewed confidence and momentum. It
propelled us forward toward the Brighton Fringe Festival, eager to
continue sharing the newly branded INVASION-Jomarzeb and its
message with new audiences.
As I look back on that first reading in Beckenham, I realise how much
my own journey has mirrored Anthony’s. What began as another
role became an exploration of belief, doubt, humanity, and
transformation.
And the journey is far from over. tbc