The play, Jack’s Ashes, written by Matt Banes and Tim Marriott and performed solo by Tim Marriott, has just concluded a successful run in Chiswick’s Tabard Theatre, having finished a tour around Australia.
A heartwarming play following the team talk cricket coach Jack gives to his players as he watches the match they seem destined to win put in jeopardy by the continuous loss of wickets.
The audience joins Jack in the dressing room as he talks to teammates preparing to bat about the lessons drawn from his own professional cricket career and aftermath featuring injury, playing overseas, divorce, loneliness and depression.
The play explores the journey of post-professional cricketers and themes of physical and mental well-being as it raises awareness about how even those with the brightest exterior can be prone to fits of incredible sadness, with nowhere to turn and no one to lean on.
Co-playwright Matt Banes played for Durham MCCU and Kent and in this play stitched together different components of the tough subject of depression with relief provided by humorous reactions to the falling wickets and pre-recorded contributions from Ed Cowan, Lisa Sthalekar, Wayne Phillips, Shane Watson and David Lloyd.
A one-man performance, actor Tim Marriot explained that “we want to open conversations, for people to come along, enjoy what they see, be entertained, be emotionally moved and then join in the conversation’”.
Tim Marriott tasted fame playing Gavin in The Brittas Empire and when interviewed spoke candidly about the similarities between professional sports and the acting profession both facing “the whims and vagaries of selection, performing as part of a team but being assessed as an individual” which led to him being part of the Lords Taverners team.
Certain performances in the run were followed by Q&A sessions with former professional cricketers.
James Pyemont, formerly of Cambridge, Sussex and Derbyshire commented during a Q&A session that “It is necessary to destigmatise conversations about mental fitness so we need to accept that this is part of our lives, part of our friends’ lives and part of our families’ lives. Matt and Tim’s play is fantastic in helping open that conversation.”
