Round About Hogarth is at once a sentimental education, a comedy of manners and a record of a remarkable friendship.
Absolutely superb.
LondonTheatre1.com
Round About Hogarth, the smash hit play at the Tabard Theatre is now available for programming at your venue.
First produced by Take Note Theatre and presented at their base the Tabard Theatre, an 80 seat studio theatre in Chiswick, West London, it played a limited three week run at from 4th - 21st February 2026.
Starring Miles Richardson as David Garrick and Terence Frisch as William Hogarth, the play explores the lively friendship and rivalry between two of England's most original artists, capturing the wit, energy, and creative ferment of 18th-century London.
We are looking for venues between 70 to 300 seats that have an intimate feel. Appealing to literary, artistic audiences, we feel it is a good fit for your venue andaudiences.
A full copy of the script and archive recording is available on request.
Please contact Simon Reilly, Artistic Director of Take Note Theatre and the Tabard Theatre for more information: simon@tabard.org.uk
A terrific new play about the unlikely friendship between William Hogarth and David Garrick. The former was a crabby artistic genius, the latter an equable and great actor, but they formed a happy association until Hogarth unwisely trespassed on Garrick's territory. The play is informative, comic, touching and beautifully acted by Terence Frisch and Miles Richardson. It shows that even the course of friendship, like that of true love, never did run smooth.
Michael Billington for Country Life Magazine
Round About Hogarth is at once a sentimental education, a comedy of manners and a record of a remarkable friendship. Absolutely superb.
LondonTheatre1.com ★★★★★
You will leave with a warm sense that you've been brought closer to Hogarth and Garrick, with your knowledge bettered and your heart entertained.
London Pub Theatres Magazine ★★★★
An intelligent two-man play peppered with historical context and commentary
Theatre Weekly ★★★★
Unequivocally the very best production I have seen at The Tabard
ChiswickW4.com
An absorbing and stimulating evening
Chiswick Calendar
Gareth Armstrong has combined the roles of actor, director, writer and teacher throughout a career that has taken him to over fifty countries.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare and has performed in the West End and at Shakespeare's Globe, as well as most of the UK's premier regional theatres.
In Wales, where he was born, Gareth was a founder Director of the Made in Wales Stage Company and he was an Artistic Director of Cardiff's Sherman Theatre as well as an Associate Artist at the Salisbury Playhouse. As a freelance he has directed productions in the UK, Europe and the United States. His published works include a memoir, A Case for Shylock-Around the World with Shakespeare's Jew, an instructional book for actors, So You Want To Do A Solo Show (Nick Hern Books), and his play Fondly Remembered (Concord).
He has worked in UK drama academies including the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was on the examining panel for Trinity College London, for whom he also undertook lectures and masterclasses internationally.
Both Fondly Remembered, and his play about the critic James Agate, A Critical Stage were first performed here at The Tabard.
Take Note Theatre was founded by Simon and Sarah Reilly in 2018, with a focus on entertainment and fostering early engagement in the arts. In 2022, they were awarded the management contract of the Ta bard Theatre, an 80 seat studio theare in Chiswick.
Notable producing credits include the premiere of the revised version of The Business of Murder, A Critical Stage, Fondly Remembered, The Secret Garden, The Railway Children, Next Door's Baby, The Last Laugh, (all at the Ta bard), A Special Relationship (Ta bard and Brits Off-Broadway transfer) Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Thing (Marylebone Theatre) and Lotte Moore: A Child's War (Linden House).
Stage:
Black box end on with drapes returned at least on the up-stage left exit.
Preferably mininum of 6 metres wide by 5 metres deep.
Equipment:
Warm washes and colour wash.
Sound cues are operated from company's Mac. Access needed to the venues mixing desk.
Access to a haze machine and use of a projector is desirable but not essential.
Get in & Get out:
We require access at least 5 hours prior to a performance. After a show we will be clear of the stage and dressing rooms within 1 hour.
Company:
Two actors and 1 Technical Stage Manager.
Running Time:
Approximately 75 minutes. There is no interval.
Marketing
We will provide printed flyers and posters in any sizes required for display in your Front of House areas. In addition, we can supply a full marketing asset pack, including video trailers and social media images.
We would also ask for the production to be listed on your website, included in your ticketing system, and featured in your season brochure where possible.
Financials
Our preference is to work on a box office split. However, we are open to discussing different arrangements, including a buy-out. We are not currently seeking a straight venue hire agreement.
Touring
We are aiming to build a tour running from Autumn 2026 through to Spring 2027, although we are flexible and can consider earlier or later dates.
Contact:
If you are interested in booking Round About Hogarth for your venue please get in touch with:
Simon Reilly
Take Note Theatre c/ o Ta bard Theatre
2 Bath Road London,W4 1LW
simon@tabard.org. uk
0208 995 6035
Take Note Theatre Ltd (Registration number 11481585)
