Anchorage, Alaska. 1964. A part-time radio reporter, her teenage intern, a general on leave, and a local hobbyist find themselves at the centre of a remarkable relief effort. Genie Chance, live on air, must take unimaginable risks to save her community and family from chaos.
Based on the incredible true story of the Great Alaskan Earthquake, Down to Chance is a heartwarming portrait of a community in crisis with the whole world listening in.
Straight from selling out the Edinburgh Fringe, this 5 star ‘deftly staged thriller’ (Stage) lands in London this spring.
Maybe You Like It's madcap new show promises frenetic action, frantic multi-roling, and immersive live sound in this ‘love letter to the golden age of radio’ (Scotsman).
We sat down with Ellie Jay Cooper to learn more.
What can you tell me about Down To Chance and the inspiration behind it?
Down to Chance is inspired by the true story of Genie Chance, an underestimated radio journalist in Anchorage, Alaska, whose non-stop broadcasts to terrified Alaskans, emergency responders, and people listening in around the world, became the vital core of the relief effort after the 9.2 magnitude, Great Alaskan Earthquake in 1964 - the largest earthquake in US history.
I first came across the story during the 2020 lockdown - of this Alaskan town in the 1960s that was completely destroyed by an earthquake, and how radio became the only way people could stay connected.
And as I deep-dived into hours of real radio broadcasts from the earthquake, I remember thinking, Oh, this is exactly what we’re all going through right now - isolated in our homes, finding connection by watching the same news and the same entertainment.
And then I discovered that, on that night in March 1964, Genie received some potentially fatal news and had to decide whether to share it with her listeners or keep the information quiet. That’s when I knew it was a play.
You’re playing a massive rotation of characters in just 70 minutes. How do you and your co-star physically and mentally track those transitions so the audience never loses the thread of the story?
Each of the characters is very physically distinct, and we mark them with a different costume or prop item, all stored in our beautiful set. Tracking this is pretty complex - I have a lot of colour-coded notes, but honestly, it’s just practice. The show is very fast and flows without any moment to pause and think, and we’re changing a hat, scarf, prop, radio mic, sometimes as quickly as once a minute. So we’re dancing along a very fine line between magic and utter chaos!
Down to Chance uses immersive live sound. How does performing alongside live Foley or sound effects change your rhythm compared to a traditional recorded score?
Sound is really central to the piece, helping us create and envelop the audience into the world of Anchorage and -crucially- the earthquake. On stage as a performer, the soundscapes and underscore make it feel like I’m in an action film, and definitely make some dramatic moments more visceral… but I don’t want to spoil any more!
The Great Alaskan Earthquake is a specific piece of Americana. What was it about this particular "community in crisis" that felt like it would resonate with a London audience in 2026?
Down to Chances is about the incredible power of broadcast journalism to be a source of hope and resilience, and as a result the terrifying responsibility to get communication right. How much information should those in power share with the public? And what do journalists really owe their listening audience? Given the growing erosion of trust in the media and politicians, and given recent and ongoing global crises, this feels like an incredibly timely conflict to dive into.
But at its heart, Down to Chance is a story about being a Mum. When researching Genie’s life, I discovered a remarkable, ambitious woman who faced sexism and adversity throughout her career, but whose tenacity and steadfast instinct to act undoubtedly saved many lives. But Genie also had to balance the duty she felt to help against the pull to be with her own children as the world was falling apart. That tension between family and career is still so resonant for mothers today. It’s something I have seen juggled in painful compromises by so many ferociously strong women that I know and love, and something that deeply resonated with women of all ages in our audiences in Edinburgh.
How do you find the line between honouring the "incredible true story" and leaning into the humorous side?
It’s a fine balance and something we’ve talked about throughout the writing and development of the show. I’ve found leaning into the honesty of the situation has allowed me to both honor the seriousness of the situation and the real people and find space for so much humour: even in a crisis, when the stakes are incredibly high, we can find ourselves in ridiculous situations when all we can do is laugh - I mean, if you were an 18 year old intern tasked with keeping people entertained and listening on the radio, what would you find to say?
How has it been sharing the double bill with Sorry (I Broke Your Arms and Legs)?
It’s been brilliant doing this alongside Sorry. The shows tell very different stories, but have a shared Maybe You Like It DNA - fast-paced and action packed, funny and heartfelt, and just great stories at their heart. So we’re thrilled to get to showcase both stories to London audiences for the first time in a residency at The Pleasance, as Associate Artists. As part of the double bill, audiences can come see one show, have a pizza or a drink at the bar in between and stay for the second show, making it a full night of fast-paced theatre.
Both shows had "rave sell-out runs" at the Fringe. What has changed or evolved in the staging now that you’re moving into a residency at the Pleasance?
Staging Down to Chance at the Fringe was a fun creative challenge because we needed to create a feeling of immense scale - of a huge earthquake, of Alaska, of the world listening in - for our audience in a small, intimate theatre space. Now in the bigger space of The Pleasance Main House, we get to really expand our staging and the sound design to play with the extremes of intimacy and huge scale.
What was the first piece of theatre you remember having a big impact on you?
I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the West End when I was about eight. I’m sure it was an amazing show, but all I can remember is feeling inexplicably blood-boilingly jealous that the kids in the show got to be on stage, while I had to just sit and watch in the audience! That one made an impression…
What would you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Down To Chance?
I hope they leave inspired by this real woman, and the power of communities to enact change when they come together. This show is about a community of unlikely heroes who step up, none of whom are the right person for the job, but the ones that are there. I hope they feel energised by the prospect of community organising that includes those on the peripheries of society, who aren’t usually expected to step up. Down to Chance challenges audiences to allow the possibility of greatness in those they might pre-judge, and discovering courage in themselves they didn’t know they had.
Down To Chance runs at Pleasance London from 22nd Apr - 9th May. For tickets and more information visit https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/down-chance
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