What happens when the person who best understands your grief is someone you’ve only just met? In The Departure, playing at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre, two lives crash together in a single flat. When grieving chemist Lily (Harriet Chomley) finds Ross (Tom Wells) in her living room, confusion turns into a poignant, funny exploration of the stories we construct to protect ourselves.
We spoke with writer and star Tom Wells about bringing The Departure to life, taking on a dual creative role, and why we’re often more honest with strangers than those closest to us.
What can you tell me about Ross and his journey in The Departure?
Ross's journey is huge, from full retreat, avoidance repression to the possibility that maybe there is another way. He is a man that has spent his life surviving but is this any way to truly live.
Ross is described as "desperate to disappear." What is driving his urge to drop out of his life?
The urge comes from the re-appearance of a figure he so desperately wanted to be in his life as a child. Their re-appearance now, however, after so many years, promising what he so craved and needed in his early years instead triggers an opposite impulse. The wish to distance and punish.
How did you approach playing a rugged stranger who manages to evoke empathy rather than fear when Lily finds him in her flat?
The heart of the play revolves around a shape of absence, a hollow within, a shape, although different; each character recognises. The connection on stage must come through an understanding of what we both share. The more I the actor can connect and understand this, the more, I hope, I will evoke empathy in my scene partner and vice versa.
Grief manifests in drastically different ways. How does Ross’s grief compare to Lily’s, and how do those contrasting emotional states shape their initial interaction?
Ross is running away from the pain whereas Lily is stuck within. On first interaction, Ross's coping mechanism seems to hold the answer, an end to suffering, but soon we are shown otherwise. Both characters and both lived experiences shine a light on a blind spot, although so very different each holds some elixir the other desperately needs.
The play balances raw grief with humour and tenderness. How do you and Harriet Chomley navigate those sudden tonal shifts during a performance?
It is hard, there are huge pivots. Jay (Ford) the director is great at bringing the moment back to the driving need, as long as a truthful impulse is found all seems well.
Finding safety in a complete stranger is a core theme of the play. What was it like building that intimate on-stage trust and chemistry with Harriet?
Harriet is no wall flower, she is a great actor, feels her impulses and isn't shy of following through. I know she can take whatever comes at her and vice versa. There is a trust in knowing that.
Because the play takes place in a single flat, the space itself is a third character. How does the domestic setting influence the tension and closeness between your characters?
The flat in many ways acts as a tool the characters use to try and get what they want, be that as a way to hold sway, or as a source of relief - by trying to leave. The flat most importantly acts as the crucible. We are held in the same place in real time with the characters. We go through the journey with them at the same pace in the same space. I think that is an important aspect of the piece.
Why do you think people are often more willing to lay bare their deepest truths to a stranger than to the people who know them best?
There is no expectation, we don't have to adhere to the roles/projected self we have set out previously. It is a blank slate. We can be more honest because we don't have to play who we think we should be and vice versa.
If you could ask Ross a question, what would choose to ask him?
What to you is 'home'?
What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on your journey?
I saw a piece of amateur dramatics when I was little and there was a local farmer in it. I remember being so amazed that he was so different. I was very young.
How do you reflect on your career to date?
I am very thankful. I have had some great opportunities and met some amazing people. More than that though, acting has helped shape my view on life and the world in many ways, that I never expected.
What do you hope audiences take away from Ross's journey about connection, second chances, and processing loss?
I hope they pause for thought and reflect on what is driving them. Is the path I am on serving me? Did I choose this or is it a reaction?
The Departure runs at The Lion and Unicorn Theatre from Tuesday 15th - Saturday 19th September 2026. For tickets visit https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/
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