Behind the Scenes on "THE WAR ROOM"

Inside the Creative Bunker with Director James Cunningham

Daniel Moxham, Leia Mizerski, Ellis Kinnear and John Gray around the rehearsal table with THE WAR ROOM © Presidential Productions

The creation of THE WAR ROOM has been as dynamic, pressure-filled, and unpredictable as the fictional environment in which the play is set. As rehearsals unfolded in Perth, it became clear that this production is not merely a story about writers under duress — it is a living demonstration of how collaboration, artistic friction, and shared imagination can ignite powerful theatre.

From the outset, writer and director James Cunningham framed the rehearsal room as a laboratory. The cast was encouraged to treat the script as a blueprint rather than a cage, exploring each character’s creative impulses, insecurities, and motivations. The play’s four screenwriters are written with distinct voices — one philosophical, one brash, one analytical, one spiritual — and much of the rehearsal period was spent unearthing the psychological architecture beneath their arguments.

Because the production is staged in the round, rehearsals demanded exceptional precision. Every gesture, glance, and shift in momentum needed to read from 360 degrees. The blocking process resembled solving a spatial puzzle; creating intimate emotional exchanges while ensuring the audience never loses access to the intensity of the room. This format eliminates the separation between performer and spectator, placing viewers inside the storm of competing ideas.

The actors’ process has been equally compelling. Daniel Moxham leaned into the intellectual bravado of his character, while John Gray explored the fractures beneath a façade of confidence. Ellis Kinnear’s analytical character required sharp rhythm and fast-paced calculation, and Leia Mizerski worked deeply into the emotional core of a writer caught between idealism and disillusionment. Watching the four navigate power shifts, alliances, and moments of vulnerability offered a striking parallel to real creative teams in high-stakes industries.

Technical rehearsals brought their own revelations. Sound and lighting were crafted to subtly replicate the sensation of a sealed bunker — low hums, gentle flickers, and a sense that the outside world, though unseen, is exerting pressure. The design avoids spectacle and instead heightens the psychological realism, supporting the actors’ work without overshadowing it.

Perhaps the most fascinating behind-the-scenes insight is the way the cast connected with the play’s central question: Who gets to decide how humanity responds to the unknown? Every rehearsal sparked its own philosophical digression, mirroring the very debates the characters engage in. In that sense, THE WAR ROOM became more than a play — it became a creative crucible where art and inquiry continually influenced each other.

As opening night approached, one thing was clear: this production is powered by a team that understands the importance of asking big questions and embracing the messy, exhilarating process of bringing them to life.

Tickets and information available from Fringe World and Presidential Productions.