The next interview in our stagey chat series is with Cordelia O'Neill. Cordelia is the writer of Christmas in Exeter Street, which opens Friday 13th December at Farnham's Maltings. You can book tickets here.

Get yourself comfy and join us for the next segment of Stagey Chat!

Hi Cordelia, how are you doing today? Thanks so much for chatting to Stage to Page! Would you mind introducing yourself to our readers and telling us how you first got into the theatre industry?

Hello, thank you very much for having me. I trained as an actress at Oxford School of Drama, and then after a few years of treading the boards I took my first play (The Stolen Inches) to the Edinburgh festival. But theatre has always been in my life. My Uncle was a director who sadly died at the age of 27 but his friends set up the JMK trust which helps directors get there first leg up into the industry. So I grew up in workshops, rehearsal rooms and opening nights which was very exciting.

Your show, Christmas in Exeter Street, is set to open next month at Farnham Maltings. Can you tell us about the story?

We meet Maggie Mistletoe on Christmas Eve. There are plenty of knocks at the door, plenty of guests and not enough rooms, the play unfolds as she tries to fit everyone in. From Uncle Bartholomew to the jolly men with the broken-down car. There’s magic, songs and some amazing characters.

The show is adapted from the classic children's book by Diana Hendry and John Lawrence. Is there an additional layer of pressure when adapting a book to both honour the original, while also making it your own?

You always have the original author in mind, and you very much want to honour their story. But then there comes a point where you must own the story and find new details and new opportunities to bring it to life, always with the original message in the back of your mind.

If you could give one piece of advice to fellow writers, what would it be?

Trust your instincts, write what you believe in, read everything and always be curious. Also, find someone to proofread your work.

My blog is called Stage to Page. But if you could turn any book, from page to stage, what would it be and why?

I’d love to adapt the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Such rich detailed characters that I still think about even though I read the book ten years ago and stories that are still relevant today.

And finally, why should people book tickets to Christmas in Exeter Street?

It’s full of music and laughter and magic, what more do you want at Christmas?

You can book tickets to Christmas in Exeter Street, here.