And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie premiered at the Exeter Northcott Theatre 5-7 February 2026. It was funded by the Exeter University Theatre Company with the support of the University of Exeter Student Guild and was awarded the Annual Alumni Fund Grant. This production was the first time that Carson was the director of note on a production in a professional theatre venue, and remains one of his favourite projects. 

Director's Note

"I chose to direct this play for the challenge that it presented me. To balance murders as obscured yet plausible, to balance characters as suspicious but not obvious, and to balance hints with red herrings, took an attention to detail that had never been asked of me before. I'm proud of the production that we created, prouder still to say it is the best work I have done - and soon to be proud that it isn't the best I'll do.

Directing a show at the Exeter Northcott Theatre is no small feat, and I couldn't have done it alone. The entire creative team worked tirelessly to bring the vision to life, and I am thankful to them all for all the work they put into it. I couldn't have asked for a better team to back me; I wouldn't change them for the world.

With a phenomenal cast and crew, we were able to summon stunning and striking visuals. From the SFX to the costume, from the lighting to the sound, from the stage to the construction, every part of this production sought - and achieved - a unified goal.

This show will always hold a space in my heart, a milestone in my career I will shamelessly cling to. I am honoured to have had the opportunity, and beyond pleased with the result." - Rudi S. Carson

Rationale (Spoilers ahead)

"When directing And Then There Were None, it was important to me that I kept up a sense of mystery and intrigue throughout the entire show, but also not making the final twist feel as though it came out of nowhere. It's this balance of the obvious and the possible that we really took our time to work through carefully in rehearsals. One of the ways we did this that was the plausability of every death. When, for instance, Marston is poisoned, the glass he drinks from was poured moments before by the killer. Later, when Brent is spiked, the killer is the one who delivers her her coffee. Small details like this were important to include, and I refused to allow anyone to die in a way that the killer did not have access to them. One of my favourite little details is that when the first of the islanders dies, he falls at the feet of the killer when he does. It was subtle moments like this that made the reveal so much better; made it feel earned. We worked hard to balance these with red herrings, though, by creating opportunity for others to have committed the crimes on and off-stage. 

In terms of production design, I really wanted to push the notion that Wargrave hated greed most of all. As much as he claimed the murders as retribution and justice for their crimes, he believed the cause of these crimes was a desire for more, an overcontentment with luxury. To do this, I designed the set to lean into a brutalist style, almost reduced. It had a sense of grandness, with no doubt, a reflection on Wargrave's ego, but any extra detailing and comfort had been stripped back. The stage team, headed by Lola Donlan, worked to decorate the set with elements that at first alluded to comfort, but could be stripped away to destroy and degrade the space as the events of the play go on. Come the end, the set is a grey and bare behemoth, with this mess of suitcases and pillows thrown about in fits of madness and fear. Any sense of luxury had been torn away, just as Wargrave had intended. 

I also wanted to give honour to Wargrave's intense planning of the event in my design of the show. To do this, I decided to replace the "soldier boys on the mantlepiece" with a chess game that was half way through. Every death, then, saw the pieces move across the board to take one another. This was to show that everything that occured was planned and had been accounted for. Wargrave was toying with them all, and the game had been set in motion before they ever arrived. 

All this being said, misdirection was our best friend in this piece. It was deeply important to us all that the audience were given a magical experience if not a slightly disorienting one. I was told early in my career as a director that theatre-makers are magicians, that it is our job to craft magic into the space to wow and wonder the audience. From what I heard in the house each night, I think we achieved this. It was a great joy to hear every gasp, see every jump in the audience, hear hushed whispers and theories forming. During intermission hearing snippets of "no, it's got to be her!", "I saw him do this, maybe that means it's him?" and "no way, they're not going to die next!" gave me so much joy. The tension at the climax of the play was unlike any other, it felt as though the whole audience held their breath at once."

- Rudi S. Carson