I first heard about the play ‘Down To Chance’ when it was on at the Edinburgh Fringe back in 2025 and decided it sounded rather intriguing, including it in our Three To See recommendations for that year’s Festival. 

So it’s good to know that not only did the play have a successful run in 2025, it returned to the Fringe in 2026 and is now doing a tour of the south east, calling at several venues not far from our London-based readers. 

The play offers a narrative based on real life events – a massive earthquake, in fact – and how people responded to it.

To find out more about it, I spoke to Ellie Jay Cooper, Co-Artistic Director of Maybe You Like It Productions, and writer and co-performer of the play. 

CM: Can you start by telling us about the premise of ‘Down To Chance’? Who is it about and where does the narrative take us? 
EJC: ‘Down To Chance’ tells the incredible true story of the biggest earthquake in US history, the 9.2 magnitude Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964. 

In the story, we follow Genie Chance, a local radio reporter and working mother desperate to be respected as a radio journalist, who finds herself at the centre of the emergency relief effort.

Armed with a mobile radio unit and a lot of courage, Genie becomes the centre of communications for the emergency response, transmitting emergency messages to first responders out in the field and terrified Alaskans trapped in their homes waiting for news.

Alongside this, we also follow a whole host of characters in the town of Anchorage – a hopeless teenage radio intern, a gruff military general on leave and an enthusiastic HAM radio operator, to name a few – all of whom are forced to step up when thrust into a crisis of this unimaginable scale.

CM: What themes are explored through the play? 
EJC: The play explores the power and responsibility of journalists and politicians in a crisis. Who has the power to make life and death decisions in a crisis? How much information should those in power share with the public? And what do journalists really owe their listening audience?

It’s also a story of a divided community coming together in a crisis, united by the human urge to do something, anything, to help.

None of the characters in ‘Down To Chance’ are the right person for the job they end up doing, but they are the people that are there, doing their best. The show is very much about allowing the possibility of greatness in those who aren’t usually expected to step up, and about discovering courage you didn’t know you had.

Finally, 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 and deeply connected with women of all ages. So really, the play is a love letter and a fierce hug to mothers trying their best.

CM: How would you describe it, in terms of style or genre? 
EJC: We usually describe it as ‘Come From Away’ meets ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’! It’s a heartwarming and thrilling true story about a community in crisis, just like ‘Come From Away’, but with the pace and style of a Mischief show.

It’s fast-paced and frantic, with two performers playing over twenty characters, so there’s never a moment to breathe – matching the urgency of this crisis.

We also took a lot of inspiration from action and thriller films when making the show, with montage moments and fast cutting back and forth between scenes.

Audiences in Edinburgh and London often came out saying they were holding their breath by the end!

CM: So it’s based on a true story, but how close to the truth is your play? 
EJC: So much research went into this play, including listening to hours of radio broadcasts that Genie Chance herself recorded and archived after the earthquake – all available to listen to on YouTube.

Many of the wider characters are based on real people, or amalgamations of multiple people and their stories, with of course a little creative license for some of the comedy.

Finally, the events of the play’s climax and the life-changing decision Genie is forced to make at 3am is also all true – but I won’t say any more than that…

CM: What made you want to create a piece of work focusing on these events? What was the inspiration for it? 
EJC: I first came across the story during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

What struck me immediately was how closely the experiences of Alaskans during the earthquake echoed what we were all living through in lockdown: an unexpected, world-shattering event that left people isolated in our homes, anxiously waiting for news and reassurance through the media.

Then, on further research, I discovered how Genie gets some potentially devastating news and has to decide whether or not to share it – that’s when I knew this was a play.

Also Genie’s personal story reminded me so much of the incredible women in my life trying to hold a family together while working, my mum and my grandma, so it’s very much a personal story too.

CM: Did you always plan to perform in it yourself? 
EJC: I didn’t, no! In our first workshop, we worked with a brilliant actor, Lili Herbert, to begin to create the role and the piece. But as I kept writing, I realised that not only was this a story about Genie Chance and Alaska, but it was also a story about my own family, which meant I was really excited to take the role on as a performer.

CM: As you say, you and your fellow performer take on multiple roles – how do you prepare for that, and how easy or difficult is it to bring so many characters to life? 
EJC: Lots of colour-coded notes! We work a lot on creating different physicalities and voices to make each character distinct and immediately recognisable to the audience, particularly as the show is so fast paced.

When we first made the show back in 2025, it was a lot to remember, but now – having performed it over 50 times – I find my body knows what to do and where to go without me having to think anymore!

CM: You’ve taken the show to the Edinburgh Fringe – how did that go?
EJC: We have! We absolutely loved premiering the show at the Fringe in 2025 as part of the Edinburgh National Partnerships programme, and getting to meet and talk to audiences who the show resonated with was so exciting and meaningful.

We were really excited to bring it back to Edinburgh Fringe 2026 for the second year running, which was another brilliant experience!

CM: Can you tell us a bit about yourself now? Did you always want to perform and create? How did all this begin? 
EJC: I am a performer, director and writer from London. I trained at RADA in theatre making and performance after doing a politics degree, so I love telling exciting and compelling stories in whatever role. 

When I was about eight I went to see a production of ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’. After the show, I was absolutely seething with jealousy that the children in the children’s chorus got to be up onstage while I had to sit in the audience and just watch! That was definitely the beginning for me…

Maybe You Like It, our theatre company that created and produced ‘Down To Chance’, first began at university back in 2019. That’s where I met Caleb – who directed ‘Down To Chance’ and founded the company – and who has been an incredible creative collaborator throughout.

Since then Maybe You Like It has created and toured five shows to the Edinburgh Fringe and around the country, telling fast-paced, exciting stories that appeal to people that don’t necessarily think theatre is for them.

CM: What have been the highlights of your working life thus far? 
EJC: ‘Down To Chance’ has been a huge highlight – getting to take the show to Edinburgh twice, and a run at the Pleasance Theatre for three weeks in London earlier this spring, and now taking it out on tour to so many venues.

When I was writing that first draft in my bedroom, I never imagined this story would be seen and resonate with so many people all around the country.

Beyond that, directing ‘Carrie: The Musical’ at the Oxford Playhouse in 2022 was an incredible experience because it was such a collaborative process of working together with a large team.

At the moment, I’m also directing a new musical that will be premiering next year. I can’t say much more than that for now, but the workshopping process for that has been a huge career highlight and I cannot wait for that show to premiere. 

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future? 
EJC: Continuing to create, write, direct and perform in brilliant, theatrical, spectacular theatre! I also love musical theatre – and have managed to get some Everly Brothers singing into a key moment of ‘Down To Chance’! – so more directing and performing in that kind of work is also a big ambition for the future.

CM: What’s coming up next for you after this tour?
EJC: As a company, we’re developing our next Maybe You Like It project at the moment, which we’ll begin workshopping as soon as the tour ends.

I can’t say more at the moment, but expect the same high energy multi-role playing and fast-paced storytelling. We’re also taking ‘Down To Chance’ on a cruise in the spring, which will be brilliant fun!

‘Down to Chance’ is on at Stanley Arts Centre SE25 on 9 Oct, The Exchange Twickenham on 10 Oct, and at Finchley’s ArtsDepot on 24 Oct. 

The show is on a tour of the southeast, and also calls at theatres in Reading, Guildford, Chelmsford and lots more. Find the full list of tour dates here. 

LINKS: maybeyoulikeitprods.com | instagram.com/maybeulikeit