Darren Raymond, artistic director of Intermission Youth, is directing Mark Rylance in the lead role of Tartuffe (Remixed), his adaptation of the Molière play, opening at London's Marylebone theatre this week. The production marks 20 years since the two met at a Shakespeare workshop in HMP Brixton prison.
Raymond had no significant interest in acting growing up and had never heard of Rylance, a multi-award-winning actor, when they first met on Christmas Eve 2004. Rylance, then artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe, was twice Raymond's age and a successful professional actor, while Raymond was a young twentysomething raised on an inner-city housing estate serving a prison sentence.
From prison workshop to lasting friendship
Raymond reluctantly attended the workshop after his friend signed them both up for drama classes, seeing it as an excuse to get more time out of their shared cell. About 20 prisoners were greeted by Dr Bruce Wall, co-founder of the London Shakespeare Workout, a charity that uses Shakespeare and other major writers to promote confidence and relationship-building.
Raymond recalls the group's initial hesitation, but Wall's upbeat energy proved irresistible. During one exercise, participants responded to a line of Shakespeare's text using their own words, and the group reacted to Raymond's contribution with oohs and aahs. "When I look back, that was a really profound moment in my life because it was the first time I knew my words could have any kind of impact," he says.
Back in their cell, Raymond and his friend were energised by the experience. "Normally we'd be talking about how to get one back over the system, but that day we were talking about Shakespeare," he remembers. He returned every week, eventually becoming an advocate for the group, and even declined relocation to a lower category prison with fewer restrictions, knowing the move would mean he could no longer attend.
A meeting that changed everything
At one of the final sessions, Raymond met Rylance, who was guest-facilitating along with his late wife Claire van Kampen. "He's come in with his shorts and sandals, looking like some dishevelled guy off the road," Raymond recalls. "Nobody knew any Shakespeare, and that was a good thing – it made the playing field more even."
Rylance remembers the small workshop of four young men, each of whom had learned a soliloquy. "There was a definite marriage of what's mortal and immortal, because of the interweaving of their own language right next to Shakespeare," he says. Raymond was struck by how Rylance related the stories of Othello to their situation. At the end, Rylance told the group: "We don't have to revere this work in the way people make you think you need to. Use whatever you want from it – take whatever you want and use it however you want." Raymond says: "That's what I do now. That's what saved me."
After his release, Raymond received a call from Wall inviting him to audition for London Shakespeare Workshop's national tour of Othello. "I really didn't know what it meant. I didn't know what an audition was really, I didn't know what a UK tour was. But I went, met him, done the audition – and then they cast me as Othello." Rehearsals took place at St Saviour's Church, where Rob Gillion, an actor turned reverend, was the resident vicar.
Building Intermission Youth
Raymond's relationship with Gillion proved transformative. "I was really inspired by Rob, he was a role model to me," he says. Gillion later asked Raymond to move into the vicarage while he travelled, a "favour" Raymond now realises was a calculated act of kindness. In 2006, Gillion invited him to run Intermission theatre.
Intermission Youth, the charity Raymond set up 20 years ago, helps transform the lives of young people aged 11-30+ through theatre. Its flagship programme takes 80 trainees a year for masterclasses, pastoral support and professional performances. Rylance, who has supported the charity since its early days, was prompted to visit its headquarters after hearing Raymond speak on Radio 4 in 2008. "I was really knocked out by it, the production was everything I'd been looking for," Rylance says.
The organisation has struggled to secure a suitable permanent home since being asked to leave St Saviour's Church in 2019. The church has since been converted to a luxury home and was on the market for £35m last year.
Tartuffe (Remixed) and a return to the stage
Tartuffe (Remixed) is Intermission's biggest production to date, bringing together Intermission graduates and actors who have taken other routes into the industry. It is Rylance's first time back in the theatre since his wife's death in early 2025. "When you lose your wife of 35 years – I keep thinking of wonderful Joan Littlewood who, when she lost Jerry Raffles, stepped out of that theatre and never stepped in any theatre again. And that's a temptation – but it's like when you think you have a death wish but its not that you want to kill yourself – but you want to kill a certain way you've been living."
Returning to stage acting feels like part of a ritual of remembrance for his wife, who was also a supporter of Intermission's work. "It was something we gave money to, something we supported. And so this feels like a natural path forward for me as I try to figure out a new story to my life. What's the story of my life without her?"
Rylance believes in giving back, but his preference is to invest in grassroots arts initiatives over major institutions. "I don't support my drama school, I don't support the Globe any more, or the RSC," he says. "In terms of my debt to Shakespeare, my debt to all the great teachers I had as a young person, this is it for me – this will be it until the day I die."
The actor Tosin Cole, who graduated from the first Intermission cohort in 2009, credits the programme with helping him realise his talent. "I never really had aspirations to become an actor," he says. "It was just a cool thing to do on a Saturday." He has since worked consistently across TV, film and theatre, including roles in Hollyoaks, Doctor Who, and as the lead in Supacell on Netflix.
Cole advocates for more spaces like Intermission's original venue. "Look at any artist or musician that's come from an inner city and a lot of their skill and their success has come from resources being accessible. A lot of talent came out of the youth clubs where things were free."
Raymond also highlights the success of young people who have not pursued careers in the industry. "Every success is relative, right?" he says. "Now they have a job and a family. They're not acting or working in the industry, but that's also success to me." Tartuffe (Remixed) runs at Marylebone theatre, London, from 4 September to 24 October.
