RIVERSIDE STUDIOS AND TED WALLIKER PRESENT
RON – A BOLD AND GENRE-DEFYING SOLO SHOW
RIVERSIDE STUDIOS, STUDIO 2
13 JUNE – 5 JULY
TICKETS AND FURTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE
Riverside Studios today announces the world premiere of RON, a bold and genre-defying new solo show written and performed by Ted Walliker, running in Studio 2 at the Hammersmith venue from Saturday 13 June to Sunday 5 July, with press night on Tuesday 16 June.
RON marks the first in-house co-production from Riverside Studios, signalling a new chapter in the organisation’s producing work, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Tony Foot presents his latest stand-up show about life, love and friendship. Or – at least – he tries to… Tony seems to have something else on his mind. What starts in McDonald’s stays in McDonald’s, except in this story where it doesn’t.
Sometimes you’re just the Ron person in the Ron place at the Ron time…
RON is an absurd, violent, genre-bending queer odyssey exploring the nature of unrequited love; how far would you go to show someone you love them?
Blending razor-sharp comedy with hair-raising tonal shifts, RON pushes at the boundaries of storytelling, performance and genre. At its centre is a magnetic, unpredictable performance from Walliker, whose writing moves between the hilarious, the unsettling and the unexpectedly tender.
RON is written and performed by Walliker, who co-directs with Lev Govorovski. Together they also design the show’s set and costumes, with Walliker leading on lighting, sound design and original music – shaping a distinctive and singular theatrical world.
RON was first performed at Riverside Studios in March this year in a three-night run which sold out completely, with audiences describing it as ‘totally phenomenal’ and ‘something I’ve never seen before’, and ‘mad balletic comedy genius.
Early responses to the work were electric. BAFTA-winning writer Dean Atta calls it “a totally fresh take on queer longing,” while Olivier Award nominee Emmanuel Akwafo describes Walliker as “the kind of performer who reminds you why theatre can feel electric when it’s done right.” TV producer and comedian Jonathan Stadlen praises its “swashbucklingly brilliant, Tarantino-esque dialogue,” and actor-writer-director Ché Walker describes it as “beautiful, sinuous writing… very funny and moving.”
Rhys Williamson, Head of Programming said, “RON is exactly the kind of work we want to be making at Riverside Studios – bold, surprising and formally ambitious, with a distinctive voice at its centre. Ted has created something that feels genuinely unlike anything else, and we’re incredibly excited for this to be our first in-house co-production as we begin to build a new strand of producing work here.”
Ted Walliker said, “I wanted to make something that starts in a very familiar place and then gradually slips out of control. RON is about love, and the strange, sometimes destructive ways we try to express it – but it’s also about performance, storytelling, and how far you can push both before they break. I’m really excited to be bringing it to Riverside Studios for this run.”
RON is produced by Riverside Studios Productions and Ted Walliker.
Ted Walliker trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (’23). In 2025, Ted was nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a New Production of a Play’ by BroadwayWorld UK / West End Awards for his role in Diagnosis at the Finborough Theatre. His short film Quicksand which he co-wrote and executive produced premiered at BAFTA-qualifying Flicker’s Festival in Rhode Island, 2025. Theatre includes: Diagnosis (Finborough Theatre), Solitary Things and Phone (Courtyard Theatre), Near To (Camden People’s Theatre), Pimms & Piety (Etcetera Theatre), and award-winning Dot Dot Dot Dash (Two Ladders Productions).
Lev Govorovski trained at ALRA (Rose Bruford). Lev was most recently Associate Director for the transfer of Burnt Up Love,one of the Observer’s top 10 plays of 2024. Theatre includes: Debris (Theatre Peckham/Brixton House), Burnt Up Love (Theatro Technis/Finbrough Theatre), Midsummer Madness (Ravenna Shakespeare Festival), 384 Days (Pleasance Theatre), Diagnosis (Finbrough Theatre)