Camden Fringe 2026: Mates at the Courtyard Theatre

Mates is a clever, high-energy and emphatically meta exploration of friendship and the creative process, showing at the Courtyard Theatre as part of this year’s Camden Fringe programme.

Written and performed by Ciaran Duce, Jack Staddon, Joseph Ollman and Kieran Urquhart, the plot follows four friends with a shared dream, brought back together after six years of separation, under pressure from an ominous financial backer to produce a play – vaguely titled Mates – which they harbour hopes of composing on the even vaguer theme of “mates”. From the off, the reunion is charged with unaired grievances, creative differences and clashes of personality that drive a lot of the play’s humour. Ciaran Duce in particular, playing the intellectual and often distracted Luke, landed some brilliant lines that kept the audience laughing throughout, but the whole cast have done well to portray the resentments that can break through when faced with the truths of one’s past, and to show the funny side of feeling like a fool in front of one’s mates.

The sparse set fits the play well – chairs, whiteboard, pens and four creatives grappling for something solid to write down is a scene that many of the Fringe audience will relate to, and the actors use the space well to reflect the shifting tensions and dormant connections between them. A back-and-forth of dialogue and one-liners across the space builds suspense at times, while slower monologues – delivered with natural hesitation and embarrassment – let it release, as the characters work through everything they seem to need to work through before they can knuckle down to the business of getting some writing done. A highlight of the piece is the fun it has with staging plays-within-a-play, trying on different genres for size as the mates test out their ideas – from sincere scenes with a clear message, to a commendable attempt at Beckett-esque disembodied heads, these are both hilarious and an effective way to trace the reopening of old wounds between the characters.

While outrageous at moments and downright silly at others, the lasting impression one has of Mates is that it is riotously funny. “Let’s give them what they want,” rallies Max (Joseph Ollman), as the mates clamber into low-budget superhero costumes for the sake of keeping the audience entertained. The work is successful in that regard, and one of this year’s prime comedy offerings at the Camden Fringe.

Sylvia Unerman
Photos: Courtesy of Courtyard Theatre

Mates is at Courtyard Theatre from 11^th until 23^rd August 2026. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.