This TaliTalk article gives you a little glimmer behind our next director who is currently in rehearsals for Gaslight by Patrick Hamilon which opens on 2nd November 2026.
The first plays are always the most special. “I remember this kids’ puppet theatre I had as a child: on Sunday afternoons, I would invent these small shows, with a carefully chosen CD playing the soundtrack and my bedroom lamp transformed into a spotlight, and my amazing mum as the audience, clapping at the enthusiasm of my six-year-old self.” T
hirty years later, the excitement of creating a show has not faded even a bit. Because for Julien Rosa, the theatre is first and foremost a happy place.
To paraphrase – and slightly twist – the Bard himself, all the stage’s a world, that’s what makes it so mesmerising. “The first time I saw a Shakespeare play as a teenager – King Lear – I felt almost every emotion possible, and I thought wow, how amazing that these stories we experience on stage can be such a vivid intimate impact and make you leave the theatre completely changed.” The first love, though, was Molière. Classic for a French thespian, of course.
Born near Paris, Julien joined youth drama and music conservatoire to put this passion into performance. Later, in parallel to his literature studies, he trained at one of the leading Paris drama schools and contemplated going onto the professional path. But radio called. For ten years Julien worked as a radio producer, specialised in classical music and performing arts, first at Radio France, the French national public radio, before joining BBC Radio 3. “It was such an exciting sector,” Julien explains, “and whether making an audio drama or producing a classical concert, the values of theatre – being both brave and vulnerable, keeping an open mind and building bridges, having initiative and ambition – applied there too, as they actually do in life more generally.” Now working in music education, theatre activities never stopped being part of his life all along the way.
Having directed several productions in France – from beloved Shakespeare to contemporary new writing – he didn’t know what the local scene would be like when he moved the UK. “But when I first joined the Talisman Theatre company in 2022, as an assistant on The Mill on the Floss, I received such a warm welcome – it was just like being immediately incorporated into a family, which I was so immensely grateful for.” That happy place again.
Since then, Julien worked on several productions at the Talisman, both for the Main Stage and the Fringe. One of the best memories was playing Nathan Leopold in Never the Sinner. “Sam Harris, its brilliant director, encouraged me to audition at a time where I lacked confidence as a performer, and trusted me to take on a leading character. And with this, she truly offered me one of the most amazing experiences I had on stage, in what was a beautifully intense play.”
Now presenting another piece full of darkness, Julien Rosa puts on the director cap again for Patrick Hamilton’s classic Victorian thriller, Gaslight, presented next month on the Main Stage. A play that he chose for its relevance to our contemporary society, but also for all the dramatic possibilities the script offered. “It’s a joy working with such a talented team, both cast and crew,” Julien adds. “Directing is such fun – trying to transpose and adapt what you’ve imagined in your head onto the stage is exhilarating. But working with great people, and creating a happy project together, for our audience, that’s what makes it a truly beautiful adventure.”
Book now – tickets for Gaslight are on sale, running from 2nd to 9th November 2026.