There's a reason why the British theatre maker Tim Crouch doesn't want his actors to hear this podcast — it's because they're not supposed to know anything about their role until an hour before the show. This year, Crouch's award-winning play An Oak Tree turns 20. It's one of the strangest and most influential theatre experiments in history, and it's currently being staged at the Luminato Festival in Toronto. Each performance is completely unique, shaped by the presence of a different guest actor, including past celebrity guests like Frances McDormand, Mike Myers and Alan Cumming. Crouch sits down with guest host Gill Deacon to talk about the risk in live performance, the power of not-knowing, and why this show still resonates 20 years on.

Interview with Tim Crouch produced by Vanessa Greco.