Act 2, Scene 9: Over the hills and far away.

A Buxton Spring.
It was a flying visit to Buxton Opera House but what a treat it was. I arrived the night before in order to get a good night's rest after the long drive North. And I'm glad I did - the free morning meant I could take a rejuvenating stroll around the Pavilion Gardens, take a gander at some feathered friends, and fill a bottle of the good stuff at the Buxton hillside spring.

Duckling was non-plussed at the Buxton family re-union

You can't match a Macham.
The Opera House is a glorious Frank Macham theatre, designed by the famous Edwardian theatrical architect around 1903. Macham and his trainees were responsible for the creation of hundreds of beautifully designed theatres and music halls around the building boom of the late 19th/early 20th century. The breath-taking architecture and wonderful acoustics mean that it's a real pleasure for actors to perform in one, and it's certainly one of the most impressive theatres we've toured to so far. 

After the get-in and top and tail of scenes, I spent a little more time than usual warming up on stage - it was a big space to fill and despite the wonderful acoustics, I wanted to make sure the few family and friends I had watching that night were not going to miss a syllable! The way each actor warms up for a show is as individual as the actor themselves, whether it's an hour of intense yoga, or coffee and fag outside stage door. I personally like to spend around 20mins each night going through a number of physical and vocal exercises. I start by warming up my body and then concentrate on resonance and diction using a number of exercises I picked up at Drama School, or through other practitioners I've worked with along the way. For me it's a time just to focus, to push to the back of mind any other stuff I've been dealing with that day and make sure I'm physically ready to perform.

Buxtons beautiful auditorium

We had a fantastic crowd in that night. I played Buxton Opera House on another tour about 4 years ago and I was reminded what a warm and loyal audience they get at there. The theatre had arranged for us to hold a "Post-Show Discussion" that night. It's quite a common occurrence in many regional venues where the audience grill the actors, and actors the get a free drink. I always enjoy the post-show talks - it's interesting to hear what an audience has picked up on and to get an idea of their immediate response to the play, straight from the horses mouth so to speak. We talked a bit about the rehearsal process and improvisation, about Timberlake's writing and there was some interesting feedback about the cross-gender casting. Sometimes the questions you get in the these talks can be a little tedious - the dreaded "how did you learn your lines" always makes me squirm. Not only because the real answer is dull  (pretty much parrot fashion until it goes in) but also because of all the things one could ask about, it's really the most mechanical and monotonous part of much larger process, a tiny cog in the wheel that powers the production. I suppose most people have little idea of what an actor does 'in rehearsal' so I do understand why that question arises, but it's a little like eating a 3 course meal and then asking the chef how he found the cutlery!


Reminiscing in at Clwyd.
On Tuesday morning I met with Al, Rach, Chris and Sheun at the well loved Cafe on the Green Pavilion and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts I've had in ages. With a full belly and a good dose of caffeine running through our veins we made our way back to the car for a sunny drive through the hills to our next venue - Theatre Clwyd.
Theatre Clwyd holds a special place in my heart as it's where I took my first professional stage job after graduating from drama school. I played Daphne Stillington, the young debutante and wannabe actress in Noel Coward's Present Laughter, directed by Christopher Morahan. It was a wonderful comic role, and working with a fantastic cast of experienced actors I learnt more on that job than I did in almost my entire time training. As I walked backstage into my old dressing room the nerves and excitement of taking that first big step in my career all came flooding back. Theatre Clwyd is pretty much regarded in the industry as the national theatre of Wales and although seemingly tucked away in the North-Waleian market town of Mold, has been producing an extensive body of reputable work under the leadership of Terry Hands for many years.

Our set looking great in the Antony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd.

Our first night opened to a good sized crowd and it was nice to hear afterwards that an old school friend, now a teacher in Chester, had brought along his A-Level group who really enjoyed the show. Sadly, the audiences for the rest of the week dwindled and petered out. This seemed more than ever to really knock the morale of the company. We're now three months in to the tour and it can be hard to keep the positive energy going when we're getting such wonderful feedback from those who do come along, but for whatever reason the marketing at a particular venue lets us down and we don't have the bums on seats to show for it.

Perks of the job: a view of my digs in the heart of the Welsh valleys.

We Three at Loggerheads.

They said it doesn't grow on trees...

Later in the week to cheer ourselves up, Rach, Chris and I took a little day trip to Loggerheads Country Park. It was a beautiful clear sunny day and the chance to lark about in the woods, climb some hills and and explore a cave or two really blew away the cobwebs. I even stumbled across a money tree - lets hope that's a good omen for the weeks to come.

Rach adds a coin and makes a wish

By happy co-incidence, we also happened to be performing at Clwyd the same week as an old Drama School friend and brilliant actress, Caryl Morgan was playing in A Dolls House in the studio. It was great to catch up with her on marriage, babies and careers so far. Suddenly drama school feels like an age ago (nearly 7 years ago in fact) and so much has changed. I'm just glad to still be doing what I love most.

Next week, it's back south to London for a week at Greenwich Theatre - stay tuned for info about a surprise exclusive meeting! And in this week's Sneak Peak interview I'll be breaking away from the acting side of things for an insight behind the scenes.....


Emily x