Intermission - issue 1 May 2021

Performing Arts Special

Intermission ISSUE 1 - May 2021

FIRST ISSUE FREE

INTERVIEW WITH WEST END STAR

JOE EVANS Read about a performers’ story

Put your

MUSICAL

knowledge to the test

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Strictly Anton Du Beke & Erin Boag Included inside this magazine - theatre reviews, interviews and quizzes

Come and see Hamilton from the 10th June at the Victoria Palace Theatre

With an all star cast featuring Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton

Contents PAGE 2

Read the article I’m that girl about a girl who gained confidence from acting

PAGE 4

Interview with Strictly Come Dancing Professionals Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag

PAGE 7

Interview with musical theatre actor Joe Evans

PAGE 11

Read all the theatre reviews

PAGE 12 Put your musical theatre knowledge to the test in the quiz PAGE 14

Read all about behind the scenes at Hamliton

I’m That

Girl

I am the ginger girl who stands out in the crowd. Read about how acting helped form my identity and develop my confidence.

I am THAT girl with the ginger hair that always stand s out in a crowd! However , despite the loud exterior, I have always been the shy, quiet type.

Unfortanately, I never had the best of times during my school years-I quickly realised that the world and I have an interesting relationship.The people in it can be difficult at times. Perhaps these things have shaped me into the person I am today, however, having the hair that God has blessed me with makes it rather hard to hide away in the shadows!

Having tried to shy away for several years at the tender age of 16, my mum’s best friend thought that it would be a great idea to bring me to her local drama group to try and help me gain confidence. As I stepped into the old village hall on my first evening my hands started to sweat and my heart was

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beating like a drum. I could see a room full of adults ranging in age, background and social standing. However the one thing they all have in common is that they all love to perform.

The group was very welcoming and always made me feel at ease in my surroundings.This immediately reasured me that I would be able to make new friends and gel with my peers. Despite these new relationships, during rehearsals, I have to admit there were many moments in which I felt too far outside my comfort zone.

However I knew that it was also important for me to continue to push these boundaries and try to enjoy these new experiences as much as possible. The thought of quitting never did cross my mind-this actually even surprised me and still does to this day! As I rehearsed, we became a well oiled machine, in sync with one another...And then opening night was upon us.

I was coping well in the lead up to the opening night. I purposely avoided peeking out at the audience as I knew this would have completeley thrown me and I would have probably tried to do a runner! There was a real buzz backstage and everyone involved seemed very professional and in control.

My entrance onto the stage gave me a feeling of mixed emotions, mostly a gradual rush of adrenaline combined with a sense of vulnerability. With clammy palms and butterflies in my stomach I stepped from behind the cutain into the light.

I shall always remember my first appearance on stage. The moment the show finished and the applause came, something inside changed and I felt a huge sense of achievement.

From stage

that moment on would be my

I knew the new home.

Due to covid I have only performed twice in front of an audience. I have been lucky enough to be involved in other aspects of the theatre for example, I have helped with stage direction, props and rehearsing lines with my cast members.

My involvement in the theatre business has had a huge imapct on my life.It has opened many new doors for me which I never knew were there. There are currently plans for a new christmas productions this year and I am looking foward to being a part of it. In the future I hope to have the chance to play a lead role - I think this would be the ultimate experience for me! keep your eyes peeled!

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What makes up their strictly identity?

From the seaside ballroom of Blackpool to the glitz, glamour and showbiz of LA- the king of ballroom himself Anton Du Beke and his dance partner Erin Boag. Anton and Erin have wowed audiences with their quickstep and tango as well as waltzed their way into the hearts of millions of viewers on the world’s most popular dancing programme- Strictly come Dancing.

I had the honour of sitting down to interview the most well known professional ballroom couple. to ask them a few questions.

The first question I asked Anton and Erin was “What was it that drew you into pursing a career in the showbiz industry”?

Erin’s answer was “To be honest for Anton and I we fell into the showbiz industry through strictly. We were one of Engalnd’s top Ballroom Professional couples travelling the world, competing when the BBC approached us to audition for a new show they were wanting to try. That was in 2004. Anton and I wereww 2 of the first 8 professionals to pilot the show which went on to become the biggest reality show in the world.

Over the following years we became household

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“We made our debut on tv in 2004”

The next question I decided to ask was “If you hadn’t ended up in showbiz where do you think you would have ended up”?

This was Anton’s answer, “Erin and I were in the middle of our competitive careers and ranked in the top 3 in England and about 14th in the world so I guess we would have carried on competing and travelling the world representing the country. Perhaps we

Our first encounter with live tv was the very first show of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004. It was an incredible feeling that filled us with adrenaline. Bruce Forsyth was there with us which was quite incredible as he was a national treasure.

Once you are in the world of showbiz it can be quite magical as long as you learn from the masters and stay on the top of your game”.

My following question was, “how do you The second to last question was “which fapersonally prepare before doing a show mous showbiz personality has inspired you or being in front of the tv cameras”? the most”? Anton answered by saying, “I guess in our early days of showbiz it was definiteAnton’s answer was, “we always like to make ly Bruce Forsyth. He taught us all how to be sure we are prepared for what we are about to professionals in front of the cameras, how do; it’s important to do your homework so you to behave and he set an example for us all”. feel more relaxed”. Erin then added, “personally I love sitting in the make up chair and getting pampered before the cameras go on. Sometimes it’s nice to have some quiet time before the cameras roll so you can go over things in your head.

The last question I asked was, “what do you consider your biggest achievement to date”? Erin’s answer was This is a hard one to answer as there has been so many”.

The next question I asked was “what is the earliest memory and how did it convince you “You could say that through it all out bigthat the world of showbiz was right for you”? gest achievement has been dancing with each other for so long. We have done 13 tours Anton and Erin both agreed by saying, “for together and danced together since 1997. the both of us the earliest memories of show biz was when we first auditioned for strictly. The BBC all piled into my house, cameras and all for interviews and just threw questions at us to see how we would respond in front of cameras. It was weird but wonderful and I guess they liked us as we got the job.

What we have both learnt is that it’s very important to have a life out of showbiz as well so you can step away from the limelight and have a balanced life”.

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From The Classro From the classroom to the West End stage, from Les Miserables to Tina the Musical.

Originally from Manchester, Joe has always been interested in musical theatre.

In his spare time Joe is a singing and drama teacher. In 2009 he was an understudy for Marius in the very famous musical Les Miserables. He’s now eagerly waiting to begin his role in Tina the Musical which will start in june 2021 at the Aldwych Theatre in London. Some of his other notorious performances include Rutherford and Son and 3 Winters (National Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (international tour) and Dirty Dancing (UK tour).

Joe has also appeared on the tv screen in Coronation Street (ITV), Emmerdale (ITV) and Deep State (FOX).

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So I had the chance to sit down and interview Joe. The first question I asked Joe was “In your opinion, how has working within the theatre industry influenced your identity”? This was Joe’s responds, “I’m proud to be an actor and performer. I think people need us at this time especially...to lift their spirits...when I meet people ususally they ask your job straight away so I suppose it does do fine who I am, alongside being a dad and a husband. And I live and breathe acting so it consumes my life”.

The next question I asked was, “have you ever played a character that you feel is eerily similar to your real life personality”? Joe’s reply was “I think there are always parts that you can relate to, but I don’t think I’ve ever played a role like me (which is great fun to be different people) you tend to exaggerate aspects of your personality to fit a role so it truthful”

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oom To The Stage

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I’m proud to be an actor

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The following question was, “In your opinion, for anyone considering a career in theatre, what would you suggest the advantages are in terms it shaping you as a person”?

In respond Joe said, “a life in the theatre can be very difficult, it’s unsocialable hours and you have no stability or guarantee of work and you make many sacrifices... BUT I would recommed it to anyone, what a life. You get to see the world, and whether you’re crew or cast you are part of the theatre community and that’s amazing. The life will shape you as a person, you’ll become optimistic and hard working and as an actor you always see the world from different points of view when playing new characters. It’s the best”.

The following question I asked Joe was “Do you think your involvement in performing has made you a more confident and out-going person”? The reply I got was, “yes definitely. I’m quite shy meeting new people really-but I know that when I perform it’s only going to work when I’m 100% confident and believe in myself. That has come with time and years of experience but socially I’m pretty chilled”!!

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So the next question I asked was, “If you could have any actor play the role of you in a film about your life, who would it be and why”? Joe’s answer was “ooh good question. I think I’d like to play me in the film about JOE! But if I had to choose someone else, I’d ask Tom Hanks as he’s my hero”!

My last question to Joe was, “throughout your theatre life what do you consider your biggest regret and why? The answer I got was I once auditioned for Mike Leigh for a film, and I didn’t get the part. I always regret this, although I think I did a good audition, so I’m not sure why I regret it but I do. Maybe I wished I’d tried it a different way. I’m sure I’ll have lots more regrets in the future, but as long as you learn from them- it’s not a regret but a lesson”.

Come and see Annie from July 12th at the Victoria Palace Theatre

Wi t h a n a l l s t a r c a s t f e a t u r i n g

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