Hear Sean Baker, director of the Combined Actors of Cambridge, talk about bringing Martin McDonagh's Hangmen to the stage at the ADC Theatre. We delve into the narrative of the show, set in Oldham in 1965, following Britain's second-best hangman, Harry Wade, as he faces up to life post-death penalty and with a spectre from his past coming back to haunt him. Sean shares behind-the-scenes secrets, from challenges in staging realistic hangings to casting dynamics.
Join me, Ray Tempesta, as I recount my recent theatrical endeavours as I took in shows ranging from "Frozen" at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane to a distinctly unglamorous shipping container in Norwich. Hear what I had to say about a few productions including the original play Elephant by fEAST Theatre and the gripping The Pillowman by 14/7 Theatre. There was also exciting news in store as Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society were one of the chosen few selected to produce a special anniversary edition of Les Miserables for the show's 40th anniversary in 2025.
Our episode wraps up with the usual look at some of the shows soon to hit the stage at theatres near you. Don't miss this episode packed with theatre insights, personal anecdotes, and upcoming performances that will hopefully leave you eager to book your next theatre trip!
Hear Sean Baker, director of the Combined Actors of Cambridge, talk about bringing Martin McDonagh's Hangmen to the stage at the ADC Theatre. We delve into the narrative of the show, set in Oldham in 1965, following Britain's second-best hangman, Harry Wade, as he faces up to life post-death penalty and with a spectre from his past coming back to haunt him. Sean shares behind-the-scenes secrets, from challenges in staging realistic hangings to casting dynamics.
Join me, Ray Tempesta, as I recount my recent theatrical endeavours as I took in shows ranging from "Frozen" at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane to a distinctly unglamorous shipping container in Norwich. Hear what I had to say about a few productions including the original play Elephant by fEAST Theatre and the gripping The Pillowman by 14/7 Theatre. There was also exciting news in store as Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society were one of the chosen few selected to produce a special anniversary edition of Les Miserables for the show's 40th anniversary in 2025.
Our episode wraps up with the usual look at some of the shows soon to hit the stage at theatres near you. Don't miss this episode packed with theatre insights, personal anecdotes, and upcoming performances that will hopefully leave you eager to book your next theatre trip!
Hello and welcome to the East Anglin Theatre Podcast. Welcome back, everyone. It's been a couple of weeks since we last spoke, are you? Well? Don't answer that, I can't hear you, obviously. But hey, what kind of intro is that? Hi everyone, my name is Ray Tempesta and I am your slightly rain-drenched host, the guy who takes control of the spotlight and shines it right in the face of theatre companies and productions in our region, that region being East Anglia. Now, if you've not come across the podcast before, then welcome aboard.
Speaker 1:The way it works is simple, much like your host here. It's split into three sections. Section 1 is where I tell you a bit about what I've been up to in the world of theatre. Section two is the pièce de résistance, the interview with a guest or guests about the production or company that they were involved with. And finally, once I'm done boring the pants off my guests, I move on to section three, where I give a shout out to a handful of upcoming productions, as well as the occasional mention of audition opportunities too. But before I do that, let me briefly point out that the podcast has social media accounts that you can follow, and it's a simple concept the more popular the podcast, the more effective a tool it is for spreading the word about your show or company, so do share it far and wide. It can only be a good thing. I've also got a website, eatpodcuddyuk that's eatpodcuddyuk. Here you'll find all episodes of the podcast, plus the reviews that I produce and the occasional written interview too. You can also find a page to contact me if you'd like to get in touch to be featured on the podcast, or if you simply want to tell me to cease and desist your choice.
Speaker 1:So let's begin the episode in earnest. Who's earnest, as I ask myself the question. Ray, what have you been up to in the world of theatre lately? Well, since the last episode, I've taken in quite a few shows and spent part of an evening being entertained inside a shipping container. Though it's not East Anglia, I have to mention the incredible production of Frozen that I saw at London's Theatre, royal Drury Lane. Now, of course, the vocals and dance routines were stunning, but I also was blown away by the effects and illusions in the show and the seemingly impossible costume changes, and the theatre itself was so beautiful absolute heaven for lovers of theatre like myself. Just a couple of days later, I was then sent over to a shipping container outside the Forum in Norwich to review an immersive experience called Arcade from the Darkfield Company. Now, I reviewed one of these immersive experiences last year, one called Eulogy, and maybe it was because I was already familiar with the format somewhat, but this one left me a little bit cold. Sure, the audio effects were brilliant, but the story itself was actually quite dull. There was another one of these experiences next door called Seance, which one of my fellow reviewers gave his opinion on, and by the sounds of it, that one was a bit more thrilling. Still, it was nice to do something different Now.
Speaker 1:Latterly, I watched two productions on consecutive days at Sheringham Little Theatre. The first of these was from Feast Theatre and it was an original play written by locally-born writer Jeremy Page, called Elephant. It was about a recluse who is unexpectedly visited by his sister and, even more unexpectedly, she has a small-time criminal tied up in the boot of her car. It's all set against the backdrop of a crumbling house which is being lost to the sea thanks to coastal erosion. It was a really cleverly written story and one brilliantly portrayed by the four strong cast Along with an innovative set design. It was one that I'd highly recommend. The tour of Elephant continues across venues in Norfolk and Suffolk throughout June. Rather than list all the dates here, though, I'd simply encourage you to look up Feast Theatre on social media or visit their website, feasttheatrecom.
Speaker 1:The following day, I caught the pillow man, not literally, as 14 Seven Theatre's production of the Martin McDonagh masterpiece arrived in Sheringham for the second date of its mini-tour. As I expected, it was absolutely brilliant, with an all-round acting masterclass from the talented troupe of actors. The tour is, of course, over now, but I was delighted to get the chance to see it. And finally, I watched the touring production of the 39 Steps at Norwich Theatre Royal. The full review is available on eatpodcouk, but it's as brilliantly funny and frantic as you'd imagine, and one definitely worth watching Now. By the time this episode goes out, chances are it'll be done within Norwich, and the tour doesn't go anywhere else in our region, so if you've missed it, then go kick yourself. Now.
Speaker 1:On the theatre scene generally, the big news was, of course, that 11 community theatre companies were offered the chance to produce their own version of the legendary Les Miserables to celebrate the musical's 40th anniversary in 2025, and one of the lucky companies was Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society in what will be a year of celebration for them too, as they reach their centenary year. It'll be on in July next year, and full details of auditions will be announced later in the year, but I know from experience, having had the privilege to be part of the society, that the production is in safe hands with them. Anyway, enough about me. And what about you? Have you seen any shows lately that have left an impression? Do feel free to get in touch and let me know your thoughts. I'm always happy to hear from you.
Speaker 1:So on to section two, the interview. And well, it is two in a row for Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, as he features again in this week's episode, which Martin will no doubt be delighted about. But anyway, I'd like to introduce you to Sean Baker, who is directing the combined actors of Cambridge's production of the quite brilliant Martin McDonagh comedy called Hangmen. So without further ado, let's have a listen to my chat with him, shall we? Hi there, sean. It's lovely to have you on Now. Before we begin the interview proper, I wondered if you could just give us a bit of background on the company that you're with on this one, combined Actors of Cambridge, and perhaps a bit of a flavour of the shows that you've been involved with Well Combined Actors of Cambridge and perhaps a bit of a flavour of the shows that you've been involved with.
Speaker 2:Well, combined Actors of Cambridge have been going, I believe, since the 1960s and they operate as a production company, so they don't have a formal membership, they just have a rolling committee and anybody's free to put themselves forward for the committee. In terms of my involvement with them, I've kind of come and gone. So the first thing I did in cambridge um was in 2008. That was with combined and um. That was a production of the rivals by sheridan. It was an outdoor production and I acted in that and that was my first sort of acting gig in cambridge and really enjoyed it. And then I've done.
Speaker 2:I acted in uh, habeas corpus, I think, the full and alan bennett comedy from the early 70s, which was interesting. Um. And since then I directed um the flint street nativity three years ago, which was huge fun. I don't know if you know the show, but it's one where um about 10 adults play seven year old children putting on a school nativity. It was written for tv originally by um tim firth and but I mean it's been an absolute staple of amateur theater for the last sort of dozen years or so and it's great fun to do and and that went. That went pretty well. Then last summer I directed love song by abby morgan for combined, which is a completely different type of play. I mean it's sort of an hour and a half intense four-hander. It's two couples or it's the same couple but 40 years apart. So you have two actors playing the younger couple and then another two actors that play the older version of the same couple and they move around in the same space. So it has to be really sort of well choreographed.
Speaker 2:So, it involves dance and music and visuals and it's an absolute. I mean, it's just a beautiful play, it really is. And it's one of those plays where your aim is to leave the audience sobbing at the end, whereas this one is completely the opposite. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean on to Hangmen, and I don't mind telling you I'm absolutely delighted to see a company that's producing that show in our region because I absolutely adore it. Was it your?
Speaker 2:choice. It's a beautiful little sort of community theatre. It's bags of character. Anyway, I've done a few drama festivals there over the years.
Speaker 2:So I've been on my mailing list for the last 10 years or so and it cropped up in my inbox about two years ago I think, and I'm a big fan of Martin McDonagh and I saw this play in the listing and I thought, oh, I don't know that I hadn't noticed it when it hit the West End. So I bought a copy and just laughed like a drain reading it and I thought this is just fantastic and it's got all the sort of McDonagh tropes of you know black humor and sort of unexpected word play. So I pitched it basically to Combined last year and said I'd like to direct this for you in the summer of 2024. I said I think it's I mean with it being Mike McDonagh fresh off the back of Banshees of Innershire and I think it will do well in terms of sales. You've always got to pitch that part of it when you're pitching, so tell them where you think the audience is coming from.
Speaker 2:And yeah, so that's how we put it on. And then we then have to go to the ADC theatre and their manager and say, right, this is what we would like to do in this particular slot. And so they have to approve it as well, and they've got to be happy with it. They like a very diverse, interesting, original programme for each of their seasons at the ADC Theatre. So as long as the student group hasn't done it in the last three or four years, then you're usually OK.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, is it encouraging to see a company do something a bit different? I suppose and Martin McDonagh, I feel, falls into that category he's a lot more daring. I mean, this one Hangman is slightly more a traditional comedy for him compared to some of his other work.
Speaker 2:Well, the other thing is, of course, it's set in northern England as opposed to Ireland, which is where I mean, I knew him from for his Irish plays, so the Beauty Queen of Lanann and Lieutenant of Vinnishmo, I think it is Another one that I've seen. Yes, you're right, I mean the comedy is both verbal and physical and it's very, it's kind of it feels of its period, which is the mid-60s. So he kind of hits that pretty much on the button, I think, and it's Northern as well, so he's kind of given it. We've got three people from Manchester or the Manchester region actually in the cast.
Speaker 1:It's interesting. You mention obviously being Northern, and I note that you've got an accent coach on this one. I mean, is that a sort of normal thing for the company, if you know it's going?
Speaker 2:to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they did a Conor McPherson play the Weir about 10 years ago I think, and they had an accent coach for that.
Speaker 2:Funnily enough, actually, the website's out of date because the person who'd offered to be accent coach, guy Holmes, when he made that offer and I said, yeah, that'd be great, I didn't know that three of my cast were from the Manchester area because we'd only just had the auditions and I've been sort of I have an ear for whether I think think the dialogue even in an audition sounds about right or if somebody's likely to be okay with it. And one of the actors had emailed me and said, oh, this is great, I'm from I think she's from Bury, just outside Manchester. She said it would be great to do a play where I can actually do my own voice and not have to put on a southern accent, and so in fact, they've guided us in terms of the pronunciation and idioms and all the rest of it. Yeah, so it's been. I mean it has been fine and I mean the Southern actors have listened. You know, whenever we pointed out and it's usually in the vowel sounds is the main difference.
Speaker 1:And I guess, for those that haven't come across Hangmen, can you explain what it's all about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's largely set in 1965, just on the day after Parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty for most crimes. People probably may or may not know that the death penalty stayed on the statute book for some time after 1965, or after it was finally removed for murder. So there were still some crimes that it still sort of stayed on the statute book for. So this is set when um it's uh, they've just decided um, or they just voted um to abolish it for murder, and it largely takes place in the pub of one of britain's hangmen and one of the running jokes in the play is that he's known as britain's second best hangman because the daddy of all hangmen is the one that everybody remembers is albert pierpoint, who does appear in the play as a character, and the opening scene takes place two years earlier than this and it's 1963 and it's the hanging of a man called hennessy, and so the play kind of weaves issues around this particular hanging of this particular individual and the the plot kind of weaves around that, the implications of what happened with that and whether that guy was innocent or whether they'd hanged an innocent man or not.
Speaker 2:So the main character is the second best hangman called harry in the play. He's called harry wade and he runs a pub in oldham just outside manchester. And then in midway through the second scene a stranger from london or from the south appears, guy called mooney, and this is immediately set up as um, somebody who's different, he's not from around these parts kind of guy, and he's acting slightly oddly, which kind of spooks the regulars and it spooks harry and it spooks harry's wife and um, and then sort of the story sort of progresses from that really, and and how have you found rehearsals so far?
Speaker 2:you're obviously a couple of weeks away from opening the rehearsals have gone um, really well, I mean better than I expected, and the uh actors kind of got their characters really quickly. We, we, we have spent quite a bit of time sort of deciding on motivations, and I mean that might sound obvious because you say, well, you do that most plays, don't you? But you sort of sometimes dig deep and sometimes you don't. It just depends on the nature of the play. But this one we have mainly because there is historical, factual background to it. So, with the character of Harry, for example, he's loosely based on a real hangman called Harry Allen, who did indeed come from Manchester, did indeed run a pub, and we've found interviews with him from the time and so on and so forth. So we've kind of been able to sort of flesh the character out and playing with him from the time and and so on so forth. So we've kind of been able to sort of flesh the character out and playing with him.
Speaker 2:I mean, the other thing of course in the um in terms of rehearsing is, um, some of the technical aspects, um. So, for example, we can't, we haven't been able to um practice the hangings that are a key feature of the play, so one of the running gags, if you like, in rehearsal is that I will sort that out at the tech. So there's this certain bits which we're saying, right. Okay, when we come to the tech rehearsal on the sunday, we're basically going to spend an awful lot of time on these two particular parts of the play which we haven't really been at the moment we're just kind of glossing over them a little bit, yeah. So we try to explain as best we can exactly what's going to happen to the actors, to reassure them that it's perfectly safe. What we're doing, and what we've really then been doing in terms of rehearsal, is allowing the cast to laugh and discover as much humor as they possibly can, but not to take it too far yeah, I mean what?
Speaker 1:also wondered because the cast is very male heavy. Yeah, I don't know if it's the same in Cambridge area, but certainly over my way in Norfolk, North Norfolk, we struggle for males but I guess there'd be quite a few people that would shy away from casting something like Hangmen when it's very, very male oriented.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you're right, I mean it's. I mean, that was one of the things that kind of gave me pause when I pitched it. I said you know, this is like 9-3, I think, or even 10-3, male to female. No two, two, sorry, yeah, in terms of the casting requirements it was two, wasn't it? Two women.
Speaker 2:But what we have done is cast one of the bar regulars as a woman. We read one of the bar regulars as a woman. We read it and, um thought, do you know what? You wouldn't change a line that comes out of this character's mouth. So it works beautifully. It gives a different dynamic, um to sort of the bar, and we've, in rehearsal we decided that her character is she's the pub cleaner, so she's kind of there. But otherwise, I mean, you know, it all works perfectly. But yeah, going back to the more general point, yeah, I mean, yeah, there's a lot more women that come to auditions than there are men. But funny enough, actually, on this, I did have um, I did have choice write down the, the list for the roles, um of the men. So it was fine and, as often happens, you kind of the people that are good are really good, you know, that's, that's the really key thing. It's not like we're sort of carrying anybody or anything like that. You know, everyone's just absolutely bang on.
Speaker 1:For the part, they're either bang on in terms of their age or their look or their ability or whatever you know, yeah, and I guess, in terms of the audience experience, what do you think they will get out of it?
Speaker 2:Well, two things really.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping that they'll just laugh like drains for most of it and sort of completely appreciate the humour, and I think the other thing which is slightly puff face is on the subject of capital punishment. On the other hand, I think that as far as the UK is concerned, that argument has disappeared many, many decades ago I think. I think the last time Parliament came back to Parliament for a vote was the 90s, so that's 25 plus years ago now. I don't know anybody who thinks that bringing it back would be a good idea, and this play makes it very clear where Martin McDonagh stands on the subject as well, I think.
Speaker 2:And I think the other thing I put it on um on a blog post recently for the adc the other thing that I want them to be thinking about when the play finishes, is about the character of mooney. We've had quite a lot of discussions in rehearsal about exactly who he is and and where he came from and what his motivations are was really the key thing, and I think it would be great if at the end of the play, the audience is sort of they have a discussion where no two people necessarily have the same opinion as to who he was and why he was there and why he was doing what he was doing, or what did he do?
Speaker 1:yeah, and moving away from hangman and on to your own experiences in theater, where did it all start, for?
Speaker 2:you. Uh, well, it started at school back in the 70s. I was um in cambridge and we had a purpose-built theatre at the school I was at which was brand new. When I got to the school, um, it was fantastic theatre. It's still there and it's um still in a lot of and we did a huge amount of theatre.
Speaker 2:So I was doing like in two plays a term, you know you would do one sort of in October and then another one in December and I was so heavily involved that it was, you know, affected my education and then I kind of I sort of didn't really do much after I left school. And then I got back involved in the early 2000s with my local village group and I started writing and directing pantomimes for them. So I did eight pantos which I wrote and directed and loved doing. But then I kind of got to the point where I thought I don't really want to do panto anymore, I've had enough of panto, and got involved with the Cambridge groups but also my village group were very much geared towards doing musicals and I wanted to do straight plays. So yeah, I've been heavily involved with the Cambridge lot for about 15 years now and I've done more directing in the last five or six years than before that. And yeah, I'm directing the Watsons next spring, which is a newish play. I don't know if you've heard of it?
Speaker 1:I haven't heard of it. No.
Speaker 2:It Spring, which was a newish play. I don't know if you've heard of it. I've heard of it. No, honestly, if you like, hangmen, I mean in one sense it's chalk and cheese, but it's a modern play and it's based on a Jane Austen novel called the Watsons and it's written by Laura Wade.
Speaker 1:I'm just noting that down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Watsons was one of Jane Austen's unfinished novels, but it was mid-career, so she abandoned it because she wasn't happy with it. It wasn't because she died, and so Laura Wade has turned this into a play, but because it's unfinished, at about the one third of the way through, one of the characters on stage turns around and introduces herself as Laura, the author of the play. So I don't know if you feel familiar with a play from the early 20th century called six characters in search of an author by um luigi pirandello, and it's the same sort of idea. So the writer is part of the action and is giving the characters license to create their own stories. Okay, it is very funny, um, because it plays a lot with sort of mores and ideas and combines that with 21st century ideas around all sorts of things.
Speaker 1:Apologies if you already mentioned it, but which company is that? Is that also with combined actors?
Speaker 2:No, the Watsons is going to be with boards, ok, but that will be at the ADC next April. But yeah, so yeah, we auditioned for that in September, ok, Okay, out of interest actually.
Speaker 1:I mean, what is the audition process for, like boards, for instance? Do you need to be signed up as a member?
Speaker 2:No, they're completely open, so we advertise. Both companies advertise on their websites and then on Facebook are the two main places where you'd find out about it and anyone can come and read. And you know, if you go and see enough combined or boards or any production on the Cambridge Stage Amateur production, non-musical stuff you'll usually see one or two faces quite a lot but you will also see a lot of people that you've never seen before. I mean this with Hangmen, the guy who's playing the main character, harry Wade it's the first time I've worked with him since 2012, for example. And whereas Mooney, the guy playing Mooney, I mean I work with him all the time. I mean this must be about the fifth time I've directed him now, but he's such a brilliant actor that you know if he's interested in a play then I'll invariably cast him in it because he's just so good. But the young woman playing the daughter it's the first time I've worked with her. She's relatively new to cambridge. There's a guy playing the, the reporter. He's also relatively new to cambridge.
Speaker 1:so yeah, I mean it's a good mix between yeah that's important as well for the people involved as well to know they've almost that it's not a closed shop no, absolutely isn't.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's it whoever does the best readings or fits. When I directed emma in the jane austen novel back in 2017, we had like 25 young women all auditioned for that one role of emma, and so the woman that we cast was a second year student at cambridge university. I'd never worked with before, but, um, and she was fantastic. So, yeah, I mean, it's completely open and if you write for the role, then you get.
Speaker 1:You get cast and that sort of covers what you're doing. Post hangmen are you involved in anything on stage as well?
Speaker 2:no, there is a group in cambridge called right on who um I sometimes do bits and pieces with, and they do rehearsed readings and they're very much about um encouraging playwrights and um people that want to sort of get into writing, so they kind of provide a platform for them really to have their stuff kind of workshopped or even to be performed um script in hand in front of an audience. So that tends to be where I've done most of my acting last couple of years. I was going to be in um alice through the looking glass couple of years ago. I was cast as a mad hatter and I was loving the um the rehearsal and I'm really enjoying it and then I got hospitalized and had to pull out, which is a bit of a bugger, uh yeah. So that was the last thing that I would have done had I been in it yeah, you mentioned the writing group.
Speaker 1:I mean, is writing an area that interests you? I mean you obviously you talked about having written quite a number of pantos many years ago, but um, I started.
Speaker 2:I've had a couple of plays published by there's an online publisher called Off the Wall and they published three of my plays and one of them has been performed around the world, which sounds a bit grand, but it just has. I think it's been performed in Florida, alabama, australia, south Africa, the Isle of man, scotland, which is quite fun, but I haven't written a new play for about four years, I don't think.
Speaker 1:Do you mind me asking what the play is and the premise?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, the one that's proved popular with people it's their one-act play. So I wrote them and then took them to drama festivals and, having done them at drama festivals and sort of you know, done okay with them, I got them published. But the one that people seem to like doing is called is this seat taken, um, which is a forehand, and it's about a couple that go to a hotel to role play um, in order to sort of pep up their marriage, and so when the play opens, you see these two people having a very awkward meet in the bar or pub and you don't initially realise that they actually know each other. It's only as the conversation kind of peters out and one of them says, oh, for goodness sake, this isn't working at all, and then they sort of start again. And then the other couple that are in the play are the barman and his partner and they role play all the time. So they're kind of experienced role players. And, yeah, I mean partner and they role play all the time. So they're kind of experienced role players. And uh, yeah, I mean it's um, people seem to enjoy doing it. So, um, that was good one.
Speaker 2:There's a group in scotland that did it, emailed me and said all right, if we change one of the uh characters to a woman I can't remember which one it was now, and so in other words, it was a gay couple and a straight couple I said, yeah, that's fine. I mean, that worked really well as well, so, and that was good. And then, um, yeah, there's another one I've wrote um which has been performed. Uh, there's a couple of groups did it. Last year um called anyone can dance and um, they've. The people have done it, have been really complimentary about it, which has been really nice. So I try and get to see them if I can. I haven't been over to the states, obviously, to see it, but, um, but I went up to um, went over to oxford a few weeks ago to watch one of them, uh, so that was nice that's fantastic.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's good for the companies as well that they'd be, so probably take it as a massive compliment that you're coming out to see them as well well, it's good because you get to um, talk to them about um, you know the well with anyone can dance.
Speaker 2:I didn't actually direct that. I've got a friend of mine to direct it for me and we got it all the way to the English final of the One Act Drama Festival that year and so it's been really interesting actually just to see a different version and see different interpretations. So I really enjoy talking to the actors and the director after seeing those and sort of just dissecting, really you know, the different things that they brought out of the play that I hadn't necessarily seen when I was writing it.
Speaker 1:It sounds like you've had quite a sort of varied and interesting career rolling off the stage. Are you able to pinpoint a particular highlight or one show that stands out to you as one that either you were particularly proud of or um.
Speaker 2:Well, in the the pantos um that I did, I was, I was particularly pleased with peter pan and I've always I still want to direct um, the actual original jay and barry play version of it. Funnily enough, actually, I mentioned it's combined recently as a possibility and I'll put it no more strongly than that for um december of 2025. So we've I've had one or two conversations about possibly doing that, because I think it's just the most magnificent play. It's got so much depth to it, and I wrote a panto version of it back in 2009 and um had huge fun with that and really enjoyed doing that a lot, because I was particularly proud of it as a piece of writing, because I felt as though I'd captured, I'd retained the essence of the original play in terms of um, the um never growing up and or children being children, and you know, and I was particularly keen that captain hook and mr darling were the same actor, because I think that's a really key point of the play and it just worked really well. I mean, and um, yeah and uh, I know the people that were involved. I mean there was a number, a number of the youngsters that were involved in it and playing the lost boys have all stayed in theater. Well, they've either stayed in theater or the creative arts and, um, so you know, in their adult lives now, which is great, um, and the other one I'm really proud of is the first main house I did at adc, which was one man, two governors, because I mean that was just wonderful play to do.
Speaker 2:And again, going back to what I was saying earlier about casting, again was working with a whole bunch of actors I'd never worked with before. And and the guy that played the main role of Francis was just a godsend. I mean, we'd had a whole evening of auditions and we hadn't seen anybody that we thought was really quite right for Francis. And then this guy called Alan Hay, who's a real local legend in terms of amateur theatre. He turned up about 10 o'clock and he only came at the last minute because somebody had mentioned it to him. He thought, oh yeah, I might you know I've answered doing that and he's scottish. And he came in and did a flawless um south london accent and threw himself around in the audition because there's a bit where he has to fight himself. And we just thought, my goodness, this is, you are perfect. And he, he, absolutely, I mean he, he stormed it every single night, his interactions with the audience, the physicality of his performance, the warmth of his performance and the vulnerability that he brought to it. And we had an absolutely blindingly good set as well, which helped as well. And so it's one of those things where everything goes.
Speaker 2:And also the other one you do know the play, don't you? Yes, the woman in the audience character. Somebody approached me she's a professional actor in Cambridge, jane Bower, and she emailed me and said oh, I see you're doing Women who Go. I would love to be the woman in the audience. I said great, you do know the indignities that you're going to be subjected to.
Speaker 2:But she played it so well because she was adamant that her name wouldn't appear in the programme, that nobody would know that she was involved. She didn't come to any rehearsals, except for, I think, one, just to get an idea as to what the action on the stage was going to be, so she was determined to play it. An idea as to what the action on the stage was going to be, so she was determined to play it. And even my own children, who I had lived with me talking about this play for months, when they came to see it.
Speaker 2:They said to me afterwards that woman at the end of the first act was she actually in the play? I said you know she was. I told you this a hundred times but they were so convinced by her performance and it was just, it was wonderful. And she played it so straight and got, yeah, we plastered her in fire extinguisher foam, sort of set fire to the whatever it was the pancakes right in front of us so that she'd you know and, um, yeah, I mean everything came together with that everything and we played to. We had virtual sellout, so it was what's not to love.
Speaker 1:Speaking of sellout, I should probably tell people when Hangman is on and where they can get tickets.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's a good idea. We open on July 2nd Tuesday and play through to the Saturday 6th. There is a matinee on the Saturday afternoon and tickets are available through the ADC Theatre website.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, okay, well, yeah, good luck with the remainder of the rehearsals and, of course, with the run, and hopefully, you know, the audiences will turn out in their droves for it.
Speaker 2:Well, fingers crossed. It's a very funny place. I'm hoping they do so. I'm hoping they do so.
Speaker 1:There we have it. That was Sean Baker, director of the combined actors of Cambridge's production of Hangmen. If you want to catch them in action, they'll be performing Hangmen between the 2nd and the 6th of July, including a Saturday matinee, at the ADC Theatre in Cambridge. For full details and tickets, visit adctheatrecom. Now, what else is coming up in the region in the next few weeks? Well, I'll continue in Cambridge for now, and in fact at the very same venue as the week after Hangman finishes, the company called Bawds that's B-A-W-D-S, and in fact Sean mentioned them in the interview they're bringing an adaptation of the Geoffrey Chaucer classic Canterbury Tales to the ADC Theatre. It's on between the 9th and 13th of July, with tickets available, of course, via adctheatrecom.
Speaker 1:Now, over in Rackheath at the edge of Norwich, rackheath Youth Theatre have a production of Shrek Junior that they'll be performing in a matter of weeks. In fact, I'll be featuring an interview with them on the podcast very shortly, but in the meantime, if you want to book tickets, there's performances at 2pm and 7pm on the 13th of July and then 2pm on the 14th, and you can get a hold of tickets via rytorguk Staying in Norfolk and over at Stool Barn Theatre, who I regularly feature on here, such as the quality of their programming. They've got a production of sheila stevenson's the memory of water coming up. The play is centered on three sisters who gather for their mother's funeral and through their tears and laughter we learn how memories are distorted via joy and conflict. It's on from the 11th to the 13th of July and then again the following week, between the 17th and 20th, and tickets can be booked via sewellbarnorg.
Speaker 1:And finally, touring venues this summer is a new theatre company made up of experienced heads called the Plandits. Their adaptation of the Wonderful the Secret Garden is heading to venues all over the UK throughout July and August. But in our region they're playing at Deep Breath, wyndham Abbey on the 17th of July, summerlayton Hall on the 20th, morley Village Hall in Wyndham on the 21st, commemoration Hall in Huntingdon on the 26th, wimpole Hall in Arrington on the 27th and Thorrington Theatre in Saxmundham on the 31st of July. Now, throughout most of August they're in Cornwall and Devon, but you can catch them on the 1st of August at the Abbey Gardens in Bury, st Edmunds. For full details of how to book tickets, visit theplanneditscouk.
Speaker 1:And that, folks, is all I have time for. As usual, I'll post links for all the shows mentioned, as well as some others that I haven't had time to feature on my social media pages throughout the coming weeks. Thanks so much for listening to me and Sean. Ramble on and tune in next time for what will no doubt be another rip-roaring ride as I interview some young people involved in Rackheath Youth Theatre's production of Shrek. Until then, take care of yourselves and go watch some theatre. Bye.