The Roar of the Greasepaint and the Smell of the Crowd!

I first got into amateur dramatics in Junior School when our fourth year play took place and I decided to audition for one of the parts in a play called Lady Precious Stream. I got the part of the Prime Minister, one of the main roles, but almost lost it before I got on stage! At the first read through, I hadn’t done more than glance through my part, so not only was I hazy on the speeches, I didn’t know where my cues were! The headmaster Commander Starkie was very angry and said that there would be another read through the following day and anyone who was similarly clueless then would be removed from their role. I was not about to become Spear Carrier Number 1 so I spent the evening poring over the script and practicing for hours until I was happy that I had got it memorised. The following day I was word perfect, and I never put myself into that situation again whenever there was a script to learn. When I got to the two performances I was flying as this review, which I never saw until I revisited the school 35 years later, attests.

It was to be over a decade before I ventured onto stage again as my hated secondary school, Maths School Rochester, made it clear that if I did step out in front of an audience I would be ridiculed and bullied by pupils and staff alike. The local church, which I was involved in around my teens and twenties, had a drama group called ASCAF and my best friend Gavin was one of the regular performers. He persuaded me that I should go along and for the first production, a pantomime called Hickory Dickory Dock, and I was the prompt for the production. On the second night I appeared on stage, or at least my arm did! The characters were supposed to find a note on the stage but the crew hadn’t put it there to find. Thinking quickly I decided that as it was a pantomime I could give them the note and have some fun at the same time. So, I stretched my arm out from the wings with the note in my hand causing laughter on and off stage and in the audience. It made me think that perhaps the next production I could take a chance and audition.

The next play was Grease. I hadn’t become as obsessed with the musical as most back in 1978 and when we started in late 1986 I wouldn’t have listened to the songs in 7 or 8 years. I was not sure what part I wanted, if any, but as I had promised myself I would give it a go I auditioned. I got given the part of Johnny Casino, the lead singer of the band, Johnny Casino and the Gamblers, at the high school dance. The prospect terrified me, especially when I found out that I would be backed by a live band. How could someone like me live up to singing in front of musicians who were well trained and highly talented? I had such a case of Imposter Syndrome that I tried to pull out. Luckily, the director who had seen everything before talked me round and gave me the opportunity to give my best. I decided to get into character so I went to the barber’s in town and asked for a fifties style DA cut. The teasing I got from the other cast members was incredible, but it really made me feel like I belonged. I had a huge wobble on the morning of the opening performance, but I had come too far to back out now, and the first night was such a great experience – well at least once I got on stage it was! Having a band behind me was a massive help and I just went into a zone that allowed me to relax and heightened my senses at the same time. It was an experience that money couldn’t buy and I wanted more!

I am on the far right with the white shirt and red cummerbund!

My final role on stage came a year later where I was the compere for ASCAF’s Greatest Hits. I linked the pieces, gave a few details and anecdotes, having quizzed the actors who were in the productions at the time, and I wrote the whole thing out as a script. By the second night I was so confident I started ad libbing in the middle, but never at the end, because a prompt is a prompt and, in my opinion, should never be messed with. It was definitely in my comfort zone and, unbeknown to me at the time, was perfect practice for getting up in front of a class. My decision to be a teacher was three years away, but all teachers are actors so it makes sense! Some of my colleagues when I was teaching EFL were genuinely actors or performers during the evening and used teaching as a regular if small income.

That was the end of my stage acting career, but it left many lovely memories of time spent with friends who have all vanished from my life over the last few decades but whose presence in my formative years was so important.