Love Theatre Day - What Got You Into Theatre?

To celebrate Love Theatre Day 2020 we went back into our Series of Throwback Thursday interviews where Sarah Day asked actors what got them into acting.

BLAKE PATRICK ANDERSON What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world?

I auditioned for my school’s production of Annie (no I wasn’t Annie, although I should have been) and was cast as “New Yorker” and ” Servant” I think I was about 12. From then on I auditioned every year and loved it!

JACK ARCHER What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? The first show that I really remember was A Midsummer Night’s Dream where I played Puck. It was an outdoor production where the audience brought picnics and I got to run around barefoot, steal their food and generally mess about. I’m not sure I understood half of what I was saying but I had a great time! JOSH BARNETT What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? My first ever show (apart from a Nativity…who didn’t do a nativity!?) was Bugsy Malone, in which I played Bugsy! What got me into the theatre world was a mix of a few factors actually – being taken to see Wicked as a child, doing NYMT where I first met like-minded theatre kids and my incredibly supportive and enthusiastic drama school teacher, Mrs Walton! LUKE BAYER What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? I did Mother Goose as a child. I liked being on stage and the energy and always liked singing. My sister did it too so I kinda copied here and it went from there! DANNY BECKER

What was your first ever show that you did as a kid and what was it that got you into the theatre world?

The first full show I remember doing as a kid was ‘West side story’ at my local am-dram group. Which back then felt like I was doing the biggest new Broadway smash hit, haha! I think the thing that got me into theatre was being able to see it as a kid. I was very lucky to have parents that would take me to the theatre every year for my birthday. Getting to see a West End show every year was a huge inspiration for me! TARINN CALLENDER What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world?

The first show I remember doing as a kid was an end of year performance. I was in year two and the picture you see below is me singing in this show. I remember after this performance my teacher coming up to me and my mum saying, “I think Tarinn should take this more seriously”. He recommended me to a Saturday theatre school which I attended for a few months. It’s safe to say that without this teachers recommendation, I wouldn’t have a clue about performing (shout out Jason Thomas!)

GLEN FACEY What was your first ever show that you did as a kid and what was it that got you into the theatre world? My first show I did was Robin Hood and his Merry Men, where I played Robin Hood, and sang the famous song “Men in tights”

However, I never really understood the theatre world. I originally trained as a gymnast where I would complete nationally. But I never really enjoyed the lac of artistic flare. There was never any music, or the ability to create a character. This is what paved the way to dance

CHLOE GENTLES

HANNAH LAWSON What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? My first ever show was ‘Annie’ haha a typical childhood dream of mine was to play Annie and I played this role for a stage experience project in Manchester. It was honestly the turning point for me knowing that this is wanted to do as a career. I loved every minute of it and I met so many older performers in it who were currently training at Pendleton college (where I ended up going after high school) and preparing to audition for drama schools in London. JASON MANFORD What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? I guess it would have been at school. I was in the school plays of Annie & Oliver. I seemed to play a scruffy orphan quite a lot. My first professional show was Pirelli in Sweeney Todd at The Adelphi Theatre. I was only covering for another actor over the summer but it was a wonderful role in an Olivier Award sinning production so couldn’t have asked for a better start really. CLAIRE MOORE What was your first ever show that you did as a kid and what was it that got you into the theatre world?

My first proper role was as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance at school. I was 14 and from that moment knew that I wanted to try and pursue a career in theatre.

MICHAEL QUINN What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world?

First time I ever performed for an audience onstage was as John Darling in Peter Pan at the hexagon theatre 1993 for E&B.

The year before this in 1992 my parents had taken me to see the local Panto which was staring Charlie Drake & Timmy Malet. I remember saying to my dad after the show that I wanted to be up on the stage and that I wanted to perform for a Panto crowd that seemed to love the theatre so much, Panto crowds are unlike any other and I will never forget that moment I first stepped on that stage.

HARRIET THORPE What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? The Nativity Play at school! I was one of the angels and I was so excited that I got to wear lipstick and a tinsel halo…all I did was point them out to my mother in the audience! As for getting into theatre, my father was an actor and my mother was a novelist and screenwriter, so it was around me from birth and in my DNA! OLIVER TOWSE What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? One of the first shows I did was Les Mis for an amateur dramatic society, I must have been about 13, I played a little farmer in the first scene where Valjean’s moaning about something.

My love for acting started way before that but I remember during “bring him home”, the actor playing Valjean brought a cup of water with him on stage and had it set as a prop so he can have a drink mid-scene because he struggled to hit the high notes, I thought it was genius, we’re actually very good mates now and have done a lot of jobs together since, the water story always comes up.

STUART VINCENT What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? The first show I did was a Pantomime called “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Make mine a Double” with the Woodhouse Players. I played the character Jack, the boisterous kid who ends up saving the day! What got me into the theatre world was my first lesson in Drama at High School, we were playing games, doing movement, improv and when the lesson was over, I couldn’t wait to get back in next week! PAUL WILKINS What was your first ever show that you did as a kid, and what was it that got you into the theatre world? My first ever show was Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Loved the show. I played Pharaoh…managed to wangle in a saxophone solo somehow. JAC YARROW

What was your first ever show that you did as a kid and what was it that got you into the theatre world? The first show I did, that wasn’t a school concert, was Into The Woods when I was around eight or nine. I played Jack and got to sing “Giants In The Sky”. I remember being really nervous singing in public for the first time, but the excitement of being on stage and the buzz from the audience is what I fell in love with. That’s why I pursued theatre.