Rebekah Pickering-Wood Interview: A Christmas Carol, an Actor's Life - Part 2
Title
Rebekah Pickering-Wood Interview: A Christmas Carol, an Actor's Life - Part 2
Date
21 November 2018
Description
Oral history interview with Rebekah Pickering-Wood about her childhood experiences of performing at the Theatre Royal in Great Expectations in 1994 and A Christmas Carol in 1995.
What's the story?
Born in Nottingham in 1983, Rebekah Pickering-Wood performed as a child in two Christmas shows, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol at the Theatre Royal in 1994 and 1995. These two Dickens stage adaptations replaced the traditional Pantomime for two seasons.
From the audition process to performing on stage, Rebekah provides a vivid account of this period in her life, as well as an insight into the life of the theatre.
In this interview Rebekah talks about how she now looks at shows with all her backstage knowledge gained from her childhood experience.
But I love looking at how thinks are put together and I think I still critique sets and the way things are laid out and think “well, that’s not quite as good as the one we had at Great Expectations, that’s not anywhere near as good.” But then I look at it and I think “wow, how amazing that they’ve managed to do that and how amazing they’ve managed to have this thing that moves around and the actors come through this area” and I think I love the process of being an audience member because I get to see the final production, but I always sit and think “I wonder what’s going on behind the scenes” and I miss not being able to see the preparation, the hours of dance training that have gone into preparing a show. I often come and see classical music at the Concert Hall and that’s probably what I come to see more, but when I do get the opportunity to see a theatre show, it’s a wonderful experience. [Did you, as a child, come to the pantomime?] I came to the pantomime one time, and it was such a horrendous experience …
From the audition process to performing on stage, Rebekah provides a vivid account of this period in her life, as well as an insight into the life of the theatre.
In this interview Rebekah talks about how she now looks at shows with all her backstage knowledge gained from her childhood experience.
But I love looking at how thinks are put together and I think I still critique sets and the way things are laid out and think “well, that’s not quite as good as the one we had at Great Expectations, that’s not anywhere near as good.” But then I look at it and I think “wow, how amazing that they’ve managed to do that and how amazing they’ve managed to have this thing that moves around and the actors come through this area” and I think I love the process of being an audience member because I get to see the final production, but I always sit and think “I wonder what’s going on behind the scenes” and I miss not being able to see the preparation, the hours of dance training that have gone into preparing a show. I often come and see classical music at the Concert Hall and that’s probably what I come to see more, but when I do get the opportunity to see a theatre show, it’s a wonderful experience. [Did you, as a child, come to the pantomime?] I came to the pantomime one time, and it was such a horrendous experience …
Type
Oral Interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Sally Smith and Phil Smith
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
