Jeremy Lloyd Thomas, Karen Henson & Andrew Ryan Interview: Thriller Season Memories
Title
Jeremy Lloyd Thomas, Karen Henson & Andrew Ryan Interview: Thriller Season Memories
Date
19 July 2017
Description
Oral history interview with actors Karen Henson, Jeremy Lloyd Thomas and Andrew Ryan, stalwarts of the long-running Theatre Royal Classic Thriller Season run every year during the summer.
What's the story?
The Theatre Royal's Classic Thriller season has been a regular fixture during the summer at the theatre since 1986.
Often comprising four plays in repertoire, a company of actors rehearse a play during the day ready for the following week's run, whilst performing in another play during the evening. It is the classic British repertory system.
Working with the Theatre Royal, the season was founded by legendary producer Colin McIntyre, whose extensive experience included working alongside Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre.
Following Colin’s sad death in 2011 the season was re-named in his honour and is now co-produced by Chesterfield based Tabs Productions.
On the season’s 30th anniversary in 2018, Karen Henson from Tabs Productions, said:
“Coming back to Nottingham every summer is like coming home. The audience is so loyal and welcoming that it feels like we’re performing for friends. We are thrilled that we have survived thirty years of murder, mystery and mayhem and look forward to many more to come.”
In this interview actors Karen Henson, Jeremy Lloyd Thomas and Andrew Ryan share some of their most funniest memories of performing in the Thriller season, including leaking roofs, wobbly bats and forgotten lines.
For added theatrical atmosphere this interview took place in one of the Theatre Royal dressing rooms.
Do you remember that Summer Season, it was the summer, I think, where all the water was pouring in here. We had those big buckets here. There was a really big storm, wasn’t there? And you could see all the stains where all the water was pouring into the cellars of the theatre.
Well, we had one year when I was in a Durbridge play, Murder with Love, and the last scene was myself and Justin Ellery in the scene, and it was absolutely tipping down outside and I could see rain coming down on stage: “Ooh, it’s raining in my flat! I hope it’s not going to make anything explode – there’s a big light above me”. We just got to the end of the scene and went “It’s raining outside”. It was the end of the play. It was the last scene. Like in real life you’d actually probably mention that it was raining, but you think “I can’t mention the fact it’s pouring with rain outside the house. I shall carry on because it’s very,very dramatic. Realistic. How ridiculous are we? You’re sort of thinking “Am I really seeing it, or is it my eyes doing something?” It like when doors fall off and you just, sort of, ignore it.
Well, what was it, Frankenstein where he had to be shot through a wall because the door wouldn’t open? Oh yes. Or Dracula. Oh, that was the funniest thing ever. We had a flying … Colin McIntyre did an adaptation of Dracula, which when we stared rehearsal, given that we only have about five days rehearsals. We’re all taking it terribly seriously and then about four days into it we realise that actually, it was just a farce. And we had a bat on a wire which went across that stage and back again and three of us had to chase it. And I had to end up lying on the floor in the wings, laughing: “I can’t do any more!” I’m not very good when I start laughing.
Shall I tell that story about the actor that didn’t know his lines? And he kept answering when the doorbell rang: he kept answering the phone instead”. Oh yes, tell that story. That’s it really, isn’t it.
Oh we had one show, we won’t say who it is, again, it was a Francis Durbridge thing and the lead actor didn’t learn his lines, so he had to be sat behind his desk most of the play with a load of books in front of him, with the script in front of him, and the rest of us were all in the wings thinking “What’s he going to do next?” And he kept jumping things and we’d go on to do something and then come off from our scene and say “Oh My God, I don’t know what was he talking about. What was he doing?”. And then at one point there was a doorbell and a sound effect for a telephone, which were very similar, and the doorbell was the cue for my entrance, I was playing an inspector, and he decided to pick up the phone. And so because he didn’t know what it was, he picked up the phone and went “Hello, yes, no I don’t think so”. It was the 1960s it was set, so I was outside the front door, knocked on the door and he’s on the phone on stage and said “I’m sorry, Inspector, there’s somebody at the door”. He opened the door and I just walked in and he went “Hello”. Did you day anything? I can’t remember what I said. I did say at the end of the week, something towards the end. He just didn’t ask me the question and I had to say something and I said “And if you were going to ask me about the diary, I couldn’t possibly tell you anything about it.” Oh dear, we’re not looking very professional, are we Tommy?
Often comprising four plays in repertoire, a company of actors rehearse a play during the day ready for the following week's run, whilst performing in another play during the evening. It is the classic British repertory system.
Working with the Theatre Royal, the season was founded by legendary producer Colin McIntyre, whose extensive experience included working alongside Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre.
Following Colin’s sad death in 2011 the season was re-named in his honour and is now co-produced by Chesterfield based Tabs Productions.
On the season’s 30th anniversary in 2018, Karen Henson from Tabs Productions, said:
“Coming back to Nottingham every summer is like coming home. The audience is so loyal and welcoming that it feels like we’re performing for friends. We are thrilled that we have survived thirty years of murder, mystery and mayhem and look forward to many more to come.”
In this interview actors Karen Henson, Jeremy Lloyd Thomas and Andrew Ryan share some of their most funniest memories of performing in the Thriller season, including leaking roofs, wobbly bats and forgotten lines.
For added theatrical atmosphere this interview took place in one of the Theatre Royal dressing rooms.
Do you remember that Summer Season, it was the summer, I think, where all the water was pouring in here. We had those big buckets here. There was a really big storm, wasn’t there? And you could see all the stains where all the water was pouring into the cellars of the theatre.
Well, we had one year when I was in a Durbridge play, Murder with Love, and the last scene was myself and Justin Ellery in the scene, and it was absolutely tipping down outside and I could see rain coming down on stage: “Ooh, it’s raining in my flat! I hope it’s not going to make anything explode – there’s a big light above me”. We just got to the end of the scene and went “It’s raining outside”. It was the end of the play. It was the last scene. Like in real life you’d actually probably mention that it was raining, but you think “I can’t mention the fact it’s pouring with rain outside the house. I shall carry on because it’s very,very dramatic. Realistic. How ridiculous are we? You’re sort of thinking “Am I really seeing it, or is it my eyes doing something?” It like when doors fall off and you just, sort of, ignore it.
Well, what was it, Frankenstein where he had to be shot through a wall because the door wouldn’t open? Oh yes. Or Dracula. Oh, that was the funniest thing ever. We had a flying … Colin McIntyre did an adaptation of Dracula, which when we stared rehearsal, given that we only have about five days rehearsals. We’re all taking it terribly seriously and then about four days into it we realise that actually, it was just a farce. And we had a bat on a wire which went across that stage and back again and three of us had to chase it. And I had to end up lying on the floor in the wings, laughing: “I can’t do any more!” I’m not very good when I start laughing.
Shall I tell that story about the actor that didn’t know his lines? And he kept answering when the doorbell rang: he kept answering the phone instead”. Oh yes, tell that story. That’s it really, isn’t it.
Oh we had one show, we won’t say who it is, again, it was a Francis Durbridge thing and the lead actor didn’t learn his lines, so he had to be sat behind his desk most of the play with a load of books in front of him, with the script in front of him, and the rest of us were all in the wings thinking “What’s he going to do next?” And he kept jumping things and we’d go on to do something and then come off from our scene and say “Oh My God, I don’t know what was he talking about. What was he doing?”. And then at one point there was a doorbell and a sound effect for a telephone, which were very similar, and the doorbell was the cue for my entrance, I was playing an inspector, and he decided to pick up the phone. And so because he didn’t know what it was, he picked up the phone and went “Hello, yes, no I don’t think so”. It was the 1960s it was set, so I was outside the front door, knocked on the door and he’s on the phone on stage and said “I’m sorry, Inspector, there’s somebody at the door”. He opened the door and I just walked in and he went “Hello”. Did you day anything? I can’t remember what I said. I did say at the end of the week, something towards the end. He just didn’t ask me the question and I had to say something and I said “And if you were going to ask me about the diary, I couldn’t possibly tell you anything about it.” Oh dear, we’re not looking very professional, are we Tommy?
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall
Contributor
Interviewers: Liz MacKenzie & Laura Knowles
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
