Lucy Thomas Interview - Meeting Your Heroes
Title
Lucy Thomas Interview - Meeting Your Heroes
Date
20 November 2017
Description
Oral history interview with Lucy Thomas, Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall Press & PR Manager since 1997.
What's the story?
Lucy Thomas has been dealing with local and national media in relation to the shows and stars that come to the Theatre Royal since 1997: 21 years and counting!
In this interview she talks about the notion of 'meeting your heroes'.
She approaches this subject in a clear professional way, but talks about director and choreographer Matthew Bourne and actor and writer Antony Sher as particular highlights ... "That's brilliant to meet people who blow you away. What kind of brilliant job is that!"
The highlights are when things go particularly well or if it’s particularly someone you’ve been very interested to meet, although if the person that you’re working with is a hero, then actually that’s not very enjoyable at the time because you’re so nervous about it going wrong and not wanting to look like a twit in front of that person, but I think that it’s hard to pick out any one highlight. I think maybe if I’d finished working here, I could look back and maybe pick out some but because I’m still in it and three-quarters of my brain at the moment is thinking about the next pantomime, for instance, which is only in a few weeks’ time, I kind of can’t because I’m so deep in it that I can’t kind of look back and think “Oh, wasn’t that great”, but yeah, I think just when things go really well, you get that sense of satisfaction and you think “That was good, I’m pleased that really went well”, but usually those things are so nerve-wracking that actually, they’re a double-edged sword, aren’t they? If they’ve gone particularly well, it means you’ve been particularly worried about it. Which, in any job, I suppose, is what keeps you doing it for 20 years.
I have met Sir Matthew Bourne on many occasions and he’s a massive hero of mine, because he’s a genius of dance, choreography and that’s a real joy to meet someone who you really love the work of. I can’t say I’m interested in meeting very famous people, but I’m interested in it, rather than take a lot of joy from it. I think the people that I really enjoy meeting are the people who I admire the work of. I know that sounds a bit pretentious, but it’s actually true. I met Antony Sher when he was in a Shakespeare play that we had here. I think it’s The Tempest , but (he’s obviously a great actor), but he was so incredibly, mesmerisingly good, I was a bit starstruck the next day when I met him when I had to take him to do some media activity. That’s brilliant. To meet people who blow you away. What kind of brilliant job is that? But I think if you really, really want to meet famous people, it’s not the right job because they’re just going to disappoint you. Sorry, but it’s true.
In this interview she talks about the notion of 'meeting your heroes'.
She approaches this subject in a clear professional way, but talks about director and choreographer Matthew Bourne and actor and writer Antony Sher as particular highlights ... "That's brilliant to meet people who blow you away. What kind of brilliant job is that!"
The highlights are when things go particularly well or if it’s particularly someone you’ve been very interested to meet, although if the person that you’re working with is a hero, then actually that’s not very enjoyable at the time because you’re so nervous about it going wrong and not wanting to look like a twit in front of that person, but I think that it’s hard to pick out any one highlight. I think maybe if I’d finished working here, I could look back and maybe pick out some but because I’m still in it and three-quarters of my brain at the moment is thinking about the next pantomime, for instance, which is only in a few weeks’ time, I kind of can’t because I’m so deep in it that I can’t kind of look back and think “Oh, wasn’t that great”, but yeah, I think just when things go really well, you get that sense of satisfaction and you think “That was good, I’m pleased that really went well”, but usually those things are so nerve-wracking that actually, they’re a double-edged sword, aren’t they? If they’ve gone particularly well, it means you’ve been particularly worried about it. Which, in any job, I suppose, is what keeps you doing it for 20 years.
I have met Sir Matthew Bourne on many occasions and he’s a massive hero of mine, because he’s a genius of dance, choreography and that’s a real joy to meet someone who you really love the work of. I can’t say I’m interested in meeting very famous people, but I’m interested in it, rather than take a lot of joy from it. I think the people that I really enjoy meeting are the people who I admire the work of. I know that sounds a bit pretentious, but it’s actually true. I met Antony Sher when he was in a Shakespeare play that we had here. I think it’s The Tempest , but (he’s obviously a great actor), but he was so incredibly, mesmerisingly good, I was a bit starstruck the next day when I met him when I had to take him to do some media activity. That’s brilliant. To meet people who blow you away. What kind of brilliant job is that? But I think if you really, really want to meet famous people, it’s not the right job because they’re just going to disappoint you. Sorry, but it’s true.
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall
Rights
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall
Contributor
Interviewers: Stephen Bray & Liz MacKenzie
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
