OffWestEnd talks to the actors and director of STILL HERE at Jack Studio Theatre, 7-25 March 2023
EMMA KALER – Actor
Playing Yasmin is EMMA KALER an Indian/Welsh actress from Cardiff recently graduated from The Arts Educational School London. Her credits so far include Torchwood’s radio series Suckers; Harper Collins Publishers audiobook The Halfways; BBC’s Bitesize; and The Tuckers on BBC1.
What first attracted you to the theatre?
I was a very shy child. My mother enrolled me in a performing arts school one summer and I instantly took a shine to it. Since then, going to watch and study theatre has become one of my family’s favourite pastimes.
If you could pick any one person or theatre company to work with on your next project, who/which would it be?
I aspire to work with Russel T. Davies soon. He works between London and Cardiff like me. He seems to enjoy discovering new Welsh actors and the projects he works on are always very current and relatable.
What is your opinion of Off West End theatre, in general?
I think Off West End is brilliant for new creatives from all departments. It’s the perfect opportunity to invite and network with industry professionals, who may help get your foot in the door.
What was the most inspiring production you have ever seen? Why?
I can’t possibly name one performance I’ve seen that was the most memorable! However, I recently saw Women, Beware the Devil at The Almeida. The strong female driven cast and storyline made me realise how much I crave to be on stage, performing impactful pieces such as that.
What piece of work are you the most proud of?
My mood (and funds) depicts the show I go to see. Currently I am exploring musicals more, as I’ve been lucky to audition for a few over the past 2 years. However, what I’ve learnt from drama school and since I’ve graduated, is the importance to remain open minded as a performer and explore different areas of this industry.
What things in your personal life do you draw upon when you direct?
I draw from relationships and events in my private life when preparing for a role. It’s the simplest technique to quickly immerse myself in how my character behaves physically and emotionally at that moment. I also studied psychology in school and notice there are many similarities between those teachings and how I approach character work.
PHILIP JOHN JONES – Actor
Phil is an award-winning Welsh working class Actor, Writer and Poet, winning an ‘It’s My Shout’ Best Actor Award for his role as Jack in PACKAGED for BBC Wales.
Recent credits include: DOG HAIR (Seventh Sense Theatre/Vaults Festival) SQUAT (Best Actor Nominee 2022, BBC Wales/It’s My Shout), TO THE OCEAN (Greenhouse Theatre), THE SONS OF ELI (MET Film School), POLE (BFI), BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS (Patch Plays), AS YOU LIKE IT and HJEM (Greenhouse Theatre), ROMEO AND JULIET and PALS (Maverick Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe)
His debut film BWL BOY (BBC Wales) screens in December and has been nominated for best screenplay and best drama. DOG HAIR is his debut full length play.
What first attracted you to the theatre?
It wasn’t math class. It was a one-hour-a-week class where there were no right answers and you could learn by making mistakes. That still applies to this day. I used to be a jockey, work in a racing yard and grew up in a place where theatre isn’t accessible. I don’t know how I ended up here and have been winging it since before going to East 15 drama school. The rehearsal room is one of my favourite places to be. The pre-show warm-up terrifies me and I hate taking bows. But I’m still attracted to the lot of it.
All of that and The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. That stunning rock opera album of angst was my first experience of ‘heightened’ theatrical storytelling.
If you could pick any one person or theatre company to work with on your next project, who/which would it be?
I’m dying to work with James Graham, I think he will be remembered as one of our greatest and most prolific writers, and any small part I can have in his story I’ll snatch with both hands. Otherwise, If Paul Mescal needs a less attractive sibling for a project gimme a call. Or if I can find a way to even be in the same room as Anthony Hopkins I’ll fight for it.
What is your opinion of Off West End theatre, in general?
It’s the place you see artists cutting their teeth and experimenting with their craft. It’s where theatre’s household names usually learn who they are and what they want to make.
What was the most inspiring performance you have ever seen? Why?
It’ll sound like a cliche but cliches are only cliches because they’re true. Mark Rylance in Jerusalem left me speechless. There’s something mythic in his work. Transcendental in how thoroughly he conveyed Rooster Byron. He’s been an inspiration of mine for years and seeing him at full flight only reinforced the inspiration.
What piece of work are you the most proud of?
DOG HAIR made its debut at the Vaults Festival earlier this year. It’s my debut play as a writer and was produced with a company of which I’m a co-artistic director, Seventh Sense Theatre. Due to COVID and failed funding applications, it’s taken us about three years to see DOG HAIR get its run. I’m immensely proud of everyone that worked on it and how it turned out. It’s a play about returning to a home, you don’t recognise anymore.
What things in your personal life do you draw from when you perform?
I don’t. I’m telling the character’s story, not mine. The first thing I have to ask myself is how I’m similar to this person and how I’m different. Sometimes I have some large gaps to fill, other times it’s an easier journey. Anything I need to do to better familiarise myself with the behaviour of the character is what I’ll draw on during a performance. With great writing, the script will do the work for you. Saying the words and remaining receptive to what’s happening in the moment with the audience will serve me better than thinking about my dead dog.
Who is the best actor/actress performing on Off West End today?
Emma Kaler. She can do everything in the room. Any direction given to her is embodied in a heartbeat and full throttle. I’m very lucky to be performing with her.
Musical, comedy or drama- what’s your preference to watch?
I do love drama. It’s the never-ending emo in me. But I think the best dramas have as much comedy in them as anything else. Look at Shook by Samuel Bailey for example. That being said I enjoy coasting through a comedy that isn’t trying to reveal some grand idea to me. It’s nice to laugh for the sake of laughing.
Can you tell our readers about what you’re doing now/next?
Currently: Still Here at the Jack Studio Theatre. 7th – 25th March.
I’d like to make another short film next. My first short film BWL BOY is currently on BBC iPlayer and I loved to process of writing that. Looking forward to getting some fresh ideas down. More realistically I’ll be back to making coffee so I can pay rent.
JULIA STUBBS – Director
Director Julia Stubbs runs 20 South Street, a creative home for collaboration in theatre, new writing and short film.
Her recent theatre directing credits include the solo shows What’s Driving You? by A G Anderson (London fringe) and Seven and a Half Years by Mark Glentworth and A Voice by Anne Bertreau (both Edinburgh Festival Fringe).
Her previous work includes the Off-West End transfer of Steven Hevey’s first play In My Name; and the UK Premiere of the landmark play Desire by Catalan’s theatre’s most celebrated writer, Josep Maria Benet i Jornet.
What first attracted you to the theatre?
The first Christmas show when I started at my junior school was called The Singing Christmas Tree and no-one else wanted to play the part of the Christmas tree and so I volunteered. I remember that part of my costume was my dark green school uniform sweater turned backwards, and I thought it was so magical that people believed that through those clothes and my pretending that it all turned me into that singing Christmas tree – I was hooked.
If you could pick any one person or theatre company to work with on your next project, who/which would it be?
I think Monia Dolan is superb.
What is your opinion of Off West End theatre, in general?
It’s an inspiring playground for creatives to experiment and produce work that can have an impact.
What was the most inspiring production you have ever seen? Why?
Elsinore the solo exploration of Hamlet by Robert Lepage. I saw it three times in its 10-show run at the National Theatre and it was mind-blowing in its theatricality, ingenuity, and sheer brilliance. I’ve seen a huge amount of Robert Lepage’s work and he’s one of the practitioners who inspired me to form my company 20 South Street.
What piece of work are you the most proud of?
I’m always most proud of the latest piece of work and right now, that’s STILL HERE. Mari’s play is an extraordinary piece of writing that deserves to be seen.
What things in your personal life do you draw upon when you direct?
For me, directing is about imagination and how that realises a play. It’s about working with the actors’ imaginations, and the designers’ imaginations, to create the world of what the writer has written and characters that inhabit it.
Are there any actors/actresses you would like to direct?
I’m directing two pretty amazing actors right now in Emma Kaler and Phillip John Jones. It’s an absolute treat being in the rehearsal room with them every day. Mari Lloyd and I were very fortunate to find them both for last year’s R&D on the play supported by Arts Council England and it was a no-brainer to cast them in the full production as they are simply fantastic as these two characters Yasmin and Rhys – come and see them.
Which director do you respect most on OffWestEnd at the moment?
Rachel O’Riordan. Her production of Iphigenia in Splott was the best show I saw last year, and the work she’s producing at the Lyric Hammersmith is exciting and important.
Can you tell our readers about what you’re doing now/next?
Now it’s STILL HERE by Mari Lloyd at the Jack Studio Theatre, 7-25 March and next I’m finishing post-production on a new short film that I’ve produced and directed from a script by a talented young writer Georgia Lovell – it’s called To Womb It May Concern and I’m excited to get that out into the world.