YOUR THEATRE ACTOR
Name: Chris Balmer. Hometown: Ormskirk born, Ramsbottom bred. Job: Early years teaching assistant. Which theatre company are you involved with?: Summerseat Players at the Theatre Royal. Are you taking part in any productions at the moment?: The Hothouse by Harold Pinter, which runs until May 27 at the Theatre Royal, Ramsbottom. Who is your character in the play?: ‘Gibbs’. How long have you been with Summerseat Players?: Nine years. What do you like about the character you are currently playing?: He has been affectionately titled as ‘steel and slime’. The play has a wonderful cast and a great director and I’m really looking forward to it. What do you most enjoy?: He’s absolutely nothing like me and I like to play bad or interesting characters, as it’s so far removed from my day job working with children. Have you been in any other productions?: I’m in double figures now, I think, but I’m more choosy what I go for these days. I go for what I consider as the interesting or quirky roles – not necessarily the biggest ones. Who is your favourite actor?: Oona Chaplin (granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin). If you could play any part, what would it be and why?: They still haven’t contacted me about Doctor Who (pah!). So I’d go with Lord Henry Wotton from The Picture of Dorian Grey. I’m too old now to play Dorian, but the story of a hedonistic aristocrat who remains young and handsome while a hidden portrait reflects his ugly soul has always been a fascination of mine. Are you involved in any other projects at the moment?: Every Saturday morning I co-run the award-winning Youth Theatre groups at Summerseat Players and we are preparing two entries for the Greater Manchester Drama Federation One Act Play Festival in June. What do you most enjoy about doing this?: Winning competitions is nice, I must admit, but to see the youth groups acquiring confidence, self-esteem and pride in their achievements makes it for me. We’re an inclusive practice. For two hours every weekend they’ve consistently produced some of the best material I’ve seen from anyone – much of which is incorporated into the final shows they produce – which is also great for their future prospects by going beyond what’s considered curricular. It gives them an edge. Any memorable moments or highlights from this?: How long do we have? From staging The battle of Trafalgar to an appearance by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and some flash bang pyrotechnic moments of genius it’s always managed to come together to look great and we’ve raised some eyebrows along the way. I’m both very lucky and grateful to have worked with the youth theatre over the years and balancing their direction with the adult plays I’m fortunate to have been cast in. I’m now very much looking forward to directing my first adult play in the studio this October, with the UK amateur premier of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense.
About The Hothouse, by
Harold Pinter: Set in a 1950s government–run mental institution, where forgotten people are referred to by numbers, a sinister murder plot is hatched against a background of corruption, sexual favours, and hopeless bureaucratic incompetence. A blend of tragedy and farce, terror and nonsense. Summerseat Players are the resident theatre group in the Theatre Royal, Smithy Street, Ramsbottom, BL0 9AT. The play runs from Saturday, May 20, to Saturday, May 27. Bookings can be made by contacting the box office in person or by telephoning 01706 826760 between 7pm and 8pm Monday to Friday and between 10am and noon on Saturday. Tickets can be obtained online now by going to https://www.ticketsource. co.uk/summerseatplayers or via the link on the website http://www. summerseatplayers.co.uk/