Acting in a time of coronavirus
How do performers cope when the work dries up? Richard Hope-Pears found out
THE last few months have been a very trying time for all of us, with businesses going to the wall or furloughing staff. Many young people have found themselves out of work in all fields of employment, including the entertainment industry.
With theatres dark across the country, with no real idea when they will be able to open again, never mind having a show ready to perform to much-reduced audiences, actors, technicians and front-ofhouse staff have found themselves without work. This has had a devastating effect on their careers.
Two young actors from Cornwall have found themselves in just such a position.
Laurence Pears and Darren Seed, both from St Austell, with an impressive range of West End and Broadway shows between them, have been out of work since lockdown began.
Not young men to sit idle, they are working to stage an open air, socially distanced, production of a Cornish folk tale, ‘Hellish’.
Laurence went to Charlestown Primary School and Penrice Secondary School. As a child and teenager, he performed with Tywardreath Plays in ‘Jamaica Inn’ and ‘Rule Britannia’.
His first television and film roles were in Cornwall, ‘Ladies in Lavender’, a feature film with Judy Dench and Maggie Smith, and ‘Wild West’, with Dawn French.
He performed with Stage company Trucco whilst attending Truro College performing ‘Twelfth Night’ outside Falmouth Maritime Museum.
Laurence went on to train at LAMDA and on graduating began his career as a professional actor. His credits include many West End plays, including ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ and ‘Magic Goes Wrong’’.
He played in ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal and was in the cast of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Brief History of Women’ on Broadway. Laurence is currently the face of Woollacott’s electronics on Sky TV and the voice of Fish For Thought on Sky TV.
When I asked Laurence how coronavirus has affected his work, he replied: “I was the lead role in the Olivier-nominated play ‘Magic Goes Wrong’ on the West End , then the show was closed. I had learned 30-plus advanced magic tricks to take the part and had no-one to perform them to. A month into lockdown, my flat-mates were sick of Card Tricks – so much for a captive audience.”
Darren went to Sandy Hill Primary School and Penrice Secondary School. Throughout his childhood and youth, he performed with many operatic societies throughout Cornwall , including ten years with St Blazey Pantomime. He has appeared in many productions with St Austell Players and with Tywardreath Players for the Du Maurier Festival.
Darren has also performed in shows at the Cornwall Coliseum, the Hall For Cornwall and the Minack Theatre. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 2013 with the Peter Ackerman Award for Outstanding Comedy Performances.
His first job out of drama school was a playing a policeman in ‘The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jeffries’, a BAFTA-award winning production for ITV. This was followed by a 35-state tour of the United States with the stage show ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’.
Darren has recently been working behind the scenes as an acting coach on ‘His Dark Materials’ for the BBC, and was most recently on stage in the Olivier-nominated musical family show ‘Oi Frog’ at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End.
Describing the impact of the pandemic on his work, Darren said: “I was in the middle of a UK tour when the lockdown came in, so have been directly affected by the coronavirus from a performance view. I also work on the audition panel for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which had to be conducted entirely with virtual Zoom meetings this year, which was interesting!
“I am delighted to be in Cornwall as I don’t make it down that often these days, unfortunately. Even though my work takes me to many interesting places, I still miss Cornwall very much, so it’s great to be back home for a few weeks.”
‘Hellish’ is a rip-roaring, irreverent, wickedly funny show, which has been produced to help open up venues and halls to live theatre across Cornwall.
Performances are on October 30 at Lostwithiel Community Centre; October 31 at the Old Bakery, Truro; November 6 at Liskeard Public Halls; November 7 at Callington Prim-Raf Theatre (matinee and evening shows); and November 14 at Launceston Town Hall.
Your soul won’t be safe, but your health will – in a socially distanced halo. More details can be found on the actor’s Jam First Theatre Facebook page.
Richard Hope-Pears is Laurence Pears’ father.
Tomorrow: Our weekend columnists, including Martin Hesp, Charmian Evans and Bill Martin