Attitude

RISING STAR

Theatre director Jamie Armitage

- Southern Belles runs at London’s King’s Head Theatre until 24 August kingsheadt­heatre. com

Can you remember your first trip to the theatre?

The first production that exploded my little brain was when I was about five. It was The Lion King and it created a feeling of awe.

Which play holds a particular­ly special place in your heart and why?

I should pick some edgy, alternativ­e show but there really is only one. After I left school, I worked as an usher at War Horse and ended up watching it about a hundred times. I knew every word, every movement. Other shows have had an impact on my style of work a lot more, but it was that production that taught me what theatre can be, how it can make a thousand people smile, cry and whoop every night.

When did you decide to pursue directing? At any point did you consider a career on the stage?

At university, I discovered I was an incredibly self- conscious actor and was effectivel­y watching myself and worrying about how I came across the whole time. In my second year, I gave directing a whirl. From the first rehearsal, I knew I’d found exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

In the rehearsal room, yours is just one of many brains. Don’t try to come up with all the ideas yourself. It’s so much better to ask questions and explore the show as a collective.

Tell us all about your latest project, Southern

Belles, which is headlining the King’s Head Theatre’s queer season.

Southern Belles is a double- bill of Tennessee Williams’ one- act plays. The first is Something Unspoken and is about two women who have lived together and loved each other for 15 years but have never spoken about their affection. Then, And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens is about two lonely souls — a man whose husband abandoned him, and a young sailor uncertain of his sexuality – trying to discover if there’s a shared existence for them together. I adore both plays because of their depictions of people who are trying to articulate their complicate­d feelings of love.

You also co- directed the multi- Oliviernom­inated musical Six. Why do you think that it has struck such a chord with people?

It’s joyful. People in the audience always talk about how it just puts an enormous smile on their face. The national obsession with the Tudors helps a lot, too. People get involved from the first moment.

“From the first rehearsal, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life”

Which of Henry VIII’s wives do you most identify with and why?

I wish it was the party queen, Anne of Cleves, but I suspect I’m more of a sentimenta­l Jane Seymour.

What other historical figure would you like to bring to the stage?

Clement Attlee — in an over- the- top musical extravagan­za at the London Palladium. If there can be a hit show about an American treasury secretary [ Hamilton], then there can be one about [ Labour leader] Attlee.

Why is theatre so far ahead of TV and film when it comes to queer representa­tion?

That’s a very big question... there are wonderful stories being told in all mediums but there is always more that can be done in terms of the range of representa­tion. One big advantage of theatre is that old stories can be explored in new ways to see whether they still resonate with modern audiences, whereas, in film, those older stories exist in the form in which they were originally made. I’m proud to be contributi­ng to the conversati­on with Southern Belles, which presents two overlooked and rarely performed queer works, and hopefully does so in a way that can emotionall­y connect with people in 2019.

Any particular­ly big hurdles you’ve had to overcome?

Even when things go comparativ­ely well, the niggling doubts and occasional­ly cataclysmi­c worries about projects and career do not totally disappear. Being friends with other directors and sharing these anxieties is an important way of handling them.

What do you most love about theatre?

The wonder that a story can inspire, and getting to experience that with a group of complete strangers. Shared experience­s like that are far too rare.

And do you have any pet peeves about it?

Ticket prices. The higher they creep, the greater the risk of losing a generation of audiences and artists.

What’s next?

I’m off to the US to check in with the Chicago production of Six, then we start rehearsals for the new West End queens.

 ??  ?? As told to Thomas Stichbury Images: Nick Rutter
As told to Thomas Stichbury Images: Nick Rutter

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