JW3 am-dram gives actress a director’s role
DEBBIE CHAZEN has spent the past three months leading a double-life. For six days a week, t he actress has been on the West End stage playing Ludmilla, the Russian housekeeper in Dan Patterson’s political satire The Duck H o u s e a t t h e Vaudeville. But Chazen has also been putting in the hours at the J W3 c e nt r e i n Finchley Road, whe r e s h e i s artistic director of its am-dram troupe, Spielers, whose debut will be a performance of Israel Zangwill’s The Melting Pot on Sunday.
“It’s about Russian immigrants living in New York in 1907, but it still has many themes that resonate today,” explains Chazen, 42, in the briefest of breathers during rehearsals. “I actually first came across it when I was a young girl at cheder. It raises questions about immigration and Jews integrating into society in general.”
For most West End stars, treading the boards night after night leaves little time and energy for much else. But the indefatigable Chazen is buoyed by her love of am-dram and is relishing her new-found role behind the scenes.
“The last time I directed anything was when I was 18, when I did am-dram at Berkeley Street [the West London] Synagogue,” she recalls. “That was before I’d been to drama school or done any proper acting. I didn’t really know what I wastalkingabout, even though I thought I knew everything. But since then, I’ve had a 15-year acting career, so I know a bit more about what I’m talking about.”
After leaving Manchester University with a degree in Spanish and Russian (which doubtless came in handy for her current stage role), she went on to train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
She e has subsequently bec become a Brit-
‘ On the night it may be rusty, but we’ve had a community experience, which is what JW3 is all about’
ish TV regular, turning up in shows including Doctor Who, Trollied and, most recently, series three of Sherlock. “We actually filmed Sherlock quite a long time ago,” she says, “but it was only on telly recently. Normally I get a few people contacting me on Facebook saying they have spotted me. But this time, I had thousands of people getting in touch. It just goes to show how popular it is. It’s very nice to be part of a success.
“I’m just very proud that I’ve managed to make a living out of acting, which not a lot of people can say. And it’s lucky, because I really cannot do anything else. I was a waitress for three weeks in university, until I got sacked for dropping soup over somebody’s lap.”
How big does Chazen find the shift from professional theatre to amateur dramatics? “Line-learning can be a problem. I forget that the memory is a muscle. If you don’t regularly use it, it is a hard thing to do. But they’re getting there and they’re all so keen. On the night it may be rusty, but we’ve had a community experience, which is what JW3 is all about.”
She got involved in JW3 through Mekella Broomberg, the centre’s head of arts and culture. From the many who turned up for the September auditions, a cast of 11 was selected for the opening production, “including our composer, who makes a very brief appearance with a soup bowl.
“There are some fascinating people in the cast. We have a lawyer, an NHS consultant and even a leading world thinker and economist, Professor Noreena Hertz. It’s crazy. She goes around the world lecturing and attending conferences, yet she is playing our Irish maid.” Hertz’s PA is responsible for costumes.
Rehearsals have gone from weekly to almost daily as the performance date nears. “Some of the cast have even been coming to my dressing room at the Vaudeville to run through lines.”
She believes things will be all right on the night. “You have to be able to trust each other implicitly.” But in a live setting, things can go awry — and that includes The Duck House. “Yesterday, we were laughing so much, I had to sit down on stage. [ The Duck House star] Ben Miller was supposed to shove a Victoria sponge into somebody’s face, but he got it wrong and ended up hitting him in — what can I say in the JC? — the ‘goonies’. It was hilarious.”
Although The Duck House is due to finish in March, Chazen expects no let up in JW3 commitments. “We have auditions on February 2 for the next Spielers show and then I’ve got to decide what we’re going to do.” But she has made one concession to “me” time. “I’ve got a massage booked for my first Monday off.” Spielers perform The Melting Pot at JW3, 341-351 Finchley Road, NW3 on January 19