Paul Crewes
PAUL Crewes is the York Theatre Royal’s chief executive. Before that he was artistic director of the Wallis Annenberg Centre for Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Paul lives in Malton with his partner Sam (they met at the West Yorkshire Playhouse) and two of their sons Charlie,19, and Billy, 14.
I’m currently reading:
The Billy Connolly autobiography, Windswept and Interesting. Billy is one of those unique people who can speak to everyone. At whatever age I was, he seemed to have something to say to me, and he’s always made me laugh, and his sense of mischievous anarchy has always inspired me. I’ve always been a great reader, ever since I was very young, and I learned to read just as soon as I could. I read English at university, and at one point, I even thought that I might teach the subject at school, and also do a bit of PE on the side – I was a rugby player back then, and very much involved in social activity on the campus. I’d never been much of a poetry fan when I was at school, but I really latched on to it at Uni – although I’ve always believed that Shakespeare is far better when given a live performance rather than seen on the page. Favourite author? Probably Joseph Conrad, and I think that his Heart of Darkness should be a “must read” for everyone who loves literature. When I first read it, it blew my mind. Personally, horror, fantasy and science fiction genres are no-go areas for me, I just cannot get in to them at all.
I’ve been listening to: Desert Island Discs
– I love the presenter, Lauren Laverne, and the way that she deftly draws out little details from her guests. I rarely listen on a Sunday morning, but as a podcast, where I can catch up with a lot of earlier editions, some presented by Kirsty Wark. What would I take to my own mythical island? Tough one. I think that I’d go down the route that a lot of the guests take, and choose a selection that reflected my life, and my interests and my roots. My father always loved the Halle Orchestra, so there would be something from them, mum loved Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine (and always got their latest
LP as a Christmas present), and I was hugely influenced as a young man by the legend that was (and still is, to me) David Bowie, probably his Space Oddity. The castaways recently have included Jamie Dornan, and Cillian Murphy (who I once met after a show in Galway, and with whom I had a very agreeable drinking session into the small hours, talking about everything under the sun) and their choices were fascinating.
On TV, I’ve been watching: SamandI don’t get to sit down together to watch anything until we’re into the middle to late evening, and we watch together. True Detective was the last series we enjoyed. Jodie Foster is a great favourite. If I watch any rugby, it’s in another room, and by myself. I loved Yellowstone – one of the reasons that the scenery is gorgeous.
The live performance I’d recommend is:
I worked with Kneehigh for 12 very happy years, and it was there that I met Emma Rice, and really admired her dedication and innovation. She’s just brought her production of BlueBeard (her company is called Wise Children) to York, and it was one of the best pieces of theatre that I’ve seen for some time. We’d love to have them back with their next show, it’s a liaison that needs to be fostered.
My next box set will be (or my last boxed set was….): Slow Horses, the thriller series with Gary Oldman, who, in fact, turned up at the Theatre Royal the other week, because he started his stage career in this very venue in 1974. We were delighted to show him, and his family, around the place. He was interested in the way that the auditorium has been remodelled, but he also saw that the dressing rooms that he knew back then were very much the same – new décor, of course. There was a lot of reminiscing, and we found some cuttings that referred to him, and a theatre programme as well. We’ve sent off copies to him. His first appearance, he confirmed, was as the Cat, in the pantomime of Dick Whittington.
The App I couldn’t be without is:
My music app, which I use on the train in the morning (podcasts and Desert Island Discs) and on the train back home at night – a lot of David Bowie. Friday night is very definitely David Bowie night, although I cannot explain why that should be. I guess that the consistency of listening to his music must give me some comfort?
What is right at the top of your “To do” Bucket list?: There are so many places around the world that I’d love to visit – the list is endless. But I have Cornish family roots, and I worked down there for over a decade, so I would really like to carve out enough time to walk the entire Cornish coastal path, from start to finish, from the north to the south. All the way round. And getting to see a few top-rate rugby matches, in person, have to be on the agenda as well.