Helen
has been a working professional actress for over 20 years.
She
trained in musical theatre and has a very strong light classical
voice but spends most of her working life in theatre, and comedy
theatre at that.
She has recently moved down from Yorkshire to Cromer in Norfolk.
She has recently moved down from Yorkshire to Cromer in Norfolk.
1.
Hi Helen, what have you just done?
I
am in the middle of a tour of “Kindly Leave the Stage” for
Baroque Theatre. I play a St.John’s Ambulance Nurse. It’s a
great fun farce and we have had some wonderful audiences and I am
working in lots of venues I haven’t been to before (It’s amazing
just how many venues there are in this country, getting theatre to
all regions, and there is a real hunger for good, entertaining work).
I’ll be doing this show until the end of June.
2. Why did
you become an actor?
I
was walking home from school, at 14, daydreaming about being
discovered (as you do), when it came to me that this was actually a
real option for work (even if not endless awards and money) you can
make a living at it. From then on I just worked at it single mindedly, working with my school and local Amdram groups, then Drama
school, Fringe, TIE and now I am one of the lucky ones who can say I
DO make a living out of it.
3. What is the most important
issue that you would like to see addressed in the arts?
Being
a “Woman of a Certain age”, I am very aware of how
disproportional the roles are for women, and then even worse for any
woman over the age of 30. I believe this has begun to be addressed
and certainly the industry does not appear to be as obsessed with sex
appeal as it was when I left drama school, but there is still a long
way to go. Women are no longer unrepresented in any area of
business, life etc but the arts has not really caught up to represent
all those real women.
4. There is a debate on pay/no pay: do
you think artists should be paid for their work?
Yes,
it’s my living, it’s your living, we need money to live, and our
work is worth paying for. I rarely do unpaid/low paid work these
days, but when I was looking to work in the film and TV market I took
lots of unpaid gigs to give myself on the hoof training (I trained in
Musical Theatre where recorded media was hardly touched upon), and to
get together a show reel of material. Now I will occasionally do
unpaid work for local friends for headshots etc.
5. Who is
your favourite artist and why?
Being
a character actress I have to say the wonderful characters actresses
we have/have had in this country. Elizabeth Spriggs, Hattie Jaques,
Joyce Grenfell, Margaret Rutherford, Victoria Wood, Celia Imrie,
Julie Walters, Dawn French... so many... wonderful women with great comic timing with serious underlying truthfulness.
6. What
value does the theatre hold for children?
Not
just Pantomime! Though Panto is still fun, so take 'em. Children get
stories and that is what theatre is, dramatised stories, instantly
accessible and live. When I was playing the Nurse in “Romeo and
Juliet”, I had a seven year old come up to me when I went front of
stage to clear the overly excited kids from the edge of the stage
(there was a sword fight coming up and they were too close for
safety). I had finished my acting and as a “Nanny” type was
thought to be able to look after the kids. The last thing they had
seen, was me crying my heart out as I though Juliet was dead, so this
little girl comes up to me and gives me a hug saying “It’s
alright, she’s not dead, she’s just taken a drink from the blue
bottle. In a minute someone is going to come and go “Waaaa” and
wake her up”. She got it. Strange old English and all, she got
the story, and believed it. Don’t underestimate what children can
understand. Theatre is a reflection of life, good, bad, funny and
sad.
7. Where do you see yourself in two years time?
Well,
now I am settled in my new home in Norfolk I’d really like to
really absorb the local arts scene (all art reflects and informs the
other arts). I love theatre and touring and really I am almost where
I would be happy spending the rest of my days, taking good exciting
theatre to people who really want to see theatre (not just those who
want to tick it off their tourist list) in every corner of the
country.
8. Do you have a favourite place in Norfolk?
I
love woods, I live on the edge of a small wood and see deer and foxes
and pheasants when I go for walks. I have a lot more of Norfolk to
explore and I look forward to being shown and discovering more of it
now I am here.
9. Dog or cat?
Cat.
I love the company of an animal but I don’t want to be needed 24/7
as a dog needs attention. Sadly because I tour so much I can’t
have a cat, even they need to be fed daily and watched over. So I’ll
come around and pet other people’s pets.
10. And finally,
what is next for you?
I
will soon be starting work on the new Wuthering Heights film. I am
very excited about the project as I am playing Nelly Dean who, in
this adaptation, will be a dark and sinister constant presence, think
a cross between “Hand that Rocked the Cradle” and “Misery”.
They have already begun filming and the screen shots I have seen look
wonderful. They are still raising money for the final touches and to
increase the pay of the performers and crew so if anyone has a spare
few pounds it would be gratefully received.
Twitter : @HelenFullyActor
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