An interview with Dark Horse actor Joe Sproulle

Dark Horse actor Joe Sproulle/SPENCER PARKIN in Sing Something Simple

SING SOMETHING SIMPLE 2 (The Greatest Hits Volume 2)

An interview with Dark Horse actor Joe Sproulle

What's it like to know you'll be playing Spencer Parkin again?

Absolutely brilliant.  He was so good to play last time, the thought that I'll be the character again in great theatres like Cast Doncaster, Goole Junction, Lincoln Drill Hall, Lancaster Grand, Wolverhampton Arena, Theatre Severn Shrewsbury, Derby Guildhall and The Lowry Salford is amazing.  It's also a big step up for me as it's many more theatres than before and some bigger spaces but I am so ready for the challenge.  There are things I want to develop and build on from last time.  It won't be the same show, there are some changes and my Mum in the show, Val, is played this time around by Lisa Howard and Vanessa's rewritten the play and this will make a big difference.

Were you part of the casting process for Mum Val?

Lisa Howard/VAL PARKIN in Sing Something Simple

Yes I was actually.  There were auditions here in Huddersfield and also in London. My colleagues Dark Horse actors Mark Craven and Toby Meredith and me and Musical Director Loz Kaye were part of the panel here and we saw some very strong actresses. They all had to sing songs from the 80's because VAL is an 80's tribute act and there were all kinds of songs from people like Kate Bush and Elkie Brooks. I remember the singing part of Lisa's audition really well because she did a medley of every single big singer from the 80's- so she was Tina Turner and then Debbie Harry and then Cher all in the blink of an eye!  Then Lisa and I were directed through one of Val and Spencers' scenes.  We've already worked together on the green screen shoot for the show and I know it's going to be great working with Lisa.

What was the green screen shoot all about?

Joe watches Lisa Howard in front of the green screen as Mic Pool lines up a shot

Mic Pool is the digital projection designer on the show and he puts together brilliant projections that are all part of Spencers' imagination- images of his brother Kit and his best friend Bonnie and most of all of his granddad session singer extraordinaire Gerry Parkin.  The projections feature inside the amazing set that Pip Leckenby has designed. Because Lisa and Richard (Richard Maxted who plays KIT) and Heather (Heather Dutton who plays Bonnie) and me aren't really family and don't have a history in photo albums so Mic has to splice lots of moments together from our real lives to make a believeable family.  To do this you have to stand in front of a green screen while you're photographed and then Mic cuts around you and puts you in all kind of imaginary situations. It's amazing because you believe the people in the play are really real and in all the places that Spencer says they are.  With Val as well because she's an eighties tribute act she had to be shot being all the singers she impersonates- there are some very funny images that will feature in the show!

Happy Days ran on UK TV up to 1984

What is your favourite TV show from the 80's

I like Happy days with Henry Winkler as The Fonz.  I've watched most of the episodes. I think it's very funny situation comedy and the characters are very strong. I didn't see it first time around as I was born in the 80's but I know it was a big hit and that back then everyone watched the same shows- and discussed them the next day at work.

How are you preparing for the role of Spencer Parkin?

Joe Sproulle with Toby Meredith in a voice class

At Dark Horse all of our training is about being ready for work, being fit and having the technical skills (Voice and movement) that mean you can be heard and move properly in theatre spaces so that you can serve an audience.  I have a very healthy diet,  I enjoy my yoga practise and am very disciplined about it and I attend classes and rehearsals on the F2 course where I am an actor mentor and this helps me to stay on top of my game.  I am beginning to eat a bit more- especially carbohydrates to build up a bit before the rehearsal and production period.  We do circuit training and Laban work in the rehearsal room and this all helps. My character is on stage for the full two hours of the show and this takes a lot of stamina and burns a lot of calories- we're a physical theatre company that works with new writing and you have to be aware of these things and take care of your body.  I also have a lot of direct speeches out front, breaking the fourth wall,  and this takes a lot of vocal energy.  I get plenty of rest too.

At Dark Horse the male actors have to keep their hair long in case it needs to be cut for a part (Or kept long) and for a while my hair's been over my collar.  I had it cut by Roger David- who always styles Spencers' hair-  the other day for the green screen shoot and it means I can now have shorter hair a the back for a bit, though Spencer has tall hair so I have to keep it long on top.  This all helps me get into the character.

  

Toyah Wilcox/80's icon

Twice a week I've been having dialogue coaching with Vanessa.  We've been going through all of my speeches in the play, especially those which are new and we research the people Spencer mentions so I have a clear idea of who they are.  Spencer talks a lot about 80's singers and we discuss them and then we'll look them up on the internet. Last week we had a look at Rik Astley as Spencer mentions his 'card shuffle' dance move and we also discussed Margaret Thatcher and the miners strike as this is mentioned in the play. This means when it comes to learning the words I have a clear idea in my head about these people and who they were.  Once that's done we go through the speeches technically, making sure I'm clear and hitting the consonants and getting the right inflections.  Then, finally,  when I've got all of that down we look at each line of my dialogue and my objectives and actions. The great thing about Dark Horse is it teaches you a clear method to approach a script and approach character.  This process means I've done all the research and got under the skin of the text before rehearsals start.  It's an actors job to take the audience on a journey through the story so it's a responsibility to make sure they can follow me so the technical voice side of it is as important as the creative choices.  At the moment I'm looking at the speeches one by one and I don't have a copy of the full script yet but any day soon I will and then I can start re-learning the whole show.  I think I remember most of it and that the new dialogue will go in without too much trouble-hope so!  Later this week we'll spend some rehearsal time with me delivering Spencers' speeches to the ensemble.  In this way my colleagues help me by preparing me for playing out front.  The ensemble are very good at role playing bad audience members- but this is all very helpful prep!

Top 80's band Spandau Ballet

What is your favourite 80's music?

I really like Spandau Ballet and their songs True, Gold and Across the Barricades.  They made some great records (When people actually bought records) and they had good style. But maybe not in this photograph!  Tony Hadley still makes appearances as a singer now and on reality TV shows of course.

SING SOMETHING SIMPLE (The Greatest Hits Volume 2)
Behind the scenes....

An Interview with Dark Horse Business Director Lynda Hornsby

Going out on a job with Dark Horse
actor Joe Sproulle- and Dante the dog!

What's your job title and what do you usually do at Dark Horse?

I'm the Business Director and my role underpins our very busy Artistic programme in lots of different ways.  With Vanessa, the Artistic Director, I'm responsible for the strategic direction of the company, fundraising and developing our work and brand generally, making sure that Dark Horse is in the best position it can be to make excellent theatre and be an outstanding drama school. My job also means making sure people stick to the rules and I do all the boring but very important things like paying wages and fees, drawing up contracts and making sure there's enough money to actually do the work.  We tour nationally and that means developing and maintaining relationships with lots of different venues all over the country and on a big tour like SING SOMETHING SIMPLE that's a lot of conversations to be had!  We have some terrific funders like the Arts Council,  Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, LLoyds TSB and Kirklees Council and I manage those relationships and also serve the needs of our trustees.  There's a lot of people management and the day to day work is always very involved.  The ensemble is in the rehearsal room three days a week and I like to have the working lunch with them and sometimes I deliver corporate training with a couple of our actors or go to an event (As in the photo above where I went out to give a talk with actor Joe)  No two days are ever the same- we work with very highly regarded creatives and high profile theatres and TV and film companies and I can be doing this one day and then finding a prop or taking a phone call from the company that services the water cooler. In the pre production period there's a lot of planning to do and then during production and when Dark Horse is on tour my job becomes more complex again as we work with large teams- for a small permanent staff team, usually just me and Vanessa, there's a lot of work to do!

Baywatch was a hit in the 80's-
Sing Something Simple 2 features hits from
that decade

Imagine you are a lifeguard as in Baywatch and you spot both Matt Smith and Harry Styles in trouble in the sea.  Who would you save first?

That's a very difficult question.  I'd like to save both at the same time and not take the risk that one would drown but if I really had to choose one to save first it would be Matt Smith. I've always liked Dr. Who- I use to hide behind the sofa when I was a kid when it came on as it was so frightening.  I think Matt Smith's a good actor.  So him first then straight back in for Harry Styles.

All hands on deck during the
Sing Something Simple
greenscreen shoot as designer
Pip Leckenby sets up for a shot.

The show opens in March next year (2014)-  there's not much to do right now is there?

That's very funny!  There's a lot to do, it's all in the planning and preparation for big tour like this. Marketing is very important so that we can spread the word about the terrific work we do at Dark Horse and get general adult audiences in to see the show, the fact that it's a very strong comedy helps.  We need to make lots of people aware of us all over the country.  The large creative team is in and out of the office having meetings and last week we had a green screen shoot where digital projection designer Mic Pool took photos of actor Lisa Howard which will be used in the show. Costume and props are beginning to fill up any available space and it all needs to be sorted and everyone relies on me to know where anything is!  There's a major job ahead around logistics and booking accommodation and travel for the team on the road, there's a print run of flyers and posters to organise and while all of this is going on the fantastic F2 course continues and our actors and students and acting tutors are often in the building.

Tell us a joke or something funny that's happened to you recently.

At home we got a new cat recently, he's called Barry, or Baz for short.  He's still a young kitten really and he is exploring everything. He loves climbing up things and the other day I came into the kitchen to see him climbing very quickly up the front of my husband who was making dinner at the time.  He got to his shoulder and then ran down his back and onto the floor in one really fast movement.  It was very athletic and very funny because of the shocked look on my husbands' face.  I think his claws might have hurt a bit too!


What are the highlights for you of the new writing process?

The script for Sing Something Simple

I enjoy the early stages, hearing about the new plays when they are just ideas before anything's been written down at all. Then watching the process as it develops is wonderful. The work unfolds around our actor/s- whoever happens to be in whichever show and characters grow around areas that Dark Horse actors need to strengthen. I've learned that although playwriting is creative it's all about making pragmatic choices and that's really interesting. It's absolutely fascinating and I enjoy it all. A lot of people assume that we do devised or improvisational work and that couldn't be further from the truth- all of our work is scripted and our actors like all actors learn the skills to work with text.

In Sing Something Simple VAL (Spencers' mum) is an eighties tribute act and wears some amazing clothes from the period.  What was your biggest 80's fashion mistake?

An 80's hair victim (Not Lynda!)

Like many people at that time I experimented with my hair and it was important for hair to be as big as it could possibly be.  I had an absolutely awful perm- all tight curls- and it took forever to grow out.

I wore my fair share of shoulder pads too and once had a geometric bob.