9:00pm Thursday 11th March 2010
By Neil D'Arcy-Jones
YOU may leave the theatre, but the theatre never leaves you. Just ask Colchester director Wendy Smith.
After a break of more than six years, Wendy is back with the Colchester Theatre Group, leading its members through their latest show.
Wendy has lived in Colchester since 1993 and moved to the town because of the group.
She said: “My background was in film, but I wanted to meet people on the theatre scene.
“That’s when I got involved with the Colchester Theatre Group, who immediately struck me as a great bunch of people who were doing a lot of challenging stuff.”
She eventually set up her own company, Three Wishes, which put on a number of productions, such as Splendour, at the Mercury Studio Theatre, in 2004.
She last worked with the Colchester Theatre Group in 2003.
Wendy said: “I had two parallel lives, one working with the NHS and the other with the local amateur dramatic scene, and it was getting a bit too much.”
So why the return?
“I was missing it,” Wendy said.
“I wanted an opportunity to do something with the theatre group for a while, and when they asked me, I jumped at the chance.”
Wendy was even allowed to choose the play, the House of Blue Leaves, by John Guare, who is perhaps more famous for Six Degrees of Separation.
The House of Blue Leaves, which will be staged at the Headgate Theatre, in Colchester, centres round an aspiring singer-songwriter who sees his big break when the Pope addresses the United Nations, in New York, in 1965, to try to stop the war in Vietnam.
Wendy said: “It’s a play I came across about ten years ago. Straight away, I thought this was really interesting and quirky. It wasn’t the right choice at the time, but now was the chance to do it.”
Wendy described the play as an actor’s dream. It has nine characters, all of whom are “amazing, unusual and challenging”.
She added: “There is such an enthusiasm for the play that, despite the fact we’ve only just started the rehearsal process, we have made huge progress so far.
“The cast learned their lines very quickly. It has been a genuine team effort, which I hope will stretch to the Headgate when it comes to the run.”
One of the unique aspects of the play will be the original compositions by actor William Hooper.
He said: “I play the role of Artie, the singer-songwriter, and while all the lyrics are in the script, there isn’t any record of the music itself, so Wendy asked me to write some.”
Regular theatregoers will know of William’s musical talents, which include the award-winning original script, music and lyrics for his short-length musical, Flushed.
William is currently writing his debut full-length musical, based on the Lon Chaney film, Ace of Hearts, which is due to take place at the Headgate Theatre later this year.
He said he found the process of composing the House of Blue Leaves “quite liberating”.
William added: “I’m guilty of concentrating on the lyrics more than the music, so having the words there gave me a lot of freedom.”
* The House of Blue Leaves is at the Headgate Theatre, Chapel Street North, Colchester, from next Wednesday until Saturday, March 20, at 7.45pm. Tickets are £8 and £6 for concessions, available from the box office on 01206 366000.
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