Am Dram Star of the Week, Rebecca Clee, will star in The Deep Blue Sea at Netherton Arts Centre
As my own theatrical background is dance and musical theatre, I often wonder how a performer goes about preparing for a serious dramatic role. So, I simply decided to ask our Am Dram Star of the Week, Rebecca Clee, who will be playing Hester Collyer in Terence Rattigan’s thought-provoking piece, The Deep Blue Sea next month.
Her home company, Dudley Little Theatre, will be performing the play from March 7-10 at Netherton Arts Centre.
When Hester is discovered by her neighbours having attempted suicide, it isn’t long before her complex and traumatic life begins to unravel. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of her failed marriage, her past affair with a former RAF pilot, and her strange relationship with her neighbour – a doctor struck off for undisclosed reasons.
I ask Rebecca for her thoughts on Terence’s writing and her character.
“I love Terence, he did something which not a lot of playwrights were doing at the time and that was not only making women important in his plays, but giving them a voice. His writing is eloquent for women, the meter and tone is beautiful. It became dated and unfashionable during his lifetime as the ‘angry young men’ became of the vanguard of British theatre, but for me although he is writing for the middle classes, there is something that you can always relate to regardless of your background,” she says.
“Hester is, on the surface, a straightforward character, fairly typical of the age, but she feels caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and ultimately her life is pushed in the direction of her choosing and it’s that that attracted me to the part.”
Was it difficult to get into the right frame of mind to play someone who has attempted suicide, I wondered. Rebecca says: “It really comes down to the writing, exploring what’s left unsaid and between the lines. As long as you understand the times in which it was written and a bit of the background surrounding it, then that’s all you need really.”
“I did concentrate on the circumstances leading up to Rattigan writing this piece. He used his own experiences with one of his own lovers who had successfully committed suicide. So rather than concentrate on Hester’s feelings at the beginning of the play, I also gave a lot of thought to those almost left behind and their conflicting attitudes towards her decision.”
l For tickets for The Deep Blue Sea, visit www.dudleylittletheatre.org or call 01384 395852.
