Christine Kavanagh stars in the Oscar Wilde classic The Importance of Being Earnest at MK Theatre from tomorrow (Sept 15).
The brilliantly witty masterpiece also starring Nigel Havers, Siân Phillips, Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres will be with us for just five days, so book with some haste if you don't want to miss out!
Christine has an extensive catalogue of stage work sitting alongside her on-screen deliveries, so who better to go In the Spotlight?
Tell us about your first memory of the theatre
First memory in reception class at school trying to perform the dying swan in a tutu made of crepe paper in assembly and the other children laughing.
First significant memory was seeing Robert Stephens in Peter Schaeffers Royal Hunt of the Sun, a prospect tour from the Old Vic - mesmerising and powerful.
As a drama student seeing Ian McKellen in Bent. I wrote a fan letter and he wrote back.
My all-time favourite actress is my best friend Imelda Staunton.
And the moment when you realised the theatre was your calling
Well, not being good at maths invariably heads half the nation towards the arts, but I was always a good reader, and I went to an American high school in Brussels.
They loved my accent and diction, so performing in school productions I decided this could be my life.
Any dreadful calamities, or funny happenings on stage that you would care to share with us?
Yes! The night the set collapsed was a challenge.
Nigel Havers (below) and I did a tour together where the entire set of the kitchen would not 'truck off ' and the wheels underneath buckled, so we had to perform rest of play on half a set to much hilarity, it was like Noises off.
In the wings I took a picture of the stage staff, at least twenty were holding the set up in the brace position, hoping it wouldn't fall on the actors. Ironically the audience seemed to enjoy it more.
I was warned not to open any kitchen cupboards - if you did, you might see the stage management in the cupboards holding them up!
Do you have any superstitions, or pre-performance routines?
Yes, I do a vocal exercise as I go to stage very loudly for energy, and I always say "Good luck studio red light and bell " which is a phrase from old sound stages when there was red light and bell to alert people that filming had started.
It makes me laugh and shows my age.
I also don't stand still, my family call it Saint Vitus dance, I call it energy.
The best piece of advice given to you when you started in the business
Best piece of advice about the business, "It's not fair”. If you understand that then you'll be fine, you can't legislate for luck and it’s not a meritocracy.
There are many, many supremely talented actors who never get their day in the sun.
What do you think has been your steepest learning curve?
Filming, it's a different art and you have to learn to conserve your energy, not waste it, or fritter it on the set.
Being in a state of 'readiness’, and distilling emotion is much more exhausting on film than stage. You breathe in for film and contain, on stage you breathe out.
How do you fill your spare time while on tour?
Fill our time on tour?! What time?
Touring can be fun especially a new town. Every actor finds the best coffee shop first and makes it their home base.
I love finding antique shops or skipping off to a national trust property but we are doing three matinees a week on this tour so Friday is the only day to explore or relax. The movies are for rainy days.
Nerves or excitement? Which takes over just before the curtain rises?
Excitement, as it’s such a treat of a play to perform and The Importance of Being Earnest has copper bottomed laugh lines as written like a piece of music.
How can the future of theatre be safeguarded? What would you do to entice new blood to audiences?
To get new audiences bring your children, start them young.
Creating family ticket prices and group bookings helps the cost and also it's an antidote to all the screen time and social media.
People will always love theatre as its ' live ' and the art of communication will be lost soon. We demonstrate the joys of the English language.
Now tell us about the three favourite roles you have played so far, and what makes them special.
Nora in A Dolls House by Ibsen.
A great role for a woman, great writing and a challenge.
Karen Knightley The Revengers Comedies for Alan Ayckbourn in Scarborough.
It ran at five hours. An A-Z role, she had multiple personalities, and was dangerous and very funny, loved it.
Christine in Manchild comedy series for BBC 2.
Nigel (Havers) and I did two series, funny scripts clever idea, were a good comedy act.
Not quite Morecambe and Wise my all-time favourite heroes but….
To book tickets for The Importance of Being Earnest visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes or call 0844 871 7652.
