From the 26th-28th of August our very own Kevin will be performing in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Pericles at the National Theatre! With the weekend just around the corner, we decided to sit down and have a chat about his experience.
“I decided to join the production of Pericles when it was recommended to me by a lady who ran one of my classes at Thames Reach. It was not anything I had ever done before, yet within a few weeks I found myself regularly attending rehearsals.
Through doing this I have met a variety of people from all walks of life. The 200 person cast includes the Brixton women’s choir and a Bulgarian band, it is also very inclusive towards people who are not as physically able. I am at an age where meeting new people is a lot different to when I was younger, I therefore feel like this has been a really great bonding experience, and I have got to know loads of great people I might have not met otherwise.
Meeting new people was initially one of the main challenges of this experience. I used to hold back, but now I find it a lot easier to talk to people I have not met before. I am much more comfortable with myself and I feel more open. Another big challenge I found was projecting my voice for the stage. I have quite a loud voice, but performing in front of people was not something I had ever done before.
I have been a part of this production since before joining the Emmaus Lambeth community, nevertheless, Emmaus have been very supportive in enabling me to take part in it. I am open minded about the prospect of doing something like this again, however it is a big commitment that takes up a lot of my time. I am currently in the middle of a busy week of technical rehearsals, the play is set to be great and some of my family are coming to watch it too. It will be weird going back to normal once this is all over, it truly has been a once in a lifetime experience.’
Pericles is a part of Public Acts, a new initiative by the National Theatre which aims to bring communities together. The story of Pericles features a journey from town to town, where Chris Bush has adapted this to display the broader communities that make up London. It explores the theme of home and what this word means to different people.”
A big good luck to Kevin from us all! Break a leg!
For more information: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/pericles
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