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[0:07] John Schwab: Hi, John Schwab here from Curtain Call, and welcome to episode 60 of the Curtain Call Theatre Podcast, the podcast that brings you backstage as close as you possibly can be, often while the shows are actually happening to meet the people that make theater happen.

[0:19] John Schwab: If you are a theater professional or you know any, make sure you or they sign up with the code CC Free and claim a curtain call profile today, which is free.

[0:28] John Schwab: That's uh just go to curtaincallonline.com, uh sign up and enter the code CC Free, all caps, no spaces.

[0:35] John Schwab: Join today and start connecting to the theater industry.

[0:38] John Schwab: And now for this week's podcast.

[0:49] John Schwab: Reese played the character of Sid, the stammering ex-assistant to David Morrissey's ex-Hangman Harry, both of whom are coming to terms with the abolition of Capital Punishment in Britain.

[1:00] John Schwab: It was a fantastic performance by Reese, and well, and the entire hangman company, in fact, garnering critical praise across the board, which then led to a West End transfer to the Wyndham's Theater.

[1:10] John Schwab: Unfortunately, Reese couldn't make that transfer to the West End with Andy Nyman ably stepping into his shoes.

[1:17] John Schwab: Um, hi Andy. Uh perhaps we'll get to speak to Andy about his experience uh in an upcoming podcast. Let's see what happens.

[1:23] John Schwab: In any case, for those of you who didn't get to see Reese in the role, Reese puts across his reflections on the character and his first time at the Royal Court. Have a listen.

[1:37] Reece Shearsmith: Yes, my name is Reece Shearsmith, and I play the character of Sid Armfield, who's the assistant hangman to Harry Wade, played by David Morrissey.

[1:49] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. And um the script lends itself to many layers of both comedy and horrible situations.

[2:07] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, you know, and I've had. Are you aware that the audience are it's quite like yesterday?

[2:13] Reece Shearsmith: Now this may be just from yesterday, but they were quite a vocal audience when it comes to reactions.

[2:18] Reece Shearsmith: They were they were they gasped in certain places.

[2:21] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. And we have had that. Yeah, we've had some, it's lovely when you really feel that we are reeling them in as far as the storytelling is concerned.

[2:31] Reece Shearsmith: It's such a great, you know, you are leaning into this story wondering what where is it going. And then there are some great kind of points where it all um turns on its head or there's a revelation, and we have heard audible gasps, but that's lovely because it means they're listening and they're into it, you know, they're feeling like they're sat in their front room and they can make that noise, and that you do um cherish hearing that because you think great, we've we've got them.

[2:54] Reece Shearsmith: They've got their claws into there and they're enjoying the um the story, and they can't wait to see what happens next. Especially when they return for the second, yeah, where everything is kind of turning on its head, and it's like, oh my gosh, he knows him. How is you know that's lovely to feel that we've um we've tricked them.

[3:12] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, so it's a great yeah, it's lovely to play. And it's uh you know, it is um there there are moments of great stillness as well as moments. Your character because quite physical physically the physical comedy that comes out of it, but you also have yeah, moments of stillness when you see that you're trying to squirm half.

[3:30] Reece Shearsmith: Yes, of course, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of um terrible tension too as the play ratchets up toward the end.

[3:37] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, and there is, you know, I'm kind of standing for the most of the second half, it was shaking with terror, you know, not wanting to be in the position I'm in.

[3:45] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. And it's so I do feel kind of slightly quite drained at the end of it. It looks m like I'm just stood in a room, but if people could see my feet, I'm kinda like a cat. Feel like I'm completely in caught in this terrible web of my own doing, you know.

[3:59] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. And I hope that comes across with everyone doing that, you know, that the tension in the room is horrible. And you you just know something dreadful's gonna happen, it's the only way out and for it to break.

[4:08] Reece Shearsmith: So uh it's lovely to kind of ratchet up that slow noose route, literally the audience's uh story, you know.

[4:16] John Schwab: And how easy was it for you to to to kind of take us it's uh you know um uh it's Martin McDonagh's got a great track record of just you know um the of storytelling that that takes that to kind of hits you from side.

[4:34] Reece Shearsmith: There there's always uh something that's gonna come and when it comes you're not expecting.

[4:34] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. Well that's really appealing to me. I've always really enjoyed that kind of um storytelling.

[4:41] Reece Shearsmith: It's something that kind of just you can't um rest on your laurels. You're kind of you've got to be on your toes and you've got to be leaning into it to get the story and it's you d you can't have him wash over you, you know, you're you've got to be alert.

[4:54] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. And that's that's great, 'cause not m many things are not like that. You know, everyone is always spoon fed, everything.

[5:00] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, and also ahead of it. And I think you can't be with him and it's lovely to be uh ahead of the audience and they're catching up. And so you feel uh very empowered by that, you know, it's enjoyable.

[5:10] Reece Shearsmith: It's well it's one one of the moments yesterday, you know, in the show it with about three minutes from the end of Act One, where you suddenly click that oh shit, and the audience are 20 seconds before that, laughing their butts off.

[5:22] Reece Shearsmith: Yes, at cart jokes and things. And then that moment like, Oh, oh yes, you're this man. And you just the woman next to me that went, Oh, good, great.

[5:32] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah. That's great. Um lastly, have you have you played the the world?

[5:37] Reece Shearsmith: No, never. My first um time.

[5:38] Reece Shearsmith: So I've been really uh well, how does it differ for you? And how have you found it coming into this space?

[5:43] Reece Shearsmith: Well, it's been lovely to be in something that we felt from the start was a good piece of work. So I was we were itching to present it to the world.

[5:51] Reece Shearsmith: It was responsibility to it as well to Martin, I think. We wanted to, you know, kind of deliver his play. And I, you know, we're I was slightly nervous that he hadn't done one for ten years, and how would it be perceived rightly or wrongly?

[6:04] Reece Shearsmith: I thought perhaps might be the knives might be out for him just because he hasn't done anything, and people would come with their arms crossed, go on then do it again. And happily it's um it's had a great uh response.

[6:15] Reece Shearsmith: So uh we're delighted with it. And and the theater is a gorgeous place to play it so intimate. There's no pushing, it feels like you can do a very small performance.

[6:25] Reece Shearsmith: It doesn't feel you know, I've done a Drury Lane way of declaiming, and it's not really the same as as performing here, certainly. So it's lovely because it's stage, but it feels very small, and that's lovely because you can be truthful, you know, as an ad. And you're always striving for that.

[6:39] Reece Shearsmith: Yeah, it's great. Well, listen, thank you so much for talking to me. I really appreciate it.

[6:51] John Schwab: Reece Shearsmith on his experience as Sid the Hangman's assistant. Now, before we wrap up, if you are a theater professional and you want to join the network built by theatre professionals for theater professionals, a network that is growing every day.

[7:04] John Schwab: Then head on over to curtaincallonline.com and sign up for a free curtain call pro profile with the code CC Free. Again, that's CC free, all caps, no spaces.

[7:13] John Schwab: You can follow us on all the socials. That's Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at Curtain Call, all lowercase. We'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions or feedback for the podcast. Just get in touch with us via any of the social media platforms I just mentioned, or write to me personally at John at CurtainCall Online.com. And that's John with an H.

[7:30] John Schwab: It just leaves me now to thank Reece Shearsmith and the entire company of Hangman. We had a great uh experience during our visit and um, well, many happy returns, Mr. Shearsmith.

[7:41] John Schwab: Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Curtain Call Theater Podcast, and I will catch you all next week. Bye.