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[0:42] Josh Mitchell: Hey Theatre fans, one and welcome back to the We Are Theatre Podcast. And today we are talking about a new show coming to you folks over in the UK. I'm joined by Alex Phelps at the moment, soon to be joined by Will Barton. Um Alex, hey, how are you going?

[1:08] Alex Phelps: I'm going very well. How are you, Josh?

[1:10] Josh Mitchell: You're right. I am really excited to talk about this show. I've been watching the preview video, the teaser video over and over again. It's just really grabbed my attention, and I'm like really ready to rip the band-aid off and find out what's actually going on. So for those of you that don't haven't figured it out already, we are talking about When Darkness Falls, which is opening later this month at the Park Theatre. Um, Alex, do you want to give us a quick insight into your character for this show?

[1:39] Alex Phelps: Yeah, of course. So I play a character called The Speaker, and he arrives on the island of Guernsey where the play is set, um, which is just a small island in the Channel Islands of the UK and not too far from France either. And he arrives on the island with five stories that he has to tell. Um, and I don't want to give too much away about the reasoning why he has to tell these stories, but ostensibly the entire play is a ghost story and contains within it all the wonderful elements of thriller and horror and some comedy as well. So it can it's combining all things as we go.

[2:24] Josh Mitchell: How good is that? So ghost stories and everything like that. How much research did you put into your character and how did you research this type of thing to kind of figure out how to portray this?

[2:40] Alex Phelps: Yeah, so um research-wise, it's I've done a uh from my point of view looking at my character, I've done an awful lot um in uh in sorry, Will has just arrived, by the way. Will has uh popped in. Um so uh I looked into a lot of storytellers and how you go about approaching a story. If we think go, you know, going back way back in time of how you would just gather around a campfire and people would tell not just necessarily scary stories, but stories of about all the different types of things and the ways you can use the language to really enrich and activate the audience's imagination. What's really wonderful about the play is that it relies on a lot of simplicity within its theatrical nature. So therefore, we ask the audience to join us as we try to describe to them the elements of what is happening within the um uh within the within the stories within the play. I hope that makes sense.

[3:43] Josh Mitchell: 100% made sense, and I'm just reading through the website at the moment and seeing 90 minutes, one act. Um what type of roller coaster can people expect going into this show?

[3:56] Alex Phelps: I think you can expect everything. It's one of the wonderful things about it is that um it contains a few jumpy bits, a few moments of unexpected uh scares. Um you're gonna be on the ride. I mean, we we've sort of been looking at all different types of plays that have contained similar elements to it. So you have Andy Nyman's ghost stories, which has obviously been made into an incredible film. Um, you know, uh, you think about Woman in Black and the simplicity of that storytelling there. Yeah, and it always centers around the characters within it. So this the characters are driven by very clear motivations, which allows the audience to get on the roller coaster with us. And we're gonna be going up and down around, loop the loop, you name it.

[4:46] Alex Phelps: I'm reading all the um creative team notes, and I'm seeing magic and illusion. Um, so I'm uh kind of excited to see what pops up on stage and how things are portrayed and give that kind of ghost feel. Um we're absolutely blessed in a way to have an incredible magician called John Bulleed, who is the magician's assistant on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Oh, perfect. Uh he's done a lot of Doctor Who. Um, he's currently working on the RSC's production, trying to make an elephant disappear in less than two seconds. And he's the mastermind behall behind all of the illusions and the magic that happened in our show. And the beauty of it starting out in the Park Theatre is that we're in a very closed, intimate space.

And so the illusions that come across happen right in front of the audience's eyes, and there's no escaping the things that happen to them. And um it it's really wonderfully worked out so that we're able to take you into the world, and the magic is so solid to just enable the audience to use their um imaginations.

[5:53] Josh Mitchell: I yeah. Yeah, I love that. Just while we're waiting for Will to jump in rehearsing this show, um have you guys were you guys affected by COVID at all, or was this a post-COVID kind of production?

[6:05] Alex Phelps: Well, what's funny is is that we started it the conversations was would start in January 2020, which is when I um did a research and development with the team behind the show at the moment. Um, and we were originally meant to uh obviously had the world not um, you know, one thing or another, um, had the world not stopped rotating, then I imagine it would have gone on last year. But um we were due to uh open at a different theater in October last year, and then we had the announcement that we would be locked down again. So we were hit by that. Um and then there was an original plan to maybe open in January, February this year, but we had another lockdown. Yeah, um, and so slowly theaters have come back open and now we're we're able to take that step.

But the theatre is working in a socially distanced way, we're at 60% capacity so that the audience feels safe because it is an intimate theatre, it's important that we still maintain that social distancing level. Um, and in rehearsals, we're trying to be as safe as possible with it as well.

[7:09] Josh Mitchell: Yeah, perfect. And we've just had Will join us. Hi, Will, how are you going?

[7:11] Will Barton: Hi, sorry about that. Um, my um bicycle train came off on the way, so I've got oil all over my fingers. Real world things, guys. This is what we're showing. Um Will, do you just want to quickly run us through your character in this show?

[7:26] Will Barton: Uh sure, yeah. Um, I played John Blondel. Um, he's uh he's from Guernsey, and sorry it's repeating me this now, and and he's um a historian who was a journalist, he's got his own vlog, he's a bit nerdy, a bit geeky, and he's possibly haunted by things from the past, and it's all about the connection with the speaker who um who comes uh in to see him and what develops from there without going too much away.

[8:04] Josh Mitchell: That is so good. So getting um to obviously sit with this script over time, um, with lockdowns and things supposed to happen and not. Has your kind of interpretation of the text evolved during that time, going from rehearsal period to rehearsal period? Like have you guys found different things through this period of time?

[8:25] Will Barton: Um that's a difficult one to ask because each time we were about to start, it was it was stopped because of COVID. Yeah, uh so the only new new lines, uh new scenes have come since we um started rehearsing, actually. The stranger who comes in is a bit weird. And I I had this idea, but I'm not sure we're gonna do it. Where um I go to shake his hand, it says in the script. He doesn't shake my hand, and then maybe my character thinks, ah, he does the arm, the the elbow to elbow, I think. Uh, but then he he doesn't do that as well. So we're not sure if that's that's going in yet, um, because he is a bit unnerving this character. But other than that, we're trying to avoid COVID because you know, people have had enough of it, aren't they? So we we want a bit of escapism, an amazing ghost story, something that's chilling, something that's it's funny and then scary. It's getting those juxtapositions of humour and fear.

[9:17] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. As kind of um literary people and people that take in art, um, on a scale of one to ten, where do you guys sit in the horror thriller kind of genre? Is it something you would lean more towards, or is this something out of both of your depths?

[9:36] Will Barton: Well, this is the first time I've ever been involved in a horror theatre show. Um, if I don't think even on TV I've done anything with horror, so this is completely new to me. Uh, and uh um Alex um is is someone that um says he jumps at anything, but he's the one that's supposed to be making me jump in this. So uh let's hope he doesn't get too scared as he's doing it. But it's it's pretty chilling, I think. And in it there will be screams from the audience, we anticipate as uh visions suddenly appear from absolutely nowhere, thanks to John Bullid's uh amazing work, misdirection, things falling over, just when you're not expecting it. We go to sort of uh having a really casual conversation, then out of that comes something really really unexpected.

[10:24] Josh Mitchell: Move over Woman in Black, uh you know, When Darkness Falls is on its way. Being two weeks out from opening, um, obviously, with the last year behind us, what are you guys looking forward to most about having people in front of you and being able to perform this show um to a live audience?

[10:43] Alex Phelps: Go on, Alex. I think that I mean that just the fact that we're able to say that we're in a building full of creative people who are all working towards building this incredible show to hopefully provoke a reaction from the audience is just wonderful, isn't it? I mean, the idea that that theatres and um entertainment venues have been closed for the for the past 18, 19 months, year and a half, where there hasn't been that outlet of expression and escapism that's probably so needed at the moment. Uh it's just gonna be fantastic. I don't think I've fully appreciated or anticipated the reaction of walking onto a stage and having people in the space with us. I'd I I I I haven't I haven't given that too much thought.

I think possibly if I did it'd be a little bit too overwhelming and I might get a bit teary because I do I I have missed theatre. It's been um a part of my life for a long time, and I think it's gonna be just really lovely to have uh uh a huge amount of people all come together to experience stories. And I think I mean underneath it all, the play ultimately, if you get rid of all of the spooks and the scares and the the jumps, it is a a love letter to writing and about writing and telling stories.

[12:00] Josh Mitchell: So it will be lovely, yeah.

[12:02] Will Barton: Yeah.

[12:03] Josh Mitchell: On the website, I've got it up in front of me right now, and scrolling along the top is a line that I read and it just instantly hit me. History is a set of lies agreed upon. Is this a theme throughout the show? Is this something that we unravel, or is that just a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a question?

[12:18] Alex Phelps: I think it's our interpretation of our own personal histories, rather than making any political, it's not making a political statement, really, I don't think, or the writer might disagree, but for me, it's about our interpretation of events that have gone in the past, what we admit to, what we regret, what we deny. And so it's not my history, his history, where they collide, the interpretations of that, who's at fault, that kind of thing.

[12:47] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. Breaking down the text, obviously, going with that mindset, has there been a lot of like personal revelation as actors going through this process and getting into the characters?

[13:01] Will Barton: Oh to you, Alex.

[13:05] Alex Phelps: I knew you were gonna do that, Will. I knew you were gonna do that. Has there been? I think I mean like Will, I have never been involved in any kind of horror or thriller. So this is a completely unique experience for me as well. We're both learning as we go. And I am by my nature incredibly jumpy. I jump at anything. I opened, we were in rehearsals yesterday, and I have a briefcase and I opened the pops of the briefcase, and it made me jump. And you just think, oh god, how silly. But in terms of where the character is from, I think that I have learned an awful lot. My character is from the island of Stark, which is a neighboring island, and it's three miles by one and a half miles, it's tiny the island, and only 600 people live on it in 2021.

But back in 1987, when something happens to my character without trying to give too much away, he's a very isolated person, and he's very on his own. And I suppose you could take that into the context of what we've all just gone through as a collective, that kind of isolating, quarantined world.

[14:22] Will Barton: Yeah.

[14:23] Alex Phelps: It's just really interesting to think about what to take what we have just gone through in the past year and inject it back into my character's past and try to interpret and use that in the present. Yeah, I don't know if that answers your question. I may have just rambled completely.

[14:39] Will Barton: That's completely fine. Getting into a room together, being this scene partner cast, just the two of you, and getting to discover that dynamic in a creative environment after such a long time away from things. What was that like for you guys to just be able to be creative and be in a room and let loose?

[15:06] Alex Phelps: It's been great, but you know, we're a week and a half into rehearsals. We've got kind of two weeks to go. It's fantastic, but it's scary again. It's a two-hander, there's so much logistics, almost choreography in places where you've got to be in the right position for things that are gonna happen.

[15:26] Will Barton: Yeah.

[15:26] Alex Phelps: And it's merging all that, and it's kind of exciting, but a bit like the horror story scary. We've got so much to do. We're on our way. It's very exciting. If it all comes together, it's gonna be great. We just need to make sure it does come together. And you know, and this would be a great way of coming back into theatre, hopefully unforgettable.

[15:49] Will Barton: Yes, yeah, it's lovely to be sharing a space again and being able to do our job, which is to try and I hope provide a bit of escapism for everybody that comes to see it.

[15:49] Josh Mitchell: Yeah speaking of those people coming to see it, we've spoken about horror and the jumps and the scares and everything like that for those people that would turn away from this type of show, what would be your words of encouragement to get those people across the line just to come and see the show and give it a go?

[15:49] Will Barton: They're already booking so it's looking good at the moment. The theatre's only selling 60% tickets at the moment where I hope they may well as we hit the peak in the second week of August, over the peak and come back, that they may be able to release some more tickets. But at the moment it seems to be selling pretty well so there's certainly enough people that want to come. But I would never say to somebody, you know, it's not for me to decide on whether people, you know, with COVID are worried how worried they are, what their situation is, who they're in touch with, it's got to be that personal choice. I think in the end it comes down to personal choice and I think we'll be all right.

[15:49] Alex Phelps: I agree, but I also think that for those people who might not necessarily want to experience the jumps and the scares that we're talking about, I think that ultimately the play lives on the strength of the writing and the stories that are being told within the writing. And you know really it's just gathering a group of people together and we tell them some tales and hopefully they can come along with that and enjoy it and enjoy the comedy moments in it and the fun.

[17:37] Josh Mitchell: Yeah. I'm just reading on the website that the stories, many of which are based on true events. Is that true events as per your character, or is it true events in real life?

[17:57] Will Barton: Joining the fun.

[18:40] Will Barton: Yeah.

[18:40] Alex Phelps: Great storms. I mean the 1987 storm was unbelievable, which I remember seeing the trees across the road and the roofs off, and then historical things to do with the island, which are true and Nazi occupation.

[18:46] Alex Phelps: It's historical events to do with the Nazis occupation of Guernsey and things like that. Our characters are true, but there was a great storm in 1987 in England, which was quite funny at the time. There was this news forecast, oh sorry, weather forecaster called Michael Fish, who said we've had a little letter from a woman in so and so, where she lived saying that she's heard there's a storm coming on the way. Well, there isn't, this is on TV, says it, and then lo and behold, trees uprooted, roofs taken off. She was right. The meteorologist on TV was completely wrong. So there are events like that that are historical that are relevant to the play.

[18:54] Will Barton: Cool.

[18:54] Alex Phelps: So there's a bit of everything in it for anyone. The history people that love that history side of things, the jump scare, just the theatre lovers at all. So sounds like a very well-rounded show, and I wish I could fly because oh my god, it sounds amazing. Now the show is open for two weeks.

[19:14] Will Barton: Is it two weeks?

[19:15] Alex Phelps: Yeah, two weeks in the Park Theatre, and then it's setting out on a UK tour. So everyone around can get a hold of it. As actors and getting to see this show before everybody else does, without giving too much away, what are your favourite parts of the show?

[19:34] Will Barton: Hard one.

[19:37] Alex Phelps: Yeah, yeah.

[19:37] Will Barton: Yeah, good question. I really like the, well for me, I like the opening, I can get relaxed to get in and then have the arrival out of the blue of this chap who comes to join me because it suddenly changes. So I love that change of dynamic from me being kind of pretty relaxed and chilled and kind of funny in light to this guy coming in and changing the atmosphere of the room. And I remember from drama school we had an exercise where you have to go in and change the atmosphere of the room.

[20:09] Alex Phelps: Yeah.

[20:09] Will Barton: You know, in any way that we can, whether it's through laughter or whatever. But yes, so that changes. Then we've got so many different stories and threads where we're different characters, and then coming back to ourselves. But there's so many great bits. Really no once the show's up and running.

[20:31] Alex Phelps: Yeah, I agree. I like the opening as well. I do, I love watching Will make everybody laugh. It's really lovely. I almost don't want to come in because I just want the play to exist in this really lovely world.

[20:45] Will Barton: Yeah, but it's then there's no story. It needs you to disrupt my life, Alex.

[20:49] Alex Phelps: No, no, you could just come on. You've got the one-man show in your pocket. You could do it.

[20:53] Will Barton: I'd watch it.

[20:55] Alex Phelps: It's gonna be a different show by the time you guys see it in two weeks.

[20:58] Will Barton: It really will be, yeah.

[21:00] Josh Mitchell: Amazing. Well, guys, that pretty much wraps us up for this episode. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm really excited to chat more eventually about this show once things are up and running and we can reveal a little bit more once people have seen it, that would be fantastic. But obviously this show is on guys at the Park Theatre from August 18th to September 4th. Tickets are available now on whendarknessfalls.co.uk. Go check that out for all the information. Or you can go to the Park Theatre's website. Is there anything I missed, guys, or anything you guys want to add in for the listeners at home?

[21:40] Alex Phelps: Thank you for listening. How wonderful to be back listening to a podcast about theatre that's actually gonna happen, isn't it great?

[21:47] Will Barton: So good to be talking about theatre that's gonna be happening.

[21:50] Josh Mitchell: Like, what was, before we wrap up, let's go down another segue. Theatre opening up. Have you, is this your first experience of theatre being back, or have you guys been out and been able to see shows since things have been back up and running?

[22:04] Will Barton: It's my first one. I stopped just before I was doing a tour playing Boris Johnson of all people just before, you know, absolutely, you know, playing in. So yeah, that was just before we stopped. And then no, I've had tiny bits since then and jobs cancelled, and then this stopped twice. So this is the first theatre since COVID lockdown in March of 2020.

[22:06] Alex Phelps: Yes, I was doing a show which came to an end on March the 15th, 2020, and then on March the 16th, all the theatres closed and shut down. So this is my first one performing back and all of the nerves that come with that. But it's, I went, it's not the first show I will have seen. I saw, I got to see Ian McKellen play Hamlet in Windsor a couple of weeks ago, which was very lovely.

[23:00] Will Barton: Jealous.

[23:00] Alex Phelps: That sounds amazing.

[23:02] Josh Mitchell: Well guys, if we haven't sold you yet, make sure you check out the website for more info. I will be posting about it on all the social medias. So make sure you're checking out We Are Theatre, check out Park Theatre as well. That's where everything's going on here. And make sure you get your tickets to see these guys because this sounds like an absolutely fantastic show. And go for me because I can't be there, which sucks. But that's okay. That is life right now. Alex, Will, thank you so much for joining us.

[23:27] Alex Phelps: Thank you very much.

[23:29] Will Barton: Thank you.

[23:30] Josh Mitchell: And we will see you guys next week with a brand new episode of the We Are Theatre Podcast. Bye.

[23:35] Will Barton: Woo whoops.