It’s very exciting to be back on the stage again. At my age roles of any kind are scarce but for Barbara to have offered me the role of Rose Peters in Echoes was an unexpected thrill and an opportunity for which I am very grateful.
Rose is a spirited, wise old woman (much older than me I’m delighted to say!). Nearing the end of her life, she is content to live her last months in the company of her memories of the most significant period of her life - World War I. She is a woman of courage and conviction but vulnerability and doubt are there beneath the surface of her brave words. In this, she is like most of us in the face of death and the unknown. It’s only the young who think they will never die.
My background is as a teacher of Drama and Theatre Studies, and as an actor and director of over fifty years. In Echoes, I’m working at the very friendly and welcoming Beaumaris Theatre and with a director I respect. It’s very relaxing to let Barb do all the worrying about the direction and the countless decisions required. I will allow myself to sit quietly in my wheelchair and be pushed around. It’s also energising to be part of a young enthusiastic cast.
I hope you enjoy Rose’s story and the echoes it evokes of the tragedy of war, all war.