Working on Pillow Talk’s been a really interesting experience for me – growing up, most of the plays I worked on were by Shakespeare, or someone very much like him. As time went on, I worked on more and more contemporary shows, but never one where the writer was sat in the room, seeing my interpretation of their work.

Introducing the extraordinary actors featuring in Andy Payne’s Pillow Talk, opening 16 August.

As you know at Beaumaris Theatre we love a bit of drama and fun, so mid-June this year we turned our Set Build into a bit of a theatre adventure for our committee. Our objective was to run through a fire drill and practice our emergency evacuation policy.

Recently we caught up with writer and director Andy Payne and talk about the play. Here is what was said.

I am unbelievably excited to delve into this script with such a beautiful cast and I am so grateful to the production team for allowing me the chance to play one of the great male characters in music theatre. The best part is that now I am no longer a young boy who can merely sing this song rather a man who has had the life experience to tell this story.

Wind your mind back all those weeks ago to March the 17th 2019. It was a Sunday. It probably started, as many other Sundays have started, with the rising of the sun, the chirping of the birds and lots and lots of coffee. Somewhere after my second coffee and before my eighth, when I began to feel human again I realised what the day held. Or didn’t hold as the case would have it. No rehearsals, no performances. Nothing.

I’ve always had a passion for musical theatre – way back when I was just nine years old, I was part of the Children’s Choir for a production of Joseph. Needless to say, I’ve been hooked ever since!

Seminar is an entertaining, thought provoking night out at the theatre. It will especially appeal to those who enjoy flexing their literary muscles.

In between preparing for opening night of Seminar we also managed to cast our May production of Company!

And what a cast they are! Beaumaris Theatre is thrilled to be working with this talented group of musical theatre performers who are bringing Stephen Sondheim's classic musical to life.

This is a really collaborative team creating this show. Kirsten and Dan really work with us, finding the good and nudging us towards better. The cast are really giving and sharing. This show features a lot of high density speeches and monologues; It would be easy to be looking inwards as actors, but instead everyone is inclusive and sharing, looking for opportunities to bring everyone else into the scene.