“I jumped to the Chance and Tried my Best”:
An Interview with Robbie Gardner
What roles do you play in Clive Nolan's Musicals and what is your theatre background?
Robbie: I'm playing a part of Leo in "She" and William Gardelle in "Alchemy". I'm actually a silk printer by profession in a silk printing company just outside of Tewkesbury. But I was an actor before for about 10 years. I trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and I did a few of small acting roles and next went on to perform on cruise ships in Australia for about 3 years. Then I gave it up to have some normal life and was only involved in theatre part time - enough to be able to enjoy being a part of a team such as this. So, it's a real pleasure.
How did you get involved in the Caamora Theatre Company?
Robbie: Ian Baldwin, the director, is a connection through other shows that I've done with him in the past. He invited me along to perform in "Alchemy" with only two weeks to go. I learnt the show from scratch and I performed it in Devizes - quite a nervous evening of trying to get it aright. It was really good fun and then I was asked if I could possibly play the part of Leo and I jumped to the chance and tried my best to get it all under my belt.
Which character do you prefer: Leo in "She" or William in "Alchemy"?
Robbie: Difficult question, but I probably prefer Leo, as I had an opportunity to give my influence to the character. This piece has never been performed in such form before. It's been difficult to think about the character and get into his motivation, I suppose. In the end, I think he's probably quite a lot like me - a school boy of his era who has gone to greater things. It does have certain similarities with my own life, so I can see the appeal. It's almost like an Indiana Jones type of character. I think I have more affiliation and more passion behind Leo. But William is interesting as well although much higher part to perform - it's a tenor part, so it's quite hard to hit some of those top notes.
How are the rehearsals going and how is it to be a part of the Caamora Company?
Robbie: The rehearsals are going really well. Ian is a fantastic director. He has so much passion and he's obviously spent a lot of time looking at the story and then the script and trying to allow the audience to really understand the plot. "She" is a well known story - a famous book which was made into a film, but I Ian has taken the words that Clive has put in his interpretation and put them to life, with chorus parts especially. Caamora is such a great team! It's nice to be coming every day and be a part of it. It's nerving and scary, don't get me wrong, I'm not fully there yet - I have a lot of words to learn, a lot of harmonies to get right, but certainly playing alongside some really good performers made it such a passion that I can enjoy it all the time at the rehearsals. And thank you very much for that! It's been a real privilege to be a part of this group and it's been nice to have something else to focus on when my acting life is sort of behind me. Hope “The Fire and the Quest” goes well - I'm sure it will! And thank you to all the cast for allowing me to be part of such a great team. Hope everyone who's coming to see the shows will have a fantastic time with some incredible performers. Enjoy the nights and hopefully I'll see you afterwards.
Interview by Magdalena Grabias
August 2015
Photo: Ron Milsom
