Michael Nunn talks to

CHRIS SLATER and VICKY MILLS

of Lancaster University Theatre Group (LUTG) about their forthcoming adaptation and production of
“FRANKENSTEIN: THE RE-CREATION”
at The Grand Theatre, Lancaster
on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 February 2005

Where are you homes outside term time?
Chris Slater (CS): I’m originally from Canterbury in Kent.
Vicky Mills (VM): And I hail from The Potteries; Stoke-on-Trent.

You are both final year students - what are you reading? And why choose Lancaster?
CS: I am reading English and History. I initially wanted to go to Warwick (don’t ask, it’s a long story!), but I have enjoyed being here ever since.

You missed out on being taught by Germaine Greer!
CS: Yes, but the English here is very good.

VM: I am reading Business Studies, and came here because I liked the feel of the town. And the Management at Lancaster is very highly-rated, too.

So how did you each pick up the theatre bug? What did you act in at school or wherever?
CS: I was involved with acting in lots of theatre at school from the age of ten or eleven, and just loved it more and more as I got older. The best things I was in were Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, and Charlie Girl.

VM: The school I went to was very big on music, and I went mainly in that direction. I play the piano and trumpet, and am now learning the guitar.

Does either of you sing?
VM: Chris does! (Silence from CS) I was very shy when I was younger, so sort of backed away from acting. I worked a lot backstage, doing props, stage management, make-up and general dogsbody things. It is a useful training. I enjoy the teamwork and sense of responsibility and self-confidence you get out of it. I particularly enjoyed all the make-up, and the quick costume-changes too.

I have seen you two several times either on stage or in other production roles. Did you enjoy playing these parts and doing these vital things?
CS: The thing that attracts and impresses me about LUTG is that complete strangers get together at the start of a show, then you all get to know, get to work very well with, and rely on each other. We all go out drinking and to social events together, so that helps bonding too.

VM: That’s right, but you don’t really have any personal space to yourself when you’re doing a play. The good side to that is that you get to know people very, very well.

You have obviously gained enough confidence and experience - or become truly obsessed! - to want to direct. Why/how is that?
VM I got keen on that idea through Jon Adams. He’s my boyfriend, and dragged me along to LUTG, so I got involved more and more. I went to his every rehearsal to see how he did it, and now I’m actually passionate about the directing work. I am focussing more on the production side of things for Frankenstein. I have learned a lot that’s useful from my management studies - how to balance tasks, finance, and so on, and my confidence has grown markedly from doing business-style presentations.

CS: I have worked with quite a number of different directors, and then someone suggested that I should have a go, so I decided ‘Yes – I can have a go at this too!’. For this production, I am working more on the acting aspects of the show.

That seems a sensible and practical arrangement.
VM: Yes, it’s good and strong working relationship. We both work very closely together. We’re like a married couple, but without the sex …

That’s an interesting way of putting it …
CS: We both have very strong family feelings, and both think a lot about how people have influenced us: friends…

VM: Especially family. I talk to my family every day, and don’t find it is a chore.

That is a warming thought for a cold January day. Shall we move on now to the work you are doing on the forthcoming LUTG show?

FRANKENSTEIN: THE RE-CREATION

You have also adapted Mary Shelley’s original novel, which is from 1818. That is a huge challenge, and adaptation from one medium to another does not always succeed, such as Dracula at The Dukes in 2003, and the film version of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus.
Both: No, it doesn’t always work. It is a huge task.

I recall that your colleague Andrea Ibba Monni staged his successful translation of Pinocchio last summer and enjoyed that very much. What made you go for it, and how did you approach the task?
CS: I had done a course on English Romanticism, and saw Mel Brooks’ film Young Frankenstein, and thought ‘this could work on stage’. I couldn’t get the rights for the stage version of the Brooks, so Vicky and I decided to do our own version. Initially we went for a more humorous line than Shelley’s original, and this worked in Act 1 but not in Act 2. It became farcical, so we changed focus.

VM: Yes, it really looked stupid, so we changed tack. We researched through the Frankenstein and other horror films, and particularly enjoyed Burt Reynolds in Frankenstein And Me (1996). This is a wonderful film, but very silly! For other inspirations for our version we looked at Beautiful with Russell Crowe, and A Big Fish with Ewan McGregor.

We then began to ask ourselves ‘Who is the monster here, Victor or his creation?’ The novel is an intensely psychological piece; Victor loses his wife, possessions, in fact everything that’s dear to him. Remember that the novel’s title is ‘Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus’. There are strong links with Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound.

Yes, the two were written by the man and his wife at the same time, whilst they were in Italy. A comparison would be fascinating, as they both reflect two sides of the same vision, or image.
CS: Yes. Man aspires to more than he is, more than he can be – but if he goes too far it destroys him, just as it did Victor Frankenstein. The story is one of those things that’s so well known that you have to do it well, or it is an embarrassing flop.

We have respected Mary Shelley’s prose. Kenneth Branagh’s is the only version of today that attempts to follow what Mary Shelley says, except that at the end he completely fouls it up …. We carefully considered the idioms and ideas we want to use and put across, such as the costume. This fits especially well in a Gothic [sic] building.

We have also constructed a Prologue and an Epilogue to ‘frame’ the narrative from Shelley’s original ‘Russian Doll’ structure with its multiple layers of storytelling. We are using Chris Bamber, who is visually impaired, for the voice for the Prologue.

And you’ll love our ‘creature’ – the auditions were hilarious.

They both laughed, but would say no more about that one … So we move on. You must have made decisions on what elements or aspects of plot, characterisation etc to leave out, or to focus on particularly.
CS: We left out the Arctic scenes, (i) because they would be difficult to stage, and (ii) we wanted to focus on the history, the fragmentation and amalgamation of the narrative. It is a ‘linear’ story, sure, and we wanted to home in on the personality of the hero and the inevitability of the action and plot. We wanted to get to the core, the main drive, of the story. On one hand you are dragged into the mind of Victor Frankenstein, but on the other, you are repelled, pushed away by the structure of the novel. We have transformed that paradox into the juxtaposition of comedy with tragedy.

VM: Yes; look at Young Frankenstein. It’s a comic masterpiece.

I recall you saying that the text had to be rewritten to some degree last term after the cast had become involved with it. Can you tell me about that?
Both: The evolution of a text is a common practice throughout the history of theatre right to the present day. We have learned a lot from the cast and others during the time we have spent on the production. We want the cast to be a big part of this, and have worked, for example, through improvisation – involving skeletons and biscuits – and developed the humour accordingly.

Biscuits?
VM: (ignoring the question) It makes the tragedy more tragic if there’s comedy present.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot as many of my professional colleagues do hereabouts …
Both: Thank you. You won’t be disappointed!

At this stage, Vicky disappears to replenish the coffees and cokes, so I ask Chris the ‘personal’ bits.

CHRIS SLATER – A LIFE OFF STAGE

What outside interests do you have, apart from theatre and your course?
I enjoy reading and playing squash and tennis. I am also a clarinettist.

Let’s move into a lighter vein: what is your biggest wish?
To direct professionally one day. Also that we can stop killing one another; you’d think that the world would be big enough for people to leave each other alone.

What is your greatest dislike?
Being ill. Pigeons. Snoring.

Who is your all-time hero?
The actor Timothy Dalton. I admire him - though many don’t – he has a great sense of magnetism and a wonderful presence. He can really hold an audience. He was a super Rochester in Jane Eyre.

I also admire my late grandfather. He was from Gdansk in Poland, and I regret the fact that I never had the chance to get to know him better, as he died when I was very young.

Which person, living or dead, do you despise most?
Bad actors. I also really despise George Bush, father, son, daughter, family. And Jeb Bush. And all this ‘coalition’ rubbish.

I can identify with that contempt. ‘Bad actors’ rings a bell with Bush, anyway.

What book is open by your bedside, and what did you read last?
Young Frankenstein, some coursework stuff and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

I am reading some Wilde too; try his essay The Soul of Man under Socialism. It is a fine polemic, though I’m not sure I can take it seriously …
No, that’s the fun of Wilde.

What newspapers do you read?
When I have time, The Daily Mail and The Times.

How did you vote in the last election?
I was too young to vote. I am just 21.

Happy belated birthday. Who is your favourite play and film?
I am very passionate about film … I don’t really know where to begin with this one, it’s difficult to pinpoint.

I know the feeling; it is said that your favourite Mozart opera is the one you heard last.
Alright … Othello, then.

What changes have you noted in and around Lancaster during your time here?
This place, for one thing [we are in the recently-refurbished Sun Hotel, on Church Street]. The University campus has changed a great deal too. Cartmel College used to be in the centre of things, next door to County College, and suddenly now it’s a minibus journey. But you see plenty of rabbits on the way!

Rabbits? I won’t ask … What are your favourite places to go out in Lancaster?
I went on a guided Gothic Walk last week. It was a sunny, cloudless day. I sat up on the Town Green area near the Priory Church, and just chilled out, admiring the view.

I love so many of the buildings here, especially the Castle. Lancaster is a bit like Canterbury with its ancient City centre, and being up near the Priory here reminds me of the wonderful view from the top of the hill where the University of Kent is, above the town on St Thomas’ and up St Stephen’s Hill.

What articles do you always carry with you?
Phone (though it’s not working at the moment), keys, wallet, and a St Christopher medallion on my key ring. It was my grandmother’s, and came from Russia.

What do you think are the most overrated virtue and vice?
People who pretend they know things, and it turns out they don’t. Also, people who say they will do something for you, and don’t deliver.

I have been bedevilled by them for decades – they never go away! What are your plans when you graduate?
To travel for a while, then go to London – for the theatre, for fun, making contacts, networking, whatever I can get my hands on.

VICKY MILLS – A LIFE OFF STAGE

Now it’s your turn for the individual spotlight, Vicky. What is your biggest wish?
I’d love to be like the new Mel Brooks; I so want this show to be spotted and for things to go on from there.

What is your greatest dislike?
Not having my piano with me here in Lancaster. Cheesy horror moves – unless it’s meant to be a comedy.

Who is your all-time hero?
Audrey Hepburn, and Che Guavara.

Which person, living or dead, do you despise most?
George W Bush.

What book is open by your bedside, and what did you read last? Coursework excepted (unless it’s very interesting!)
The Bolivian Diary by Ernesto Che Guavara. I also enjoy reading Dean Kootz’s work – he is the new Stephen King, but without the huge number of words.

What newspapers do you read?
The Daily Mail and The Times.

How did you vote in the last election?
I voted for the LibDems in my home constituency in the Potteries. They didn’t get in.

Who is your favourite actor/actress? – ditto play and film
Al Pacino for actor. Films – Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and Scarface, again with Al Pacino. I love American literature. Oh, and reading Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers made me cry.

What changes have you noted in and around Lancaster during your time here?
Many and various attempts to expand the city. I don’t know why they do this, because it’s nice because it’s small.

What is the single thing that would improve the quality of life for a lot of people and/or students in Lancaster?
A decent cinema.

Have you not been to The Dukes to sample their film choice? It is an independent film venue, and its programme underrated. It’s not expensive, either!
No – perhaps I should.

Another problem with life here is, unfortunately, the perceived rift between students and the resident community, the town/gown divide. I feel sorry for the residents here who have experienced the ‘rough end’ of student behaviour. The University and St Martin’s College need to work more on ‘outreach’ work, to help build bridges and smooth the divisions.

There have been some particular problems hit the headlines recently, such as the parking near St Martins.
Yes, and I don’t know what the answer is to that one, except discourage car use. On the other hand, The University Theatre Group always takes more than one show every year off campus, to The Gregson, St Thomas’ Church, the Scotforth Church and now of course The Grand Theatre.

That is a good idea I think; not many student theatre groups get the chance to perform in an eighteenth century building, or under a Victorian proscenium.

Favourite food, drink and place to go out in Lancaster? Holiday destination?
I love Tex-Mex cuisine, and steak is my ultimate favourite, particularly with a stilton sauce. Drinks: Malibu and Diet Coke. As for holidays, I would love to go to Egypt, to see the Pyramids and explore its wonderful culture … that would be amazing. I have also been to Pompeii and up Mount Vesuvius.

The other place in Lancaster I appreciate is the Ashton Memorial. That is somewhere I go when I need to chill out. I also like going to see thrash metal bands. That is a ‘coping strategy’ for getting stressed out. Chris just paces up and down when he gets wound up. I often go to The Yorkshire House.

Vicky pulls up her sleeve …
I’m still carrying their ‘pass-out stamp’ from last night …

What articles do you always carry with you?
My mobile phone, a picture of my sister, and one of my housemates too, cash and keys. I always wear a silver necklace with its plain silver cross which my grandfather gave me.

What are your plans when you graduate?
I used to want to be a barrister, but did some work experience with a law firm, and that put me off. They seemed to have no morals.

Welcome to the real world of business and management …
I now want to move to Manchester with my housemates, and ideally for a career in the theatre, or directing, taking off. Otherwise I really fancy working in management consultancy.

Arts Management is a relatively new field, with lots of opportunities for someone with practical theatre experience, and a management training too.
Yes, that could be fun, and rewarding too.

Look at the time! We have been here over two hours now …
Both: Oh dear - we have to go now to grab a quick bite for lunch before we go on to shoot the video trailer for Frankenstein. (Watch it here)

Thank you very much, Chris and Vicky. All the best for the forthcoming show, and for your future careers too.

Copyright © Michael Nunn, Chris Slater and Vicky Mills 23 February 2005