Naana Agyei-Ampadu in rehearsal for Nine Lessons and Carols at the Almeida Theatre, London. Pictures: Helen Murray
Actress NAANA AGYEI-AMPADU appears in Nine Lessons and Carols at London’s Almeida Theatre which opens on 3 December 2020 for previews (opening night is 9 December).
Almeida associate director Rebecca Frecknall, playwright Chris Bush and the company of six performers have devised this new production reflecting on a year of separation and the power of contact. The piece also features new songs written by fellow cast member Maimuna Memon.
Naana has appeared in Caroline or, Change (West End), Avenue Q (West End), The Amen Corner (National Theatre), Fairview and Been So Long (Young Vic).
Here Naana continues Musical Theatre Review’s interview series: Five Questions With…
How has life treated you during lockdown?
Life has actually not been too bad. I was fortunate enough to have been working in New Zealand, performing at the Arts Festival in Wellington before the lockdown happened. So I had managed to get a large dose of the great outdoors and travelling before being in lockdown.
I also have two children, so lockdown ultimately involved home-schooling and finding as many activities as possible to entertain them. I think keeping busy really helped me to maintain a semblance of routine and normality and I am really grateful for that.
It was also lovely to be able to do some voiceover work and some charity singing online (which I think a lot of performers were doing) to keep the creative mind flowing!
How does it feel to be in rehearsal for an actual live stage production at such an extraordinary time. Are you and the rest of the cast and creative team having to exist in a ‘bubble’?
It was a very emotional moment coming back into an ‘actual’ rehearsal space. For the past few months, it has felt extremely scary to be part of an industry that has been so hard hit by the current situation. It feels incredibly humbling to be able to do this and I feel so blessed to have been afforded this opportunity. I hope, moving forward, the production is able to inspire others and show that the arts can still continue, even under extreme circumstances.
As a company we are being careful with our movements to keep ourselves and our fellow creatives safe. The Almeida has been amazing, we have regular tests and there is social distancing in the rehearsal space. The stage management team has been extraordinary with their precision and care, constantly cleaning surfaces, checking on us and making sure we all feel safe at all times.
Toheeb Jimoh, Luke Thallon and Naana Agyei-Ampadu in rehearsal
Nine Lessons and Carols: stories for a long winter is described as a new production ‘devised by Chris Bush, Rebecca Frecknall and a company of six actors and musicians’. Can you tell us more about the piece, the role you play and the creative process of developing it?
The play itself consists of standalone monologues, duologues and company ‘sketches’ which also follow some individual character threads. It’s hard to describe it as a piece because it has so many different facets. Therefore, I play an unnamed character in multiple scenes who gets to be involved with different scenarios. It’s been wonderful to just get to do so many different things all merged into one show.
When we started rehearsals we all spoke about our own individual lockdown experiences and those of people we knew. The ridiculously talented writer Chris Bush then took inspiration from our experiences and the things we had heard and read, and wrote different scenes highlighting these. It was collaborative because she and Rebecca Frecknall gave us as actors and creators the space to be open and insightful then made our words and experiences materialise into something extraordinary. It’s like they put into words what we had been thinking and brought it to life.
The production features new songs written by fellow cast member Maimuna Memon. Can you describe how important music is to Nine Lessons and Carols?
The music is definitely the glue that holds together all the scenes in the piece. But they are not ‘fillers’ in any sense of the word. Maimuna Memon is an extremely talented musician who has created music that sets the tone of the pieces but stand alone as just beautiful songs and music. I think music plays an integral part in any show that happens and allows the audience to feel the mood and really push their senses. The writing and the music go hand in hand in a lovely collaboration.
Looking back on easier times, what would you pick out as a highlight of your career so far?
I think before lockdown I would say getting to play the lead role of Caroline Thibodeaux in Caroline or, Change at the Playhouse Theatre. I had understudied a smaller role in Caroline or, Change in my first job out of drama school and I remember watching Tonya Pinkins as the lead at the National Theatre and thinking wow, one day I would love to do that. So when I had the amazing opportunity to cover the role for the outstanding Sharon D Clarke, and then be her alternate I was overjoyed. Every time I went on, I felt like things had come full circle for me.
- Nine Lessons and Carols runs at London’s Almeida Theatre from 3 December 2020 to 9 January 2021. Find out more HERE.
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