Currently on tour playing the lead role of Viv Nicholson in Craig Revel Horwood’s production of Spend Spend Spend! for The Watermill Theatre on tour is Kirsty Hoiles, she managed to find time before heading to Richmond to chat to Editor John Roberts.

You originally trained at Warwick University gaining a BA in Performance studies, but how important do you think formal training actually is?

This is actually a difficult question as I didn’t go through the formal drama school route. When I applied the grants system was changing and so to get a place at drama school I would have needed a full scholarship, which wasn’t offered. But I was really lucky at Warwick as they had a fantastic drama society and I got stuck in as much as I could, taking shows to Edinburgh and Scarborough festivals as well as getting experience working at the large professional theatres in the area.

My advice though to anyone who did want to enter the profession would be to try and get a place at drama school, mainly because the doors which are instantly opened up to you and the contacts that you make through training are invaluable. My last piece is to train constantly whilst at university I had regular vocal training sessions with a teacher from the English Touring Theatre which has put me in good habits.

When did you realise you wanted to enter the professional?

I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t, I guess like all kids I wanted to be a vet or a doctor at some point, but around the age of 11/12 I was doing a lot of drama and the more I did, the more I loved it and so it naturally all fell into place.

What has been the best piece of advice you have been given about the industry?

Be prepared – always have songs and monologues ready, you never know when you are going to get the call for an audition, where possible do your homework on the company and the show, there is nothing more scary than going into an audition unprepared.

The other bit of advice is not to lose heart in your abilities – there are so many unemployed actors and after each knock back it is easy to doubt your abilities, be strong and always believe in yourself.

You are no stranger to Musical Theatre, but how has the experience working with Craig Revel Horwood and The Watermill theatre been different?

I loved it, however I did feel inadequate when I first started as I was the only actor in the company that couldn’t really play a musical instrument whereas every other cast member plays a minimum of two instruments. Craig is an amazing storyteller he has the ability to really get to the route of the story, which is important in a space such as the Watermill Theatre where you are not given the opportunity to have huge sets, so storytelling has to always be the first priority.

Craig is such a fun director to work for, he is so generous in allowing us as actors to have a certain level of freedom which perhaps you are not given in other shows, he wants us as actors to constantly bring ideas and thoughts to the table to take risks and to experiment, which is great…although he will tell us quite straight if he doesn’t like something.

The rehearsal process for an Actor- Musician show means long hours as we in affect have to have a band call every day, we need to know the music inside out before we can stage a number. We then have to work out the logistics of can this person be here and playing this instrument at this time and finding ways around any problems which may exist. Although this is all thrown into place as Craig is a very fast director he doesn’t like hanging around too long on things and likes to keep moving all the time.

In a couple of sentences can you sum up what Spend Spend Spend!, is about?

Its really a morality tale of our times, in a world where our materialistic possessions seem to mean more to us than the relationships of those around us. It’s a heart touching story where having love is the most important things someone can really have.

Your character of Viv Nicholson is a multi layered role, so how do you start to approach such a complicated character?

Practically you have to start off with the script and the score, so much information can be found in the lyrics and the words. I then read Viv Nicholson’s book Spend Spend Spend on which the musical is based, it is so fascinating reading about the events that take place through the musical and it’s such a great resource for an actor to have, not many people are afforded the ability to be able to get inside their characters head so easily.

I then went and researched the social aspects of the time, the Yorkshire villages, the mining industry and the 60’s and then once you get into rehearsals things slowly but surely fall into place, especially when you are finally able to put on the wigs and costumes.

Where do you think Viv went wrong?

I really can’t put judgment on her, as I believe you can’t play a role unless you love the character you are playing, and I love playing the role of Viv. Nothing can prepare you for such a life changing thing to happen, here we have a woman with four children living off £7 a week. To win such a huge amount of money (£157,000 – £5million in modern terms) is unthinkable. It’s also important to realise that people weren’t afforded the same level of after care and support that winners of the lottery get today.

Viv Nicholson herself has stated after watching a production of Spend Spend Spend that she hated who she was and changed into, do you think she was being fair on herself?

I think she is being very hard on herself, If I was in her position I would have probably done the same thing. Viv didn’t have the best of family upbringings, yes she had moments of happiness but these early relationships inform us later in life on our own relationships, you had a woman desperate for someone to truly love her for who she was, and the winning of the money came at a time when she could forget who she was.

It must also be said that nobody at that time had won such a huge amount of money and the locals in her hometown didn’t know how to take them, now they could afford everything, and there was certainly not an open armed welcome for them when they moved to a neighboring village.

It has to be hard to watch a production where your life story is shown through a 2 hour progression, people do change and I am sure the things that have happened in Viv’s life has only changed her in the end for the better.

There are some fantastic moments in the production, but what is your personal favourite?

There are three moments I really enjoy the first is the number Sexual Happening when Viv first experiences men for the first time, it’s at this point in the show I really feel the audience connect with the piece and realise they can laugh and that the show is a little bit risqué in places. The Second is the title number of the show Spend Spend Spend the reveal of the bunny girls is great. I also love the transformation scene when they move to Gosforth.

You won best supporting actress in a musical for your portrayal of Viv at the 2009 TMA awards, how does it feel to get this kind of recognition for your work?

It’s Amazing, I feel so much brilliant work takes place in Rep theatre across the country, work that has such a strong stamp of quality on it, more so than most shows in the West End, but regional theatre seems to miss out on the big recognitions from awarding bodies such as the Olivier’s which is a shame.

Not only did I win my award but the show also won Best Musical against tough competition from Spring Awakening and West Side Story, so it was a real treat for such a small theatre as The Watermill to win such recognition.

The reality is though winning awards is a bonus, and that the real gift is being able to play such an amazing part as that of Viv, something which doesn’t come along very often.

Whilst you are on tour what three things do you always have with you?

I always take my vocal steamer, however I smashed it in my dressing room in Oxford the other week and need to buy a new one, the other is my make-up box, which my sister bought me, it has everything make-up wise I could ever need and finally I always have my laptop with me so I can keep in touch with family/friends and the real world.

Finally if you had just one day to spend spend spend, what would you buy?

I’d buy a big house with loads of rooms so my friends could come and visit and stay over.

Spend Spend Spend! – RICHMOND THEATRE

Tues 2 – Sat 6 Nov

Tues – Sat eves 7.45pm & Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets – £15 – £27

The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ

Box Office 0844 871 7651 (fees apply)

www.ambassadortickets.com/richmond (fees apply)

Tags: Craig Revel Horwood, Interview, Kirtsy Hoiles, Richmond Theatre, Spend Spend Spend, Ten Minutes With, Watermill Theatre