Nottingham's Rising Star - Kate Lewis

Nottingham's rising star, Kate Lewis, sat down with me to discuss her experiences within the performing industry and working as part of the Nottingham Shakespeare Company, with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse at their latest production, The Winter's Tale. Within the interview, Kate discusses her perspective both as an actor and costume designer, as well as an avid Shakespeare fan, and provides an excellent slice of the Nottingham theatre scene.

How long have you been involved in theatre?

"Well, in the theatre as a performer, I've only really been performing for about just over a year - the first full show that I did was around April last year, and before that I did kids theatre. I did this group on a Saturday, but that was very much for fun, not in any way serious - but I've had a general love of theatre as a concept for as long as I can remember."

Was there a specific moment which sparked your love of theatre?

"I think probably my favourite show that I saw as a child was Matilda, and I quite vividly remember crying at the ending. I remember that was quite a transformative moment for me - I was like 'I am not meant to be crying at this, this is supposed to be happy'. Then I started making my own costumes. I wanted to keep dressing up when I was a kid, but I was really tall, and a lot of kids' costumes didn't fit me, so I started making those for myself. I then connected costume with theatre, thinking I could go into costume design for shows, but I continued making these costumes for myself, and when I would wear them, I would think 'oh I am this character', and I feel it all sort of merged together quite neatly. It all came together."

When did you first get involved with the Nottingham Shakespeare company? What has your experience with the company been like so far?

"I auditioned for The Comedy of Errors in spring 2022, having just finished my first full show that I had done, The Tempest. I was on Scout Camp, as a leader, when the auditions were, but I decided that I did want to do it because I had seen The Comedy of Errors for my birthday a decade ago, and it meant quite a lot to me. I came back for one afternoon from scout camp, made myself presentable, dashed straight to the audition, and then back to camp. I came back unsure if I would get cast because there were some good people at the audition, and then I did, and it was great."

What has been your favourite show to perform in?

"That is tricky. I feel like my favourite show to perform in, overall, has to be The Comedy of Errors, because of the company. I have just found the community of it really nice, and everybody on both this show and the last show have been so good to work with - bringing their own spin to each character, and to the show as a whole, and being so supportive. I think that my character in The Comedy of Errors was more out of my comfort zone, I was nervous about playing the type of character that I was - she was very confident, and quite flirtatious. I feel like my progression from when I first started my rehearsals there, to the finished product, I came so far as a result of the creative process with the rest of the cast and how everything sort of worked together."

How do you prepare for a role?

"Ooh, I feel like that is something I am still very much figuring out about myself as a performer, and something that I am learning from teachers at college and mentors in the Nottingham Shakespeare Company and elsewhere. With Shakespeare, the first thing that you have got to do is look at the text because it is so old you've got to really understand it, and I feel like that is where a lot of people struggle with Shakespeare. When you're just reading it, without any of the emotion, it can be difficult without experience to find the meaning and emotion behind Shakespeare. One of the most important things for me is figuring out relationships, I feel like that is something that is really important to be able to define your character by, as well as who they are and where they fit in the world."

It becomes very clear that Kate shares much of the wider company's philosophy on making Shakespeare accessible and understandable for wider audiences, with the main means of achieving this being to fully understand and immerse oneself in the text at any position in the performance, as an actor, director, or costume designer. Particularly, Kate seems to take a very personal approach to Shakespeare, as she speaks there is a sense that these narrative plots and vibrant characters reside in her heart, as much as her mind, and that this guides her in her performances.

The Winter's Tale has been described as a tragicomedy, equal parts heart-breaking and funny, do you feel this was reflected in the production of your company's performance?

"Yes, I think that it is very much split down the middle - the first half is this incredibly tense, dramatic, and really quite sinister domestic drama, where this man is entirely abusing his position of power, it is really quite dark, and the first half also ends with a very violent death by bear attack. Not that there are no moments of levity in the first half, but it is really quite tough.

And then after the time skip, suddenly you are at this party where the 'lowly simple folk' are just having a jolly old time. It is just such a contrast in tone and setting between these two lands where the show takes place, and by the end they merge back together, the lost princess returns home, and the drama of the first half is sort of brought into the light-hearted feasting, and the resolution is brought back to the initial drama. There is a very stark contrast, but it weaves together very smoothly by the end."

What has your experience been like playing the role of Perdita in The Winter's Tale?

"What I really like about the character is that she is quite sensible; she is in this relationship with who she knows is a prince, and she has no reason to think of herself as anything other than a shepherdess, so she is sort of going 'goodness why does this prince like me?', but she is also aware of the dangers of their relationship, and she is telling the prince that, she's sort of going 'come one mate, be sensible, I love you but we need to be careful here'. I think there is something quite grounded about her, in that way.

She doesn't, at least in our script, have that many lines, what I am trying to do is find her motivations and thoughts outside of the script. Perdita is around for a lot longer than I am around as the character, because in the first half she is a little baby. That is something I have really loved about playing this character, is seeing the other characters interact with this little bundle of fabric in a basket, that is my character for half of the play - at times it has made me really emotional."

When answering questions about The Winter's Tale and her previous performances, Kate almost becomes a performer again, answering with lines of thought from the character. Listening to her speak, you really feel that she understands Shakespeare's messages and intentions and possesses an incredible empathy for the characters she plays, and those that surround her in a performance.

Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for budding thespians?

"That is very difficult, because I am still very much a budding thespian, who needs those words of wisdom. From what I can say from my experience, don't be afraid of rejection because it is going to happen - if you are paralysed by it, if you think 'oh I shouldn't audition because I won't get that', you don't know that, you might do, and you'll never know if you don't try. Also, do not be afraid of looking stupid - you are probably going to look more stupid if you're not giving it your all - and sometimes looking stupid is what the show needs."

Just for fun, which of Shakespeare's numerous characters would you most like to perform?

"Ooh that is very tricky! I have already played Beatrice, who is my favourite character from my favourite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing - I feel extremely lucky that I can tick that off the list. It was a really cool opportunity to play a really great character. One of my other favourites is Titus Andronicus, which is the really bloody one, I would quite like to play Lavinia; Lavinia has her tongue cut out and her hands cut off, in the second act, but she doesn't die until the last act - so she is hanging about for over half the show, unable to speak, and I think there is a lot to be done with the character showing just because she can't physically speak doesn't mean she doesn't have anything to say. She can still be an active character and a strong character even without any lines. And also Edmund The Bastard, in King Lear, he is often played as emotionless and psychopathic and I feel that there is a lot that I haven't seen done with the character - I would really like to explore the betrayal that he feels with his father, and the way that he treats him because he is illegitimate."

After speaking with her, it is evident that Kate Lewis is only just beginning what will be a prodigious journey with theatre and the Nottingham Shakespeare Company, who are in themselves a very impressive community. If you have the chance to catch one of Kate's performances, or a show by the company, do not pass up the opportunity.