Gabriel Steel & Jason Batterby Q&A
What made you audition for the role in Waiting for Godot?
Gabriel - I have always wanted to act on stage and when my mum found that there were open auditions for this play I thought I’d give it a go
Jason - I love acting and thought this was a great opportunity to work with two of the greatest actors
Where did you hear about the auditions?
Gabriel - My mum found out about them on the Milton Keynes theatre website
Jason - My mum found it on the Internet.
How did you feel the auditions went and what was the process like for you? What was the best/worst part etc…. have you ever auditioned for anything before?
Gabriel - I felt that the first audition went well, and I was pleased with how I had spoken the lines. I have auditioned for two things before and have got into the final two, so although I felt it had gone well, I didn’t let myself feel too excited.
Jason - The auditions were fun. I liked watching other boys acting as well and we did lots of fun acting exercises. The best bit was when I got a call back in the evening after the first audition – I was so excited! I was a bit nervous before the auditions but really enjoyed them once I got in there.
I have auditioned for some musicals and ballets before, but not a play like this.
How did you feel when you were told you’d got the part?
Gabriel - I was completely thrilled and couldn’t believe it. I am so excited and I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity because chances like this don’t happen that often, and this is my dream.
Jason - I felt so proud and excited. I couldn’t really believe that I’d got the part at first.
Have you done anything like this before – i.e appeared on stage?
Gabriel - I was the mad hatter in our school production of Alice in Wonderland, but I have never acted on a professional stage before.
Jason - Yes, I’ve appeared in Santa Claus - The Musical and The Nutcracker.
How do your friends and family feel about you getting the part and being on stage at Milton Keynes Theatre?
Gabriel - Everyone is really amazed and proud and they are all coming to see it: it’s a bit unbelievable that it’s just me and Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart and two other actors on stage!
Jason - Everyone’s really excited and keeps congratulating me. They think it’s a great experience for me to be working with such famous actors
What do you know about Waiting for Godot?
Gabriel - I was bought the play for Christmas, so I have read it. And I know that it’s a classic and that its by Samuel Becket. I know that it’s a play about two tramps who are waiting for someone who never comes.
Jason - I know that it’s a very famous play and that no-one knows exactly what it’s about, but a lot of people think that Godot is God. I know that the main characters are two tramps who try to keep themselves busy while they are waiting for Godot, and that they meet Pozzo and Lucky. Some people think that the Boy, which is the character that I‘m playing, is an angel
How do you feel about acting with legends Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart?
Gabriel - I am very excited and honoured because I think I will be able to learn such a lot from working with them, and I have seen Patrick Stewart in Hamlet in Stratford and it feels amazing to be on stage with someone like that. Also to be on stage with Gandalf is amazing.
Jason - Amazing! – I’ve seen them in films and on the TV. I’m really looking forward to meeting them.
When do you start rehearsing/have you done any preparation?
Gabriel - We do not rehearse until the day of the first performance but I have been learning the lines and rehearsing it with my mum at home.
Jason - I’ve started practising at home now and I’m trying to learn more about the play.
What are you most excited about?
Gabriel - I can’t wait to be on stage with all the lights and for it to be such an important play. And I’m looking forward to hearing all the applause at the end of each performance. And also to getting to know Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart and finding out what it’s like to work with them.
Jason - Meeting the actors and performing with them on the stage
So is this the start of a big stage career? What are your hopes for the future?
Gabriel - I very much hope that it is the start of something big because acting is my dream and I have wanted to do this for a very long time. I think it could lead to some fantastic opportunities, but even if it doesn’t it will be a highlight of my life. I would love to think that there is a life ahead of me that could see me at Sir Ian McKellan’s age, still on stage and still doing the thing I love most.
I Jason - hope so – I would like to be an actor. I hope I can be as good as the actors in this play.