In the cast of An Inspector Calls - Mark (Adult Company)

And so, it’s a wrap! My first experience of a theatre run in the National Theatre tour of An Inspector Calls at Darlington Hippodrome, with 8 shows over 5 days. I’ve loved every

minute.

The first day on Tuesday was a bit of a whirlwind of wardrobe, dress rehearsal, learning how theatre works, and learning who’s who and what we were meant to be doing. In theory, we didn’t have a lot to remember but the risk of getting it wrong felt high stakes! I tried to tell myself that it was a lot less than what I had to do in the Crucible with Identity, but sometimes the less you have to do, the more you overthink it. By day 2 though, I was much more confident and could relax into it a bit more and really appreciate the experience.

I soon had my little routines, getting to the theatre early to get in the zone, and then with most of my fellow extras, full costume on for the start of the play, even though we weren’t on for an hour, and watching the live feed of the show from the Green Room - every performance. Then quickly learning when our scene was not far off and getting down to the side of the stage before the actual call. I’m never one for leaving things to the last minute.

The play is brilliant, and just as relevant today, with the theme of being kind to people, and that you never truly know the long term implications of your actions on someone, especially unkind acts. It was fascinating to see at the end when some the characters thought they were off the hook, but two of the others characters still understood what had happened…”but we still did those things”.

I observed and learnt so many things. Firstly, the absolute professionalism of the actors – from performance to performance, they hit the same high standard. No matter how many times they performed the same lines in the same scenes, like every time was like the first time. And audiences deserve that. Different audiences reacted in different ways too – some clearly took the sides of some characters and cheered at certain points!

Then also the intensity of performance. Being only a few yards away from one of the most emotionally charged scenes, where the son Eric breaks down in confession, and swerves between extreme guilt and almost childlike justification within a sentence, taking you to the point of sympathy before jolting you back, was really powerful. Watching Mrs Birling desperately trying to deny that her son was capable of such things but knowing it was no good. Mr Birling’s world falling apart, berated by his wife, shunned by his daughter, and told by his son he “isn’t the type of father you can talk to”. Then the fight scene. I never failed to be shocked and moved, and more than once had to check my own emotions.

The intensity is what Jo tells she wants in these types of scenes “more energy…even more than that” “Keep the energy up”. There were lots of other things I saw that Jo teaches – breaking the fourth wall, the cue in the fight scene to signal the throwing of someone to the floor, the use of music to pre-empt something ominous, how to use silence as a powerful mechanism to convey an emotion. Also, that drama is a team game where you all support each other -the cast and crew were lovely with us, there was never any sense that we were less worthy because we were extras.

So now it’s over, but I’ll be looking for more opportunities in the future. In the meantime, I can’t wait to get back to Identity on a Tuesday and continue this amazing journey.

And the last take away from the play itself…

“But just remember this. One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions and millions

and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left with us, with their lives, their hopes

and fears, their suffering and a chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives and

what we think and say and do. We don’t live alone. We are members of one society.

We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if

men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught in fire and blood and

anguish. Good night.”

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Mark Gray

5th October 2024