Sat across the table from Stephen Fletcher at the café in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall listening to the young actor/producer talk enthusiastically and with a vast knowledge of the theatre at his disposal is something everybody should experience in their life at least once, if they are fortunate then it is something the gracious actor will always afford you. In the last year Stephen has been very busy, he has put together one of the great plays of the last festive period in the critically acclaimed play Mam! I’m ere! and been a part of some of the most challenging and enjoyable productions to have taken part in Liverpool.

A graduate of L.I.P.A., Stephen has become an integral part of the theatre world in the city, his numerous credits include the superb Dead Heavy Fantastic which starred Alan Stocks in the lead role and was written by the legendary Bob Farquhar, playing Paul McCartney in the revival of Lennon alongside Andrew Schofield, Little Scouse on the Prairie, Our Day Out and in 2012 had the pleasure of being directed by Gemma Bodinetz in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Ahead of Stephen’s next challenge, a back to back set of productions at the Epstein Theatre, in which he brings back one of the great plays of last year, the superb The Last Five Years and a new production of the classic The Sunshine Boys, I was able to catch up with one of the great young actors of his generation and ask him about the future productions.

Hello, how are you?

Stephen: “I’m busy, it’s just me at a desk, it’s good though, I’m not sure whether it’s too much but we’ll find out by the end of the year.”

It must be exciting though with the two productions coming up basically straight after one another?  Does it give you a lot to think about, what’s going to happen?

Stephen: “Everything that I’ve done so far, I’ve just trusted my instincts and touch wood, it’s gone the way I’d hoped it would. I’m sure I’ll fall down a snake at some point! For the time being, we’re doing okay.”

The first of the two plays that you’ve got on at the Epstein, the slightly bigger version of The Last Years, which worked so well in the Actors Studio, do you foresee that changing, the dynamic of it, because of the increased size of the stage?

Stephen: “It might do slightly, it might mean that our performances are slightly bigger, it means that we are going to have to work harder bringing the audience in, the way that we’re doing it is that we’re making the stage smaller, we’re bringing the sight lines in, we’re creating a larger version of the Actors Studio on the Epstein stage.  I think where people go wrong with The Last Five Years is that when they have heard about other productions, they try to make it too big, too epic and when there are scenes like where you’ve got backstage in the dressing room, you’ve got all of those things added in, the posters on the wall, lots of set, you do the audience’s job for them really. When you come out though of a song that’s very simple, as an actor, singing and telling a simple story, with a simple set, it’s nice for an audience to gear into where that character could be, what is behind them and what’s the weather like? So to make it too big and expansive would be to detract from the simple story.”

What you said about the sight lines is interesting; they draw the audience into focusing completely on you and Helen.

Stephen: “It’s not going to be as small as the Actors Studio; we’re still going to have a bit of space. We had to be really clever with the lights last time with The Last Five Years, it was just literally a ten foot stage with a bit of depth to it and that’s all, there was lots of clever lighting really and the door that we had – we’ve now got two! So the budget’s gone up, we’ve got another door! There’s a bigger band as well, we’re trying to make the sound more full – we’ve got a shiny baby grand piano, a violin and a cello so it’s going to sound great. Our cellist was found on a recommendation, a friend of a friend who’s worked with him before – Luke Moore- and then there’s Emily Rowe who earned her stripes running the box office for Mam!, I’m ‘Ere! and trainingis the violin. At Christmas we needed a box office manager and she needed a job, so the two were perfect but then I found out she was a violinist, I immediately thought if we do The Last Five Years again, then we’d get her to come on board so I gave her a call.”

I personally believe that it was one of the greatest plays of last year, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen was just stunning; you were amazing in the part. The crossover part, which I don’t think everybody else was getting where it was going, where there was a Sliding Doors moment, when the two actually meet in the middle – that was a revelation. It was a fantastic piece.

Stephen: “Thank you! I don’t want to change too much, lots of people have said don’t touch it, leave it alone – you have to do something to it as  you’re doing it again but it will be minimal I think. I don’t think it will matter, if you’ve not seen it before, you will still get so much from it and it will be fresh out the box. If you saw it last year, you’ll remember things that you’ll think you’d forgotten. I think I told you this at The Epstein new season launch; one woman came to see the show last year. The show starts with the end of the relationship for Cathy and the beginning of the relationship for Jamie. This poor woman, after the show, said she kept watching the show thinking when are they going to get back together? She didn’t realise that it was the same five years! It’s important for people to realise that they are watching the same story told in two different times and from two perspectives.”

Do you find as you’ve worked with quite a few people over the years that there is this wonderful dynamic between you and Helen as there is with you and Andrew Schofield, Alan Stocks and Eithne Brown, this little conclave, how do you find working with them all?

Stephen: “Helen is great; she’s a very generous actor. All the people I have worked with on these shows have been great. People watching us say things like “When will see you on television?” as if it’s that easy-and it’s not for the want of trying! Helen should be a household name in my opinion-and this show really shows her off but as we all know, it’s all about the breaks really and waiting it out.  We’ve been up against those people “off the tele” and have that that little moment when you walk in the room and I think, if I’m going to put money on anyone in here getting a role, it won’t be me. Until you get your chance and people go “oh you were in that thing off”…. and then you have more of a chance.

That’s what a lot of us have waited a long time for really. Hopefully we’ll get our go-maybe we’re getting it now, and providing we don’t need to be ‘off the tele’ in order to get out there and do what makes you happy! Working so well with all these actors I’ve been lucky to work with is based on a good rapport that we’ve built up, we just understand each other. It’s the same with Drew and Alan, its shorthand. It’s like looking in on a friendship and particularly with the Christmas shows, it was that warmth that people spoke about coming from the stage, things went wrong- not that there’s an excuse for things to go wrong but we’re forgiven straightaway as people think “I’ve witnessed that”- It’s allowed because it’s a happy accident.”      

I think it’s nice when sometimes it does, like when Alan corpse onstage during the Christmas show at one point, it was almost a loveable moment!

Stephen: “There are some shows that exist where corpsing on stage has happened seen it and thought to keep it in, so it becomes a faked corpsing!  The audiences don’t know but the actors do and there must be a little bit of your soul dying every time you do it as you’re being asked to re-create something that came out of the blue and was special on that night. It’s a cheat really, and it’s surprising how many people out there don’t notice.”      

In the same vein, The Sunshine Boys which is a very expansive, wonderful piece to put on, that must be quite daunting to stage?

Stephen: “It just feels right! It’s not cockiness, I just know putting Alan and Drew in those two roles it’s in safe hands with a good supporting cast around them. It’s been on the wish list for some time put it that way.  I know that Drew wanted to do it, Alan jumped at the chance and fair enough, it is a big project. But then I  looked at the possibilities, was so welcomed by the team at the Epstein (the old Neptune) that I thought if I can do Mam!, I’m ‘Ere! at the Dome, then I could do anything. We bought in much of what was needed for the show-we built the set, found the chairs, bought in lights and some sound equipment, managed the box office, put posters everywhere, sorted all the marketing- we didn’t manage to fix the heating situation with the building being so problematic but our audience was very forgiving. I think they understood the situation and enjoyed the show so much that it didn’t detract too much from the night. Backstage was interesting as well-it was basically a horseshoe corridor which hugged the back of the stage, naked bodies everywhere. Costumes all over the place-organised chaos that became our home for Christmas-but it didn’t matter, in fact it made it! Also, because it was born out of a negative situation where many of us hadn’t been asked to work for Christmas, it really made the whole thing turn into a positive.”

 When I met you many years ago now, one of the first things I thought when I saw you was what a talented actor you are! I’ve seen you at the Everyman in Dead Heavy Fantastic and later at the Playhouse In A Street Car Named Desire. You seem to have come so far in the past ten years and that appears to come from your great ability to work with the likes of Drew, Eithne, Paul and Alan, all those type of people.

Stephen: “Thank you. I think it’s about being nice to each other is the main thing and not wasting time. I was waiting for the telephone to ring and when you’re waiting for that, it can feel like you’re waiting for nothing. It’s as though you’ve had your hands tied behind your back, with any ability or talent, sitting and waiting for someone to say-“Yes, we want you” or “Not this time”- it can be so frustrating. Even sitting in a rehearsal room with some directors and suggesting ideas, you’re not able to suggest openly for fear of treading on toes or getting above yourself. There are so many egos in this game and some people don’t like an actor doing anything other than acting.       

 In this role as producer, director, actor, set-painter, whatever needs doing, I don’t have run it past anyone or apologise for suggesting an idea, I’m in control alongside the team I’m working with- which after a long time of waiting is quite liberating if a bit stressful at times. What’s even better than that is getting people who are in a similar position to me and say to them do you want to be involved with this? And even use their other talents, not hide them away. That’s why it’s great to direct in such a collaborative way- where actors direct, actors Design, musicians write- creating something together and have ownership over more than one part of a production. In The Last 5 Years, Helen and I have designed the piece, she is also designing The Sunshine Boys- it draws on her great talent for Art, and means we can use what’s in the room already. I’m very lucky in the fact that the people I have worked with are so generous, not precious, and brilliant enough to share their ideas and know that it’s going to create a good piece of entertainment. If I’m accused of being sycophantic or pandering to mates, I’m only surrounding myself with people who are good at what they do and who I love working with.”

One of the most enjoyable plays I think that got me all the way through was the one with Drew – A Life In The Theatre, I presume that’s where the company’s name is from ?

Stephen: “Life In Theatre Productions is an homage to that first production- where it all began.”

That was really entertaining, very funny and cool. There are obviously moments when you have this older mentor looking for support from you and that just showed off how well you gelled together.

Stephen: “I wouldn’t say Drew is exactly like that character at all but Drew recognises those actors in his life, probably when he was a younger actor starting out and other actor saying “follow me young man” and “have you seen my c.v. from when I vaguely looked like you?” Or the best bit is when they say “you remind me of me when I was a young man” and you think “Oh God, no!” With Drew and I, we did two plays back to back at the Royal Court, in the dressing room, lots of stories, I wish I’d recorded half the things that happened in that room, it was brilliant, all the rapport, it became the green room.  Drew is like a stand-up comic, the minute he walks in the room, I’m so lucky to have witnessed that. I remembered years before when I worked front of house in the West End, A Life In The Theatre was on with Patrick Stewart and Joshua Jackson.

I had to see it every night for about three months, the one saving grace was that it was a one-act play, which meant we could go home early, but it really wasn’t funny! I remember sitting there and thinking I wish I could do this one day with an older actor, not thinking I’d ever do it! I knew I had A Street Car Named Desire at The Playhouse to look forward to after the Royal Court Christmas show and the role was of a size in Streetcar that meant I was able to give time to work on my own project.  I asked Drew, who loved the script and he said let’s do it.  I got the Actor’s Studio- Pauline Daniels gave us a good deal, mates’ rates, managed to fill the room for two weeks and off we went!”

Tickets for The Last Five Years and The Sunshine Boys are available from the Epstein Theatre Box office on 0844 8884411 or online at www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk. Tickets are priced at £15 and £20. Tickets for The Sunshine Boys are also priced at £15 and £20 depending on the performance. There is also a double deal where audiences can see plays for £30 on any performance. On Monday’s, Tuesday’s and the Thursday matinee the prices are for all tickets £10

Ian D. Hall