AND THAT'S MY STORY: HEDYDD DYLAN, ACTRESS
I have been intrigued to find out more about the creators behind projects that I have been fortunate enough to see and/ or hear for a long time now so I've decided to do something about it. And That's My Story is a series on this blog that shares with you a bit about the creators and talent I've met along the way and their journey towards fulfilling their dreams; it will run for as long as I can find people who are willing to share their story. Today, I would like to introduce you to the funny and talented Hedydd Dylan who is currently part of HOME's production of The Oresteia.
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On the eve of my 25th birthday I was wow'ed by Blanche McIntyre, the director of HOME's production of The Oresteia, and part of the productions' cast that were available to attend the event. One lovely soul I had the pleasure of speaking to that night was Hedydd Dylan who plays several roles in the play - Watchman, Cassandra, Nurse and Athene - with so much grace and passion, it was a joy to see her slip in and out of these characters. Scroll on down to learn a little more about Hedydd and what her pre-performance ritual is. Trust me, it is a good one!
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COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
Yeah, sure! So I’m from Aberystwyth in West Wales. I live in London and have done for 10 years - trained in London. This is my first time in Manchester -
AND IT IS NOT RAINING!
I know, it’s lovely. I love it. It is such a cool city, I really like it. It’s got all the good bits of a city with very warm people. I like that about it very much. It is my first time working with Blanche as well. And it is my first time doing Greek theatre. So lots of firsts for me.
HAS BEING AN ACTRESS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE CARDS FOR YOU OR ARE THERE OTHER ROLES IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY THAT YOU HAVE WANTED TO TRY ON FOR SIZE?
That’s interesting. I wanted to be a portrait painter [but] when I was doing my A-Level art, I got really lonely painting because I would always work from images rather than from life. Yeah, I realised that I needed to be around people and I was like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ And I guess it is a similar thing - my interest is in people - I mean, drawing someone’s face or playing a somebody… it comes from a fascination with people. And I loved Shakespeare in school. Someone in my year was auditioning for a drama school so I thought I’d have a bash at doing that.
DO YOU STILL PAINT?
Sometimes… for presents... when I haven’t got any money which is often [laughs].
DOES WORKING IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY RUN IN THE FAMILY OR ARE YOU ARE REBEL IN THAT RESPECT?
Well, actually my dad was a farmer but he wanted to be an actor when he was younger and his dad wouldn't let him. So, it kind of does run in the family. And also there’s a lot of poets and writers and artists in my family. There are some actors that are a bit more distantly related to my family but I guess there is a creative streak in the family. My grandmother was a wonderful singer but too shy to make a go of it and so was a housewife. And with my dad, you know, being a frustrated actor, it sort of feels nice that I was allowed to have a go.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ORESTEIA PRODUCTION THAT CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION AND HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT IT?
I found out about it through my agent. I hadn't heard about it before they told me about it. I know Blanche through some mutual friends and I have seen her work. And I have heard an awful lot about her work and I know people who have worked with her and I've wanted to work with her for ages. And I love Ted Hughes, as a poet, but had not read his adaptation of The Oresteia. It was just… It was an exciting thing of several things coming together. And also, I was saying this to Blanche the other day, there is something about Greek theatre that is so huge in terms of the stakes of it, the emotions of it. There is nowhere to hide as an actor so there is a real challenge; it feels like you have to be quite bold. You got to go big and not be afraid of it. And that is a real joy, to just scream and shout and be so free.
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING UNDER BLANCHE'S DIRECTION?
Wonderful. She’s a total dream. She doesn't bring her own ego into the room at all. She’s so clever and brilliant and always sort of cunningly makes things feel like their your idea when they are definitely hers [laughs]. She’s great. She’s very playful, very relaxed. We’re all allowed to try anything we want and if there is anything that doesn't work she’ll just say, “Yeah, that didn't work”, and if there was something in it that was interesting we’ll try and work out what that was. It feels very collaborative.
LAST QUESTION! OPENING NIGHT IS ON THE HORIZON, HAVE YOU GOT ANY INTERESTING PRE-PERFORMANCE RITUALS?
Ah that’s a good question. Boringly, not particularly. I do a bit of stretching, a bit of vocal warm up. I like to go on stage and pretend that the audience is there and have a look at them all. Although, actually I do have the opportunity to do that for real in this because I'm going to be pre-set on stage and I'm going to literally eyeball the audience before I begin [laughs]. Sometimes, I sing to myself in the mirror which is pretty weird and if I'm really nervous I sing Bob Marley [laughs].
[LAUGHS] THAT'S BRILLIANT! THAT'S AWESOME. I LIKE THAT. I LIKE THAT A LOT. I'M GUESSING THAT WOULD DEFINITELY LOOSEN YOU UP.
Yeah! Seriously though, you can’t take yourself too seriously if you just looked at yourself in the mirror singing “Baby don’t worry…” [laughs]. And you can’t be nervous after that because you're too much of a plonker.
… and that’s my story.
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And there we have it! A huge thank you to Hedydd for taking the time to answer my questions and to my sister, Karina who kindly agreed to accompany me to this event to help take some behind-the-scenes shots of my interviews. If you have not seen The Oresteia yet and have the opportunity to do so, go check it out at HOME. It runs until the 14th Nov 2015 and also has other fun events you can attend that are related to the play.
Mo x
*All photos were taken by Karina So. for WML*
Thanks to HOME for giving me this opportunity to interview some members of the cast of The Oresteia!