We caught up with Jocasta Almgill, who will be playing Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty.
Have you appeared in pantomimes before? If so, what do you love about pantos?
I’ve done quite a lot of pantomimes; this is my second Sleeping Beauty. I love pantos, because even though I do a lot of theatre, in different forms, the panto season feels so accessible. Theatre is for and should be for everyone and I think panto is the best sort of in for people. It’s for the whole family. All generations will enjoy a panto, and I think it’s a really good way for the whole family to go to the theatre.
What can you tell us about your character is Sleeping Beauty?
Well, Carabosse is the villain of the story and it’s the first time I’ve ever played a villain; I’m normally a fairy! So, it’s different for me, but I love it, it’s really good fun. She’s a bit of a stroppy teenager sometimes, if she doesn’t get her own way and she thinks she’s cool, but she’s absolutely not! She’s a really fun character to play.
Do you have any York/Yorkshire connections?
My family are from Hull, so literally down the road. My grandad was from York and my grandma and grandad actually got married in York. My cousin lives in York, so I’ve got lots of connections and I’m very excited to be here. It’s nice to get a good Yorkshire fix.
Favourite role?
It’s really hard to answer that! I think so many of the roles have helped me grow as a person in lots of ways. It’s hard to pinpoint which one is my favourite. My dream role when I was younger was Anita in West Side Story, and I got to play Anita at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, which was an incredible experience. Then there’s playing Rizzo at the Dominion Theatre. Standing on the Dominion stage, in the heart of the West End, doing that solo song was a massive achievement! In & Juliet, creating and being part of an original cast and playing the first ever Lady Capulet was amazing. So, the answer is, I don’t know! They’ve all been so influential in my life, and I feel really lucky to have been able to have options!
Did you always want to be an actor?
Yes, always. My dad’s got this brilliant story. It was an early birthday, maybe five or something and I had my friend’s round. We’d had the party and played the games and then I announced that I really wanted to perform this song that I was learning. I stood on the table and sung it to all my friends. My dad said he thought “I think there’s something there!” After that I started a dance class on a weekend and then it just spiralled from there. I thought, that’s the dream, that’s what I want to do. I’ve been so lucky to be able to do it.
Do you have a dream role for the future?
I love creating new theatre, but I think in general I want to play roles that maybe haven’t been accessible to people like me before or are normally for a particular demographic of person. I think representation really matters in theatre. I don’t know what my dream role is, but I know that if it excites me and if I think, when I was a kid, I never thought I’d play that, then that’s the one I want.
Theatre or TV?
I enjoy both. There’s something that’s quite scary about TV, I think because I’ve done more theatre, so when I get a TV job, I’m really excited. There’s something about live theatre though, in that every night is different and every night that experience with you and the audience is unique. Every single performance you share something with them, and they share something with you. The audience will influence the performance, and the performance influences the audience. That kind of shared energy is unique to theatre, and it’s a feeling like no other. As much as I love TV, theatre has a massive place in my heart, and I think it’s really special.
What would you say to someone who wants to pursue theatre or performing?
Hard work and preparation. My key is always to prepare. If you’ve honed your craft, then you can sing the song that they give you, or whatever it is. So, preparation is key and then just go for it, just go all in.
What do you like to do when you’re not performing?
I love my dogs, one of my dogs will be here doing the panto season with me. I’ve got a lurcher called Luna and a little cockapoo called Arnold, and Luna is a theatre dog through and through. She’s so quiet, she curls up in a ball, nothing phases her. There’s no dame costume that will shock this dog, she’s brilliant, she just sits in the dressing room and is the perfect theatre dog. So, Luna does most of my panto seasons with me.
Sleeping Beauty is at York Theatre Royal from 02 December to 04 January.
Find out more information and book your tickets here.
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