17.06.2019
The summer family show Swallows & Amazons is extra special for Laura Soper as it marks the first time she has appeared at York Theatre Royal as a professional actor. But it is by no means the first time she has trod the boards at the theatre.
As a member of York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre, she has appeared in main house shows including The Wind in the Willows, King Arthur and Peter Pan (as Wendy). She has had other work since graduating from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School two years ago but Swallows & Amazons marks her debut in York as a professional.
She will also be appearing in the Youth Theatre’s production of Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson making this a double homecoming treat.
“Joining the Youth Theatre was the best thing I ever did,” says Laura. “I was always around the theatre as my parents’ big hobby is opera and both are in York Opera. Growing up I would be in a dressing room or watching them from the wings.
“I grew up knowing that world and was in my first opera when I was 8, in the children’s chorus in Carmen. When I was younger I was quite shy and didn’t know if the whole theatre thing was for me. It was a case of ‘if my parents are doing it, I might as well’.
“After joining the Youth Theatre at 14 I came to realise that this world was for me. My years in the Youth Theatre were such an influential chapter of my life and the opportunities were amazing.”
She made wonderful friends and had great fun in this “important step in my becoming a professional actor”, explaining “My aspirations were taken seriously, I was constantly being pushed with new challenges and was given the most amazing opportunities to perform in professional productions which was such invaluable work experience.
“I feel so lucky to have been a part of it and it’s lovely to be back in the place where everything became possible.”
What brings her back is this year’s summer family production Swallows & Amazons? Co-directed by artistic director Damian Cruden, he helped and encouraged Laura prepare when she decided to audition for drama schools.
“The Youth Theatre believed in me and that really helps your confidence. The opportunities are amazing in Youth Theatre which meant I got to perform on the main stage. In the summer shows the experience of being in a professional rehearsal room made all the difference. I wasn’t going into it thinking, ‘oh, I want to be a star, I want to be famous’. I just really liked the whole process. I absolutely loved the rehearsals, perhaps more than the shows actually.”
Swallows & Amazons, Arthur Ransome’s story of youngsters enjoying adventures afloat in the Lake District, is a great choice to bring her back as the Soper family has regularly holidayed in that region. “I feel connected to the Lake District and also I really like how Arthur Ransome’s writing doesn’t patronise children. He takes them seriously. For them it’s a big deal, a proper adventure however childish and silly it may seem from an adult point of view.”
She is playing Susan, leading Laura to wonder why whenever four children go on adventures, there is always a Sensible Susan. There is one in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe too. “I feel a bit sorry for all the Susans because they are left to make sure everyone gets to bed on time, has enough to eat and does the washing up,” she says.
“I feel like a bit of responsibility to stick up for Susan, to show people she is having fun as well as everyone else but in a different way. I don’t want people to think she’s the boring one because she isn’t.”
This version has music by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and features a cast of actor-musicians. Laura plays trumpet, piano and concertina but in Swallows & Amazons will be playing the recorder, which she learnt to play in an early music ensemble at the National Centre for Early Music in York. “I always get excited to have the opportunity to show that the recorder is a proper instrument, not just a source of ear ache to parents and school teachers,” she explains.
While playing in Swallows & Amazons, Laura will be rehearsing as the only professional in the cast of the Youth Theatre’s summer production, Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson. She has already started aerial training – on hoops – with aerial choreographer Jen Parry at High Hoops studio in Deighton.
“It will be a challenge physically. I’m new to the whole circus thing but it’s great to have the opportunity to learn something new. And, of course, it’s really nice to be working with the Youth Theatre again,” she adds.
You might also Like
Sign Up to Our Emails
Stay In The Loop
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cf_use_ob | past | Cloudflare sets this cookie to improve page load times and to disallow any security restrictions based on the visitor's IP address. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement | 1 year | Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
CookieLawInfoConsent | 1 year | CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__cf_bm | 30 minutes | This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management. |
_dc_gtm_UA-* | 1 minute | Google Analytics sets this cookie to load the Google Analytics script tag. |
yt-player-bandwidth | never | The yt-player-bandwidth cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences and settings, particularly related to bandwidth and streaming quality on YouTube. |
yt-player-headers-readable | never | The yt-player-headers-readable cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences related to video playback and interface, enhancing the user's viewing experience. |
yt-remote-cast-available | session | The yt-remote-cast-available cookie is used to store the user's preferences regarding whether casting is available on their YouTube video player. |
yt-remote-cast-installed | session | The yt-remote-cast-installed cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. |
yt-remote-fast-check-period | session | The yt-remote-fast-check-period cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences for embedded YouTube videos. |
yt-remote-session-app | session | The yt-remote-session-app cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences and information about the interface of the embedded YouTube video player. |
yt-remote-session-name | session | The yt-remote-session-name cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. |
ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY | never | The cookie ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY is used by YouTube to store the last search result entry that was clicked by the user. This information is used to improve the user experience by providing more relevant search results in the future. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
SRM_B | 1 year 24 days | Used by Microsoft Advertising as a unique ID for visitors. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_clck | 1 year | Microsoft Clarity sets this cookie to retain the browser's Clarity User ID and settings exclusive to that website. This guarantees that actions taken during subsequent visits to the same website will be linked to the same user ID. |
_clsk | 1 day | Microsoft Clarity sets this cookie to store and consolidate a user's pageviews into a single session recording. |
_ga | 2 years | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. |
_ga_* | 1 year 1 month 4 days | Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views. |
_ga_GJDC5XBVGP | 2 years | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. |
_gat_UA-* | 1 minute | Google Analytics sets this cookie for user behaviour tracking. |
_gat_UA-91938992-12 | 1 minute | A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. |
_gcl_au | 3 months | Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. |
_gid | 1 day | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
CLID | 1 year | Microsoft Clarity set this cookie to store information about how visitors interact with the website. The cookie helps to provide an analysis report. The data collection includes the number of visitors, where they visit the website, and the pages visited. |
CONSENT | 2 years | YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. |
iutk | 5 months 27 days | This cookie is used by Issuu analytic system to gather information regarding visitor activity on Issuu products. |
MR | 7 days | This cookie, set by Bing, is used to collect user information for analytics purposes. |
SM | session | Microsoft Clarity cookie set this cookie for synchronizing the MUID across Microsoft domains. |
vuid | 2 years | Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_dlt | 1 day | Zendesk set this cookie to create a unique ID for the session. This enables the website to collect data on visitor behaviour for statistical purposes. |
_fbp | 3 months | This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website. |
ANONCHK | 10 minutes | The ANONCHK cookie, set by Bing, is used to store a user's session ID and verify ads' clicks on the Bing search engine. The cookie helps in reporting and personalization as well. |
fr | 3 months | Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. |
IDE | 1 year 24 days | Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile. |
MUID | 1 year 24 days | Bing sets this cookie to recognise unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites. This cookie is used for advertising, site analytics, and other operations. |
test_cookie | past | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | 5 months 27 days | A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. |
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | 6 months | YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain. |
YSC | session | YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. |
yt-remote-connected-devices | never | YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. |
yt-remote-device-id | never | YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. |
yt.innertube::nextId | never | YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. |
yt.innertube::requests | never | YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_cfuvid | session | Description is currently not available. |
_dc_gtm_UA-741924-7 | 1 minute | No description |
cf_clearance | 1 year | Description is currently not available. |
CookieDetection | session | No description available. |
SessionId | session | Description is currently not available. |