Play Acting with award-winning actor Andy Sheridan

One Nation Magazine’s Nige Burton chats to award-winning playwright and actor Andy Sheridan.

It was a proud young man I met at Manchester’s famous Royal Exchange Theatre, and rightly so. Andy Sheridan has not only achieved his longtime ambition to write his own play, but has just scooped joint first prize with it in the Bruntwood Royal Exchange competition. Staged last year for the second time, this prestigious contest is now regarded as the country’s foremost arena for discovering and celebrating new writing talent for the theatre.

As I gulped my tea whilst admiring the majesty of the venue one snowy Thursday afternoon, this unassuming yet confident actor walked up to my table and introduced himself. We both smiled and shook hands, and within minutes were chatting away like good mates.

I asked him about the journey from unknown playwright to competition winner: “I’ve always been interested in writing,” he said with an enthusiastic smile, “and I’ve had the privilege of working with some great writers in my TV work, but I guess I’ve had the story of this lonely boy set in the 80s in me for some time.

“The secret – and I suppose the real sense of achievement – has come from actually getting it down on paper. It was a fantastic feeling to complete that first draft. It’s got to go through further refining processes yet, but it should be staged at the theatre some time later this year.”

The original and working title for the play was Before the Echoes Die Away but Andy has recently changed it to the more succinct Alone. “I’m into one word titles,” he shrugged, “they just seem to work for me.”

He explains how he gleaned some of his knowledge of writing from Matt Greenhalgh whilst working on his multi award-winning 2007 film Control. “Matt’s style has a gritty reality which I really admire – it’s a no-nonsense, unflowery way of pitching a story to its audience, but demonstrates his great artistic ability.” Directed by Anton Corbijn, this hard hitting drama features Andy as Terry Mason, and tells the tragic story of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division, whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

“It was a rewarding project I’m proud to have been a part of,” he says. “Unflinching in its honesty but quite profound in its effect. I’d love to do more film work like this.”

But away from the big screen, Andy regularly pops up in many TV favourites. “I tend to play bad ‘uns at the moment,” he says with relish, “but I’ve also gone through policeman and soldier phases, most notably as PC George Coulter in Coronation Street and Trouper Nobby Skinner in Kingdom.

“I really enjoyed filming that – I’m a great admirer of Stephen Fry, and the series is set in Norfolk, so it’s a wonderful location to work in.”

Andy’s other small screen credits include Cold Blood, New Street Law, Shameless, Heartbeat and Clocking Off. He’s also no stranger to his beloved Royal Exchange theatre, having trodden the boards in such classics as Antigone, Jonah & Otto and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, to name but a few.

This native Manchester lad with roguish good looks is almost impossible to age, landing character roles at anything from 21 to thirty. His athletic, lithesome build and command of accents have kept him busy in a plethora of home grown soaps and dramas, but like many young, hard-working actors, he’s always on the look out for the big break.
“There’s no doubting it’s a tough profession,” he says, undaunted, “but I absolutely love it. I suppose you have to really, or else you’d just do something else!

“But the thing that’s encouraged me most in the last year is the success I’ve had with my play. I adore writing, and winning the prize – apart from the obviously welcome cash it provided – validates that facet not only of my talent, but also my career. It’s most definitely something I’d like to do more of in the future, and I now have a real incentive to make the time.”

And with Andy’s marriage of enthusiasm and success, we’re sure to see some dramatic gems flow from the pen of this budding playwright in the coming months and years.

• Matt Lucas Stars In Prick Up Your Ears
• Actor Stephen Tompkinson – Out of Africa
• The Good Soul of Szechuan – Bertolt Brecht’s timeless parable
• Super Hoofer – Tim Flavin
• Dame Footlights Keeps ‘em Smiling