A SADDLEWORTH-BASED actor is ready to go it alone on his own doorstep, in front of many who know him.
William Ash may be familiar to viewers of ITV soap Emmerdale as Caleb Milligan and has enjoyed a career on TV for decades.
But on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, the spotlight will be on him and him only as he performs Vanya, by Anton Chekhov, in the theatre at Delph’s Millgate Arts Centre.
Then on April 8 and 9, he will take the show to Oldham town centre, where he will feature at Live@The Library.
And preparing for and publicising the shows has been an eyeopener, as well as testament to what the community does for ‘one of its own.’
Using Delph’s St Thomas’ Church Hall for rehearsals, Wiliam, who comes from Chadderton, said: “I’ve been the Millgate for the panto a few times and it’s a real part of the community.
“They are doing really, really good things, like the National Theatre Live events.
“Things that they put on, the films that they show, are always packed out and a lot of the theatre they do does really well, especially the pantomime.
“And when we approached them about putting a couple of nights on, I didn’t think it was the last minute, but the availability of spaces to put the show on was very limited.
“However, they bent over backwards for me to allow the show to be on there.
“They’ve been just amazing at Millgate. I can’t speak highly enough of them. How supportive they’ve been and encouraging to someone who’s very new to putting a show on.
“And the space at Oldham Library is amazing. I didn’t know that it existed, but they’ve been massively supportive and helpful with getting it on.
“I’ve lived in Delph for 11 years now. It’s a lovely place with a really nice community feel. My kids go to the local school and we’ve a nice kind of set of friends.
“When I asked, ‘Could I use the church hall as I need somewhere to rehearse?’ They replied, ‘Absolutely, you can use it.’
“Finding a place to rehearse can be really difficult and it tends to be just me and the director, Tony Mooney, in the room working it out together.
“Essentially, it’s me and Tony, essentially, in this church hall.”
William will perform a fresh adaptation of Vanya, which is described as classic tale of love, art, sex and attempted murder.
And with this show being billed as ‘exploring the kaleidoscope of human emotions harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche,’ the focus really is on him.
But as he told Saddleworth Independent, there is a lot more to think about after deciding to take on a ‘challenge.’
The 49-year-old added: “No pressure being in a one-man show in the village where I live.
“I didn’t really take that into account when I was thinking about doing it. I’m trying not to think about that.
“But I just wanted to just do something. I was quiet at work and I’m not very good at sitting still. I thought it’d be a nice challenge.
“I’ve always looked at the theatre and thought, ‘Maybe I could do something there,’ and a one-man show was kind of ideal because you’re not really relying on anybody else.
“I thought a one-man show would be more straightforward. Not much easier, but it’s more straightforward.
“But Chekhov’s plays have an unfair reputation for being quite dramatic, with big emotions and things like that.
“The original source material is very funny, certainly this adaptation is funny and we’re trying to lean into the comedy a lot more. We’re trying to bring that element in.
“I wouldn’t want to put people off thinking they’re coming to see something that’s quite dour and serious.
“It does have those moments, but it’s definitely got comedic moments in it. There’s one moment where there are seven characters on stage, but it’s just me.
“Things like that can present comedy and that relationship there with the audience.”
Performing a one-person show on a stage in the village where you live can present its own pressures – not least when you bump into people who will be watching you.
But William is ready for that, the focus he puts on himself is enough.
He continued: “I do feel pressure anyway, just from the fact that I’m doing it.
“I don’t really think about who’s in the audience that much. It’s just the fact that there’s people there anyway.
“Of course there are nerves, but knowing that one of my friends, one of the parents, one of my kid’s friends’ parents is in the audience, doesn’t add more. I’m nervous anyway.
“But if it gets people into the theatre, it’s quite good. The people I’ve spoken to who know that I’m doing it or who’ve seen because I’ve put a few posters up, have been intrigued to know what it’s about and how I’m going to do it.
“There will be some people there who don’t know the source material, who don’t know Vanya and the story of that.
“There will also be people coming along who will know it’s a famous play, will know the characters, the relationships and the emotional dynamics that are going on.
“But the bottom line is to entertain the people and engage them.”
William may be an actor – and a nationally-renowned one at that – but preparing for Vanya has seen him take on other roles.
How often does an Emmerdale star go around a village asking if he can place a poster in a shop’s window?
But he has embraced all that, plus everything you will see on stage.
He commented: “I just do the acting side of it normally, but there’s been quite a lot to take on board. Set, props, sound and lighting.
“I’m a novice when it comes to that technical side. I’m all right on the acting side but when it comes to the other side of it, I’ve been very green.
“I’ve always been aware of the important jobs many of the people I see have and how much they help you and support what you’re doing.
“But I’ve just been to the shop and given them a couple of posters. I dropped off some flyers in a cafe.
“Normally, there would be a marketing team, but I’ve been doing that myself. It takes a lot to put a show on.”
Tickets for Vanya, priced at £20, are still available and can be bought by clicking https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/millgateartscentre/vanya/e-xpglvz.
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