It’s Sunday afternoon and, instead of sitting back at home in London with his tired feet up, Oli Reynolds, who stars in the monster hit West End production of Mamma Mia, is sitting in the Old Market Theatre in Hove watching rehearsals for the Brighton Theatre Group Youth production of Fame.
Oli Reynolds was born in Brighton, and attended The BRIT School in London and then graduated from Guildford School Of Acting with a First Class BA Honours. Having trained in Musical Theatre, he is now using his knowledge and experience to give a little back to the group that set him on his theatrical path.
So Oli, you’re nothing to do with this production then…
No, nothing at all. It’s a production by Brighton Theatre Group Youth. They are putting on this huge production of Fame this week and obviously, with my show schedule, it would be really hard to find the time to able to come down and see the show. But, even though I have eight shows a week to do in the West End, I really want to support my home town’s premier theatre group and the best way to do that is to come down to the band call so I can hear the music and see the artists working so well together.
And do they want to get some handy tips from you as well?
Well, yes, sometimes they ask me specific questions but, in general, my advice is just to keep working hard, be good at what you do, be respectful of the people working around you and be a team player.
That’s so important with a production like this. Brighton Theatre Group is one of the leading amateur youth groups in the country and the reason that they have that position is because of the leadership of Keith Shepherd, who is the chairman. They pool all of their resources and bring together people who are passionate about their work to be able to put on these amazing shows.
…and they have such a good reputation.
Yes they do. They are very fortunate to have had a lot of people who have come through the group and have gone on to do very well in the West End and abroad, and that is all down to the very beginning of their theatrical careers starting in the Brighton Theatre Group.
So is this where you started then?
It is, yes. I started when I was about 12. I was in a production of Children of Eden and that was my first ever amateur production and I just caught the bug. They are such a great company to work with that I kept coming back for show after show, I met good friends who then went off to do other jobs in the theatre and, yes, I was really bitten by the bug.
So, how do you take that forward? What is the next step from here?
I think it comes to a point where you find that you are enjoying it so much that you just can’t imagine yourself doing anything else and that, I believe, is the point at which you can seriously think about this as a career, because it’s certainly not easy.
Actually, Fame is very good for showing that. It shows the next stop forward in the process, which is going to a performing arts school, or on to vocational training, which I would always recommend, because that is where you get your professional grounding and you start to hone your craft. Then you learn how to become a professional and to actually work at it. Not just for a week, with maybe six or seven shows, but for eight shows a week, week in week out for your entire career.
So you train and then, if you are very lucky, someone gets to see you perform, and then you end up in Mamma Mia!
Well, yes, for me that’s correct. In this business, and especially in this country, I think it is very important to have a theatrical agent who will come and see your performing arts showcase at the end of your training course. There are other ways to do it, but that was my way in and I think it’s the best way, personally, because you get your grounding and professional training first and then you have someone who represents you and puts you up for auditions straight away.
It’s a very fickle industry and you have to be prepared for an awful lot of rejection but, every now and again you’ll be lucky enough to be offered a contract and, for me, that has been the case for the last three years since I graduated.
So, before Mamma Mia?
I spent the first year mainly touring with The Twelve Tenors, singing a selection of pop, opera, swing, rock n roll and classic standards all around Europe and then I went to do Saturday Night Fever, in the United States, and that was for about a year as well – which was just incredible. Then I came back to the UK and landed the part in Mamma Mia almost straight away.
So how long do you stay in a show like Mamma Mia?
The West End contracts tend to be a maximum of 12 months at a time and then I will be given the option to extend that, if they want me, or I could move on to the next project… whatever that might be.
Surely Mamma Mia is just too much fun to leave?
It is such an incredible show. The music is iconic and we just have so much fun performing in it. It’s one of those jobs that, even when you are in it for a while and it does become “work”, it’s made so enjoyable because the music is great, the cast are just incredible, there’s such a nice team there and, just like here with Brighton Theatre Group, I’m surrounded by people that are just so passionate about what they do, and they do it to the very best of their ability.
Of course, we just had the touring production of Mamma Mia at the Brighton Centre for three weeks.
That’s right, and there were Brighton Theatre Group alumni in that production too, which just goes to show the great work that Brighton Theatre Group are doing and that’s why I like to come down, when I can, to do a bit of mentoring with the younger artists. They have a very open door policy in the group so people can ask questions and look for advice and they have a great support network within the group which gives the ones who want to persue this as a career the right skills, and the right grounding, to go forward.
I suppose, now that you have moved way up the ladder, it’s nice to give something back.
Absolutely, yes. It’s been great to be back here and to play a small part by being here for those special moments that happen when you’re opening a new show. I know that by running workshops and by attending gala performances when I can, there is a sort of mutual scratching of backs. Brighton Theatre Group gave me so very much when I was younger it’s great to give back whatever I can to thank them for that. They are such an amazing company and long may they continue.
Oli Reynolds is currently appearing in Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre, Aldwych, London, with nightly performances (Monday to Saturday) at 7.45pm and Matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 3.00pm. Tickets are available from www.mamma-mia.com or through the box office on 0844 482 5115.
The Brighton Theatre Group Youth production of Fame appears at The Old Market,11a Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS with nightly performances from Tuesday 17th to Saturday 21st October at 7.30pm and Matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets are available from www.theoldmarket.com/shows/fame or by calling the box office on 01273 201 801.
