Country Images Magazine North Edition November 2017 | Page 54
W
hen Adam Penford was about six years
old, he went to a panto at Nottingham
Playhouse but was too scared when
invited to go on stage with other
children to join in the entertainment.
Despite returning every Christmas, he was never
asked to go up again and always regretted it.
This is how he assesses that experience: “You
have to seize opportunities as they come and put
yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes.”
Now that the young lad has grown up, he
recognises an opportunity and goes for it: he
has just taken over at the helm of Nottingham
Playhouse.
“I always thought
one day I’d love
to be an artistic
director and I
always thought the
ideal venue would
be Nottingham
Playhouse.”
At the age of 37 Adam is relatively young to
be an artistic director. He has already made
his mark, announcing not only his first season
but his first year in charge of one of the most
important regional theatres in the country.
And some people may be astonished to learn
that he has secured a television megastar to
appear in one of his productions.
Mark Gatiss is known as one of The League of
Gentlemen, has appeared in Doctor Who and
played Mycroft Holmes in Sherlock alongside
Benedict Cumberbatch.
He has agreed to come to Nottingham in
November 2018 to play the lead in Alan
Bennett’s The Madness of George III. So how
did Adam persuade Gatiss to take the role?
“I’ve worked with Mark before. I knew that I
wanted to end 2018 with a big play, something
quite spectacular. I love The Madness of
George III – I think it’s a modern classic. But I
knew I wouldn’t want to programme it unless I
knew who was going to play the title character.
“When I started to think about actors who
could play it, I thought of Mark Gatiss. He’s
not afraid to go to a slightly dark side and
George III isn’t a wholly sympathetic character
– he’s quite belligerent and pretty grumpy.
“Mark’s an actor of real range and I just offered
54 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk
it to him. It turns out he’d always coveted the
role, he knew Nottingham Playhouse’s work
and he was happy to sign up 18 months in
advance.
“The truth is we’re very lucky. He’s very much
in demand – he’s an Olivier Award winner, so
it’s a real privilege.”
Adam admits it’s difficult to get actors,
directors and designers to leave London and
come to the provinces.
“The truth is the money isn’t great regionally.
So it’s about being canny and offering people
an opportunity that they might not necessarily
get in London.”
Adam Penford was born on March 1st 1980.
His father was a painter and decorator while
his mother was a primary school teacher.
It was when his parents took him to the panto
that he got the theatre bug.
“I remember walking into the auditorium as
a child and there was an adrenalin rush. That
led to me seeing a much wider variety of shows
when I was a teenager.
“I had a real love for the building. I always
thought one day I’d love to be an artistic
director and I always thought the ideal venue
would be Nottingham Playhouse. That’s how