11 Questions with the Cast of Mad About the Boy

Mad About the Boy starts its Young Vic run tonight! We caught up with cast member Simon Darwen and asked him a few questions…

What is your favourite play (either seen, read or worked on)?

Favourite play- Hamlet

Favourite play seen- Peer Gynt. Berliner Ensemble 2003. Directed by Peter Zadek

Favourite play read- Faces in the Crowd by Leo Butler

Favourite play worked on- This one and The Merchant of Venice for the RSC directed by Tim Carrol.

What is your favourite midnight snack?

A Scotch Egg with Branston Pickle on the side.

What is your favourite word?

Fecund

Proudest moment?

Walking out on stage for the RSC for the first time.

If days were 28 hours long, what would you do with the 4 extra hours?

Do I get another meal with those 4 hours…?

If you could be in a room full of any one thing, what would it be?

‘The Saturdays’

Favourite holiday you’ve ever been on?

Sylvan Lake, Alberta Canada.

Favourite city and why?

London. Just pips New York. It’s home and never ceases to amaze me.

What is your favourite song?

A rather rude Luton Town song about Tony Thorpes mum.

If you could have been born in any era, which would it be and why?

Bit contrived but the 1600s. Shakespearean London would have been a great time. (Apart from the low life expectancy and basically living in filth.)

If you could have any one supernatural power (flying, being invisible), which would you choose and why?

To be able to go back in time maybe…? There’s a few people I would love to have a look at.

Mad About the Boy is at the Young Vic 6 – 16 June. Book your tickets here.

Please wear layers

Heating, cooling and ventilating are three systems that form the bulk of energy used within a theatre. As our building was refurbished and reopened in 2006, the Young Vic actually has very good environmental performance.

A bit of manual labour has also helped reduce transport mileage..

For After Miss Julie (the first in our series of Classics for a New Climate), we are reducing consumption by using natural ventilation and by tailoring the air supply to After Miss Julie‘s seating layout. This explains why the temperature will vary slightly and why we’ve asked audience members to wear layers. This has helped After Miss Julie achieve it’s target of reducing energy consumption (compared to a normal production in The Maria) by at least 60%!

After Miss Julie begins in two days… buy your tickets now >>

Fact 13: Why “The Maria?”

Fact 13: The Maria is named after Maria Bjornson, the set designer who famously designed The Phantom of the Opera.

Apart from the Main House, we have two smaller spaces called The Maria and The Clare. The Maria opened in 2006 after our refurbishment and we named it The Maria in recognition of Maria Björnson’s achievements (costumes and set design for 120+ productions!) and remarkable commitment to developing and enhancing the careers of younger theatre practitioners. We have the same commitment here at the Young Vic.

Björnson is probably most known for designing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (winning her the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design). She’s also done set and costume design for Royal Shakespeare Company as well as Trevor Nunn’s production of Aspects of Love.

Björnson was also the course director for Theatre Design at Central St Martins College Of Art & Design.

She was, and is, an inspiration to all of us.

Other Young Vic facts >>