Putting on the famously difficult Noises Off would faze even the most experienced director. Katherine MacAlister meets an undergraduate only too well aware of the challenge

It’s no mean feat staging Noises Off, one of the most famous and complicated farces of all time.

Getting Michael Frayn’s hilarious play-within-a-play right takes impeccable timing which needs to be masterminded perfectly. The chaos on stage works only if everything backstage is seamless, something director Helena Jackson is only too aware of.

But the 19-year-old Oxford University second year student is ready for the challenge and confident she can pull it off. “I saw Noises Off in the West End when I was 14 and it was just brilliant. I’ve wanted to stage it ever since, so this is a big thing.”

As with all Oxford University productions, Helen had to put in a bid to Oxford Playhouse to stage the famous farce, and beat the other contenders to the top spot. “It’s incredibly exciting that The Playhouse has such faith in me, but yes, we cast the actors very carefully because they have to be very, very exact.

“So although they aren’t going to be plumbing the depths of their emotions in a Greek tragedy or Shakespeare, this is hugely physical and a real challenge, but we really believe we can do it.”

What of those wary of student productions being, well, amateur? “I don’t think people should be put off just because it’s a student production. We have got more to prove. Ours has to be better. But rehearsals are going really well, so we’re not scared.

“If anything Noises Off is teaching us to lighten up a bit because you forget how funny it is, and we are always on the floor during rehearsals.”

Studying English at Oriel College, Helen says she finds herself writing essays between 3am and 8am to make sure she fits all the rehearsals in. “To be honest this is what I want to do, what I’ve always wanted to do, so I’m working around the clock at the moment because there are so many amazing opportunities in Oxford and it would be silly not to use them.

“And of course it will be harder on the outside, once I’ve left. I will have to start at the bottom again and it’s brutal. There is so much competition out there. But this just makes me try harder. It’s important to be passionate about what you do.”

SEE IT
Noises Off is at Oxford Playhouse from Wednesday 18 to Saturday, February 21, performed by students from the University of Oxford.
Call 01865 305305 or see oxfordplayhouse.com

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