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Photographer: Phil Sharp
Laurie Davidson (06-10) shares his stories from his days at Dulwich, his experiences of playing the magical Mr Mistoffelees in the 2019 musical movie Cats and his next adventure in Sheridan’s The Rivals at the National Theatre. FROM DULWICH TOHOLLYWOOD
possible. McKellen also gave me some good tips for performing at the National; where the sweet spots are and where the bad sight lines are. We went to see a production of Anthony and Cleopatra together at the Olivier Theatre. He is someone I greatly admire and since finishing Cats has continued to be an informal mentor for me. For a young actor to have that kind of experience to draw from is priceless. I had a great time making the Cats movie. I play Mr Mistoffelees who is essentially a magician’s assistant who gets pulled out of a hat but has delusions of being a magician himself. I am drawn to roles that are different from anything I’ve ever done before and Cats was certainly that. It is a dance film in its purist sense, and I am not a dancer! I have so much respect for dancers and wish I had done more as a child, but I just threw myself in and got to learn so much. It was completely different to anything I’d done before and an experience I’ll never forget. I learn lines by repetition. Either writing them out continuously or just saying them out loud. It is the most boring part of the job but I have found that I learn them better if I just work on delivery and sense as opposed to just bashing them out. I also practise reading with my dad. He has early onset dementia and I help care for him in my spare time. He tests me with lines and if I don’t come in right on my cues, he reads my lines as well as his! Gotta be quick! Next for me is the National Theatre. I only had one professional dream as a kid and that was to play the lead at the Olivier Theatre. I’m hugely excited to have been given this opportunity now in an updated version of Sheridan’s The Rivals . This version is called Jack Absolute Flies Again and opens in April and runs until the end of July. Technology has come on so much that anyone can make their own films. Make stuff with your mates, on your phones. Just try it out. It might be rubbish to begin with but that’s how you learn. Work hard but never take it too seriously. It can be the best job in the world and should be fun.
Full. That’s the word I would use to describe my days at Dulwich College. My brother was at Dulwich before me and I was so immensely jealous of all the opportunities he had. Before I was bitten by the theatre bug, sport was what really drew me to the school. One of my proudest achievements outside of the Edward Alleyn Theatre (EAT) was playing in both the 1st XI cricket team and 1st XV rugby team for a season. I would also describe my time at Dulwich as though I was leading a double life which shifted between the two factions of sport and theatre. When I joined the school, the theatre seemed to have its most accomplished actors already established. I didn’t know how to get involved. Fortunately, after reading some Shakespeare aloud in our English class I was encouraged by my teacher to take part in the Shakespeare reading competition. I think I misunderstood the brief as most of the other boys were reading from text and certainly hadn’t brought their own props! My rugby teammates, who had no idea I was interested in performing, were surprised when I wielded a home-made dagger on the stage of the Great Hall. From that moment Peter Jolly (OA and Director of Drama) took me in and both he and Kathryn Norton-Smith (Head of Academic Drama) helped to shape and ignite something they saw in me. The EAT became my home at Dulwich and I owe them both so much. After Dulwich I was fortunate enough to train at LAMDA. My first role out of drama school was to play the Bard himself in an American TV series. It was a huge break and though the show never quite found its audience, it put me on the map and established me in the professional world. During my research for the role I visited Dulwich to look through Philip Henslowe’s diary (Elizabethan theatrical impresario). I had the privilege of working with Sir Ian McKellen in my most recent venture Cats and also previously in The Good Liar. On the set of Cats , we spent a lot of time together and I was fortunate enough to pick his brains about his career. He and Dame Judy Dench had so many great stories and I just tried to soak up as much of their wisdom and genius as
Laurie in the 2009 College production of Much Ado About Nothing.
If you enjoyed reading this, then you can read our interview with the actor Ekow Quartey and Peter Jolly’s piece about the rich tradition of drama at Dulwich on pages 44-49.
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