Swindon Lives - Charlotte Peters, The 39 Steps' Special

Aboard a locomotive in Swindon's Steam Museum, TGtS met with Charlotte Peters, stage siren and star of The 39 Steps' to talk about her latest role. Here's what she had to tell us:

In the show yourself and the 3 other actors play 139 roles in 100 minutes, that must be pretty tricky? How fast do your character transformations have to be? Have you ever missed your queue?

It’s not all fun and games, let me tell you that! I literally have to dash off stage and make a pretty speedy costume change, coming back a totally different character. So it can definitely get pretty hectic back stage, but thankfully we’ve got a team on hand to get me in and out of costumes, in total we’ve got a team of 12, 4 of us are on stage performing and the other 8 are all behind the curtains. Thanks to their help I should never miss my queue.

Who is your favorite character to play during the show and why?

I’m very lucky actually, I get to play such a fantastic mix of characters and they’re all such a joy to play. Being a proud Kelt myself though, I’d have to say Margaret is my favorite character to play, I can really relate to her the most. She’s living her dreams every day just like I am on stage.  One of my other characters Eve, is great to play too, she’s the complete opposite to Margaret and a bit of a femme fatale.

When was your ‘big break’?

Watch this space; I’m fresh out of drama school, so I guess you could say that The 39 Steps’ is my ‘big break’. In all honesty I couldn’t feel luckier to have the part.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The opportunity to perform The 39 Steps’ in Swindon of course.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given…Don’t act! I was always told not to worry and just let everything fall into place, which has worked so far for me.

Do you have an idol that inspired or motivated you to become an actress?

I can’t really say I did ever have an idol who motivated me to become an actress, the job itself is such a privilege and honor that it’s motivation I guess.

Where’s been your favorite venue to perform the show?

So far we’ve only performed the show in Cheltenham and Cambridge, both great audiences, so I couldn’t possibly call it.

Describe yourself in 3 words…

This is such a tough question! I think I'd have to say honest, intense and hard-working .

How would you compare the theatre version of the 39 Steps to the Hitchcock film version? Are audiences sometimes surprised the stage shows a comedy?

People familiar with the Hitchcock classic are sometimes surprised it’s a comedy yes, but in some ways I think that it adds to the humor. So far we’ve had such a great response, so we must be doing something right!

What do you like to do when you’re not on stage performing? Do you have any hobbies? 

I adore writing, when I’m not on stage you’ll always find me with a pen and paper scribbling away. Poetry and short stories are some of my favorites to pen. Touring the country you get to meet so many different people and visit such diverse places, both are great inspirations to me and my writing.

The 39 Steps will run at the Wyvern Theatre from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 February 2013.

Book tickets today at wyverntheatre.org.uk or by calling the Ticket Office on 01793 524 481.