Growing Up Down's

This programme contains some strong language

This is the story of an extraordinary group of young actors

setting out to tackle the world's most famous play.

To be or not to be - that is the question -

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

and by opposing end them?

Along the way, the play will blur with their real lives, forcing them

to come of age in a roller coaster ride of romance, rows...

Shut the ... up, yeah!?

..and revelations.

I'm just confused, because I don't know what Down's syndrome is.

And, after intensive rehearsal,

the actors will set off on tour, to prove themselves before the public.

I just can't stop my feet shaking!

They'll be performing in mainstream theatres for the first time.

Can they really pull off Shakespeare's Hamlet?

This is Tommy, he's 26.

He's my brother.

That's me in the mirror.

I'm filming Tommy and the other actors, both in rehearsal

and at home.

And this is Jane, she's our mum.

Tommy was a funny little thing when he was born.

Mum...

The poor little baby was born tiny and frail and with Down's syndrome.

I felt like this huge tragedy had happened,

cos I didn't know then what I know now, so depression for a bit...

A doctor came to examine him and said he'd do very little, ever.

He wouldn't write and he wouldn't read,

and he didn't do any developing for a whole year.

He just used to sit there and every now and then, with the pains,

he'd just scream.

My friend was praying like mad that either God would make him well

or he'd take him away and he'd go to heaven as a baby.

The first thing that caused any reaction in him

was the sound of a bell.

He loves light and music.

He told us he wanted to act, so we thought,

"Oh, yeah, everyone wants to be on the telly - never mind.

"Let's fix him up with some football, some swimming and get him a job."

But Tommy surprised us all.

He became the first actor with Down's syndrome

to star in a TV drama.

That was six years ago.

Tommy's now about to take on the ultimate role for any actor.

The hardest role is Hamlet,

but someone's got to be Laertes.

-He's Ophelia's brother.

-Ah.

And he has a rivalry with Hamlet

-and they have a big swordfight at the end.

-Oh, wicked.

Yeah, you can say that again.

-We'll have to see how it goes...

-So which one wins?

Well, they both die.

-Interesting.

-And Claudius dies, as well.

-OK.

-So does Gertrude.

-She's the queen.

-Yeah, I know that.

So, how does Gertrude die?

She gets poisoned...

-by Claudius.

-Oh.

So, if you're Claudius, you do get to get married...

-OK.

-..but then you poison your wife.

I see.

HE LAUGHS

Tommy belongs to a theatre company in Winchester called Blue Apple.

It was founded by our mum for actors with learning disabilities.

These are the actors doing Hamlet.

They've been performing together for about a year and are good friends.

But this is, by far, their most ambitious production.

The worst that could happen is it's a crap show.

Got to ensure that they're not put in a position where

they really can't cope with it.

Um, this is the script.

When Tommy first started acting,

he found it hard to separate the fictional storylines from real life.

I've also noticed this in other actors with Down's.

Tommy, read Hamlet.

Lawrie, Claudius.

James, Polonius and Laertes.

Katy, Ophelia.

Hamlet's the first time Blue Apple's done a tragedy -

I wondered how the group would react to the troubling

themes of betrayal, anger and death.

INDISTINCT

'Forgive me, my foul murder'? That cannot be.

From the very start, Lawrie seems to confuse the play with his real life.

I know it's only acting but, I feel

I have a lot in common with Hamlet,

because people die around him and people die around me.

Come here. Come and tell me.

What's up?

It's just, people always die around me, friends or my family...

At 19, Lawrie's the youngest of the actors.

He lives with his mum in the centre of Winchester.

..and to be in love with a famous actor.

That's my major dreams.

And to have a dog.

And...

Others I want to be with me in my life,

because they're with me for ever and never give up with me.

They seem to hate this man.

You only have to die.

I'm just always alone.

I know my family loves me and I got friends.

It's still not enough for me.

Lawrie admires Tommy because he's been on TV.

The two of them will be

starring together for the first time in Hamlet.

O wretched state! O bosom black as death!

Help, angels!

All may be well.

Now, a villain kills my father.

And for that, I, do this same villain send

to heaven.

Ah, that bit. OK.

Hamlet's girlfriend Ophelia is being played by Katy.

She's the newest member of the group and this is her biggest role so far.

Katy's 22. She lives nearby in a shared flat.

SHE LAUGHS

# Hey, I just met you

# And this is crazy

# But here's my number

# So call me, maybe

# It's hard to look right

# At you baby

# But here's my number

# So call me, maybe

# Hey, I just met you

# And this is crazy

# But here's my number. #

It soon becomes clear that Katy has a bit of crush on her Hamlet.

What are you so excited about?

Ophelia.

-Why?

-Because it's Hamlet's girlfriend.

And that's Tommy.

It makes my dreams come true.

What will it be like, do you think?

It'll be romantic.

But he'll be upset at the end, when I drown.

In the play, Ophelia drowns herself, because Hamlet's cruel to her.

I wondered if this would affect Katy's feelings for Tommy.

Are you fair?

What means Your Lordship?

I did love you once.

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

You should not have believed me - I loved you not.

To a nunnery - go!

After two weeks of rehearsal,

Katy decides that she wants to rewrite the script,

so that rather than dying, Ophelia and Hamlet get married instead.

They're all going to go dancing and go crazy

and happy ending in church and get married.

But Lawrie's now seen the play

and is determined to stick to the original.

Everyone thinks it should be a happy ending,

but I think it'll have that happy ending if everyone dies.

With Katy and Lawrie unable to agree, the group holds a vote

on who wants to give Shakespeare's most famous tragedy a happy ending.

KATY: I think I'll speak to Lawrie.

I don't understand what's got into you, Lawrie.

Just calm yourself down...

How can I calm myself down if everyone wants a happy ending

and so do you?

It's my choice and I choose a sad ending.

-I'm sorry.

-Does that mean I can't come to your house tomorrow, then?

Of course, you still can.

Of course you still can.

But I'm the only one who's doing the play.

So that means you don't want to be my friend?

Of course, I want to be your friend,

but to be honest, Katy, you're taking all of this too personal.

So that's why I'm persuading you to have a happy ending.

-We're sticking to the play...

-You're not.

You want it to have a happy ending and at the end goes dancing?

-Yeah, that's what we do at the end.

-Yes, and I don't want to do that.

I want to stay dead.

JAMES: It's just a story - that's all it is.

It's not just a story, it's Shakespeare himself.

JAMES: Yeah, Shakespeare is very good.

-James...

-You might like it.

-You're not even helping, so don't even try.

-Sorry.

After a long discussion, Katy offers a compromise.

If you want to have a happy ending, if that's what makes you happy,

we can do a bit of dancing in the middle and then die at the end.

TOMMY: There you go.

JAMES: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What about that way round, Lawrie,

dancing in the middle then dying at the end?

How about that, since...?

Well?

-JAMES LAUGHS

-I say, it's the best idea ever.

Best idea ever!

THEY CHEER

Away from the theatre, Lawrie's plagued by self doubt.

I could be a good-looking guy, hot with the girls.

So far, no-one thinks I look hot or sexy.

To inspire the actors, Jane's taking them

to visit a very special theatre.

-Do you know who Dr Langdon Down was?

-No.

Well, he lived in Queen Victoria's time,

and he was the first person to talk about Down's syndrome.

And he understood that people with Down's syndrome

love to be on stage

and so he built a special theatre called the Normansfield Theatre.

Do you know who that is?

Do you know what these photos are?

Children.

Anything special about those children?

They have Down's syndrome.

How does that make you feel?

Uncomfortable, strange...

Some of their faces has my face.

When Tommy and I first spoke about Down's syndrome,

Tommy was roughly the same age that Lawrie is now.

So how does it feel having Down's Syndrome?

Um...

I reckon that having Down's syndrome

is just like any other people in the world.

Really.

Except that it doesn't make any difference.

Just think about life the way it is.

Yeah.

How does it feel for you?

Um...

Feels always strange

because I always felt like I always had a problem in my life.

Oh, right.

I always felt there's a problem,

and just because people say it,

it just makes it sound like it isn't a problem any more for me.

Oh, that's good.

MUSIC: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

# Just put your paws up cos you were born this way, baby

# I was born this way

# I was just born this way

# I'm on the right track, baby

# I was born this way

# This is my life

# It's the way I want to live

# I'm on the right track, baby

# I was born this way. #

Not all the company have Down's syndrome.

32-year-old James is still waiting for

a formal diagnosis of his learning disability.

Good morning.

I'm a bit late because I went to the police station yesterday

and about I've been harassing neighbours, or something.

And then they were saying that I've got Asp...

I don't what you call it - Asper-sis, or something.

Asperger's?

Aper-sis, or whatever - they think I've got or something.

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

Oi, there, the v-king give me my father!

O thou vile king, Give me my father!

HE LAUGHS

James, you're supposed to be angry, not laughing!

-Come on.

-HE LAUGHS

James! Please.

Shakespeare does not like people without no lines.

Shakespeare likes lines, doesn't he?

He'll be watching us somewhere - of course he will be.

-Shakespeare?

-Yeah.

And what do you think he's thinking?

He's thinking...

"Is he going to get this, or what?

"Is this lad going to get this?"

That's what Shakespeare's thinking?

He'll be thinking, "Is he going to get this, this idiot?"

Sweet...Op...Opera.

-LAWRIE WHISPERS:

-Ophelia.

Ophelia.

What has happened to you?

# They bore him barefaced on the bier -

# God ha' mercy on his soul! #

Do you see this, God?

Oh, God! HE LAUGHS

James, please, let me talk, OK? Please.

Stop laughing - stop having the giggles, cos I'm trying to...

I'm sorry.

James, please, I will lose my temper.

Fine, go on.

Look, there's a play, I'm eager to make it perfect, all right?

If we don't focus, how we going to know our lines,

how we going to play them?

I think fun will come last.

I'm going to say, "Guys, Hamlet - no-one else."

Lunch and Hamlet - that's it.

Yeah, that's it - lunch and Hamlet'd be fine.

And anyway, I'm not doing anything next Sunday

if you want me to come over.

Hello.

Katy and Lawrie have known each other since school,

they used to go out.

# This is just a little samba

# With all the typical drama

# Feel the rhythm of the conga... #

Do you thinking you're ready to have another boyfriend, then?

I think I'll be ready.

And you don't think it'll be Lawrie, though?

No, not Lawrie.

I need somebody to trust and care for and someone who's handsome.

To have a handsome part's me.

I do care for Lawrie, it's just he's not my type.

I just want him as a friend.

I agree.

To be honest, Katy, you're not even my type, either.

I'm eager only to be friends.

What kind of girl do you think Lawrie should go for?

Um, well, at the moment, he was going to go out with Amy,

but now they split up again.

I don't know, really, I think it's best if Lawrie is single.

I'm not eager to be single.

I'm still eager to have someone, but...

We can always find you someone.

..not a girlfriend.

I don't understand about there's two boys. That's gay.

I know that.

Because I've always wanted a girl, but it seems I never get one

because they always mean trouble, upset me and dis' me.

INDISTINCT

TOMMY: I think he probably wants me to be his boyfriend,

which I don't want to be, really, because I'm not really that...gay.

Tommy's never had a proper girlfriend,

but he's got his eye on someone.

I think I'm probably nervous about asking people out.

Really.

When Katy gets upset during a discussion about dreams,

Tommy makes his move.

This is hard and it makes me scared.

All I think of is dying... and I have bad dreams

that we go to heaven and stuff.

I dream the most about...you.

-Me?

-You.

-JAMES:

-Oh, come on, you two!

Tommy calls Katy to ask her out.

-How about Tuesday?

-'Tuesday?'

-Yeah, at half three?

-'What time?'

-About half three.

-'Half three?'

Yeah.

'That would be fine...'

INDISTINCT

-'Bye.'

-Bye.

Nice and sweet!

They arrange to get together on Valentine's Day.

Good-looking, sexy boyfriend, George Clooney.

# It tortures me to know you're with Katy

# I really wanted you in my heart

# Can you ever think of me for once

# Instead of dreaming about girls?

# I'll be your friend

# Each time I tell myself I'm not in love with you

# But each time, I always think I am

# I'm jealous. #

KATY: So his mind is in the tress.

Cos the trees are listening.

-Two grapes left.

-Yeah.

There you go. Finished.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

-I just like...

-Yeah.

me and you together.

It's just fantastic - everything around you's fantastic.

You're so happy.

Um, what makes you feel good?

Um, kissing.

-Kissing?

-Yeah.

I love my Hamlet!

SHE LAUGHS Oh, baby!

Although things are going well with Tommy,

Katy's worried about playing Ophelia.

At the moment, I don't look beautiful.

I'm going to get my face back to normal.

How it was, otherwise I'm not going to be...

Otherwise my face won't be nice for Ophelia.

Cos Ophelia is...

is fair.

And as rehearsals continue,

director Peter is facing some particular challenges.

We're a bit behind.

There's a lovely thing happened

and there's some things which are pulling things back, so...

Six weeks in, James is still struggling to learn his lines.

I'm getting a wee bit worried, James, a little bit worried.

I do remember some, it's just getting the place, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Forgot my bloody lines now.

It's cos he looks so serious, yeah, OK, fine.

INDISTINCT

I think it's pressure. It's these things giving me pressure now.

There's a little bit of pressure in the air now...with this,

and I don't like it. I don't know what it is.

Um...

Be-Be you and I...and I...

JAMES MUMBLES

PETER AND JAMES TALK OVER EACH OTHER

I know but it's pissing...

PETER: He's trying to help you.

You and I behind...

You and I, and I behind...

..and arras...

..and arras then.

We will try it.

Hamlet!

You shut the...

James, take them off to hide.

OK, let's go.

Fuck's sake!

I'm getting a bit pissed off, I really am.

I'm not very happy with this, it's pissing me off.

I'm getting upset.

I don't know why I'm not getting my lines - I don't know what it is.

-Come and sit down.

-I don't understand what it is!

Yeah, yeah, OK. I'll have a chat in a sec.

-Just come and sit.

-Pissing me off.

He thinks I'm annoyed with him, just because he gets it wrong.

-Are you?

-No.

Of course not, I'm just trying to help.

James becomes more and more frustrated.

Shut the fuck up, yeah? I'm fucking well...

James, James, James.

James.

You've got to be quiet, James.

-James.

-See you in a bit.

Lawrie, you're going to be all right.

I'm going to sort James out and then I'm going to come and sort you out.

Thanks, yeah.

You're probably going to ask me if I've got a solution -

I haven't got a solution, at the moment.

Just keep working at it.

Obviously, it takes time.

At the moment, I'm hoping that some way or another,

there will be a moment of great lightness and things will turn round.

Tommy decides James need a break from it all.

TOMMY: 'I know that we haven't got much time,

'and I actually feel kind of sorry for James, really.'

Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in the shape of a camel?

By the moon, it is like a camel, isn't it?

It's just...

-HE GROANS

-Oh, no!

Anyway, it's just lines.

-Like a...

-Very.

Very like... Very...

-Like.

-..like a whale.

-Oh, man.

-I am getting this.

-Yeah.

I think I've got it, it's just putting it in place now.

Yeah. Putting the words in the right place.

-Yeah, that's what it is.

-Yeah.

-Got the words...

-Yeah.

Just got to put them in the right order.

Yeah.

O, my offence is rank it smells to heaven...

A brother's murder. Pray can I not...

My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer

Can serve my turn?

"Forgive me my foul murder"?

That cannot be.

O wretched state! O bosom black as death!

Help, angels!

And all may be well.

As the weeks pass, Tommy and Katy's relationship continues to blossom.

# You and I did love, did love

# We thought it was very sweet. #

But they've now reached the scene where Hamlet's cruel to Ophelia.

Get thee to a nunnery!

I say, no more marriages.

Get thee to a nunnery, go - farewell.

Katy's finding it hard to understand that Tommy's just acting.

She begins to question his feelings towards her in real life.

-Do you really love me?

-Huh, man!

Come on, how much do you love me?

Come on, how is our love going on here?

I mean, tell me how much you love me.

Like...

-I love you loads and loads - that sort of thing.

-Yeah.

Well, I actually do love you loads and loads.

Well, instead of saying that, how much?

How much?

Tommy starts to worry about the effect of the play on Katy.

I don't want to hurt Katy with all the things that I'm saying.

-What, as Hamlet?

-Yeah.

What kind of things?

Like, "Get thee to a n-n-nunnery!"

Cos that scene isn't real, it's pretend.

And I thought Tommy was going to say

something to upset me, or something.

Cheers.

Just remember, it's not real. All right?

It's not real.

Yeah, all right.

And Katy isn't the only one confusing the play with real life.

Lawrie's been wrestling with the guilt

of his evil character Claudius.

Two weeks before the tour, he proposes a radical new ending.

I want Claudius to get away with everything,

but, no, he has to be found out in the end.

He has to get killed.

But the others are now set on the original ending.

-JAMES:

-If that's what a play is...

then that's what a play is.

-Also...

-Follow the play's rules.

..the play is Hamlet

and Lawrie can't have his own way to mix it all up again,

otherwise it'll get confusing.

It can't be Claudius, cos that's not a play.

-It's called Hamlet.

-Cos it's all about Hamlet.

-Yeah, it's all about you.

-Yeah.

-You're...

Cos I was to play the main part in Hamlet.

And who does the other Hamlet?

-My baby.

-Me.

-Yeah.

What are you going on say to Lawrie about it then?

Sit down and talk, yeah?

INDISTINCT

Why don't you go to hell? Go to hell!

I'd rather be in heaven than... Hamlet never been to heaven...

Goes to heaven. I want to go to heaven.

GIRL: Hey, that's not fair - I don't want to go to hell.

It's just...

I don't want that, it scares me so much.

Just hug me.

-Hug me.

-You'll be all right.

All I need is for us to have a hug, Katy.

With rehearsals increasingly fraught, Jane discovers that

there are problems outside the theatre as well.

Good morning, this is Jane Jessop from Blue Apple Theatre...

Hamlet with Down's syndrome is proving a tough sell.

I'm just wondering how ticket sales are going,

do we do any last-minute marketing?

Oh, dear!

Oh, my goodness, that's terrible, isn't it?

What the worry is that if we don't sell enough seats,

the theatres won't want us back and then, you know, that's the end of it.

So she sets off on a mission to boost ticket sales.

Hamlet will be played by an actor with Down's syndrome,

speaking Shakespeare's language.

And he will play on big stages,

including an 800-seater at Kingston - tickets are on sale now actually.

-Are they?

-So this is really exciting.

With the tour looming,

it's now Tommy who's starting to feel the pressure.

All the people that's coming to watch Hamlet will probably want me

to put on a really good performance.

I think that probably makes me a bit nervous

of me letting down the whole play, really.

I probably need to focus more.

I need to stop fiddling with my boot, probably need to be more energetic.

I think I probably do need to smile more at Katy.

Tommy, things like when Anna's going on at you, that, "Mother!"

-Mother!

-It's got to be a lot quicker.

-Yeah.

And you've got to stop, you've got to stop stuttering on your lines.

HE STUTTERS

I'm...

HE STUTTERS

Try and concentrate.

Yeah?

Because you can do it, I know you can do it.

Yeah.

'In a way, I'm like Hamlet,

'cos I know what he feels like with all the frustration and stress.'

'If I mess it up, then I think the whole play will be a travesty.'

Today's the dress rehearsal,

it's the last chance for the actors to get it right before the tour.

PETER: Can we go from...?

Katy?

Katy's struggle to separate fact

and fiction seems to be coming to a head.

He's got his own mind in himself.

To a nunnery!

Mother!

The dress rehearsal hasn't gone well.

It needs a lot more drive, a lot more energy from everybody,

especially you, Tommy.

Especially you.

Right from the off, you've got to really give it everything.

How many props do you have, Tommy?

-Not many.

-No.

How many did you remember?

None. You've got two, you had neither.

When I was on the stage, um...

..I was actually still thinking about what Katy had said.

It's just my head.

It's just my head messing things up, that's all.

What was she saying?

So what did you say to Tommy just before he went on stage?

I hate Tommy.

That's what I said.

I don't why I said that - just to upset him.

As Katy and Tommy's relationship starts to unravel,

they meet up to talk things through.

-What's the matter?

-Um, nothing.

-Are you sure?

-Mm-hm.

Doesn't seem like you love me.

Tell me, Tommy.

-I actually do love you.

-Pardon?

I actually do love you.

-You do?

-Mm-hm.

Well, why you not giving me a cuddle then?

Or anything?

I don't want to feel lonely.

Yeah.

I still love you.

Sorry about Monday, did I upset you?

Um...

-I think I did.

-Yeah, probably.

Well, it was fun.

It's become impossible for Tommy

and Katy to keep their relationship separate from their acting,

so they decide to split up until after the tour.

I think the relationship has to end.

And it's good for me to be single again, cos I need to be single

because I'll be free...and not worry about being Ophelia at the moment.

Sometimes, love can be kind and sometimes love can be cruel.

Like Ophelia's lines, "I must be cruel, only to be kind."

Ay, lady, 'twas my word.

Peace! Sit you down, And let me wring your heart.

Such an act

That blurs the grace and blush of modesty...

Honeying and making love Over the nasty sty,

A murderer and a villain...

-SHOUTS:

-For my mother!

Who were you shouting that at?

Probably Katy, mostly.

Yeah.

I actually felt pretty good about doing it.

Today's the opening night of Blue Apple's Hamlet.

The venue's a local school.

The mood is tense.

Really scary.

Oh, my God.

Where is my...?

Let me...

Where is my father?

APPLAUSE

-You all right?

-I'm upset.

You did really well, James.

I'm still getting annoyed.

There's no time for any more rehearsals.

The production's booked to play at 14 different venues.

Soon, the tour's in full swing.

Audience numbers are pretty good and the show's well-received.

After five nights, it's starting to come together.

The actors are now heading to Cornwall,

it's the first time they've been away from home as a group.

MUSIC: "Horny As A Dandy" by Mousse T vs The Dandy Warhols

# I searched from town to town but I can't find my boo-ooh-ooh

# I got so desperate that I sent a rocket to the moon

# I sent a message through the internet but it rejected

# I wrote a letter and I sent it with the po-o-ost

# The post it takes so long, so I've got to sing this song

# To let you know how I feel, what's the deal, baby

# And I can't wait for you, and the things you make me do

# My heart is ringing so I'm singing this song for you

# And I like you, yeah, I like you

# And I like you, I like you, I like you,

# I like you, I like you, I like you, I like you

# And I feel whoa-ho, whoo!

# Ooh-ooh-ooh... #

This is the best day of my life with Tommy.

They're staying at a local youth hostel.

Tommy and Lawrie are sharing a room.

..In here.

In there and all the way to the end.

Yeah, all right.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

I don't know.

I've always been in love with Tommy, ever since I first met him

in the Blue Apple.

And we've been in roles, him and me, and I'm so close to him

and I care for him.

Would you ever go out with Lawrie?

Not in a million years.

There's...

No offence...

No offence, but I think of you as a friend, but not in that way.

Yeah.

What about what Tommy says about your feelings for him?

Hurtful.

I see Lawrie as a really good friend...

..I reckon.

Because we both know how each other's feeling.

Will being friends be enough for you?

No.

The Rose Theatre, London.

It's the last night of the tour and the grandest stage by far.

There's a real buzz in the air.

This is the culmination of months and months of hard work.

So, CAN a group of actors with Down's pull off Hamlet?

I just can't stop my feet shaking.

I just can't stop my feet.

Can Lawrie conquer his nerves?

Will James remember his lines?

And can Tommy find his voice?

CROWD CHATTERS

Welcome, friends.

I am Hamlet the Dane.

# To be or not to be. #

APPLAUSE

My Lord, the Queen must speak to you.

Do you see yonder cloud,

that's almost of a shape of a camel?

By the moon! It does look like a camel.

Methinks it is like a weasel.

A bit like a weasel.

Or like a whale?

Very like a whale.

He's far gone, far gone.

LAUGHTER

O, my offence is rank it smells to heaven -

O wretched state! O bosom black as death!

Help, angels!

Bow, stubborn knees - and all may be well.

MELANCHOLIC SINGING

I pray you all,

that whatsoever else shall hap' tonight...

..you look through our sad performance

and see that we,

fools of nature,

are wondrous too.

Easy, Hamlet.

No more, no more - the king, the king's to blame.

Murderous, incestuous, damned Dane!

Follow my mother!

Why?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# I feel so alive, mmm

# Oh, I feel so alive... #

HE CHEERS

LOUD CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I went three times!

# Oh, I feel so alive... #

I'm just gobsmacked how amazing it was.

I thought it was stunning.

Absolutely fantastic production.

I never believed I'd really understand Shakespeare.

What's so good about acting is,

it's gives yourself an explosion of feelings.

We're famous...and I can't believe it for my life.

HE LAUGHS

My nan didn't like it, she thought it was a bit boring.

# Oh, I feel so alive

# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

# Oh, I'm not going to lose

# I feel so alive. #