Award-winning actor Katy Stephens has appeared in leading roles at Shakespeare's Globe and the Royal Shakespeare Company with whom she is an Associate Artist. She will be familiar to fans of the popular long-running TV series, London’s Burning from her role as Nicky Parrish, and she also co-presented the children’s TV Show The Fun Song Factory in the 1990s. In addition to performing, Katy also runs Bold as Bard with Ego Performance Company in Coventry, a Shakespeare theatre company for adults with learning disabilities. She has most recently been on stage as the White Witch, Queen of Narnia, in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Leeds Playhouse and Chris Harper Productions) and will be in Oxford this month, taking on the role of Martha in Edward Albee’s coruscating masterpiece, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at The Oxford Playhouse. We wanted to know
What Makes Katy…
Happy
Lots of things make me happy but I’m at my most content when I wake up early in the morning and my son and his dog are fast asleep upstairs. Particularly in the summer: a peaceful cup of tea knowing they’re safe in bed before the chaos commences.
Sad
Having to say goodbye to people you work with. I’ve just finished 15 months on tour with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it was heart breaking saying goodbye to everyone. You become this close little family and then suddenly it’s gone in a puff of smoke. I’ve been part of this industry for 36 years now and it doesn’t get any easier.
Angry
My son walking through the house in his work boots. I don’t get angry about much but that makes me furious!
Confident
Knowing I have enough money in my account to pay the bills. That hasn’t always been the case in this business.
Reflective
My time working with Michael Boyd at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I worked with him on the History plays and As You Like It. He taught us so much, about everything. Acting, history, politics, life … there’s no doubt that all my work is informed by those years. I do spend a lot of time thinking about it.
Romantic
My Mum and Dad, they’ve known each other since they were teenagers. Still as in love as they ever were. A formidable team. An amazing example for anyone.
About the play:
One evening. Two couples. No place to hide.
Welcome to the small hours at George and Martha’s – the alcohol is flowing, masks are off, and the mind games are just getting started.
Disillusioned university professor George and his wife Martha invite an unwitting younger couple, Nick and Honey, into their home. It’s not long before things spiral into the very heart of a tempestuous and volatile relationship. What starts as a spur of the moment nightcap turns into a psychological showdown.
Oxford Playhouse marks its return to producing with the main stage production of Edward Albee’s emotionally devastating Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The first production directed by Artistic Director, Mike Tweddle, this revival celebrates the play’s return to the Oxford Playhouse stage after 25 years.
Mike Tweddle comments: “Staging it in Oxford feels uniquely powerful: it’s a story rooted in the tensions, hierarchies and power games of an academic town… This play is a storytelling rollercoaster showcasing everything that great theatre can offer to our curious and adventurous audiences.”
This production coincides with the 60th anniversary of the celebrated film adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose connection to the Oxford Playhouse includes their appearance in the 1966 Oxford University Dramatic Society production of Doctor Faustus, directed by Nevill Coghill.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will be at the Oxford Playhouse from 20 February-7
March, for tickets and further information visit, Oxford Playhouse
