STANDING in the wings, waiting to go on stage and counting down the seconds until the curtain goes up, fills actress Petra Massey with a mix of emotions ranging from fear to calm.
Every night a different feeling courses through the actress’s veins as she gets ready to entertain the audience along with her fellow Spymonkeys.
This is the same thrill of excitement she got when she first started performing as a four year-old.
Explaining this early start, Massey said: “I am an actress because I am a born show-off which I inherited from my father.
“In the sitting room of my family’s home there were curtains which separated the living room from the dining room.
“From the age of four I used these as the backdrop for my own personal stage where I would perform when mum was cleaning.
“I used to sing along with a brush in my hand, like an early karaoke, singing the songs from Bugsy Malone which I loved and knew all the words too.
“When I was ten years old I decided to put on my first professional show at the local Women’s Institute.
“I got my gang of friends involved and initially told them they would be in it but I ended up writing it, directing it and playing all the roles.
“In the show there was a moment where I threw a ‘bucket of water’ but there was no water as I had replaced it with caramel lollipops. The trouble was it was a hot summer’s day and all the lollipops had melted into a lump.
“When I threw it, the lump flew out and hit a women who was breast feeding her baby and it nearly knocked them out.
“This was my first comedy horror moment and from then I knew I had to be on the stage.”
From tomorrow, she is set to tread the boards at Royal & Derngate with Spymonkey’s latest offering, Oedipussy, which has been inspired by Barbarella and a touch of Bond.
This new play comes hot on the heels of the company’s critically acclaimed version of
Moby Dick.
Oedipussy is an outrageous no-holds-barred adaptation of the quintessential Greek tragedy – a tale of forbidden lust, accidental incest and violent murder.
Speaking about the play,
Massey said: “We knew with this show we wanted to do something like Barbarella in that sci-fi mode but to link it with a serious play.
“It was when our director, Emma Rice, came to see Moby Dick she came up with the title of this play, Oedipussy.
“The chemistry when we all got together to do this was crackling.
“It is interesting to see how a show develops and I tell people when they want advice to see what the show looks like in the early stages of development and then before it goes on stage.
“If you call this (acting) a job, then I love my job.
“The moment it stops being fun I would want to leave.”
She explained acting gives her a sense of camaraderie with her fellow
Spymonkeys and also being part of a bigger team with the crew and director as they all try to create something out of nothing.
As for playing her dream role, she added: “As we have our own company I can play any role I want.
“I can do any part so I can go from sex goddess to a bad boy.
“My clown name is Amanda Candice Sandra Bandy which is Mandy Candy Sandy and Bandy.
“This is my pseudonym but now we are all using our own names.
“This might not sound a great deal but it is for us – a real massive step.
“We can’t hide behind a name now.”
Oedipussy can be seen at Royal & Derngate from tomorrow until Saturday,
February 18, with tickets priced from £13 to £28.
To book call 01604 624811.
Due to scenes of nudity, the show is recommended for ages 14 and above.
