Katy Cavanagh and Colin Connor on Two 2
As Bolton Octagon theatre plays host to a double bill of Jim Cartwright's plays, we sit down with the actors, Katy Cavanagh and Colin Connor
The titles of Bolton Octagon’s current productions are a tad tricky to talk about. First, there is Two, the 1989 Jim Cartwright play about a Northern couple who run a pub. Next, there is its sequel, Two 2, which will receive its world premiere on 10 February and makes for all kinds of confusion when you’re ordering tickets: “Is that two for Two or just one for Two 2?” Working in the Octagon’s ticket office at the moment must be rather like living inside a Two Ronnies sketch.
But while the titles can cause confusion, the casting makes perfect sense. Katy Cavanagh comes off the back of a successful stint on Coronation Street as the lovelorn Julie Carp, while Colin Connor has the sound of two Manchester Theatre Award nominations ringing in his ears.
As we sit down for lunch, the actors look pretty tired. “And we’ve not even got to the really challenging bit yet,” says Cavanagh. “That will be when the first one is playing and we’re rehearsing the second one.”
“We’re not going to be able to speak by that point,” adds Connor. In fact, the duo continually finish each other's sentences, much like a stereotypical old married couple – minus the bitterness.
“I’ve admired her from afar, I’ve sent her fan letters,” jokes Connor. “But really, it is a brave thing to come out of Corrie and into something like this.”
While that might sound like hyperbole, both plays really are a tough test for any actor. For a start, Connor and Cavanagh play seven parts apiece. Throw in some audience interaction, karaoke and a whole host of invisible props and you’ve got yourself a pretty big challenge, worlds away from the short, sharp bursts of television acting.
“It is a totally different process to TV,” confirms Cavanagh, “but it is much more rewarding. You don’t get time to get your teeth into your work with TV, whereas the live thing is electric. It has been a very healing experience – it has restored my faith in myself. When I started this process I wasn’t sure I could do it but now I know I can.”
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What is that process like? How does director David Thacker get the actors to feel so comfortable around one another?
"He sits back and won’t interfere until he doesn’t believe you. Then he will say something,” says Connor.
“You can try anything – some stuff sticks, some stuff doesn’t,” Cavanagh continues. “It’s proper playing – it gets to a place where you’re vulnerable and can take risks.”
Playing and vulnerability are at the heart of both plays, which, depending on who you ask, are either fantastically funny or seriously sad. “I think it is a comedy, but at the centre is a love story between two people and the pub is their child," says Connor.
“It is one of those plays where comedy and tragedy sit right together,” agrees Cavanagh. “I could come off laughing while someone watching might be crying.”
So what's next for the pair once the curtain falls on Two and Two 2? As is often the case in their profession, neither actor knows where their next gig might be; Connor plans to work on a play about his grandparents, and might re-stage his Manchester Theatre Award-nominated one-man play Mr Smith, while Cavanagh is also “dabbling in the dark art of writing,” and has a few TV scripts up her sleeve.
But for now it's back to the rehearsal room, to a job they both clearly love. “An awful lot of people have to do stuff they don’t want to do,” says Connor, before Cavanagh adds: “We know we’re lucky to be doing this – and enjoying every minute of it.”
Two (until 6 Feb) and Two 2 (10-27 Feb), Bolton Octagon, £10.50-£27. Evening performances 7.30pm; 5pm and 2pm matinees available, see website for details