Local actress Lara Lemon has swapped the box office for centre stage. Jane McGowan finds out more
When actress Lara Lemon steps out on to the stage at the Rose Theatre for her role in thriller Strictly Murder next month, it will be a big moment for the young actress, who in the past has worked in the venue’s box office in between acting roles.
“Yes, it’s quite funny – I could be selling tickets to my own show,” she laughs.
Lara, originally from Guildford, is currently touring in Strictly Murder by Brian Clemens, a Second World War nail-biter set in France, alongside Coronation Street villain Brian Capron and Emmerdale actor Gary Turner. Lara plays Suzy, a young woman living in apparent bliss with her boyfriend Peter until a mysterious stranger from Peter’s past arrives and their world is thrown into disarray.
“It’s actually quite risque for 1939,” she admits. “Suzy is a great character. She’s independent, she has her own job and she’s a bit headstrong but the plot takes her on a very interesting journey.”
The former Tormead School pupil developed a love for drama at a young age and signed up to the Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre – which interestingly, is another venue on the play’s impressive seven-month run.
“The youth theatre was brilliant – I made so many friends and it was a great starting point,” she says. “As I child I was painfully shy and the acting really built my confidence.”
After leaving school, Lara chose not to follow the full-time drama school route, opting instead to join a repertory company in Reading. She has worked steadily ever since – winning awards and plaudits along the way – although she acknowledges, the profession “is sometimes tougher than I thought it would be”.
Nevertheless her enthusiasm for her art is undimmed: “It’s the best job in the world. The highs definitely outweigh the lows.”
And if the lows include working in one of our best local theatres, then even they sound pretty good to me!
- Strictly Murder is at The Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford from Sept 18-23 (yvonne-arnaud.co.uk) and at The Rose Theatre, Kingston from September 26-30 (rosetheatrekingston.org)
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