In our profile series, Tell Us In Ten, we ask cast members and creatives of top London shows to tell us all about themselves in just 10 questions. From how they got their start in the industry to their favourite shows, we want to know everything.
This time we’re chatting to David Reed, actor, writer, comedian and specifically the co-writer and previous co-star (along with Humphrey Ker) of Sherlock Holmes And The 12 Days Of Christmas, playing at the Alexandra Palace Theatre from 24 Nov to 17 Jan.
1) My route into theatre was…
Pinpointing the exact point any of us decide to do this for a living is a bit tricky. I’d always made things: sketches, short plays, short stupid films, long stupid films, comic strips, songs, lo-fi video games… but the first time I was paid to write a script was a special moment. That was for BBC radio. I’d taken a comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006 with my sketch troupe, The Penny Dreadfuls, and we were approached to turn it into a radio series. Other opportunities opened up from there and I’ve been writing professionally ever since.
2) The thing I love most about my job is…
Handing over a finished script to a cast and watching it come to life, morph from something private that exists only inside your head into a collective endeavour that suddenly has the ability to engage and move and entertain complete strangers. It’s the point at which it begins to evolve through the care and choices of others and to grow into something more than you. It all becomes very real and it’s incredibly satisfying to witness.
3) My favourite show from present or past (that isn’t one I have worked on) is…
I’m a bore who doesn’t tend to harbour favourites (zzzz, shut up David!), but a show that was extremely influential to me was The Woman In Black. I saw a production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough when I was a teenager that starred a pre-The Office Martin Freeman and it was just class. He was brilliant, the writing was beautiful and they created such an incredible atmosphere with so little that, if I’m being perfectly honest with myself, I think it probably hooked me far more back then than seeing The Glass Menagerie or Anthony Sher do Macbeth.
4) A misconception about my job is…
…that writer’s block exists. You just haven’t made a friend of failure yet. It’s a vital part of the process.
5) The hardest part about my job is…
Switching off at the end of the day to allow yourself to sleep. Writing often feels like solving a puzzle in three or more dimensions. A puzzle you care deeply about solving. Putting it down on cue and leaving it until tomorrow is easier said than done, but is vital if you don’t want to burn out.
6) The career moment I’m most proud of is…
Maybe making Richard E. Grant say “douche cloth!”…
7) On my days off I like to…
Veg and see friends. I wish I grabbed life more by the horns, but I don’t.
8) My daily work rituals include…
Black coffee, Duolingo Spanish and singing a few songs whilst I noodle on the piano. All done before I head up to my office.
9) My inspiration is…
No idea, I don’t know how to do anything else??
10) The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
I can’t recall anyone ever having given me advice. Is that weird? Advice is overrated. Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll work it out.
Get your tickets to see David’s work in Sherlock Holmes And The 12 Days Of Christmas at the Alexandra Palace Theatre below!
