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Jenny Jules and Danny Sapani
21 March 2007
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Jenny Jules’ Biography
Jenny Jules’ theatre work includes Fabulation, Gem of the Ocean, Walk Hard, Talk Loud, The Promise and The Colour of Justice all for the Tricycle Theatre, Born Bad at Hampstead and When we are Married at Birmingham Rep. Her television credits include Casualty, Golden Hour, Judge John Deed and I Saw You. Jenny Jules can be seen in the Almeida’s production of Big White Fog which runs from 11 May – 30 June.
Danny Sapani’s Biography
Danny Sapani’s numerous theatre credits include The Overwhelming and His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, Julius Caesar at the Globe, Macbeth at the Arcola Theatre directed by Max Stafford-Clark and Never Land directed by Steven Pimlott at the Royal Court.On television he has appeared in Blue Murder, Little Britain, Serious & Organised and In Deep and will be seen in the new BBC series, Holby Blue to be aired this spring. Sapani can also be seen in the Almeida’s production of Big White Fog from 11 May – 30 June.
Interview
Interviewer:
So, do you two know each other?
Jenny:
Yes, we do. Yes.
Danny:
We do. We’ve known of each other professionally for a long time and met about a month before we both decided to do this job. Last year…
Jenny:
Yes so that’s been a blessing really. I’ve always wanted to work with Danny.
Interviewer:
And when you say this job is that ‘The Chain Play’ or is that because you’re working here very soon also aren’t you on ‘Big White Fog’?
Jenny:
Yes, we are going to play husband and wife in the ‘Big White Fog’.
Interviewer:
Very good. And you’re also playing husband and wife in this piece as well? A little pattern repeating itself.
Both:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
That’s some good casting there.
Both:
Yeah (laughter)
Interviewer:
When you received the script for ‘The Chain Play’ did you try and guess who had written the links, was it obvious to you?
Jenny:
No, it wasn’t obvious at all. No, I couldn’t guess. I thought that some scenes had been written by people, by a different writer basically so I got I think two out of six. Yeah, I got four of them wrong. For instance there is a scene and I thought it was written by one of the women and it was actually written by one of the men!
Interviewer:
Very interesting. And so was it not until you all met at the beginning of the process that you were informed who had written each one?
Jenny:
Yes, we read the play altogether and then there was the reveal. We kind of tried to guess who had written each scene and then Tom told us who had written each scene. We were all going “Really?” (laughter).
Danny:
And quite surprised to know that some of the scenes or some of the writers overlap scenes so it is not as clear cut as you’d think.
Interviewer:
And are you going to be making it clear when you move from one writer to another in the production, or are you going to allow it to seamlessly flow?
Jenny:
We’re going to allow it to “seamlessly flow”. There’s not going to be any indication that another writer has come in. I think there will be indications of different scenes and because the scenes are joined and linked by the writers so it’s hardly – there’s one scene I think which finishes and that’s the end of that writer’s chapter. So, because the others are all intermingled, I think we should just carry on the scenes and indicate the end of scenes not the end of each writer.
Danny:
And it will be fun to guess.
Interviewer:
Yes, absolutely. And has your director, Tom, approached the rehearsal in a different way with it being written by six different writers?
Danny:
I guess not, really. No, we’ve sat down and we’ve talked about the play as a whole and not as separate scenes, because the characters do have a through line, they start off in the first play (sic) and they continue through the play. So we have been looking at it as a whole, but I think sometimes the change of style has been an interesting challenge to grapple with and so we have stopped to talk about how we will tackle a change of rhythm or a change of style but not necessarily the change in writer
Interviewer:
And now it’s Friday today and you’ve got a week until the performance. So how are you feeling about next week and the rehearsals and then about the show?
Danny:
Perhaps best to ask me that in er … (laughter)
Jenny/Inteviewer:
Next Friday!
Danny:
Yes, next Friday!
Jenny:
It hasn’t hit us yet, it hasn’t hit me yet that I am going to be performing this off book next Friday and we’re working on Saturday so there’s not that much time for us to learn.
Danny:
Yes.
Interviewer:
Well, all the very best of luck with it !
Danny/Jenny:
Thanks very much
The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and are not necessarily shared by Coutts & Co.
Ways to listen
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