BEING offered the opportunity to learn
exciting new skills must surely be one of the perks of doing any job.
And for Rosalie Craig this has certainly been the case with her
latest project.
The Crystal Palace-based actress is
currently starring in The Light Princess at the National Theatre.
But far from being merely a stage play
where she keeps her feet firmly on terra firma, this new musical sees
Rosalie float above the stage for much of the proceedings.
Written by award-winning
singer-songwriter Tori Amos, its central characters are a prince
(Digby) and princess (Althea - played by Rosalie) who live in
opposing kingdoms. Both have lost their mothers but deal with their
grief in very different ways.
Digby becomes so heavy-hearted that he
can never smile and trains as a warrior and Althea is unable to cry,
becomes light with grief and floats.
"It's a fantastic story and very
well crafted," says Rosalie. "It's about growing up and
deals with those who may not be socially acceptable and how people
react to them.
"Althea grieves for her dead
mother and floats up to be near her but Digby is very grounded.
"That lightness is an aspect of
many things - being light of mind and in her relation to things that
are difficult to deal with."
To get her character to drift above the
stage, Rosalie had to train with aerial artists and acrobats,
something which, far from terrifying her, was an exciting
proposition.
"I've never done anything like
this before," she enthuses as we chat ahead of the show's
opening.
"Marianne (Elliott, the director)
came up with the brilliant idea about how Althea should float. It
involves acrobatics so I had to train with an Acroyoga teacher and
had to do aerial training.
"I have done a few musicals and
lots of general theatre so that's not new territory but the demands
of the physicality of the part really was. But it's a new journey
that's been a complete joy."
However, this journey was not for the
faint hearted as Rosalie had to train for 18 months, not just how to
get to grips and feel comfortable with all the equipment to keep her
up in the air and move around, but also to feel safe.
"It's not without its risks and
it's been pretty full on but it's been such a luxury to learn a new
skill and use it in a new job," she says.
"Physically and mentally it was
exhausting but it's been so exciting and fantastic fun, especially
working with Tori as she's incredible and so generous," she
says.
"She totally understands how a
musical should work and that songs need to be story and character
driven, rather than writing a song for the song's sake. She's
completely normal and approachable and not at all starry!" she
laughs cheerfully.
"She has been there every single
moment of every single day in rehearsals to make sure it's the best
it can be - whether it's to change the music slightly or to give
encouragement and that's been invaluable for me especially given what
I have to do!
"I've also had to learn to trust
the rest of the cast in a completely different way and to just go
with it."
But despite the demands of the role,
Rosalie says she has rarely felt nervous.
"I've just thrown myself into it,"
she laughs.
"I think I've been of the mindset
that if I worry about being up in the air then I won't be able to do
it."
This mindset has extended to other
potentially nervewracking situations on stage, including her recent
appearance in Table at the National's Shed stage in which she
stripped off.
"It was one of those things that
if I'd thought about it, it could have been a problem," she
admits. "It was just another part of the show but was handled so
respectively, sensitively and tastefully it really didn't feel as
though it was a big deal."
Rosalie puts her "get on with it"
and "can do" attitude down to her training at Rose Bruford
College in Sidcup.
"I can't really remember not
wanting to be an actress and part of a theatre company," she
says.
"I love that I always felt like
that. It made things very easy and my parents were supportive and I
was so lucky to go to Rose Bruford.
"It was great training - hard work
and long hours but was an incredibly good foundation and gave me a
good grounding and attitude to work."
And as for the future Rosalie says she
just wants to keep working.
"I don't have a role that I covert
particularly but I'd love to stay at the National!" she says.
"It's such an amazing theatre and
it attracts people who are creative and brave which is fantastic.
There's also a sense of community here which is rare. I love it and
I'd like to stay here for the rest of my life," she laughs
heartily.
"Also, I live in Crystal Palace so
it's very easy to get to work which is a massive help - it's a great
place to be based. I've lived here for four years and I love it.
"It's just fantastic - it's green,
there are lots of lovely independent shops and it's lovely to just be
able to potter around.
"There are also a lot of festivals
and food markets which I love!"
As well as the National, Rosalie admits
to ambitions of working on screen.
"I'd love to do a bit of TV and
film which I have not done much of," she says. "The good
thing about this job is that there are so many possibilities and I'm
keen to grab as many as I can - I've been very lucky so far.
"And this role has really inspired
me and has been a great thing to do to banish any fears within
myself.
"I'd also like to keep up this new
skill and use it in the future - it will feel quite bizarre to put my
feet on the ground again!"
Whatever she does next, it's clear that
Rosalie is quite literally a rising star.
The Light Princess is on at the
National Theatre's Lyttelton stage until Thursday, January 9.
Tickets from £12. Call the box office
on 020 7452 3000.
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