A galaxy far, far away awaits the Lavant Players!

Lavant Players regular Richard Whincop will be donning the Spock ears as the company goes Star Trekkin' for its January production.
Richard Whincop and Toni HollowayRichard Whincop and Toni Holloway
Richard Whincop and Toni Holloway

Richard is loving the thought of it: “I don’t know whether it reflects my character or not! But I am really enjoying it. It is a great part, a fascinating part to play. He is not exactly like the Spock in the TV series. It is all a bit of a spoof really. He is not really as logical and as professional as you might expect.

“He has got his little obsessions with things like where do you go to the toilet when you are in outer space. He takes all this equipment with him everywhere for every eventuality. He has also got a little love interest with Lieutenant Vina, but he is oblivious to her because of his inability to read human emotions. Really the plot is the unravelling of that.”

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The piece is an original story of love and adventure set on a space ship and in a galaxy far far away. Will our brave heroes defeat the evil emperor?

“There is also an interesting diversion where the USS Enterprise goes off into the Star Wars universe. I get to play Darth Veda as well!

“It’s all a comedy really, an affectionate send-up of Star Trek. The director is putting a lot of effort into the set as well.

“I moved to Chichester in 2010 and I had been involved in drama for quite a few years in Glasgow. When I moved here, I wanted to get involved in something similar. I have been involved in doing some of the sets as well. I am an artist by trade.

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“I have been in various Lavant Players productions over the years. I have had quite a wide range of parts. I just really love playing different characters and getting inside their heads. I just love being someone else rather than myself! It is really interesting getting into the different mind sets and outlooks and how they move and just trying to be different.

“I suppose there is a cross-over in some ways with my figurative painting in that I like to tell a story. Often there is a narrative element. It is about engaging an audience and thinking of ways to involve them. It is the same kind of thing when you are acting. There is obviously a more immediate contact with the audience, but when you are doing a painting, you are still thinking about what the audience’s reaction is going to be and the impact you are going to have. When I am doing a painting, I am also thinking what is it going to look like from a distance, and it is the same with acting. You are thinking that your impression needs to be larger than life. You have got to be able to make the person at the back of the room respond. It is all about engaging with the imagination.”

Star Trekkin’ runs in Lavant Memorial Hall from January 24-27. Tickets for the show are available from the Lavant Players website on www.lavantplayers.net. Or call 07549 658161.

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