Joanna Scanlan (1980), on Her Path from BATS to Fame, Describes Her Experiences As One of the First Women at Queens’
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Issue 6 | Spring 2017 From Girl with the Pearl Earring to The Thick of It Joanna Scanlan (1980), on her path from BATS to fame, describes her experiences as one of the first women at Queens’. Page 2 Ian Derry/Channel 4 Picture Publicity CompSci entrepreneur: Cape Guy's Making sense of the Exploring plant Ben Nicholson (2002) U.S. election iridescence Page 4 Page 8 Page 10 Luke Jones photography Luke 2 THE BRIDGE | Spring 2017 academically – having chosen to read Law, a course which, looking back, wasn’t for me – and I wasn’t going to acting auditions. However, by the end of that first year, I had picked myself up, realising that I’d worked hard thus far to reach Cambridge and perform in Footlights, etc., so I had better get out and audition. By Michaelmas of second year, having switched from Law to Joanna in her former room, History – a course that I absolutely adored E3. She explored the College – you couldn’t stop me. I began going to with her husband Neil and auditions and, all in, did 22 productions over met the current occupant, those next two years. I thrived, performing Lucy Dickson - also an actress. in classical drama and comedies – any role, any society I could get my hands on: • ADC Footlights • SADCo - (Sidney Sussex’s amateur “We were the 39 steps” dramatics society) with Andrew Rawnsley (now political journalist) (the number of women at Queens’ in that and Diane Samuels (now author). • Mummers (a very fashionable society first year of co-education) at the time). • European Touring Group – we did Joanna Scanlan (1980) something like 21 countries in 21 days, performing in Romeo and Juliet with Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Dromgoole, Acting & writing, Joanna Scanlan (1980) is an unstoppable creative mind. Often known Jo Unwin (1981) and Peter Bradshaw for her dry comedic roles – Getting On, The Thick of It, Rev; more recently she can be – what a fantastic time around Europe! spotted in her heart-breaking performance as Charles Dickens’s slighted wife and irrepressible police DI in No Offence. She returns to Queens’ to tell us about the early • The Marlowe Society – They always days of women at College and how her path to fame wasn’t always so easy. bring in a professional guest Director; in March 1982 we mounted The Alchemist, directed by Jenny Killick, It was the beginning of a brave new world. was not much of a tradition of students acting alongside Tilda Swinton and The 70s had changed everything. Women studying at Oxbridge from my school. Simon Russell Beale. I’m still in touch were going through massive social change with Tilda and godmother to her and I wanted to be a part of it. children. Growing pains… • And of course, BATS, the Queens’ I come from a family of strong women Life at Queens’ wasn’t entirely idyllic at Drama Society but not necessarily feminist, rather pre- the outset; I’m not sure the Fellows fully feminist – part of the matriarchal society appreciated what they were in store for. It that traditionally existed in the North. I had was a completely new dynamic: we were a I never stopped… it was a frenetic pace: a couple of excellent teachers at school: one minority of women surrounded by a much lunchtime performances, evenings, running was a drama teacher, Jan Morris – young larger community of men. I remember a from play to play; I performed at Edinburgh and fresh from seventies London – and number of men trying to assert themselves Fringe every summer. My coursework an older art teacher, Mrs Tietze, who had early on as the alphas: encounters with certainly suffered for it and I remember feminist leanings. Mrs Tietze developed sports clubs where members stood on JCR having fractious encounters with one of my a syllabus for us to learn History of Art tables to moon the girls or men climbing supervisors, Professor Vic Gatrell, who was and Architecture, as there had been no through windows to frighten or seduce us - incensed that I had not been handing in curriculum for the A level at our school it was a charged environment. essays on time. He softened, however, after previously. I focused on interesting women he’d read in The Sunday Times that Peter painters: Gwen John, Kathe Kollwitz and There were a few provisions in place: the Jukes (1980) and I had won Best Director Berthe Morisot, each of whom awakened one women’s loo, equipped with floral and Best Actress, respectively, in the National me to the importance of a woman putting wallpaper and tampon machine, and a new Student Drama Festival. Beginning the next herself forward in the world, that it was a female DoS, Professor Naomi Segal, who term, he sent a note, “So sorry I harried you, duty to be a pioneer and take the knocks. was brought in to help with any situation I didn’t realise you were serious. Good luck to involving a female student. Other than that… you.” I was stunned. Extra-curricular activities Rather naively, when I discovered that were huge at Cambridge at the time; they Queens’ was the only college that year I’d come from a girls’ boarding school; this were considered a big part of your education, admitting women for the first time, I thought, male attention was all new and I didn’t and it is perhaps what I valued most - along “that’s for me”. I wanted the challenge know how to handle it, on the whole. with the tremendous friends I made during and to be part of the historic moment. My Initially that first year was a shock to me that time, whom I have remained deeply teachers encouraged me to go for it – there and I retreated inward, not doing my best connected to throughout my life. 3 20/20 hindsight I absorbed a tremendous amount about utensils; we held a banquet with food of the After graduation, I remember it feeling as politics, the business of politicking on a daily time, including a swan! though most of my acting peers became basis. I learnt about power, Westminster, instant successes. However, looking back, about party politics; how people manipulate Working in films may be my favourite; I love some of the people who were the most and broker. Unbeknownst to me, it was the authenticity that comes with set design, heralded of our day did not break through. brilliant research for The Thick of It; my down to the finest detail. I create a dialogue Naturally, a couple of the greats immediately character Terri was wholly based on my with the objects, which reinforces my sense broke into the industry: Simon and Tilda; experiences there. of characterisation. There is something Morwenna Banks was another. interesting about the suspended space between “action” and “cut”, it feels as though Fork in the road you are somehow disconnected from time. Life after Cambridge I knew in my heart of hearts that I was The end of education hit me hard: no more fundamentally a practitioner. In the mid- structure. Forging my own path and earning 90s, I left my job at the Arts Council to focus Comedy or drama? a living was daunting. I hit a brick wall. Peers on acting. Not easy, but I found my acting People tell me I’m funny (even when acting would talk about ‘the Milkround’ and Arthur feet at 34. The roles started to trickle in… completely straight) though I don’t feel most Andersen graduate schemes – instead, I first television, acting predominantly in comfortable there. I like a combination: No buried my head in the sand. medical roles – I sometimes feel as though Offence, my current project where I play I’m a qualified GP – and, later, film. Detective Inspector Vivienne Deering, is Imagine the reality check, moving from the a great example; essentially, I’m playing a hallowed halls of Queens’ Old Court and dramatic role, but with comedic elements – finding myself in a council flat in Southeast Finding my way a perfect marriage for me. London, paying £10/week, and overlooking I loved working on Channel 4’s Coming the post-industrial landscape of Surrey Docks Soon (2000), all about an experimental What’s Next: being transformed into yuppie Surrey Quays. theatre troupe. Another dark comedy where I had to work out what I was going to do. I I channelled my Arts Council experience, • A third season of No Offence – I love wandered to my local community theatre – it featured early performances by David playing DI Vivienne Deering. Rotherhithe Theatre Workshop, affiliated with Walliams, Julia Davis, Omid Djalili and was Dartington College of Arts – and started to where I met now long-time collaborator Vicki • Co-writing an American adaptation of work with the community making plays, Pepperdine…we were all unknowns then. Puppy Love for HBO with Vicki; it was dance, pantomime; we created all sorts of originally written for British audiences theatrical projects for all-comers: the elderly, The moment I felt as though I had finally and aired on BBC Four. We’ve gone young mums and toddlers, the disabled. found my place in the industry was filming to America for research as the whole Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003). It thing will be set in Boulder, Colorado. This period marked a new wave of was my first feature film and I loved the It’s a familiar process as we adapted education for me – antipodal to my subject; Vermeer and the Dutch School.