Ray Dooley

I’ve never been hang gliding, but I’m guessing that playing An Oak Tree must be very much like it. You prepare, which in this case is the time before the show with Tim, and then you step over the edge. After that you are held up by the play, riding the updrafts and coasting down, until you land an hour later, astonished and very glad you’ve taken the ride.

Any actor who plays the role has to be struck by the purity of the experience. Good acting is about receiving in the moment and then reacting, and in the case of An Oak Tree there is only the moment. You proceed with utter confidence, absolutely unsure about what will happen next, and then you look out, and there are people wiping tears from their eyes.

My only regret is that I can’t have Tim around all the time, saying, “You’re doing brilliantly….”