Damian Lynch is a British actor and voiceover artist, currently starring in War Horse at the Royal Concert Hall. Emma Hornsby spoke to Damian to get a glimpse behind the scenes of this momentous and memorable theatre production.
For any of our readers who may be unfamiliar, what is War Horse about?
War Horse is set in the backdrop of the First World War, and it charts the story of a boy, Albert, and his horse, Joey. We see Joey from the start, as a foal, and we see him go through the war separated from Albert. A lot of the story is about finding out whether they get reunited at all towards the end, but we encounter lots of different characters who are all on their own paths. It's a story, I would say, of love and humanity.
And what about the characters your playing?
I play two characters. One is the auctioneer called Chapman Carter, and we see him at the start of the show, auctioning off Joey. And then, like many of the other people in the village, you see Chapman kind of react to the introduction of the First World War, and himself and lots of other men, as happened at that time, go off to fight in the war. And then in the second half of the play, I am playing a colonel, a German Colonel called Strauss, who has probably been on the on the front line a little bit too long…
What has it been like being on tour?
We’ve become a family, really. It really helps that everyone gets on, because when you’re away from home it can be really challenging being away from – not just your family and friends – but being away from your physical home. You’re staying in other people’s houses, you’re staying in different beds, all that kind of stuff. Just knowing we have the constant of the show, and the constant of the community that we’ve built, is really fantastic.
The puppeteers that work in a team have to know how to communicate with each other when they’re onstage, without words. They’ve basically developed a language. It’s absolutely fantastic to be on stage with that
In your opinion, what are some of the most powerful elements of this stage adaptation?
It's a real theatrical spectacle. Everything works together to make this the show it is. That's one of the reasons I love it so much, because every single person in the show is integral, whether they are on stage or whether they are off stage. Every single person has a role to play, which is what makes this so fantastic.
I have two favourite moments. One is the transformation when we see young Joey become an adult. It’s absolutely brilliant, you have to see it to believe it really. Also, there is a section in Act Two where you see soldiers advancing onto the onto the stage, and it's mirrored by the animation and the lighting as well. It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. Even now, having done 200 shows, there are still elements that that surprise me, move me and affect me.
What’s it like working with the puppets? How do they work?
Each of the horse puppets has three puppeteers operating it. You have the head, the heart and the hind, and they work together to make sure that they are all moving as one. That was the reason for the two-week puppet school to go over the basics of puppeteering. So, the puppeteers that work in a team have to know how to communicate with each other when they’re onstage, without words. They’ve basically developed a language so that they know when its time for a rear, when it’s time for a whinny, all that kind of stuff. It’s absolutely fantastic to be on stage with that. Often, when people come and see the show, they comment on how amazing the horses are and how realistic they look. But also, people are like: the horse sound effects, that’s all pre-recorded? No, it’s the puppeteers in there making those noises.
And when you’re onstage with them, you do react to them as if they were live horses. In the same way that you wouldn't stand behind a horse in real life, you don't do that on stage. Because if you do anything to spook a horse, you know, you're going to know about it. The puppets were created by a company called Handspring Puppet Company based in South Africa. I think it takes something like eight months to build a complete set of puppets for War Horse, and each one of them is handmade. There’s a real love of passion and dedication to the design of these horses, and you can see that on stage as well.
There’s a lot going on in the world, and I think that sometimes we may forget about our own and other people's humanity. It's a really good reminder of humanity, of empathy, of caring for others, about love, about hope
Of course, the play is set in World War One. What do you think contemporary audiences can take from this production?
You know, we are living in interesting times. There’s a lot going on in the world, and I think that sometimes we may forget about our own and other people's humanity. It's a really good reminder of humanity, of empathy, of caring for others, about love, about hope. I think these are kind of timeless subjects, really. Whether it's in the First World War or the Second World War, or now, are still really relevant. I think this show is even more relevant now than it has been in the past. If we look at the political climate, and what's going on in the world right now, I think it's really, really pertinent.
Am I correct you lived in Nottingham? What has it been like returning here to perform?
I did, indeed. I studied at University of Nottingham, so I lived there for three years. Really, really interested to go back to my Uni city. It's been a while. I'm hoping to get the chance, if we have time, to take a little trip down memory lane, go onto campus and see how that's changed. Yeah, I had a really happy time at Nottingham. Even though I studied languages, that was where I started really being quite passionate about drama.
The Nottingham New Theatre was really pivotal in me becoming an actor. There was such a great community in Nottingham New Theatre in terms of actors, writers, directors. My first show was West Side Story, and I just had a lot of great fun. So, it was around there, I'd be on campus and be thinking about maybe becoming an actor. Then I'd go home and think I should probably do something else. I kind of toyed with that for years, but really it was Nottingham that kind of sparked that for me, that love of acting.
Do you have any advice for anyone interested in getting into theatre?
Try and go to see as much theatre as possible. Whether that’s the more commercial stuff, whether it's local, whatever it is, and start to get a feel for what you like and what you don't like. You know, in terms of writing, directing and acting. Write off to your local theatres. Try and get internships if you can. Just try and get involved with as much stuff as possible, get together with other like-minded people. Do play readings, all of that sort of stuff.
It's a really wonderful community and industry to be a part of, but it can take some time to kind of find your niche. I would say, if it's something that you really want to do, put the work in and hopefully you will kind of find your place in the theatre world.
War Horse is on at the Royal Concert Hall between Wednesday 7 - Sunday 18 May. Head to the link below for tickets and read our review here.
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