Interview with Any Means Necessary Actor Kate Sissons

 

What’s your role in Any Means Necessary?

I play Mel, who is the central character. She’s a keen activist, and she has a relationship with Dave, who is an undercover officer. She’s deeply honest, very straightforward and always says what she needs to say no matter what the consequences are. But she’s also very private, and keeps her circle of friends tight. She’s fiercely protective of her friends, very loyal, and kind. She assumes that Dave shares all those values because he’s so skilled at mirroring her. She’s a very strong woman.

 

How have rehearsals been going so far?

Really well. I’m enjoying being in the rehearsal room because we’ve got such a lovely cast, and Giles Croft our director is really clever and such a lovely person to work with. Kefi Chadwick, the writer, has been in a lot of rehearsals because while we’ve been working on it, some of the lines have changed organically. So she’s been there to pick up on the little things to iron it out and make it the best play it can be. The process has been gorgeous.

 

I’ve heard that the set is quite spectacular…

Yeah, it is. It’s all on different levels because each section of the set represents a part of Dave’s life. You see it all in one go. He’s the one walking from scene to scene, everyone else is already there. It’s his world you’re seeing. Not that my sympathies lie with these undercover officers, but it must have been so confusing for them sometimes, trying to juggle everything.

 

How much have you researched into the case?

Kefi Chadwick has introduced us to a couple of the women who had relationships with the undercover officers so that was really useful. And I spent a lot of time at the Sumac Centre which is where a lot of activists ‘hang out’. Of course, before I started rehearsing I read all the news articles, and did my own research. We met a couple of the women who had these relationships, they were so lovely and normal – for want of a better word.

They were so incredibly articulate about their experience, and they were so warm that it’s hard to imagine them being abused like that. In terms of research, that was the most important piece for me because the journey that my character, Mel, goes on, is an emotional journey. What you really see in this play is the damage that’s done to someone in this situation. But also, yes damage is done, but hopefully you get the impression that they’ve really picked the wrong woman. She’s a lioness. You kick her down, but you get the impression that it’s not gonna be for long.

 

What was it like meeting the women?

They were lovely. I didn’t know what to expect. For all I knew from reading stuff online, they’d been traumatised. I didn’t know what to expect so I just kept an open mind. The people that I met, they’re not dangerous criminals, these are kind-hearted, intelligent women, whose interests lie in making the world a better place for everyone. The idea that they were being spied on in that is just completely appalling and bizarre. It was lovely to meet them and really important as well. From an actor’s point of view, you can’t get better research than something like this. It’s a true story. Even though my character is an amalgamation of several women, she is a fictional character. They were really helpful, and keen that we tell the truth. 

 

Do you feel any pressure about playing someone who has experienced this in the real world?

Yeah. Not so much pressure, but I feel like I have to honour it. It’s a big responsibility because, even though Mel is a fictional character, she’s an amalgamation of every woman Kefi Chadwick has got to know over the last two and a half years. Because of the need for anonymity, there was a need to create a character that could convey the personal truth of being spied on, without actually exposing anyone.

I assume people will come to watch this who have been affected by it personally, and I would hate for them to come away feeling that it wasn’t done justice or that we hadn’t worked hard enough. I do feel a weight of responsibility and I’m very proud to be involved. It’s very thrilling, and wonderful to have a big meaty part like this. Having met the women, they’re so cool. They’re extremely private, they’re not fame seekers. That’s why they’re anonymous.

 

I know that Kefi pointed out that it was only women who were targeted in this way.

Yeah, as far as I know there were no men that were targeted. And all of the officers involved who had relationships undercover, they’re all married, and they’ve all got divorced. Which would indicate to me, that they’re not monsters, they’re human beings. And they probably just cracked up. They were having seriously intimate relationships with people, and lying to them for years on end. That cannot be good for their psyche. You’re bound to crack up at some point.

 

Any Mean Necessary premieres at Nottingham Playhouse on Friday 5 February 2016.

 

Kate Sissons website