New tour of critically acclaimed play War Horse to star Lymm actor

An exciting new performance of War Horse will be making its way to The Lowry, in Salford, this month as part of its new UK and Ireland tour.

Rehearsals have been ongoing for the National Theatre’s internationally acclaimed production, which will open in Salford on Wednesday, September 18.

The story follows a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, which is played by an incredible group of puppeteers, and is set against the background of the First World War.

War Horse has become the most successful play in the National Theatre’s history, and one of the cast members for the new tour hails from Lymm.

The new tour of War Horse is heading to Salford (Image: Pamela Raith)

Simon Stanhope is a former Lymm High School student and has gone on to become a professional actor after he was inspired by British television comedies and old Hollywood films.

“I started out doing school plays at Lymm High School where we did a play in the summer term and a musical in the autumn term,” he said.

“Drama wasn’t on the school curriculum then, but my English teacher Mrs Barrett, who directed the plays, encouraged me to audition for the National Youth Theatre (NYT).”

After attending the NYT summer school, Simon went on to study at the University of Birmingham and complete a postgraduate at drama school, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Simon will play Manfred in the new tour, and has connected to the story as a professional, as well as a personal one.

“Coming from a farming family in Cheshire I really connected with the opening scenes in rural Devon, the Narracott family felt very familiar to me,” he said.

“My character, Manfred, is a German soldier who encounters Joey at a pivotal moment in his story.

“I can’t say too much without giving away what happens, but throughout the play Joey meets various characters on both sides of the war and their reactions and interactions with him remind us of the universality of the story, and of the essential humanity behind the fighting.”

Simon is a former Lymm High School student (Image: Jason Mitchell)

War Horse premiered in October 2007 and has gone on to receive more than 25 awards and has been seen by more than 8 million people worldwide.

“War Horse is such an extraordinary, inventive piece of theatre, it’s a privilege to be part of such an iconic production,” said Simon.

“The puppets, created by Handspring Puppet Company, are just incredible. From the first moment I saw them in the rehearsal room, it felt like we were working with living, breathing horses, which is a testament both to the puppets themselves and the amazingly talented puppeteers.

“Although the show has been on before, this version has been rewritten to include some new characters and scenes, and we've been honing the script as we go through rehearsals, so it all feels very fresh and new.”

The horses are portrayed by puppets and are controlled by the cast (Image: Pamela Raith)

Ahead of the tour’s stop in Salford, Simon has offered some advice for young aspiring performers from his hometown.

“My advice would be firstly to get as much experience as you can; do the school play, or look out for other opportunities locally, like community theatre or drama groups, where you can learn and grow,” he said.

“Also, do go and see actors performing in the theatre and observe them up close, as well as on film/television of course.

“You also need to be prepared for knock-backs and disappointment, they’re inevitable in this line of work, so a strategy for handling that and learning from it is vital

“In terms of getting into the industry there are so many paths and there's no "right" way of doing it. For me, getting in to the NYT gave me confidence to try for drama school, so that path worked for me, but look out for any and all opportunities and see what feels right for you.”

War Horse will be performing at The Lowry from Wednesday, September 18 until Saturday, September 28.

Tickets are on sale now and can be found at thelowry.com/whats-on/war-horse/.