Advent Calendar - December 21 - Annika Groeneveld

An actor's dreams and doubts Advent Calendar proudly presents - December 21 - Annika Groeneveld from England and the Netherlands. Annika is a language genius, she even speaks Swedish after spending part of her childhood in Sweden. She has a sparkle in her eyes and you never know what to expect. The word is hers.

 

 

My first tentative steps on stage were in Pantomine. Playing Gianetta, Pinocchio's girlfriend. I was 28. I had always wanted to act, but shied away from the limelight during school. I thought the stage was for those kids who dared to speak up in class. Even the thought of just raising my hand would make my heart race. And – if I did answer a question – my tongue would go all thick and block any coherent thoughts in my mind.

 

So it took me until I was 28 to build up the courage. Gianetta may not have been the most glamorous role for a first introduction to theatre, but she gave me exactly what I needed: she wasn’t me. I realised I could be someone else. And gone were the sweaty palms and racing heart. It was liberating – and addictive.

 

And on the wave of this healthy addiction, I fell in love with many characters: from tragic heroines to the totally absurd (yes, I've played the back-end of a cow). Which quite nicely brings me back to what I told Lina I would write about: Pantomime. Not to be confused with mime, this bawdy British Christmas show is a far cry from a silent actor pretending to scale an invisible window.

 

It's noisy, rude and – in typically British Christmas tradition – has plenty of cross-dressing going on. There’s a man dressed as a woman (the Dame); a woman dressed as a man (the Prince); a man/woman – or a combination of both – dressed as an animal; a woman dressed as a woman; and a few token evil characters to boot. And the plot is so thickly and loosely entwined that by the end no one really knows what on earth is going on. But somehow that doesn't matter. It's not about the plot, it’s about it being Christmas. And it's about the lightness that theatre can bring (although there may be a moral message in there somewhere – if you dig deep enough).

 

The origins of pantomime lie in Commedia dell’arte: the theatre of the acrobatic Harlequin; the sad Pierrot; the stingy Pantalone; the beautiful Columbine; the bragging El Capitano; and the quack doctor Il Dottore. These characters have found their way from Renaissance Italy to figure in diluted shapes and forms in plays (Molière was a big fan; as was Shakespeare). And even contemporary comedy shows (Fawlty Towers, to name but one). Movement plays an important part in the actor’s expression of an emotion as many characters wear masks. It’s physical theatre at its comedic best: raw, gritty and entertaining.

 
 

So. What is it that draws me to this type of acting? It’s light, it’s physical, it’s a group thing, there’s always time for a beer (after the show, of course). But maybe most of all, because it’s revisiting my first role. Gianetta gave me a voice – or helped me find it. She wasn’t me, but at the same time she wasme. And there’s the attraction: each time I get lost in a character I find – or rather, reconnect with a part of myself. And, of course, it’s much cheaper – and more fun – than therapy.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you!

 

Annika x