Theo Barber on his role in ‘My One True Friend’

Two families, two different lives.

 My One True Friend is set in 1970 Rhodesia and opened at Tristan Bates Theatre on 27 August.

Preparations are in hand for the irascible Lady L’s birthday party but her children are there not for family loyalty or celebration but to claim what they feel is rightly theirs. On another part of the estate Kapenie and his grandson argue about loyalty. Kapenie is loyal to a family but not his own and the generational divide is splitting even wider.  

Set against a backdrop of prejudice and inequality, My One True Friend has a profound and life-altering friendship at its heart.

Theo Bamber plays Gordon. The Artiscape spoke with Theo about his role in the play. His previous theatre credits include The Winslow Boy (UK tour).

We asked Theo what attracted him to the script?

Theo: There is a very interesting and complex mix of what can only be described as ‘elevated’ dialogue. It sits outside what we would describe as normal, everyday conversational vocabulary and includes a lot of philosophical references, so certainly presents a good challenge.

We asked him to tell us about the character he plays?

Theo: Gordon is a bit of a dreamer, but not in a traditional sense. He’s quite astute and intelligent, but his absolute obsession and conviction regarding a nuclear Armageddon mean that he is rarely fully engaged with what is happening in the moment.

He does have a sensitive side, though, which we catch glimpses of, and they provide a nice tonic to the rather intense and pithy attitude he takes to most things!

How did Theo prepare for his role?

Theo: Not massively different from other roles, to be honest, just trying to really get to grips with the language and understanding the topics and ideas that it covers.

What is Theo most looking forward to about performing?

Theo: The play has quite a few silly moments, particularly in the party scene when Gordon has a few drinks too many, and it’s fun to get stuck into that.

Finally, what does he think an audience will take away from the play?

Theo: That people can, and do, change their outlook, but that no matter how much nurturing is done by outside influences it is very hard to override someone’s inherent, natural bond to who they are, what they do, where they come and subsequently how these marry together to create the way they think they should live their life.

My One True Friend opened at Tristan Bates Theatre on 27 August.