The Amy Rockson Audio Theatre

I only discovered this poem recently. I love Roald Dahl's work ... and as a child I was a complete bookworm; however, as well as working in television (when I get the opportunity), I enjoy watching it. So, this piece is a mixed blessing ...

This poem is special to me ... not simply because I loved it as a child, but also because it is a wonderful example of the work of Edward Lear (possibly my favourite childhood poet). I should also mention that a close friend asked me to read it at her wedding.  A gorgeous wedding, a lovely couple, and a real honour. Ipster, this one's for you. X

This speech is one of Shakey's best. He wrote so well for women (well, for men playing women). Oh, I've just had a thought - probably triggered by the fact that I finally bought the DVD of Anonymous today (hooray!) - what if his female roles were so authentic, because they were written by a woman? Hmm...

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? ...

I love Edgar Allen Poe, and this gloriously gothic poem is fabulous. Now, this is quite a long poem, and since I do these recordings in one take i.e. without grappling with the mysteries of editing software it might have some imperfections. I like to think of it as being honest and raw ... you may beg to differ... either way, I enjoyed it!

This is one of my all time favourite speeches, written by one of my all time favourite playwrights. What a fantastic character - wonderfully deluded ... or is she?

The current resurgence of fairy tales on the large and small screen, has reminded me of my childhood fascination with fairy tales and fantasy... the scarier the better. Witches, wizards, goblins - I loved them all...

I got the idea to do this piece a few months ago. I have to confess, I was aware of the poem but hadn't even looked at it, until I saw the phenomenally underrated film - Anonymous. A brilliant (and quite convincing) film about the possible origins of Shakespeare's canon. May I just say, Rhys Ifans should have been given an Oscar nod for his performance... but I digress... Here's a taster...

 Now for a bit of Shakey... I love this play and I love this character. She's smart, sassy, and outfoxes everyone ... imagine what she could achieve with a mobile and a laptop!

This is a role I played at drama school. I'm not sure why, but I was really fond of the character. She isn't necessarily likeable, and at times she can be extremely irritating, but there's something about her that I found captivating ... a gem of a role for anyone lucky enough to play her.