‘A magical land!’ Sophie Stone: I’ve spent most of my life in theatre – from workshops at the Half Moon and the Unicorn as a kid to the West End as an adult, exploring my identity in such amazing theatrical spaces. The place that gave me belief, nurture, lifelong friendships and the training that would lead me to audition for Rada is the magical land of the Watermill theatre in Newbury. I was a 12-year-old deaf kid who needed to escape into an environment that allowed me to experiment, learn through play, make beautiful mistakes and beautiful art. The building has grown its outreach and programming in recent years and still strives to consider its artists and audiences by offering captioning devices, signed performances, accessible workshops and opportunities – a small team that works incredibly hard to stand on the shoulders of giants deserves the accolades it receives. I’ve memories of sharing the boarding house as a teenager; swimming in the river that surrounds the theatre in the summer; returning to perform professionally; standing on the boards to read out my very first commissioned writing gig; being asked to be an associate artist and have my voice heard. They don’t do tokenism – it’s at the very core of what they believe in and because of that I trust them and I’m so proud to say I started my career in their hands. Sophie Stone is an actor and playwright. Read more about the Watermill theatre. ‘Low ceiling, great lights, a crowd ready to laugh’ Suzi Ruffell: One of the great joys of being a comedian is travelling around the country to perform. For the last decade I have seldom spent a weekend at home. Usually I am on various motorways, mediocre coffee in hand, listening to a podcast about murder. One of my favourite places to play has always been the Birmingham Glee Club. It has the perfect set up for standup: a low ceiling, great lights and sound, and most importantly a big crowd ready to laugh. Over the years I have gone from open spot on a Thursday to closing on a Saturday night to selling out the main room on tour. Clubs like the Glee are vital for the survival of live comedy. Every standup you’ve enjoyed on TV has come up through the comedy circuit and all those you’ll enjoy in the future will learn their craft on these stages. Suzi Ruffell and Tom Allen’s Like Minded Friends will stream live on 12 July. Read more about the Glee Club. ‘The stars were our limit’ Shobana Jeyasingh: I had just staged a work at the Place, in London, in the late 1980s and three people had walked out rather noisily. Some later rang to complain about my muddying their ideas of categories of dance. I made it to the dressing room when the tall figure of Robin Howard, the founder of the Place, made its way walking slowly on his trademark two sticks (the second world war had cost him his legs) to tell me he had enjoyed what he had seen. Later my company of two had that magical item which all choreographers dream of: a desk in an office. As one of the resident companies at the Place, with free access to the communal photocopier, the stars were our limit. Much later I enrolled my son in their Saturday classes. Though he loved lunching in their cafe, he chose football. He now watches dance and knows it’s rude to walk out. Shobana Jeyasingh Dance’s film series SJD Shorts is available online. Read more about the Place. ‘It has birthed many a career – mine included’ Paterson Joseph: When director Debbie Shewell auditioned me for Lucy Gannon’s play Raping the Gold in 1988, to be performed at the small theatre above a pub by Shepherd’s Bush Green, I was a couple of months shy of graduating from Lamda. I would have done the job even if they weren’t paying me a whopping £160 a week in a little brown envelope. Travelling to work on my pushbike from Kensal Rise, I felt like my plasterer dad – a tradesman. Only my trade was words and emotion and movement. As you can tell, it was a magical time in my life. The young actor’s first job is the most crucial. From the closeted environment of a drama school course to the cut and thrust and chaos of the world of acting in practice is a huge leap. Smaller theatres must exist to feed our larger industry. To shape it, even. It is where the art is as close to being for its own sake as the commercial constraints of running a theatre building – even a very small one – will allow. The Bush has birthed many a career and mine was no exception. My favourite word from a review, by the always astute and kindly Michael Billington, was “integrity”. I revelled in that for a long time. Because the tiny, strangely wedge-shaped theatre could be a closet or a world. It was a trick of human imagination that was like close-magic. And it worked because we all agreed to believe it. Though that room above a pub no longer houses the Bush theatre, its child – and namesake – sits proudly as a purpose-built theatre in shouting-shot. Paterson Joseph is in the short film Something Will Disappear, part of the Almeida’s Shifting Tides festival. Read more about the Bush theatre. ‘I was Mouse No 3 in the panto’ Pippa Bennett-Warner: In 1997, I played Mouse Number 3 in the Oxford Playhouse panto Cinderella. It was my first time on a big stage and I adored it. Over the next decade I got to know the Playhouse pretty well, due to going to school down the road and having trips to see plays there. The people who worked at the OP were always so friendly, the ambience was great, and I enjoyed seeing the space change in size, getting smaller as I got bigger. When I was 16, I saw Max Stafford-Clark’s production of Macbeth with Danny Sapani and Monica Dolan in the central roles. I remember it clearly; it was brilliant, so visceral and informed my decision to act professionally. I’ve worked with Danny and Monica since then and on meeting them for the first time, I absolutely fan-girled over them. Danny is now a dear mate. The Oxford Playhouse describes itself as “a theatre for everyone”. I believe them. It will for ever hold a very special place in my heart. Pippa Bennett-Warner stars in Roadkill on the BBC and Maxxx on Hulu. Read more about Oxford Playhouse. ‘Theatre doesn’t have to be in a shiny building’ Ali Pritchard: A freezing cold basement in the Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle upon Tyne. It’s 2011, I was living with a perpetual hangover, dreaming of becoming the next Jack Black and my hair was matted into a dreadlock – I was a very unlikable drama student! As I leaned back on my seat the support gave way giving me an instant core workout. Then the four lights – the entire lighting rig – dimmed and nothing else mattered. I was watching The Tin Ring by Zdenka Fantlová, adapted by Mike Alfreds and Jane Arnfield. The playing space was empty apart from a single wooden chair, Jane was barefoot and clad in a plain black dress. There was no razzmatazz, just the most incredible creative team telling an essential true story that we must never forget. I learned that theatre doesn’t have to be in a shiny building; and that ticket price does not dictate quality – I built Alphabetti Theatre on this mantra. We are an award-winning, socioeconomically accessible theatre in an old rubber-stamp factory. Everyone is probably a little thankful that I saw The Tin Ring in the basement of the Lit & Phil Library as without it, they may have had to put up with a long-limbed Jack Black wannabe. Ali Pritchard is artistic/executive director of Alphabetti Theatre. Read more about the Lit & Phil.