An actor’s view on our murder mysteries may reveals more than you may see as a guest at a Tall Tales Mysteries event.
You may recognise Aja as playing a rather unhelpful Cockney maid, identical twins who are the polar opposites, a toffee-nosed snob, and many more over the last few years. How does it all work from the actor’s perspective? Over to you, Aja…
How did you get involved with Tall Tales Mysteries?
At Christmas 2017, I was working at an interactive children’s event at Raby Castle in County Durham.
Sara had written the script for the show and was present for a rehearsal. Imagine my surprise when she gave me her card at the end of the rehearsal and said she wanted me to play a part in a new mystery he had written, Murder Without A Hitch.
Fast forward to May 2018 and I performed in my first Murder Without A Hitch show as Maia Millions, a very wealthy young bride who is having trouble locating her groom, and it was a success!
Who is your favourite character to play?
Probably May Hemm, a Cockney maid from the 1920s with an attitude problem. She appears in Murder and the Grand Duchess. I also love playing Eva Sue Ritchie, a stuck-up snob in Murder at the Masked Ball. You’ll meet her at Solberge Hall on Friday 10th November, book your tickets here.
Christmas is just around the corner, so I’m also looking forward to playing a stuck-up toff in A Killing Among The Carols, also at Solberge Hall, on 10th December.
How did you find the Zoom shows during lockdown?
I found the prospect of the Zoom shows very nerve-racking to begin with, although, an acting job where I can wear pyjama bottoms in my living room sounded pretty good to me. It was clear that Tall Tales had to adapt quickly to new ways of performing shows. Sara had also kept busy creating online murder mystery games including The Disappearance of Kitty Wake.
Five and a half years on, and I’m still here! I think I’ve got about 30 scripts under my bed at the moment, and half my wardrobe is taken up with costumes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s to the next five and a half years!