One of my passions is studying a form of acting known as Method Acting. I have taken many courses over the years, around the world, on different interpretations of the method and I sympathise with anyone who gets trapped in a corner with me in a discussion on the subject of different opinions and styles of the method as there would be no escape.

Method acting was originally brought to our attention by Constantin Stanislavski, and his technique has been interpreted by several great, master teachers like Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner to name a few. Famous actors who have studied this method include Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando and James Dean.

So when I heard about one of our own, fantastic method actors starring in a new play called ‘Tinned Up’, which is a story full of heart and soul, about a family, friends, community and fighting for social issues, which is inspired by the Salford streets affected by demolitions, I jumped at the opportunity to have a chat with her to find out more about her and of course to chat about method acting.

Karen Henthorn, from Oldham, is a well-known actor of both stage and screen. She is also a hugely respected teacher of screen acting and runs regular screen acting workshops for MAP (Manchester Actors Platform) and Thinking Actors as well as being a private screen acting tutor. We arranged to have a chat over the phone so I could ask her about her new play but we ended up chatting about method acting for most of the call!

She explained her process of feeling the emotions necessary for a role, for instance instead of pretending to be upset and crying, she uses her method acting techniques to recall a specific sad event from her own life and, although she is reading the words of her character, she is actually feeling the genuine sadness that she is recalling from her own past and the tears then flow naturally as they would in real life. It’s not an easy task but it’s her ability to apply these acting techniques so truthfully that make her one of the finest actors in the UK.

Karen has had many on screen credits over the years and you will have seen her on Coronation Street as Teresa Bryant and she also played Julie Haye in Eastenders. One of my favourite roles of Karen’s was when she played Social Worker Marissa Platting in Shameless. She has also appeared on Trollied, In The Flesh, The Booze Cruise, Heartbeat, the ITV drama Dark Heart and she’s just finished filming for Dawn French’s Glass Houses that will air in the Spring of 2020.

On stage Karen has appeared in some fantastic plays including Spring and Port Wine, for which she was nominated for a Manchester Theatre Award for best Actress in a leading role, War Horse, A taste of Honey, the Crucible, The Importance of Being Earnest and Wuthering Heights to name a few.

I asked Karen about her new play Tinned Up and here is what she had to say.

“Tinned Up is a hilariously funny play by Manchester playwright Chris Hoyle and directed by Simon Naylor and will be presented on Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s historic Main Stage as part of the Theatre’s Main House Takeover, in a three-night run presented by 53two and Manchester Actor’s Platform (MAP) Productions”.

“It follows the story of my character Shirley Parkin and her band of merry men and women. Shirley has lived at No.10 Brook Street all her life and has defied the council for years, refusing to move out of her modest two-up-two-down terrace. But now the clock is ticking; will she be forced to leave behind her memories and forget her past to make way for the developers? Joined by her foul-mouthed friend Beryl, unhappy single mother Joy, and Daz the local stoner, Shirley campaigns to keep the local area from the cold grasp of profit-hungry developers”.

“So it’s really a robust and humorous juggernaut of a piece telling the story of the brutal treatment of a community fighting for their homes and for justice”.

Tinned Up runs from Tuesday the 24th of September to Thursday the 26th September at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre. It’s going to be a fantastic play with the chance to see Karen Henthorn, who is regarded as one of the best actors we have today starring in it, so don’t miss this opportunity to see it! You can get tickets by ringing 0161 624 2829 or by visiting the website www.coliseum.org.uk

See you next week!