She starred in both the TV and West End shows of prison drama Bad Girls, and now Nicole Faraday has been passing on some acting advice to performers at a Beccles theatre group.
The actress, who is also known for her roles in Casualty and Emmerdale, travelled to the town last Thursday to host an acting workshop with members of the Spotlight Musical Theatre Group ahead of their summer production of Bad Girls the Musical.
The show is based on the first three series of the original TV series about life behind bars for women and is set in the fictional prison of HMP Larkhall.
Miss Faraday attended the group’s rehearsal night and spoke about her time in Bad Girls in series four and five where she played Snowball Merriman, as well as taking on the role of Shell Dockley in the West End musical production.
She took along memorabilia from her stage shows, signed posters for cast members and held a question and answer session.
And at the end of the evening, Miss Faraday watched the group perform the first six scenes of their musical and passed on a few helpful tips.
The actress, who is based in London, said: “It was my first time in Beccles but I am familiar with Norfolk and Suffolk from touring all over the country.
“I loved seeing the group perform the show because it’s the best job I have ever done and it is great to see them carrying on the Bad Girls name. It means so much to me.
“They haven’t been rehearsing for that long but the stuff they have done is brilliant. And because I did the TV show for two years and the musical for so long I know the show so well and I was able to give them a bit of feedback on things they could do which will make their characters more believable to the audience. There’s lots of background information which we had to learn about life in prison which I was able to pass on.”
During its eight years on air, Bad Girls attracted viewers of up to 9.5 million and won numerous awards for best drama.
Andy Osborne, who is directing Spotlight’s show, said: “The visit went really well and Nicole was brilliant with everyone. All of the cast were waiting for her with big smiles on their faces.
“She gave us some great feedback and she was laughing in all the right places when she watched the rehearsal. We will definitely be taking on board her notes to make the show better.
“The final surprise was when she called Amanda Possener, who played Denny Blood in the West End production, and handed her phone to Megan Gallagher, who is playing our Denny. She was beaming from ear to ear.”
Spotlight will be performing its production of Bad Girls the Musical at Beccles Public Hall from June 28 to July 2.
Tickets go on sale today at www.becclespublichall.org.uk
And Miss Faraday will be coming to the area again when she performs in Chaplin: The Charlie Chaplin Story at Norwich Playhouse on June 11. More details about her work can be found at www.nicolefaraday.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here