Southend: Palace perfect for Wendy

There is something innately fragile about the Southend actress Wendy Morgan.

Her reactions to my questions gave the impression of a startled china fawn that would crumble at the slightest touch. And yet, it's hard to believe that this can possibly be the real woman.

She is one of the cast appearing at the re-opening Palace Theatre where she will play Martha and Christmas Past.

This 41-year-old single mum has the sort of CV that would be the green-to-the-back-teeth-envy of the many actors who are scratching a living as chorus members and the back ends of pantomime horses. It would give them confidence.

Wendy has been nominated as actress of the year in the Olivier awards and as best actress in the Evening Standard awards.

She has appeared in the West End, had a run of plays at the National Theatre and done the sort of TV work where her characters have names.

She was even nominated as the Evening Standard's most promising newcomer for her first-ever film, Yanks - which is one of five films that she has appeared in to date.

It was, therefore, a shock to find that an actress with such a background constantly fiddles with a water bottle as you chat, and obviously finds it hard to meet your eyes.

Wendy moved to Southend nine years ago. "My parents had moved here because of business," she explains. "When I became a single mum nine years ago I moved here to be close to them."

It was also about nine years ago that the gaps appear in Wendy's CV. "I did odd things," she ventures.

"I was involved with a local group. It is a good company with talented people. We did the Battlesbridge Festival and put on Blood Brothers at the Eastwood Studio Theatre."

Wendy's son is now 12 and attends a local school: "I worked until he was about three, but it was too much to do both. There were spells of working and I was away too much."

Wendy and her son now live in the centre of Southend and a job at the Palace is just perfect.

"It's wonderful to work locally," she says. "It feels right to be back in theatre."

As a young woman Wendy didn't follow the tried-and-tested route of theatre schools and failed auditions. She was one of the lucky ones who hit the stage already running.

"I auditioned for drama schools when I was 18, and was accepted for a couple of places," she explained. "But I needed an Equity card so I joined the Bubble Theatre Company and from there I got the job in the Yanks film."

So did she have no formal training? "I had some with Doreen Cannon - who is sadly no longer with us. I took myself off there."

Does she expect her association with the Palace to continue? She looks alarmed.

"I have been offered this one play only. We will have to see what else comes," she replies while acknowledging that if asked to work locally in her favourite medium, the theatre, would be ideal.

"I would like to explore more Shakespeare," she says when asked about her hopes for the future.

It is difficult to imagine such a circumspect woman on the stage. "I concentrate on my part of the story. The play is the thing. That's what I like - the stories. It's a part of telling the story."

For a moment there is a flash of warmth and passion as Wendy talks of the buzz you get "when you get it right. That is you feel it afterwards - at the time you are too busy."

It is still very cold in the auditorium of the Palace where we were chatting, and there were other people on the stage being photographed, which could account for Wendy's voice not raising above a whisper.

However, neither of these could account for the feeling that there is something deep inside the enigmatic Wendy Morgan that she desperately needs to protect.

An actor's life - Wendy Morgan who has appeared in the West End and the South Bank will appear at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff when it re-opens next week

Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.