A Cheshire actor has swapped his job selling phones bring to life one of literature’s best loved characters.
Ben Sherlock is playing Ratty in a touring production of Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel The Wind in Willows.
The show, which comes to Northwich on July 16 and Sale on July 17, is a breakthrough for Ben, who has juggled his work at Golden Square Shopping Centre’s O2 shop while developing his performing career after gaining a degree in acting.
The 20-date tour will see Ben perform at different open air locations from Dumfries to Barnstaple through July with the Folksy Theatre company. The high-energy performance, with plenty of audience interaction, tells the tale of Mole, Ratty, Toad and Badger as they set out to find adventure.
Ben is looking forward to finding a host of friends and family in the audience at Stonyford Gardens, Northwich, before the tour concludes at Walkden Gardens in Sale.
The 23-year-old said: “I am quite a relaxed person and don’t normally suffer with stage fright but when I read the script through I realised how big a part it is.
“In the first act in particular it’s pretty much just Ratty speaking.”
Not only that, Ben will have to sing on stage too – something he has done before at college, even if it is not his main talent.
He said: “I did sing at the audition so it can’t have been too bad.”
Ben is hoping the role of Ratty leads to more acting jobs, but does not have a defined idea of how he would like his future to develop.
He said: “It’s such a difficult industry to succeed in it would be stupid to say you only want to do one thing, either theatre or television or whatever.
“I’ll consider anything that will progress my career and if I end up happy in what I’m doing and able to support myself financially that will be great.”
Golden Square Shopping Centre director Ian Cox said: “I am constantly surprised by the varied talents of the people who work at the shopping centre. This sounds a delightful production and I wish Ben every success in his future career.”
Ben, who lives with his parents and younger brother in Warrington, went to school at St Gregory’s and then college in St Helen’s before embarking on his degree course in Blackpool.
“I suppose I’ve always been a bit of a drama queen and throughout school and college I was always in all the productions.
“Then I went off to Blackpool College to study and since graduating I’ve had bits and bobs but nothing as big as this so it’s really exciting.
“I was in an independent film that hasn’t been released yet, and a music video and I did some corporate work including a training film for O2,” he said.
He started working weekends at the Golden Square at the age of 16 and hasn’t looked back as O2 have supported him and his ambitions since the beginning.
“It was a way of making ends meet when I was at college but they’ve been really good to me and always managed to let me have the time off I’ve needed for shows or auditions,” Ben added.
With a supportive family behind him, Ben says his biggest fan is his nan, Dorris Cleary, who has always encouraged him to pursue his dreams and came to see all his college and school productions.
He even swapped his surname of Taylor to her maiden name, Sherlock, as his stage name in honour of her and hopes the 84-year-old will be able to watch him perform in Northwich.
He said: “She’ll come if she can, but she’s not too good on her feet anymore. It does depend on the weather a lot too.
“It’s all very British and there’s a definite ‘show must go on’ kind of mentality. The audiences are advised to dress for the weather and come prepared as it’s all outdoors in various parks and gardens.”
To buy tickets or for more information on the theatre tour visit folksytheatre.co.uk
