Pauline Fleming Talks About Pole Dancing for Her New Play!

15 February 2007

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Bringing together the most exuberant and well-know soap stars and TV role models of recent years – including Lisa Riley, Pauline Fleming, Joanne Farrell and Sarah White – The Naked Truth turns an unlikely group of women into a band of pole dancers who successfully battle their personal demons and, despite everything, form friendships that can withstand any obstacle.

Drawing on the experiences of real women in real situations, the hottest stars of soap team up to explore what every woman fears in themselves and realise the possibilities that a little bravery, a pole and a pair of high-heels can open up.

Poignant but hilariously funny from the writer of Stepping Out, this is a show about women, for women, which every man should see.

FemaleFirst managed to catch up with Pauline, one of the production’s stars at the Chatsworth Hotel in Worthing to talk about Corrie, breast cancer and charity fun runs. How are you feeling today?I’ve caught a bit of a bug. The whole company has had it actually; I think there’s only one that hasn’t had it. I’ve been taking my Echinacea regularly and last week, wherever we were I forgot to take it with me. I think it’s dropped my immune system, so it’s got a bit of a grip on me to be honest. I do the Echinacea drops with porridge. Have the cast of the Naked Truth received a good response from the public so far?Really well. Really, really well. I mean it’s been a bit of a slog to be honest with you because of course there were three weeks of rehearsal when we just didn’t just have to learn lines, we had to learn how to pole dance. It was tiring and hard going, but it was great and really good fun. But when we opened – there’s constant re-writes. The writer and the director have been in every night and have been changing things, because once it went in front of an audience it did change. So every night, no two nights have been the same yet (Laughs) because we’ve been reworking it. But that’s been a really positive thing – keeping us on our toes indeed. But it’s really bedding in now and it’s going down really well. We haven’t heard any negatives really. A lot of the production’s characters have serious issues – can you tell us about your character’s troubles?Well my character (Sarah) already has breast cancer at the opening at the top of the play. She actually declares that to the girls – but then later in the play the cancer spreads. So there are quite poignant moments in the play – which is unusual in that way because there’s some very high comedy in this. So to bring in such serious issues aside such farcical behaviour – I think it makes it quite interesting. Also there are some contributions going towards charity too.

With the breast cancer – during my Coronation Street days I was approached by a local breast cancer charity called “the Lily Foundation” in Liverpool – they’re a great bunch of women. Peggy is my main point of contact there and they’re wonderful, wonderful women. They’ve all had breast cancer – they’ve all had at least one breast taken away. I’ve attended a few charity events and done a few things for them and in a way that was all the research that I wanted because I wanted to base my character spirit wise on them. My character has got spirit, that’s why she arranges to do this charity pole dance event. She’s not one that submits to the condition. She basically says in the play – “I’m not going to let it get to me, I’m going to beat it no matter what.” From that spirit, I drew on the women from the Lily Foundation – they are a fabulous inspiration to anybody.

Could you ever have imagined that you would be a pole dancer in a theatre production? – We know you went to tuition lessons and pole dancing clubs for research purposes but did you find it difficult to learn?

Yes (Laughs) I found it difficult – we all did and we really bruised – and I mean really, really bruised. I mean the girl who’s playing the teacher, cos she had to get hers off to absolute perfection; she was black and blue at one point. But it’s all part of the course, you see because you do bruise, because you throw your legs around the pole. It’s just the constant – it’s like putting your knee into a wall.

Lots of celebs like Kate Hudson, Pamela Anderson and Goldie Hawn apparently do pole dancing now and it’s the new keep fit craze in the States. Will you carry on with it as an exercise regime after the theatre run finishes?

Well you know what – I exercise quite a lot at home – I’m a member of a gym and I do boxing and body pump and things like that. I had to go to a local doctor here yesterday and they weighed me. I’ve lost half a stone! Now I exercise anyway though…So the pole dancing must be a way of losing weight and toning up. I’m not doing very much in it at all, but because of the rehearsals and everything over the months I’ve lost weight.

You’ve done lots of theatre productions – do you have a particular part in mind that you’d still like to play yet and haven’t?

Before I die I’ve got to play Lady Macbeth. I’ve got to do that. Because of the way that play is set you can be any age – so I’d like to play her. Other than that I just want to do very gritty, earthy stuff, be it on stage or TV. I warm to that kind of heart rendering, deep, dark; side of life because generally speaking I do think life is difficult. If I can reflect that in the work that I do, and maybe inspire some people then I would feel like I'm doing a good job.

Do you get to see many theatre productions yourself?

Generally speaking I haven’t been to see very much at all lately. I went to see something in Liverpool recently – a bunch of people I knew where in it, and it was a new play. But since then I’ve been busy in theatre myself so I can’t get there. I did the Vagina Monologues in November at Blackpool and Sunderland. That was a bit hit – it was sell –out and I did that with Corrie’s Nikki Sanderson and Beth Cordingly from The Bill. That was great, I loved doing that and had a brilliant time. Then I went from that to Panto in Billington playing the Fairy in Jack and the Beanstalk with Darren Day. In fact we opened the Naked Truth in Billingham. So it was quite nice to go back there.

You’ve been in the acting business for a long while – what’s changed about it – for the good and bad?

Coming on tour is different to what it was when I’ve done it in my younger years. I think it’s harder now – you’ve got to do more for yourself. You don’t have the crew around you as much as I remember. So the theatre side of it is more difficult I think – more tiring because as an actor you’ve got to do more. That’s the only thing that’s changed in theatre.

As far as TV is concerned, soap wise I went from Brookie to Corrie and just that Coronation Street is in a different league really in that it’s such an established show. There’s an instant respect required for that job and the company and the way it’s run. It demands that immediately like I’ve never worked before in TV, and I liked that, I respected that in it.

Coronation Street gave you a glimpse into the world of Alzheimer’s – did it open your eyes to the tragedy of that disease then?

Yeah – because thank god I’ve never had anyone in my family suffer with it, though I do get worried about my own memory sometimes I have to say.

But that did open my eyes, and I worked a lot with the Alzheimer’s society for some time actually. In fact they haven’t been in touch with me of late, only because they know I’m mad busy. But up until I went onto the Vagina Monologues, I was still doing charity runs for them, so I carried on working alongside them for quite a long time. I found that absolutely fascinating the whole Alzheimer’s situation and very, very tragic and so to play the part of somebody whose partner suffers with it and eventually dies – that was interesting work that. It was a privilege to be part of that actually.

If your career were to suddenly finish tomorrow, would you be happy with your achievements?

That’s an interesting question. No! I’ve got more to do. I’ve got lots more to do – I’ve only just started. (Laughs)

What’s it like working with Lisa, Sarah and co for the Naked Truth?

Lovely. We’ve really bonded and we’re working well as a team. I think Lisa is a wonderful woman – I think she’s a very honest woman with integrity and I’m glad I’m working with her.

I believe you’ve worked with Dave Simpson, who wrote this play before haven’t you?

Yeah. I did a play of his – we worked it out – it’s about 11 years ago and it was called “I Married Robbie Fowler.” It was his least successful play (Laughs) but that was because of reasons like the director didn’t let him do rewrites. But I’ve really enjoyed working with Dave this time. He’s a lovely guy – he’s very comfortable in the company of women. He couldn’t be more comfortable – he’d have to be a woman to be more so. He’s been a real laugh, very giggly guy and very open to ideas on his piece of work. An absolute joy to work.

With the show having an all female cast and tackling women’s concerns – can it really still appeal to the blokes?

Well I hear some real belly laughs from the men in the audience I have to say and it’s always at the rude bits. (Laughs) Yeah, the men seem to be enjoying it. I mean obviously the majority are women – and there are droves of women coming to see it but the men who are in there, are laughing.

What’s your view on TV programmes at the moment?

I don’t watch reality TV programmes to be honest because the Big Brother one with all Jade and Shilpa, my daughter was absolutely addicted. As a matter of principle I won’t watch it because I think it’s very dangerous stuff and I don’t agree with. And I would never do it. Not for me - I don’t watch it and I don’t want to be part of it.

You’d agree that being a “Celebrity” has taken on a whole new meaning now then?

Yeah, as I say, it’s all because of reality TV. People get famous for five minutes – it’s the Andy Warhol thing.

What’s been the best role in your career so far – the one you really relished and could totally get your teeth into?

I touched on a character, which I would like more work in. I did an episode of Doctors and that was only a couple of years ago. I played a real down and out, dowdy victim. It was during my time in Corrie and I had a break from it and I just did this one ep. I really enjoyed that character because she was such a victim. It was a challenge because I literally went on the set with no make up, I let my hair get greasy, the sweat that was seen was real sweat because it was such a hot day filming and I wanted to keep it that way. That to me has probably been the best role that I’ve done and I would like to do more of that. But because it was just a single show I felt that I’d only scrapped the surface.

When your involvement with the Naked Truth has finished, what is next for you?

We can’t really plan because the Naked Truth is going back on tour in the autumn, until the end of November. I know I’m definitely not doing Panto – I’ve chosen not to do it. I’ve done it two years in a row, and I want to spend this Christmas with my daughter. I’m going to be busy with this till the end of the year. But by the summer obviously we will look at what’s going to be happening in the New Year with me.

I did a degree as a mature student – which is still the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life, but the best and most achievable thing I’ve ever done in my life as well. When I say achievable, I don’t mean that, I mean the most difficult and challenging, but with the feeling of self-satisfaction. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had, having achieved it.

As a result of doing the degree at Liverpool University, my tutor, Dr Phil Davis, he became my guru. He has a wife, who’s absolutely wonderful as well and they regularly ask me to back to do work on Shakespeare. Dr Jane Davis does a lot of work with people getting back into reading or people who’ve not had a very good education. Getting them into reading, and they can be of any age, and I do a lot of work with them right across the board. It’s amazing what you can do with people – all they need is a passion for wanting to do it – and we’ve got up and done Shakespeare with people who’ve never even looked at a play before. I love that work and I will always continue to do it with them – we do a lot of that when I’m around. There’s a readers group – a group of women in Birkenhead who are just lovely. We did a lot of plays and novels with them before I went off on the road and two of them have started their GCSE in English. They love it.

The Naked Truth will be shown in venues throughout the UK from February to April 2007. For more information please visit www.theatre-productions.com

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