Lydia West Makes Her Professional Theatre Debut in “A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction”

…By Henry George for TDPel Media.

Lydia West, the much-loved star of It’s a Sin, is making her professional theatre debut in A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction, a one-woman show about the climate crisis.

West is playing the character Naomi, who works behind the scenes in an eco-focused theatre company and has been left on stage by the performers who haven’t shown up.

She has no show and no performance experience but a lot of facts and anxiety about the climate crisis.

Naomi tells stories about the five mass extinctions so far, about the current state of the climate, the causes and effects, but also of personal trauma and grief of losing loved ones.

The show is about anxiety, depression and tragedy but is also very funny and full of humanity.

In an interview, West said that she loves “entertainment primarily, but also informative, educational, ground-breaking, important work.

So I was instantly drawn to it [A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction].”

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She also hopes that the audience will leave the show with a positive attitude towards the environment, saying, “I want the audience to leave saying, ‘Wow, I’ve learnt something.

What can I do with this information?’ Even just a small change in the way you interact with the environment and the world around you and other humans.”

The show is seeking to practice what it preaches by touring to different cities, but the actors and sets will not – it will be made by local creatives in each place.

It’s also powered by bicycle, with people pedalling throughout the show.

West said that the production is trying to be “very, very ecological” from every aspect.

West, who grew up in north London and trained as a dancer before studying business at university, talked about how working as a personal assistant after graduating made her feel that something was missing from her life.

She joined an amateur theatre company and eventually landed a role in the BBC One series Years and Years in 2019.

After that, she appeared in It’s a Sin and other TV shows, and her career is flying.

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She is also a keen potter, loves hot yoga and does boxing, and is not afraid of ageing.

West said that mental health is a particular focus for her, and she is working with Suranne Jones on a project to support mental health on sets.

She advised young actors not to listen to anyone but to be themselves, and to remember that comments made by others are not their problem.

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