We caught up with the fantastic work of Jez Ashberry, a director, actor, producer and board member for Common Ground Theatre Company. Q. Where in Lincolnshire are you based, and what was your first ever live performance that you participated in? Be it on-stage or backstage role.
"I’ve lived in the West End of Lincoln for 25 years. I’ve been messing about on stage for as long as I can remember. My parents were both keen on the theatre – my dad was a leading light in Boston Playgoers and my mum was a regular in the chorus in Boston Operatic Society, so it was in my blood. My earliest live performance that I can remember was a junior school production of 'The Rise and Demise' of Kornkrake Katastroffy at Blackfriars Theatre in Boston. I can’t remember anything about it apart from the fact that it was set in a custard factory."
Q. What was it that first drew you to the local theatre/arts scene? Has it been a constant in your life, or was there a hiatus due to work/life commitments? What sparked or, indeed, relighted your interest?
"Ask my junior school teacher Mrs Wright and she will tell you that I was an avid writer, director and actor from an early age! I can remember writing little plays, casting myself in them and performing them in front of the rest of the school. I must have been insufferable…
I didn’t get involved in amateur theatre until I went to university in Hull, where I set up the Comedy Society with some other show-offs. The Comedy Society enabled us to stage Footlights-style student revues; they may not have been very good but they raised money for charity and we managed to get the use of Spring Street Theatre, home of Hull Truck, as our venue!
On returning to Lincolnshire after university I joined Wyberton Theatrical Society in Boston and Boston Playgoers, where I made some lifelong friendships. I then moved to Deeping St James and spent a couple of years acting and directing with Bourne Footlights. I even acted in a couple of Italian language productions during my two-year stay in Turin – 'The Mousetrap' (Trappola per Topi) and 'Confusions' (Confusioni).
On moving to Lincoln, my wife Vicky and I found it difficult to get involved in the existing theatre groups, which I’m afraid to say were a bit cliquey at the time. As newcomers to the city we set up Common Ground Theatre Company in 2001 with two aims: to stage high-quality theatre, and to be as open and inclusive as we could be. I’m proud to say that we have achieved both aims. For many years every new Common Ground production featured somebody new on stage, and 25 years on you never know who you will see cast in one of our productions. Actors come and go and come back again, and it keeps our company fresh."
Q. Quite simply, give me three words that describe what theatre means to you.
"Terrifying, exhilarating, fulfilling."
Q. I see, via your website that, as a theatre company, you've produced a lot of vintage and modern classics. What is the script selection process for Common Ground? And what makes a good director?
"We have an unwritten rule at Common Ground that we don’t do any pot boilers – that is to say, we tend to steer clear of tired farces, bad murder mysteries and adaptations of popular TV sitcoms. We want to stage good theatre, and we also want people to come and see our productions, but we never choose a play merely on the basis that it will sell. We try to choose plays which we think are of good quality but which nevertheless are known to our audience – 'Educating Rita' and 'Gaslight' are two recent examples. But we are also prepared to take a risk on a play we really like, even though it might mean that we don’t sell so many tickets. Vicky likes to go out on a limb and has directed 'The Fisherman’s Wife' (a sex farce with sea creatures) and 'Dark Sublime' (an homage to Star Trek with gay romantic themes). As it turned out, 'The Fisherman’s Wife' was a sell-out!"
"Members can suggest plays they think we should stage, or they can choose a play and volunteer to direct. We have meetings twice a year where all our members get to decide on
what plays we will produce.
What makes a good director? You have to be organised and a strong leader, but most of all you have to have a vision for the play and how you want it to turn out, and you have to be able to communicate this to your cast and crew. A good director guides his or her actors and lets them find their own truth in their lines and moves."
Q. You also perform; can you share with us your fondest, or a particularly strong, on-stage/backstage memory? Or, perhaps, one or two productions - out of the forty - that you mark as extra special, for one reason or another?
"I have fond memories of acting in 'The Last Post', which was a community play staged by another group, the Lincoln Mystery Plays Company. It told the true story of the Beechey family from Lincoln who lost five brothers in the Great War out of the eight whowent off to fight. It was meticulously researched, beautifully written and extremely moving to be a part of. After one of the shows at Lincoln Drill Hall we were privileged to meet members of the Beechey family, descendants of the men who lost their lives fighting for their country.
Another highlight was the civic reception we were given in Boston for a play I wrote about Eliza Joyce, who was hanged at Lincoln Castle in 1844. She had been found guilty of murdering her two daughters and her stepson by poison, and she was the last woman in England to be hanged for a crime she pleaded guilty to.
Two friends of mine had done extensive research into Eliza for a community play that never happened, so Wyberton Theatrical Society took it on and I was given the opportunity to write and direct the play. It was another moving and emotional experience which gave us insights into the harsh Victorian justice system; there’s a strong possibility that Eliza was suffering from post-natal depression at the time of the murders.
I should like to mention the stage adaptation of PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster stories which I wrote and directed at Lincoln Drill Hall in 2013 – a world first! It took two years to get permission from the Wodehouse Estate to write a new play about these memorable characters and another year to bring the production to the stage.
Probably my proudest acting achievement was playing John Proctor in Indulgence Theatre’s spectacular production of 'The Crucible'. I will be forever grateful to the director for giving me that part!"
Q. What is the upcoming production, and why should audiences come and see it?
"Common Ground’s next production is 'The Father', which was written in French by Florian Zeller and translated into English by Christopher Hampton. If you haven’t already seen the Oscar-winning film starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman I urge you to watch it!
It’s an extraordinary piece of theatre because it cleverly and insidiously forces the audience to see the world through the eyes of André, a charmingly grumpy 80-year-old who’s suffering from dementia. I won’t give too much away except to say that at times the audience is as confused and bewildered about what’s going on in André’s life as André is.
Q. It's very admirable that a theatre company has staged performances in more than just one venue. You currently have an ongoing residency at the Broadbent, is that fair to say? What draws you back there? What makes it special and supportive as a venue?
"Common Ground has used a number of venues, mostly out of necessity as we have no theatre of our own. When we started we used Croft Street Community Centre in Lincoln, which was cosy but not a theatre; then we moved to the Millennium Festival Studio Theatre at the Central Methodist Church in Lincoln where it was difficult to find an audience and the seats were uncomfortable. We then moved around a number of venues, including the Broadbent Theatre in Wickenby, the new Lincoln Drill Hall performing arts venue and Bishop Greaves Theatre at Bishop Grosseteste University. We even took our production of It’s a Wonderful Life on the road to Nettleham Village Hall!
Eventually we settled at the Drill Hall and happily performed there for ten years – both in the main auditorium and in the studio space The Room Upstairs – until Covid-19 forced it to close. When it re-opened it had become more of a live music venue.
Luckily for us, by this time the Broadbent Theatre had had a makeover, and post-pandemic those running the theatre were keen to encourage amateur theatre groups to come back and use the facilities. It’s a wonderful, surprising, atmospheric little theatre, very well equipped, and it’s been our home since 2022."
Q. What do you wish for, in the Lincolnshire art scene, most?
"I would dearly love to win the lottery and build a small theatre in Lincoln city centre for groups like ours to use. So many places in Lincolnshire have fantastic little theatres, such as Sleaford, Boston and Louth – and yet Lincoln has none."
Q. What other creative work/projects is on the horizon for you?
"I’ve just auditioned for a part in 'Still Life', the Noël Coward play which became 'Brief Encounter' in the cinema, which Common Ground will stage this autumn. Sadly, my days as a romantic lead are behind me so I’m now going for more comedy and cameo roles!
We’re also planning an outdoor production of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' in 2026 which promises to be great fun."
Q. Back to 'The Father', could you give me one popular song title that describes the 'The Father’ experience for the audience. NB. It doesn't have to be a song in the show, but it may well be.
"The song would have to be ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ made famous by Ella Fitzgerald."
Common Ground's 'The Father' is being performed at the Broadbent Theatre on 10th April - 12th April 2025, 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased via the link here.
For more information on Common Ground Theatre Company, you can follow their Facebook page or visit their website.
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