Currently, Brydie Service is performing at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the new version of The Secret Garden by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard. The Secret Garden is running until 20th July, and Brydie can be seen in the production playing the role of Dickon, with the show proving popular among audiences, with a number of four and five star reviews. Having started acting with Burnley Youth Theatre, Brydie has since performed in Lessons at the Almeida Theatre and The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York’s Theatre, and on screen, she was in the cast of Here We Go. Chatting to Brydie, we found out from her about being in the cast of The Secret Garden at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, playing the role of Dickon in the production and what it’s like being involved in the new version of the show.

You are currently playing Dickon in The Secret Garden at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 20th July, was there anything that drew you to the show and character and what is Dickon like to play?

When I got asked to tape for Dickon I read in the character description that he was Northern and disabled – two things which are part of my own identity that I hold very close to my heart and am incredibly proud of, so I obviously had to do the tape. I’d also never been to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre before, or even performed in an open air venue, so that was incredibly exciting and such a fun new opportunity. We have decided that my Dickon is sort of a ‘feral genius’. It comes from a conversation Anna (Himali Howard) had with me about ‘ordinary’ magic, where you’ll watch someone do something that you never think you’d be able to and it sort of feels like they’re magic. I felt it in the rehearsal room when Mishra (who is doing the music for the production) all of a sudden starts playing the most beautiful music that fits the scene perfectly and seems to come out of nowhere. So this air of magic about Dickon comes purely from the fact that he does have this wonderful but very real relationship to nature and animals.

How does it feel to be part of the new version by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard and what was it like reading the script for the first time?

This new version is so exciting, it elevates and elaborates on certain themes and ideas that just make so much sense to a modern audience whilst still honouring the original story.

I first read the script whilst sitting in bed which would not be the best choice when you want to really ‘get into’ a script. But honestly, reading Holly’s words it hardly feels like you have to put emotion ‘on’ them, it’s already so deeply ingrained in the writing that it takes your hand and carries you through. It provides such a strong storytelling foundation that’s so sure of itself it gives you as an actor so much space to play and explore because the depth is already there.

So, I was sitting in bed and crying at this script which I think is enough evidence that it’s really special.

What is it like working with the rest of the cast and how was it rehearsing for the show?

I can honestly say this is the most cohesive and generous cast I’ve ever been a part of. Anna, Holly and the whole team have really created such an atmosphere of joy and exploration. It’s been made so clear that throughout this whole process, disability and disability representation is a continuous and safe conversation. So I can say things like “because my character uses a cane I don’t think they would do that movement in that way” and I am immediately listened to, and things are changed which is honestly such a wonderful thing. And this cast just dives head first into anything they’re asked to do, we have people doing puppetry who have never done it before and it’s wonderful to see.

What are you looking forward to for performing at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and why would you recommend booking tickets to see this production of The Secret Garden?

Performing in an open air venue surrounded by nature, in a play about the joy of nature and human connection is such a special experience. We’ll be on stage and all of a sudden you’ll hear bird songs and it’s incredibly beautiful. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre also feels like such an open yet intimate venue, you can see every single member of the audience – they aren’t plunged into darkness when the house lights go out. The script has such a strong choral element that the opportunities to connect to the audience are endless and Anna is actively encouraging of these connections. It doesn’t feel like we’re ‘showing’ or ‘telling’ a story, it really feels like we’re inviting the audience in and meeting them on their level. It’s a collective unfolding story and we’re all in it together.

Over your career so far, you have performed in shows including Lessons at the Almeida Theatre and The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York’s Theatre and on screen in Here We Go, can you tell us about some of your further acting projects?

I still consider myself fairly new to the world of professional acting and my career very much in its infancy stage. My first two professional acting jobs I actually got through applying for open casting calls I saw on Twitter. My first was as a supporting artist in BBC’s Then Barbara Met Alan, which was about the fight for disability rights in Britain, and my second was for The Glass Menagerie in the West End. Then, through my agent, it was a day’s filming with British comedy legends in a docu-style sitcom series for Here We Go, and now I’m a nature loving 12-year-old boy in an open air theatre! I am so lucky that the projects I have been in have been so varied and each has provided such a different learning experience.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

I started going to Burnley Youth Theatre from a young age, about eight. So I have to thank my parents really for finding it and driving me there weekly. I continued going up until the age of 16, and the more I did it the more I fell in love with it. I studied it at school, then moved to London when I was 18 to properly pursue it. It does feel like it’s sort of been a continuous thing that has always been in my life and I never get tired of it. 

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