Ruben Reuter is making his professional theatre debut in Lord of the Flies at Chichester Festival Theatre playing Perceval, and he is currently in rehearsals alongside a cast including Bertie Hawes (Eric), Ali Hadji-Heshmati (Simon), Sheyi Cole (Ralph) and Tucker St. Ivany (Jack), and Lord of the Flies is directed by Anthony Lau and is open from Friday 19th September to Saturday 11th October. In the recent release of Channel 4 comedy series Pushers, Ruben plays regular character Harry Clarke, with Rosie Jones as co-writer and star, and he started his career as Finn McLaine in The Dumping Ground for over ten years on CBBC. Alongside acting, Ruben is a voice artist, voicing Charlie in the Audible Original series Watch Dogs: Truth, and as a reporter, he regularly works with Channel 4 News with Rosie Baldwin and Louise Turner. Also a dancer, since the age of 17, Ruben has been a dancer with Northern Ballet Company, and over his time with them so far, he has worked on numerous productions including Romeo and Juliet as part of the main company. We caught up with Ruben about making his professional theatre debut as Perceval in Lord of the Flies at Chichester Festival Theatre, the recent release of Channel 4 comedy series Pushers (in which he plays regular character Harry Clarke alongside Rosie Jones), starting his career in The Dumping Ground and being a dancer with Northern Ballet Company.

How does it feel to be making your professional theatre debut in Lord of the Flies at Chichester Festival Theatre and how are you preparing for taking on the role of Perceval?

I am excited and nervous at the same time because live theatre is all new to me. I have danced on stage before but never really had a speaking part, except at school.

So first of all, before we started rehearsals, I learnt my lines at home, and then once we all came together, I had voice and movement coaching. I’ve not been to drama school so having a chance to be taught new skills, like how to project your voice and how to fight on stage has been really interesting and I’ve learnt absolutely loads.

How much did you know about William Golding’s 1954 novel before reading the script for the stage adaptation and what is it like being directed by Anthony Lau?

I didn’t study the book or the play at school so I didn’t know much about the story at all – I watched clips of the old film which was made in the 1960s on YouTube.

Working with Anthony Lau is truly amazing. He has a great vision for this play and a real eye for detail, which means he can get the very best from everyone. His way of explaining is precise but easy to understand, so that the cast can be part of the daring ideas for the play.

Can you tell us about Lord of the Flies and your character Perceval?

Lord of the Flies is very dramatic – it’s about a bunch of lads who end up on an island with no adults and how they get along (or not!). Perceval is the youngest – I think in the book he is only five or six years old. So he is scared a lot of the time and very innocent. I love Perceval because he is sweet and sensitive, but also has a strong, determined side and is not afraid to tell the darker side of the story.

What is Perceval like to play and how is it telling the Lord of the Flies story?

There is a part of playing Perceval that comes quite easily to me because I identify with having a bit of a shy and vulnerable side. He is scared a lot and he cries but also has a lot of strengths that might not be obvious at first. Telling the story of Lord of the Flies could be staged in lots of different ways – but Anthony Lau has some really modern and different ways of going about things and bringing the story alive for audiences in 2025.

How are you finding the experience working on Lord of the Flies so far and rehearsing with the rest of the cast?

It’s great to meet so many new talented people, Ive enjoyed working as a team and helping each other – I’ve learnt a lot from watching everyone rehearse their scenes and have really enjoyed my time in London, there is so much to do!

Are there any scenes you are particularly excited to perform to audiences?

I enjoy playing my first entrance because it feels powerful but simple. The scene is quite still, which helps draw attention to Perceval. I also enjoy being lead astray by the hunters and playing a wilder side of myself. Actually, I enjoy playing every scene!

What are you looking forward to for opening on Friday 19th September and performing at Chichester Festival Theatre throughout autumn?

I’m looking forward to challenging myself and my acting skills in a theatre. I think once I’ve got the first few performances done, I will feel less nervous and hopefully be relaxed enough to really enjoy myself on stage. I know the stage is pretty big and so I am looking forward to feeling at home there. I also can’t wait for my costume fitting!

Why would you recommend booking tickets to watch Lord of the Flies at Chichester Festival Theatre and what can audiences expect from this production?

Expect gruesome moments – a very unique take on the original version, all the cast are super talented and are clearly superstars of the stage in the making.

As the only member of the cast with Down Syndrome, it’s amazing to get a chance to change the audience’s perceptions of what is achievable for actors with a learning disability.

How different do you find theatre work to acting on screen, and what do you enjoy about each?

I am enjoying learning the skills you need to act on stage – like knowing your positions, where to look, how to speak loudly – I am used to lots of people being around when I am filming, but an audience of 1000 – that’s really new to me! It’s very different because on screen you can always go for another take if you go wrong! I honestly love doing both – but ask me that question after the first night!!

In the recent release of the Channel 4 comedy series Pushers, you play regular character Harry Clarke, can you tell us about the character and what is he like to play?

Harry is very different from Perceval! He is streetwise and up for anything – I loved playing him because he was into the same kind of things as me – dancing, making films, dressing up and messing around.

He was part of a gang whereas Perceval is a bit more on his own – on the outside.

What was it like working opposite Rosie Jones (who co-wrote and starred in the series) and being part of her new comedy series?

Rosie is very supportive of all the actors she works with – she was good fun to be around too and made sure everyone had what they needed to give their best performance. I couldn’t believe I got the part – I did a self-tape to start with and then a recall audition and was really chuffed when they said they wanted me to play Harry. I’ve always wanted to be in a comedy. The cast gelled very well both on screen and off. I really missed everyone when it was over. I had a lot of fun!

How did you feel watching Pushers for the first time when it was released on Channel 4 earlier this year?

Well, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was dead pleased with the results – it made me laugh a lot! It was amazing to be part of so many disabled actors working together – you can be the odd one out because you are playing a disabled character but in Pushers it was just normal.

Having started your career on The Dumping Ground as Finn McLaine, what do you feel you learnt from your time on the show and what was it like developing the character over ten years?

I was in The Dumping Ground from when I was 14ish and it was my first acting job, so being in that show taught me everything I know about acting – watching all the other young performers and learning from them, working with so many different directors over the years – it was brilliant training for me and I will always be so thankful I had that opportunity. I was so lucky.

Finn McLaine really did grow up in front of the audience’s eyes – from a frightened little boy (a bit like Perceval!) to a confident young man making his way in the world. My favourite episode was when he met his birth mum – it was very emotional.

As a voice artist, you voice Charlie in the Audible Original series Watch Dogs: Truth, how was this to work on?

Another new experience for me. We recorded the whole thing in a day so I really had to focus and concentrate. Actually, I loved doing it because you could just focus on your lines without worrying about what you looked like or where to move to. The one thing I had to get used to was to stay still because even if you moved your head a little bit it would affect the microphone sound.

We understand you are a dancer with Northern Ballet Company, can you tell us about this?

I have been part of Northern Ballet’s Ability group since I was 17. The group is made up of other learning disabled dancers. We meet every Friday, learn contemporary dance techniques and work toward short performances which are showcased at Diversity events in the North of England. I was lucky enough to be asked by the main company to dance in a couple of scenes in their production of Romeo and Juliet when it was staged in Leeds and also a short film with them: Every Little Thing is a Change. From there, I performed a duet with their principal dancer Kevin Poeung, choreographed by George Liang. This was the most exciting time for me – we performed at Sketches, Northern Ballet’s in-house choreography event, and then we took the piece Sky Above, Voices Within to The Royal Ballet and Opera’s International Draft Works in London – an incredible experience. I had to pinch myself to know it was real.

You’ve been an actor and reporter for a number of years now, what do you enjoy about each aspect of your work, and what are some of your most recent reporting projects?

I love being an actor and get the chance to step inside another person’s character and play different roles. As for presenting, I‘ve made a few documentaries and I am also a regular reporter for Channel 4 News. I love doing this because I get to meet lots of different people, travel around the country and cover all sorts of stories from protecting rare orchids to ticket office closures at stations. I work with a brilliant team – Rosie Baldwin and Louise Turner, who give me lots of support which has helped me develop my own style of reporting. One of my favourite reports was rewilding the Lake District because it’s pretty close to my home and was so interesting to learn about the ancient forests and animals that used to be there.

Have there been any theatre shows you’ve seen recently that you’ve particularly enjoyed watching, and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?

I went to see Cabaret for my Christmas present last year, I also loved Hamilton and In the Heights, they were absolutely brilliant – I am a huge Lin-Manuel Miranda fan. I also loved NEWSIES.

I would love to see Moulin Rouge! at some point. You can’t beat a good musical!

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