Caspar, actor
Escapade Theatre returns to Barcelona with the celebrated English comedy Dinner for One. Caspar, the protagonist, showed us around at Teatre Tantarantana.
1. Wooden Mushroom. This possession belonged to my dearly departed mother. I remember her darning socks with it – she would place the wooden mushroom inside the sock and then sew up any holes. Apart from its association with my mother, I like the feel of this unusual object.
2. Jesters Cap. This is from my early 20s when I was the city of York's official jester. Together we had many adventures: from fooling around on the streets of war-torn El Salvador to being arrested in London and then asked to perform for all the officers of Bow Street Police Station (who later passed the hat so that I left with the gratitude of my arresting officers and a whole bundle of money!).
3. Stan the Elephant. When my step-daughter Emma was four, she didn't like this little elephant because he's frowning, so I set about making him more interesting. I explained that his name was Stan Dard-Elephant (that's what's written on the label) and began making him speak and annoying Emma with his trunk. She fell in love with him and so Stan became a legend in our household.
4. Metal Goblet. This beaten-up metal cup is a prop from "Dinner For One" and has survived many performances. James the Butler fills it with all kinds of alcoholic drinks as he toasts Ms. Sofie and becomes inebriated. It holds many memories of all the fun we've had with this crazy show.
5. Bagpiper. This little statue of a bagpiper was given to me by the choreographer of La Cubana on the opening night of our show Nuts Coconuts at the Edinburgh Festival. The first time the festival had ever produced a show 100%. Crazy days, I worked with La Cubana for almost a year on two others projects but the high point was opening the Edinburgh Festival, especially as most of my family is from Edinburgh.
6. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas. This decrepit copy of the collected poems of Dylan Thomas is one of my most prized possessions. The cover fell off many years ago but I continue to regularly consult and enjoy the work of this genius. I think I bought it second hand when I was about 18 years old. I'd already become familiar with his work from the age of 14 when I went to see a theatrical version of his brilliant radio play, Under Milk Wood. Unique and inspiring, his use of the English language has never been matched.
7. Wooden Shoe. This curious item is actually a bottle opener. It was given to me by the workers in a shoe factory in Germany. I'd just performed in the factory and they gave me the shoe as a gift .
8. Main Stage Pass. This is my stage pass from last year's Sziget Festival, a huge music festival held on an island in the Danube in Budapest. It was my second year performing at this fantastic festival. I have the stage pass because I was part of the opening act for the likes of Blur, Stone Roses, Nick Cage and Skunk Anasie. A wonderful experience although it nearly ended badly last summer when I almost crashed into the singer of Blur during his concert!