George Banks

Tell me about your character in The Mousetrap.

I play Giles, who is a fascinating character. The play was written in 1952, when the theatre was the main source of entertainment. I think the characters from that period have loads of depth to them. It was a generation of men that saw terrible things and were impacted heavily by that. Although that is not explicitly mentioned at any point in the play, there is something about Giles that is quite tightly wound.

He has his partner Molly whom he loves, and they open a guest house – which is the setting for the play. It’s an exciting adventure, but their venture is a gamble, as he could lose everything. At the start of the play, you hear there has been a murder in London – I have to be careful here so I don’t give too much away – but events ripple out from that murder. As things unravel in the house, Giles gets caught up in paranoia and jealousy, and he becomes this version of himself that he doesn’t recognise.

How do you keep each performance fresh?

We have nine shows a week, which is quite a heavy load. What is nice is that the company is quite young and energised and everybody likes to play when they are on stage. The audience reaction is always interesting as well. Each audience reacts differently, and that spurs you to tweak your performance and discover new things. One of the difficult things about being a professional actor is keeping things fresh and interesting and not becoming robotic in your performance. Finding new things you didn’t expect about the play is exciting.

Having appeared in Coronation Street, do you have a preference for performing on TV or in theatre?

They are hugely different, but there are things I enjoy about both. The things that are wonderful about theatre, and doing a show nine times a week, are that you have to play and discover new things, you have that immediate feedback from an audience – you can feel when it is really connected to them – and no performance is ever the same. It’s magical to share that moment with everyone in that theatre. Doing TV, particularly a soap, is high pressure and has a quick turnaround, which means you don’t always get time to explore themes or character traits in depth – you have to access a different part of your discipline for that. You must make quick choices and commit to them. You are there trying to react spontaneously and be truthful. It’s certainly a buzz doing it.  

CV

Training: BA acting, Rose Bruford, London (2006-09) 
First Job: Honeymoon Suite at New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme (2009) 
Agent: John Mahoney Management 

The Mousetrap is running at St Martin’s Theatre, London, with George Banks appearing in the show until June 3. Visit:
the-mousetrap.co.uk