FIRST PERSON: Actor and Monmouth theatre producer Sam Densham

“I was five years old when I went on stage for the first time and it was then that I knew I never wanted to do anything else.

My dad was the film maker Denny Densham and my mum, Elsy Margaret, did a bit of acting in one of the films he made in the Rhondda.

I am the youngest of six and grew up in Hertfordshire.

I always wanted to either be a dancer or an actor and my mum said I was dancing before I did anything else. Dad put Scheherazade on in the living room and I was totally moved by it and in tears.

My first experience on stage was as Robin in Babes in The Wood, when I attended Mrs Bullers Dance class. I covered the babes up with their leaves and it was the most at home I had ever felt.

I was bitten and that has been my whole life. I have never wanted to do anything else but to work in the theatre. It really is my passion.

In school we were lucky enough to have a proper drama department, teacher and studio which was rare. I studied drama at O-level and excelled.

After school I completed a three-year drama course at North Hertfordshire Drama School. I was no good at anything else.

I have done wardrobe, stage hand, assistant stage managing, marketing, promotions, whatever job there is in the theatre. I’ve worked in holiday camps as a blue and green coat. One of my first jobs was working backstage at the Cannon and Ball spectacular in Blackpool for the summer season. I wasn’t overly confident or good with rejection which is something you have to deal with as an actor. My first professional role was in pantomime playing the principle boy and the wicked witch in the same performance in a touring production and had to have an argument with myself.

At 22 I ended up directing and understudying in the same company in Sheffield. They had six companies and I was the understudy for all the characters. You would turn up to a gig if someone was sick and every director would have changed the script. They had to tell me when I went on and how I got off. What happened in between was entirely up to me. I knew what had to be said.

It taught me what I could do. I had an amazing ability to know the script so well.

I was a jobbing actor and had a part in the Hollywood blockbuster Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. My cousin, Pen Densham, is a Hollywood producer who worked the film.

I was a castle maid in a scene at the end where Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) is chasing the Sheriff of Nottingham through the castle to save Marion, but half of the scene was cut. It was my first film and great fun.

The set at Shepperton Studios was amazing. They used foam cannons that looked like they are firing bricks to blow up the castle walls and we had to react to that with stunt men standing in front of us.

It was an amazing first film to be involved in. I’ve had small parts in the TV series London’s Burning, Casualty and Nuts and Bolts but there is something about a live audience.

I then got a job with the Theatre in Education Company (Tie) in Surrey. They had a contract to run drama workshops for Montessori nurseries.

We ran drug awareness projects, studied Shakespeare, taught teachers and directed.

In the summer holidays we ran two-week workshops and wrote a play in four days because on the Friday they took the script away and learned it over the weekend.

I wrote two or three plays every summer that were shown at a theatre.

By then I had met by ex-husband and was living in Surrey.

My father died in 1992 and moved to Usk to live with my mum whilst I was pregnant with my son Gregory so that we could save for our own place.

Gregory, now 17 is studying creative media. I always intended to put my career on hold after he was born and also cared for my mum, who died when Greg was four. He was diagnosed with autism when he was seven and has Aspergers Syndrome.

I started doing more teaching at a Montessori school in Llangattock, near Monmouth, because it fitted in around his schooling.

Seven years ago I got a job as project leader for the Spectrum Club in Chepstow which is run by the National Autistic Society. It is for children and their families who are on the autism spectrum. I trained all the volunteers and built it up into more than just a club. We went on outings, held workshops and worked on their confidence and self-esteem but unfortunately I had leave last year due to ill health.

I am absolutely passionate about acting and was asked to get involved with The Savoy Youth Theatre in Monmouth four years ago, becoming artistic director and senior drama leader.

We have gone from 12 students to about 70 with children from three and a half up to young adults in their 20s. They used to rehearse in what was known as ‘The Hut’ but are now based at the theatre.

I direct and write the productions and we have just finished our Christmas panto run of Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood at The Savoy Theatre. I am so proud of all my students.

I’ve always written and used to do a lot with Raglan Young Farmers so I had a lot of scripts from them. Last year we did Alice in Wonderland and had 50 kids on stage with speaking parts which we took on tour around Monmouth. We had four year-olds up to 20 year-olds taking part which is quite a feat.

I have to be disciplined in writing a panto because everything has to be explained, there can’t be loose ends and there has to be a reason behind everything that happens but I love it.

When it comes to life it’s wonderful.

There is something magical about words. I like to write from scratch and because the Savoy stage is very small there is no room back stage for big pieces of set. I have no budget, sponsorship or funding-which we desperately need. Every production costs a fortune. If there is no money I don’t take a wage. I dream of being able to put on a bigger production.

I have always directed but this year due to ill health I brought in a professional director while I produced and performed in it as Scarlet, together with my Collie-cross ‘Chief’ who made his third appearance on stage. I also had a cast of five to work with the youth theatre.

We couldn’t do school shows if we didn’t have a professional cast.

We only have a week’s rehearsal and that training means everyone knows what they have to do.

Ideally we could with a little studio or premises of our own.

It’s not about the production, it’s about them learning something new.

We do workshops but the first big thing we did was Jack and the Beanstalk.

The following year we did A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We toured it and had fantastic reviews. The feedback from the audience was positive.

Some of our members want a career in the business but it’s also about family, community and supporting each other.

We run workshops through the summer holidays.

There is a full range of things they can get involved in.

I also run workshops and training for teachers, carers of those with autism through my business, Spontaneous Productions, as well as working with the theatre group.

The seniors will be performing Rent in July and we’ll be performing Jack and the Beanstalk in panto.

I would like to do more acting in the future, including playing Lady Macbeth.

I am passionate about my students they are so wonderful.”

l For details, see: savoyyouththeatremonmouth.wordpress.com