Not a bad first job – graduate Kundai lands stage role opposite Jim Broadbent

Date 31.10.2018

Persistence paid off for Kundai Kanyamaure who has landed a role opposite stage and screen legend Jim Broadbent after a year of fruitless auditions.

Kundai experienced a series of audition knockbacks since graduating from the University of Northampton’s Acting course in 2017, before hitting the jackpot this summer.

She can now been seen appearing alongside Broadbent and Phil Daniels in Oscar-winning writer Martin McDonagh’s grim gothic tale, A Very Very Very Dark Matter, which runs until January at London’s Bridge Theatre.

Kundai, who plays the character Ogechi, couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to stage life, and rather than being overawed by the company she is keeping, she’s appreciative of the opportunity she has to learn from such an exceptional and experienced cast.

“Jim Broadbent is great to work with,” said Kundai, who grew up in Staines, but now lives in Wellingborough.

“He’s been very welcoming towards me and it’s just a very relaxed atmosphere being around him and the others.

“He’s not given me any tips, I’ve just been watching and learning and from the get-go I already learnt how to bring words on a page to life when doing the initial play reading.

“The whole cast is great, and honestly, it’s felt very calm and normal. Everyone is so lovely and so caring and what they all do well is helping me to feel comfortable.

“As one of the youngest cast members, apart from the child actors, it’s nice to have people who advise you and welcome you to an industry that can be intense. It’s been great to be around experienced and knowledgeable actors.”

Kundai’s dream start to her career has been bolstered further by the fact she’s working alongside Oscar-winner McDonagh, who has spent plenty of time with the cast to ensure his creative vision is translated accurately from script to stage.

“Martin has been sitting in the rehearsals from the very start, being there to guide and shape the motivations of the writing and everything. You can tell he’s a great writer because every actor really suited the character and even now we still discover new things about the play and how things are linked in scenes.”

She added: “Now the run has started, it’s been great – challenging, in a good way. The previews went well and now it’s just about keeping every performance fresh and alive and not getting complacent.”

Kundai was originally cast as the understudy for the lead female role of Marjory, but ended up being switched to the character of Ogechi, meaning she’d be treading the boards for each performance, rather than waiting in the wings for the chance for a possible call-up. She’s also continuing to be the understudy for Marjory, if required.

Kundai said: “The auditions went well and I was hopeful, but there was always a sense of doubt. I felt like I had a good chance for sure. I then received the news I was to be the understudy.

“Later on, the director decided that something wasn’t working well when it came to the character of Ogechi in rehearsals, and I should step in.”

This was huge news, but Kundai’s year out of acting work meant she didn’t make a big deal of it when she told her family.

“It was my first job since graduating and I’d been auditioning for a year so it was a relief to finally secure something,” she said.

“I very casually just let my family know that I had finally secured something and they were happy for me. They also were glad I finally got something after all that time.”

While Kundai is focussing all of her attention on her professional stage debut, she’s hopeful of securing more work come the new year.

“There are no projects in the pipeline so far, but I’m sure this will open a few doors that wouldn’t have been open for me before. The plan is to just keep working. I’m enjoying it too much to go back to working day jobs.”

Whatever the future holds for Kundai, she feels equipped for the ups and downs of the industry thanks to her time at Northampton.

“The Acting course was amazing,” she said. “I would recommend it because of the teachers and mentors: I’ve learned a lot from them and even some people who came in temporarily to teach us. It was hard work in a good way because the real acting world is a lot of work and it trains you and fully prepares you for it.”

A Very Very Very Dark Matter runs at the Bridge Theatre until Sunday 6 January.

Photo caption: The cast of A Very Very Very Dark Matter, with Kundai pictured standing on the right and Jim Broadbent seated. Phil Daniels is sitting on the arm of the bench.