Mamma Mia! Joseph eyes hometown show
2:46pm Monday 23rd January 2012 in News By Kat Dibbits
JOSEPH Davenport might be starting to make a name for himself in the West End, but the Westhoughton born actor says he would love to appear on stage in his home town.
“If I could come back to play the hometown that would be great — panto at the Albert Halls or the Octagon’s Christmas show, maybe,” he says.
Joseph is currently appearing onstage in the hit show Mamma Mia as a member of the ensemble and is also first cover for the character of Pepper.
“It’s great fun, a really good show to do, and the audience really lift every night,” he says. “There was some extra pressure initially with it being my first West End show, but at the end of the day it’s the same as any job in that when the adrenaline dies down it becomes second nature. Every night I go out on stage and think about how there are people who have to call their job ‘work’ — this is great fun.”
Joseph, who is 24, was a pupil at Westhoughton High School before going on to Winstanley College.
“I was always quite academic as well, but at Winstanley I got involved in the performing arts productions,” he says. “I think I always knew but when I started to perform I realised it was what I wanted to do and put everything else on the back burner.”
From there he went on to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and was offered his first role, in the Pirates of Penzance, before he had even graduated.
Joseph admits he has been lucky to have had a fairly steady stream of roles, but is not content to rest on his laurels and is constantly looking for new challenges.
“I would really like to play Gallileo in We Will Rock You, and Mark or Roger in Rent if it ever came back,” he says. “I’d also like to play Pepper full time and I am working on a showreel for television which is exciting because it’s a new challenge for me.”
