Christmas at the West Yorkshire Playhouse means a Mike Kenny play on stage in the Courtyard Theatre space.
This year he's adapted Beauty and the Beast and Katie Matthews plays Beauty and a servant.

What has been your career path?
I toured with the National Youth Music Theatre to Hong Kong, Taiwan and New York.
I felt that I needed to get a theoretical understanding as to why I wanted to perform as a career.
I couldn't quite justify going on to a stage and doing it.
I needed a deeper understanding and doing a drama degree at Exeter University gave that to me.
There was never, ever any thought of another career.
My parents have always been supportive but I do remember my dad saying, "Remember not to chase moonbeams".

You have appeared in four Mike Kenny plays now.
His scripts are so fast-paced and have so much energy in them, before you put the voices and accents in.
The scripts are already bouncing off the table.
I was in his I Love the Witch last year, at another theatre.
It was for adults and was about Hansel and Gretel as adults.
Very dark!

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"There was never, ever any thought of another career."
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Do you enjoy working for children?
We've never had a conversation where we've said 'This is a children's show'.
We've said, 'We're creating a great piece of theatre'.
It just happens that children, predominantly, will come and watch the show.
It's imaginative and inventive.
Rather than bring a horse on to the stage, we make a horse out of a huge cymbal and a handkerchief.
I went to see a piece by Kneehigh Theatre recently - Brief Encounter - and all the techniques they were using come from children's theatre.
Audiences at children's theatre have to finish off the image in their minds and that creates a certain type of show that's exciting.
They get satisfaction out of saying, 'I see what that is, look at that!'.
Adults want to feel that as well.

What's your ideal spare time activity?
I tend to do a lot of gardening.
It's the opposite to being on stage and feeling very high.
You have your feet on the ground.
I love growing organic vegetables.
I'm a vegan and have been for five years.
My favourite dish to cook is mushroom, chestnut and red wine pie.

What was the last thing that made you laugh?
This morning in rehearsals.
We have giant props.
We use a huge glove and I got stuck inside it.
I had to be pulled out feet-first!


Interviewed by Kevin Berry