BY DANIEL McCALLUM ALS INTERVIEWS: PETER PEVERLEY https://www.a-love-supreme.com/single-post/als-interviews-peter-peverley Actor Peter Peverley will play Charlie Thompson in The Sunderland Story. Pete is a lifelong Sunderland fan who used to read ALS, so we chatted with him about the upcoming production and all things SAFC... What are some of your early Sunderland memories? “Well, I was a season ticket holder all through the 90s. There was a cup run in the early 90s and when I was a kid my Dad was a Sunderland fan, but he never used to take me to the games. I remember when I was really young there was a very, very famous game at the end of the 70s when we played West Ham at Roker Park. I can’t remember the actual game, but it was a big game - I nearly went because of a spare ticket and I was looking forward to it. I was only a little lad but then that didn’t happen, so I didn’t go, but we were always a Sunderland family. Then I really got a bug in the early 90s when we had a cup run and we watched it all on the telly being really, really into it and my first game at Roker Park was when Gordon Armstrong scored that amazing goal at the Roker End, amazing header from a corner and then you were hooked from then. So, I was quite late going to the games but throughout the 90s and the early 2000s I was a season ticket holder really and went to all the games. I also took my son to the games throughout the 2000s and he still goes. I’m not a season ticket holder now because I’m often away because of work, but I still follow them. I think the last game I went to would be an Ipswich game last season because I have a little affinity with Ipswich Town as well. So yeah, I’m a big fan.” Who are some of your favourite players? “Quinn and Phillips have got to be up there, but I used to like Micky Gray and obviously Kevin Ball, all those Sunderland stalwarts and they would bleed red and white. And just the local guys like Gordon Armstrong because back then players were quite accessible. Now, you tend not to see them around but back then you used to see them in the community. Gary Owers used to live in Washington, and I used to sort of see him, so you have a few favourites because you had that contact with them.” Did supporting Sunderland have an impact when you decided to get involved with this show? “When we all saw that it was happening, we thought that it would be a good thing to be involved in. We chased it up with the relevant parties like “What’s this? When’s it happening?” You sort of keep an eye out for projects that you’d like to be involved in, and it has everything going for me; I live in Washington, it’s local and the Sunderland Empire is an amazing theatre and it’s about Sunderland. So it’s a no-brainer for me to want to be in, when you get cast for it it's great and I think it’s going to be really good.” What is it like to be in a production about the club you love? “It’s really special. I think there is something really great about theatre and football combined, and as I said I have an affinity with Ipswich Town because there is a lovely theatre around there called The New Wolsey Theatre and I’ve done two shows down there about Ipswich Town winning the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup, where I played Bobby Robson in those shows. So when you do a theatre show in a place like that about football but in a theatre, it’s really special. Me and Joe Caffrey did one about Newcastle United many, many years ago. That didn’t quite take off because we did it in the summer, and it was after the season that Newcastle blew the league so a lot of their fans didn’t come! But I think it’s just going to be really special because we’ll share those memories with the audience. Particularly if you’re a football fan but even if you’re not a massive fan, if you're just brought up here and have a love of the area because it’s about the city, and about the people of the region as well. It’s about their connections to the community and family, so all of that is tied up into the football club because it’s a community club.” What are you most looking forward to about the show? “Now bearing in mind, we haven’t really had the scripts yet. I think the music is going to be lovely because we’re going to have a really kicking live band. It’s not going to be a history lesson where you’re sitting down, because you can just do that on Wikipedia- like I did last night! So, it isn’t going to be like that, it’ll be more like going to a gig. It’ll be like being at the match as well. It’ll be loud and kicking. But then we look at those times of Sunderland’s past as a club and a city where it’ll be a big moving experience too. But as I say we haven’t really seen the scripts, but I imagine the music will be good. And the comedy as well because my character is quite funny and has a negative point of view on the history of Sunderland - just like a lot of fans. It’s easy to think like that, because we’ve been through rough times as well. Probably more so than the good times. So I think the comedy and the music are going to really be worth relishing.” How do you think the lads are doing this season? “I think it’s going great, as I say I haven’t been to a game since last season, but I still follow them. I think Tony Mowbray is a fantastic manager. The lads obviously really respond to him and I think that he is old school in his language and the way he talks about the game. He sort of reminds me of Bobby Robson in those Ipswich days and I think they’re doing really well. Hopefully we can make the play-offs as it would be really exciting, and would also be great for the show to carry some momentum there! But even if they don’t, I think they have done really well and I hope they can hold onto as many of those players as they can and it looks good for next season.” The Sunderland Story is at Sunderland Empire from Wednesday 17th May - Saturday 27th May. Click here for ticket info.
