We used to have front-row seats for the Grand Opera House pantomime every year, and once the dame May McFettridge got me up on-stage.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The idea of doing theatre always terrified me because I get terrible stage fright. In the early 1970s I was offered a panto but the thought of going on stage was just too mortifying.
I feel a lot more comfortable on stage in the theatre. It just reminds me of being a kid and doing pantomimes.
My dad tells me that he took us to a pantomime when I was very, very small - panto being a sort of English phenomenon. There's traditionally a part of the show where they'll invite kids up on the stage to interact with the show. I was too young to remember this, but my dad says that I was running up onstage before they even asked us.
I've always gravitated towards opera, and the Royal Opera House is quite possibly the greatest opera house on earth.
In fact, one was so booked out we went from March and were to go till November, but the pantomime was booked so they transferred the show to the Prince of Wales Theatre because it was so packed out, and it ran on from there.
I want an audience that will come sitting forward in their seats.
I saw a lot of operas from backstage and watched a lot of rehearsals - my parents were singers.
The best seat in the house often depends on the ballet. For instance, much of the first act of 'The Nutcracker' is domestic and small scale, so it's great to sit up close. But the second act features elaborate scenery and choreography, which are better to observe from a distance.
One of my first memories is running up and down the theatre at Wakefield Opera House.
You can't do opera when already from the 10th row you can only see little dolls on the stage. In such an enormous space you can't put much faith in the personal presence of the individual singer, which is reflected in facial expressions, among other things.