You can take the quine out of Torry, but you can’t take Torry out of the quine…
Not that Joyce Falconer is ever far from home, either in her heart or in person.
While carving a glittering stage and screen career for herself, she is still a frequent visitor to Torry, the place she grew up.
“It’s always lovely to come home, I’ve never lost touch with my roots and I come up as often as I can,” said the River City star.
“I’m still pals with friends I was at school with and come up regularly to see my wee ma.”
And come December, she will have plenty of time to visit the Torry places she still treasures when she stars in His Majesty’s panto this Christmas as Mrs Potty in Beauty And The Beast.
Ahead of the festive treat, Joyce took the P&J on a tour of her Torry.
Her trip started where any journey to Torry does – on the Torry Brig itself. Joyce said the sound of cars on cobbles is the sound of her returning home.
It was a quick hop from there to Torry Battery – though her memory wasn’t about the ancient fortification, but the chilly waters of Greyhope Bay over which it stands guard.
Back at His Majesty’s as a ‘real old lady’
“We used to come here as bairns in the summer and jump in off the pier and go swimming,” she said, adding that these days she visits the spot to watch for dolphins.
From there, Joyce went back where her acting career started. No, not His Majesty’s, but Tullos Primary School – complete with its badge featuring Torry landmark, Girdleness Lighthouse.
“It was here in Primary 3 I made my stage debut playing a little old lady,” said Joyce. “Who would have thought all these years on, I would be at His Majesty’s as a real old lady?”
Her final stop was the place she will be in residence for the festive season, HMT itself.
There are many precious memories for Joyce in the grand old theatre on Rosemount Viaduct from her time there including working as an usherette, a barmaid and, of course, treading the boards.
“I first performed here in my teens when I was doing drama at the Arts Centre. It was some kind of gala here. And when I was at Torry Academy I was here in the chorus for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” she said.
Joyce’s Stars In Their Eyes moment
After training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Joyce returned to HMT for a more high profile role in the 2001 panto, Cinderella, with Matthew Kelly of Stars In Their Eyes fame.
“The show started with me as usherette with a walkie-talkie, the band struck up and I had to announce the Fairy Godmother had a sickie. Then Mathew Kelly’s voice came on saying, ‘Joyce Falconer, usherette from Aberdeen, who would you like to be?’
“I had to go through the tab and had a 17-second change and came back out as the Fairy Godmother. It was quite magical,” said Joyce, who went into River City the spring after her panto stint.
Now she hopes to help make new memories this Christmas, not just for herself but for the audiences coming along to laugh, boo, sing and cheer the panto.
The actor and writer is delighted to be starring in Beauty And The Beast, alongside fellow Aberdeen stars, Laura Main and Danielle Jam, as well as HMT panto favourites, Alan McHugh and Paul-James Corrigan.
“I am so excited about it and one of the loveliest things is the colleagues I’ll be working with,” said Joyce.
“I was at drama school with Alan, so we’ve known each other for about 30 years… and done panto together before so that will be wonderful.”
Big, happy pantomime family at HMT
She is also delighted to see another familiar face joining the cast of Beauty And The Beast.
“Mark Wood, who is playing the baddy, was actually a pupil of mine when I used to do come back and direct theatre schools,” said Joyce.
The links don’t end there. Joyce was an assistant director on the Aberdeen student show “many moons ago” when Laura was in the cast, and she has also worked with CBeebies star, Danielle, and Paul-James.
“There are lots of connections there, so it will a lovely big happy panto family,” she said.
That sheer joy and happiness will hopefully radiate off the stage and give audiences a great night out, too.
Joyce said: “We all missed out last year, so come back with a vengeance and have a smashing time. The audience are as, if not more, important than the cast, so make sure you’re there.”
Beauty And The Beast will run at His Majesty’s Theatre from December 4 to January 2. For tickets and more information visit www.aberdeenperformingarts.com