S12 Ep5: Denise Gough

For this Olivier winner and Tony nominee, theatre isn’t a career choice — it’s survival. It’s the place that held her when nothing else could, the place that quite literally saved her.
From her time outside theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue to seeing her own face illuminated above their very doors, it’s a career of absolute dedication to her craft matched with a showering of recognition from both industry and audiences alike.
And now, as she steps into a new world – a kinder and more generous one to her soul, albeit still putting her work first – she takes to the stage in the premiere of High Noon, opposite the Billy Crudup.
In this exclusive conversation, she opens up about becoming Amy in Thea Sharrock and Eric Roth’s new play High Noon — the power of inhabiting a character not driven by trauma, grounding herself in peace, and finding her voice again through singing for the first time in 30 years.
We also return to her seismic performance as Emma in People, Places and Things — “the work of my life,” in her own words — and why theatre will always be a place of profound healing for her. Plus, how she draws inspiration from the fearless brilliance of industry peers like now Oscar-nominee, Jessie Buckley.
And in a raw, breathtaking final moment, she shares how the nightly ritual of live theatre “continues to save my life daily.”
The Gough Theatre? We should all be so honoured.

Host: William J Connolly

Produced by: William J Connolly/Darren Bell

highnoontheplay.com

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