John Astley. Credit Paul Hunter.
I know nothing about snooker. Nothing. There’s a long wooden stick, the balls are different colours like M&Ms and they go into meshy pockets (or not depending on the skill level of the player). So it makes a lot of sense, I reckon, to interview a professional snooker player.
John Astley, named Snooker’s Rookie Of The Year in 2014, is appearing in The Nap, a new play by Richard Bean at – where else – Sheffield’s Crucible alongside a pretty impressive team: Jack O’Connell, Ralf Little, Mark Addy and the legendary Richard Wilson. Astley has a soft Geordie accent, a polite manner and a sense of humour too: “luckily I don’t have any lines,” he quips over the phone, “that’s a bit of a bonus for me like.”
He came to be involved when he got a phone call from World Snooker asking if he wanted to be in a play. “I was a little bit surprised. I’ve never done anything like this before.” After chatting to Richard Wilson – another surprise for Astley who, like most, knew the veteran theatre director for other reasons – they agreed on what would be involved and the job was his.
Astley picked up the snooker bug when he got a pool table for Christmas (pool is not the same as snooker ok) and used to play against his brother. “We used to play on this table for hours every day”. There was also a local snooker club, where his other brother went with friends for a game and a few drinks. “I used to nag him, ‘will you take me, will you take me’, but I was only 11 at the time”. Finally, though, the nagging paid off and Astley went along. “I remember seeing a full-sized snooker table for the first time and it just looked like it never ended. It was so big.” It wasn’t long before he was playing three or four times a week, then entering competitions, and playing matches across the country.
But Astley dropped off the main professional circuit at the end of last season and although he’s been doing a lot of coaching – particularly with younger players – not being tied up in tournaments has meant he’s been able to commit to this play.
He actually plays two snooker players in Bean’s play, one against Jack O’Connell’s lead who is losing a game on purpose – “tanking a frame”, Astley tells me is the correct term – after his management gets tied up with some dodgy people. He has to clear the table live every night in front of an audience. Anxious of my ignorance about snooker I hesitantly suggest that clearing the table sounds quite hard. “Erm, it is,” says Astley patiently, “and in rehearsals we’re working on ways to give us the best chance of doing that. But we’re not in complete control. It is going to be difficult.” Still, he claims that he’s been managing fine in rehearsals. “I’ve been either clearing the table or making a frame within break. Do you know what I mean?” Sure, yeah, of course I know what he means. Frame within break. Yep, no problem. Let’s move on.
In the last scene he plays a different snooker play, in the final of the World Championships – the competition that takes place at the Sheffield Crucible each year. He’s particularly excited about being at the Crucible, an element which “added a bit of romance to it”. Astley’s never actually played at snooker’s hallowed shrine because players have to qualify to be able to get into the World Championships, which requires winning around five matches (don’t worry, Astley’s explained all this to me. I know what I’m talking about). “It’s a bit ironic I’m going to play snooker there in a play rather than than in the World Championships.”
The use of a professional sports player is a nice touch of realism that a lot of other sports dramas don’t have. Most just use actors and are, as a consequence, sometimes a lot less convincing. But since some of the other actors have to play snooker in the play, Astley has been putting his coaching prowess to good use. Although apparently “Jack’s quite a decent potter,” – presumably in the sense of someone who pots snooker balls, rather than someone who works in earthenware – “he’s played socially for years, so he had a bit of a headstart.”
The liveness of theatre is exciting for Astley, particularly since he’s not a regular theatregoer. “I’ve been down to London to the West End a couple of times, but very rarely. Probably ten times in my whole life.” Astley’s role may seem like a bit of a busman’s holiday but, he says, “it’s a different world.” For one thing, snooker players are used to working alone and in silence. Here, he gets to be a part of a team and he’s loved getting to know the cast.
So is this going to be the start of a new devotion to theatre? He hesitates for quite a long time. “Well it’s definitely going to make us more interested. It just depends.” His non-committal answer can be forgiven: Astley is about to start playing professionally again in the next few months, which won’t leave much time for trips to the theatre. “It was one of my dreams as a kid, just to be able to say ‘I’m a professional snooker player’.” Now he can say he’s an actor, too. He laughs. “I’m not sure about that”.
The Nap is at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre until 2nd April. More information here.
