Fresh out of school and Ashley Cousins had an 18th-birthday present to remember when he landed his first full-time acting job in Gangsta Granny.

You had just finished your A-levels when you got the part in the national Gangsta Granny tour.

Yes, I’d read the book as research and had a month to prepare for my audition. Then I got the callback on my 18th birthday and got the part. It was an amazing 18th- birthday present.

You’re on your first national tour – how are you finding it so far?

I’m loving it. It’s exciting, touring. Bringing the show to Dartford, though, will be the big one for me. All my family are coming and two of my English teachers from Meopham School. One of my friends has also booked to come, which is nice.

You were bitten by the acting bug early, weren’t you?

I’ve been acting for the last six years, three and a half of them as the Tall Boy in Billy Elliot in the West End. That doesn’t mean there’s not lots to learn, though, it just means I’m more comfortable. I remember watching my nan tap-dance at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, when I was about five or six, it’s probably my earliest memory. My grandad also plays the ukelele, guitar, bass and harmonica. It’s that creative feel which is definitely in the family.

How does it feel to be a professional actor now?

I have to pinch myself sometimes. A waitress the other day asked me what I did and I said “I’m an actor”. It was the first time I’d said that sentence.

How did you fit in acting around your studies?

Billy Elliot was the biggest one. It was difficult, but I got into a routine with it. Last year I did a play and was given two and a half weeks off during my A-levels, which I have to thank the school for massively. I think because I love doing this you find a way.

How is the show being received?

The kids are loving it. People are booking six months in advance. With David’s name, the interest is heightened, but also this is a really good show. We tend to have a schools audience in the afternoons and the children laugh completely differently. There’s lots of giggles in the afternoon and in the evening the adults are more vocal. They properly laugh.

You’ve been lucky enough to not only land your first permanent job but it’s a long tour, too, isn’t it?

Yes, we’re going to be touring until January 2017. It is a lovely long tour. I feel very lucky. I’ll get to see all over the country.

THE SHOW

Gangsta Granny came from the creative mind of David Walliams, actor, comedian and Britain’s Got Talent judge.
The stage show by the Birmingham Stage Company was adapted from his children’s book, published in 2011 and which has also been made for TV.
David was at the launch of the tour, held at the Tower of London, which features in the story about young Ben who spends Friday nights with his granny who’s so boring! Or is she..?
What he doesn’t know is Granny has a secret and Friday nights are about to get exciting as Ben embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny.
David said: “It’s the most popular of all my books and I am sure this production by the brilliant Birmingham Stage Company will delight not just children but their parents – and of course grandparents.”

DETAILS

Gangsta Granny will be at the The Orchard Theatre, Dartford, from Thursday, November 26, to Sunday, November 29. Tickets from £15. Book by visiting www.orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.

It will also be at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury from Wednesday, June 1 to Sunday, June 5. For tickets go to marlowetheatre.com or call 01227 787787.