Charlotte and Sam played Indira and Mohandas in Make Good: The Post Office Scandal, both making their debuts as performers in a musical. The musical, developed over three years, was written by Jeanie O’Hare (book), Jim Fortune (music and lyrics), and Maimuna Memon (additional music), and was developed with affected sub-postmasters. They have both been nominated for The Stage Debut Awards for Best Performer in a Musical. We sat down with Sam and Charlotte to discuss their debuts, The Post Office Scandal and their award nominations.
Firstly, congratulations on your powerful debuts in Make Good! How did it feel to make your debut in Make Good – especially in a show with such deep emotional weight?
Sam Gosrani: There were so many factors in this job that made it special (and terrifying). I had worked with Elle before, and it didn’t matter what the job was, if it gave me the chance to work with her again, I was always going to take it. I was just fortunate that in doing so, I was introduced to Pentabus and the incredible work they do as a production house and theatre.
The Pentabus team have a care and sensitivity like no other. It felt like the perfect environment to be creating something with such weight. Albeit hard delving into the realities of this injustice, it was an absolutely honour to be able to share the stories of these human lives, so wrongly treated. Although there were moments where I certainly felt out of my depth, we all held each other with care, and I think we created something pretty damn special.
Charlotte Delima: Thank you so much! Debuting in Make Good was a once in a lifetime thing. It was a gift of a role, and to debut a character like Indira was a true privilege. She is such a strong woman with so much left to give to the world and I love that she fights so much for justice, not just for herself but anyone who has suffered the way she did. I’m very lucky to have got to tell her story.
Make Good tells the story of one of the UK’s most shocking miscarriages of justice. What was your personal connection to the story when you first joined the production, and how has that evolved through the rehearsal process and performances?
Charlotte: When I first started on the show, I honestly had no idea what the Post office scandal really was. I grew up where it was in the background of my life and it wasn’t until I joined the show that I began to realise quite how much of an impact it had on the post mistresses/masters who were affected. As we went through the process, it just got more obvious to me that it’s one of those stories that people have tried to bury and scarred the lives of those involved. I think once I got over the shock and it sunk in that this actually happened and the effects are ongoing, it felt so important to authentically tell the story. I hope it continues to have a life beyond us and reaches more people.
Sam: I’d kept up with the news, and obviously we’d had the ITV Drama that had done so well so I felt like I was pretty clued up about it, however I don’t think I quite grasped the scale of injustice until we’d settled into rehearsals. I didn’t have a personal connection to the story, other than one of my best mates moving into an old post office that was no longer functioning because of the scandal so I was coming into it pretty fresh. I think what Jeanie – the writer of Make Good – did so well, was to bind both the logistical reality of the situation, along with the emotional toll that was caused. We were really fortunate to have the support and backing from many Sub-Postmasters throughout the rehearsal period and they were extremely brave and generous when it came to sharing their stories with us too. This allowed us to really grasp the first hand the magnitude of what had happened.
Looking back now, almost a year on from the show’s debut, how do you feel about being nominated for Best Performer in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards?
Sam: I am honestly buzzing! I am so proud of this show, of everyone that played a part in it. It was such a special team and experience and it really wouldn’t have happened without a single cog. I feel like it was the kind of production where every single element over performed (if that makes sense?!). I had never done anything like this, and was certainly nervous going into it, so to be nominated is bloody lovely.
Charlotte: Bloody hell has it been nearly a year? Shocked mostly! I did not know it was a thing to be nominated as a debut performer, so this is a delight! Especially being someone who battles hell of a lot of imposter syndrome. Musicals in particular give me my buzz, so to be recognised for originating a role is very special to me.
Charlotte, you’re now about to star in Make It Happen with Brian Cox – what can you tell us about that project, and how does it compare to your experience on Make Good?
Well, I seem to be creating a career out of shows with ‘Make’ in the title! And political scandals. Maybe it’s because I am far too serious as a person.
I think whilst fundamentally the scale of Make it Happen is very different, the feeling of telling an important story and one that deeply impacts society is still there. Make it Happen revolves around the 2008 global financial crash and this crisis brought the world to its knees and continues to affect us today. To be able to put this on its feet and educate people about how complicated the financial system is and how it broke, that’s crucial, especially when you look at what’s happening in America and with global politics. It is as relevant now as it was when it actually happened in 2008.
All of the actors in the room excel in their craft and I am 100% sitting in awe of getting to work and learn from them all. In that sense Make Good and Make it Happen are very similar – creative teams who valued the voices and opinions of the performers. Being able to contribute openly to who the characters are and what makes their blood boil, is something that I hope I can continue to do.
Samuel, you’ve just wrapped an R&B Romeo and Juliet – what was that journey like, and what do you enjoy about merging classical work with contemporary music?
I have a big passion for mixed media. I don’t really understand why we often stick to one form of something. I think it can limit us as artists. If you’re making a music album, add poetry and spoken word. If you’re painting an oil picture, add other textures. If you’re putting on a Shakespeare text, add grime… obviously. The journey is obviously complex, difficult at times, however so utterly rewarding when you see that synergy between the two. I think there’s a really exciting fusion of new and old coming together, and one that can bring a whole new demographic of audiences in, which has got to be the goal.
Finally, what do you hope audiences took away from Make Good?
Sam: The nonchalance thrown towards these sub-postmasters was actually mental. They weren’t given the care or support from anyone above and had to find that for themselves and each other. This was what we wanted to capture – the togetherness and power of a collective voice. This gross miscarriage of justice is still not concluded, so we need to keep the conversation going, and hold people rightly accountable for the ruining of so many lives.
I hope anyone that saw Make Good could take away an understanding of the true scale of the gross miscarriage of justice that the sub-postmasters have been through and are going through. I also hope they could leave with a fire in their hearts, a belief in the power of unity, and of course, a Jim Fortune melody, stuck in their brains forever.
Charlotte: I really hope that the audiences that saw the show went away and looked deeper into the Post Office Scandal. Obviously, it is very topical in the news at the moment and those affected have yet to receive real justice. I think it’s to vital to make noise about the scandal and get people talking about it.
I also hope it provided some sort of catharsis for those involved. A lot of the post masters who attended the show felt like it really showed their stories, and they were blown away by how accurately it captured what happened to them. I hope people came, saw that authenticity and took that away with them as a cause to wholeheartedly support.