Noises off: theatreland’s titans reveal their backstage secrets and rituals

They say the real drama takes place backstage and it was no different at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

With a cast boasting Damian Lewis, Dame Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey, Kristin Scott Thomas, David Walliams, Grayson Perry, and Dame Maggie Smith — not to mention Boris Johnson and Nick Clegg — it was no surprise the party went on long after curtain call at The Savoy.

Led by Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, the stars revealed some of their behind-the-scenes secrets.

Hayley Atwell told how her backstage rituals involved playing pranks on The Pride co-star Mat Horne. She said: “I have filled his dressing room with 4,000 multicoloured plastic balls.”

And Dame Helen, 68, makes her own dressing gowns because she can never find the “perfect” one. “If I were to do anything after acting, I think I’d start a dressing gown company,” she said.

Read the full story in November 29's ES Magazine