Actor Riana Duce was born in Leeds. She appeared in Leeds Lads (2016), a Red Ladder production written by Anthony Clavane and Nick Stimson. Riana is best known for appearing in films such as The Good Book (2020), Napoleon (2023) and Gladiator II (2024).

When did you first work with Red Ladder and how did it come about? I had graduated a little while before then and was trying to figure out how to move to London because I thought that was what you had to do. A lot of my peers went down there but I did not have the means to do that. Then a family friend, who had been in one of Red Ladder’s community productions, said I should get in touch with them because they’re great. I had seen some of their productions at that point and it turned out they were about to start casting for Leeds Lads and I was cast in the ensemble. It was a real game-changer for me. There was about 35 in the cast. There was every kind of actor in terms of experience, from jobbing actors who had been doing it for ages to those who had never stepped on stage before, and people like me, who were somewhere in the middle. And there we all were on stage together having the best time. We were at the Carriageworks [in Leeds] and we were all treated like professionals and it kickstarted my career.

The cast of Leeds Lads credit Malcolm Johnson

You say you had seen several Red Ladder productions previously, were there any favourites? I was working at Leeds Grand and City Varieties box office for a short time and while I was there Red Ladder came with We’re Not Going Back and that’s the one that has stayed with me the most. It’s still one of my favourite pieces of theatre.

When did you decide you wanted to become an actor? There was no reason why I wanted to become an actor. No one in my family has ever done anything in this business, even remotely on the fringes. But when I was in primary school, about eight or nine, my mum sent me off to a summer youth theatre thing at Leeds Grand to bring me out of my shell a little bit because I grew up an only child. And that was a bit of a turning point. I just loved being in a theatre and seeing its inner workings despite having barely seen a production up to that point. It sounds a bit corny but I also loved being part of a group of people making something together.

What are your standout memories from Leeds Lads? I have really strong memories of the music to the point that I still sing some of those songs now on a regular basis. I remember the final song on the last night and this 35-strong cast all standing shoulder to shoulder and belting this song out, and the absolute emotion of that. And having had a couple of years of floundering after uni – I loved performing at uni but just hadn’t really done it since then – just the absolute euphoria of being able to do it again with a group of people I’d come to adore, and to do it in my home city with family and friends in the audience, that was just such a standout memory for me.

Riana third from right in Leeds Lads credit Malcolm Johnson

Why is Red Ladder important? The fact that it’s a Yorkshire theatre company telling local stories. They completely altered my view of what working as an actor was going to be. We’re very lucky in Leeds and the surrounding towns and cities that we do have a lot of theatre going on, but it’s still quite rare that you have a company that is so dedicated to working with local people and within the local community, whether that’s local creatives or the venues, I just think that commitment is absolutely vital. I don’t know when that light switch moment would have come for me without Leeds Lads happening.

How crucial are theatre organisations in giving opportunities to new talent in the North? It’s so hard to get a foot in the door without companies like Red Ladder taking a risk on new writing. Even more so now, with budgets tighter and funding less available. It feels like a lot of places, through no fault of their own, feel they have to put on the safe, classic plays. I love those stories and I see them regularly but we’ll never get the classics without someone taking a ‘risk’ on a new writer and putting their work on in community venues. I now know so many writers, actors and directors that have gone on to have great careers who started with Red Ladder and it’s quite scary to think where they might be without companies like this.

What does Red Ladder mean to you now? A couple of my very best friends are people I directly or indirectly met through being in Leeds Lads, so I think of the people first and foremost. They are people I work with time and again and hopefully will forever, and they are a big reason why I’m still here in West Yorkshire rather than having gone elsewhere.

How would you describe Red Ladder to a friend? They are a radical, political, local theatre company telling stories that you’ll see yourself in and in a million different ways.

Main image credit: Emily Goldie