Guest Blog: Elysia Wren and Mark Ebulué On FAST & FURIOUS LIVE

Global live arena tour Fast & Furious Live transports fans straight into some of the most memorable scenes and stunts from the popular film franchise. Stars Mark Ebulué and Elysia Wren tell us more.

Elysia: My experience of performing in Fast and Furious Live has been truly incredible. When I was told I would be playing the part of Sofia, I was thrilled because I really did love the character Rowland French had created. Throughout the audition process I developed a real connection to Sofia.

As an actress, I felt so lucky to be given the opportunity to play such an empowering female character. Little did I know then about the stunt driving and 3D mapping technology being used in the show, which completely blew me away and surpassed all my (already very high!) expectations.

I remember when Mark and I went up to 'Fast Camp' for rehearsals and saw the stunt driver's choreography for the first time; we were mesmerised! Without the technology, the driving routines alone were incredible and I felt part of something so exciting and new - the combination of the two is what makes the show so ground-breaking, and to see the development process from then to now was such a privilege.

I was also taught how to handbrake turn and drift a car. I was apprehensive at first; I hadn't driven a car for a few years living in London (and embarrassingly it took me five times to pass my test...!), but as soon as I was in the car being taught by one of the drivers, I felt at ease and really started to love it. It was a real adrenaline rush!

I also adore the car I get to drive in the show - Sofia's modified Nissan GTR. I want it for myself! It's such a beautiful, powerful car, which ordinarily I would not have had the opportunity to drive, so I am loving that aspect.

Mark: The process came in three main stages, which grew bigger the closer we got to the end of the whole rehearsal process.

We first had the induction day where we met the team. It was amazing and quite epic as we met the whole team, from stunts to technicians - and what different departments they were, which kind of gave me a scope on just how big this show actually is.

Then we had time with the script, which I loved and hated, because I'm really shockingly dyslexic. It's the part of the process I really struggle with but never talk about. I pretty much locked myself away from everyone and everything to get all my lines down and really figure out who Jimmy is. I love this process because it's where I was really at my most creative - from his accent to how he'd move around the arena.

Finally, we had our tech week, or shall I say month. It was the biggest tech show I've worked on to date, but it was really fascinating. It was here I began to see the show for all it was, from the LED lights in Miami to the truck heist and the finale. All of the crazy ideas Rowly had imagined were being brought to life right in front of me. It was also quite tough, as we had changes made and remade, which really tested my ability to adapt - ultimately I'm grateful for that.

Elysia: 'Fast Camp' was where Mark and I started properly working together. In the audition process I felt our characters really connected, so it was such a pleasure to work with him and develop Sofia and Jimmy together. The characters have become our own as they are totally new to the Fast and Furious franchise; Rowland really allowed us the freedom in his directing to do that, developing the characters he created and who Sofia and Jimmy are now.

Mark and I mainly only act with each other on stage, so it's important to have someone you can trust in that kind of circumstance, as being live, not everything will always go perfectly - and I really do with him. I feel even more at ease with my character now as a result and each performance is more fun because I can relax into it and enjoy bouncing off of Jimmy and the audience.

As neither of us had ever performed in an arena it was a new experience, but one we couldn't wait for. Performing to 11,000 people at the O2 for the first time was incredibly surreal, but I loved every second. We interact with the audience so much within the show - using the on-screen technology and 3D mapping they get to build a car and race a car, choosing the car parts and car speed depending on which colour card they hold up, red or blue.

Of course, in rehearsals there is no live audience, so it added an extra challenge when it came to the live shows to work with the audience and focus on the screen whilst building and racing the car. Despite being nervous initially, as soon as the lights came up and we could see the audience and how excited they were, particularly the children - it honestly was the best feeling.

Each show I enjoy the audience participation more and more - I love seeing so many Fast and Furious fans and being able to include them in the performance. Although, as my character is the street racer I seriously need to get better at helping my side win the car race - Mark beats me almost every time!

Find out more at www.fastandfuriouslive.com

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