ANNE PEARSON

DIRECTOR

Anne began her career as an Acting A.S.M. at the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead.

Her directing credits include The Mad Woman in the Attic: ACE Rural Tour & Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse, Crackers De Luxe: Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse, More Crackers: (co-directed with Rae McKen): Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse, Them and Us, Spot the Difference, Woman’s Realm: City Hall, Salisbury and An Inspector Calls Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. She spent three years directing plays for Palace-go-Round, the schools’ touring company attached to the Palace Theatre, Westcliff. She has directed several rehearsed readings for the annual Festival of New Plays presented in the Salberg Studio by STAGEWrite, the writers’ group at the Salisbury Playhouse, including Learning to Breathe Again by Laurie Follmer, Pleasing Women by Debbie Jaggernathsingh and Migration by E.M. Mcginnis 

As an actress Anne has appeared in seasons at Leatherhead, Cheltenham, Milford Haven and Westcliff, she has also performed at the Edinburgh Festival and toured with the Cambridge Theatre Company.  Roles include: Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa, Matron in Forty Years On, First Witch/Gentlewoman in Macbeth, Rita in Skirmishes, Gila in Pinter’s One for the Road, Harriet in
A Small Family Business, Mrs. Manningham in Gaslight, Lady Metcalfe in Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Theatre Club Actress of the Year Award), Auntie Em/Magotia the Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Annie  in Salt of the Earth, Emma Timms in Larkrise to Candleford, Emma Hamilton in Nelson and Emma, Diana in Absent Friends, Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, Mary Gulliver in Travels to Remote Nations of the Earth and Elizabeth in A Voyage Round my Father.  Television work: The Index Has Gone Fishing and The Bill.  Film & Video work: Battleship Potemkin – The Musical; The Ostrich Position.

Her writing work includes Jocasta Mama (Everyman Cheltenham, Studio), The Kick Inside (schools’ touring), Strangers in the Night (Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse), adaptations of Dracula, Pinnochio and The Satanist (Regional Theatres), Scenarios for Corporate and Community Events, numerous Lyrics for comic songs featured in various Reviews, short plays for Palace-go-Round, Schools Touring Company: Greenfinger’s Spring Adventure, Tearful Toothbrush and the Bathroom Bother and Marvellous Mary: the Life and Times of Mary Seacole and linking material for Opera Roundabout’s “Marriage of Figaro” Anne’s latest play, “Romancing Miss Bliss” or “The Dentist’s Dilemma” – from an idea by Julie Easlea and Christine Absalom – has been presented as a rehearsed reading by Jubilant Productions in various venues including The Headgate, Colchester (2016) and Metal, Chalkwell (2015) with a view to staging a full production at the first opportunity.

Other work: Voice Overs; Role Play / Management Training, Corporate videos, Training Films.

Most recently Anne has adapted War Crimes for the Home with additional material by Shenagh Govan based on the book by Liz Jensen which was premiered at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre Pub in July 2013.

Sian williams

Writer / Administrator)

Sian was born and grew up in Wales, migrating from the big city (Cardiff) to the wild rural Welsh-speaking north at the age of fourteen.

Since leaving Wales she has lived in Somerset working for English Heritage as an archaeologist and writing plays for radio and theatre. 

Radio work includes: The Little Black Dress directed by Jane Dauncey (Radio Wales and also included in the Welsh Joint Education Committee Publication “Listening to Voices from Wales”). The Last of the Whole Earth Policemen directed by Jane Dauncey (Radio 4 Afternoon Play). The Last Resort directed by Alison Hindell (Radio Wales). Nothing Left To Show directed by Ceri Meyrick (Radio Wales). The Good Fairy directed by Jane Dauncey (Radio 4 Afternoon Story). Fairy Gold directed by Foz Allen (Radio Wales). 

Sian has also written a large number of short radio dramas for the History and English curricular for BBC Wales’ Education Department.

Her screenplay, A Circle Round the Sun, was given a rehearsed reading by the Bristol Playwrights Company at the Old Vic Theatre School.

Sian’s short monologue The Mad Woman in the Attic was selected for performance at the Theatre Royal Portsmouth (as part of the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton’s “Rough Cuts” event) and later developed into a full length piece which toured successfully to rural venues in the South West and to the Salberg Studio of the Salisbury Playhouse. 

Sian has written a number of plays for the stage including An Evening with Henry Cave, a dramatic multi-faceted piece on which she collaborated with local actors, musicians and dancers. The show was performed at the King’s Head pub in Coleford as part of the Coleford Millenium Project. 

Family Values was given a rehearsed reading at the Arena Theatre, Cardiff as part of the Made in Wales “Write On” festival.

Sian was a member of STAGEWrite, the writers’ group at the Salisbury Playhouse (1992-2008) and several of her plays were given rehearsed readings in the Salberg Studio: Spinning the Stone (2004), Trespass (2006) and A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday (2008).

Her comic monologue, Master of Disguise, formed part of the Boiling Kettle Theatre Company production Thicker than Water which toured to rural venues in Somerset, Devon and Dorset in 2009.

“In July 2014 Sian’s play “Sacrifice” was performed at the Corner House Pub Theatre, Frome as part of an evening of short plays put on by Nevertheless Productions for the Frome Festival.

Sian’s latest play, “Defender of the Dead”, was given a rehearsed reading at the David Hall, South Petherton, in March 2015 and will be toured by Boiling Kettle Theatre Company to six counties in the South West of England in the Autumn of 2016.”

She is currently working on a series of comic short stories, entitled Bohemia, about the lives, loves and music of people in a place situated somewhere between Rome and Shepton Mallet (but most likely in Somerset …!)

Eltjo de Vries

Actor

Eltjo is a Bridgwater based actor who has been performing, directing, tutoring and storytelling since graduating from The Guildford School of Acting in 1991.

His acting work includes appearances in touring productions of The Woman in Black, Sleep of Prisoners, Cold Comfort, Teechers, Murder by the Book, Alice in Wonderland and his one-man part scripted, part improvised version of A Tale of Two Cities.

For eight years he worked as part of the professional in-house team for Isle of Wight Theatres at Shanklin Theatre, appearing in and directing numerous shows, plays, musicals and pantomimes as well as facilitating workshops for adults and children. He then went on to feature for several years in Summer Seasons and Pantomimes produced by Spotlight (IoW) Ltd.

In 2013 he was asked to be a member of the tutoring/production team for First Act (a group set up for adults with disabilities and special needs).

Most recently he has played The Agent in a short film entitled Jacob’s Ladder which was shot in Bristol and is awaiting release.

Over the years Eltjo has also become an acclaimed Improv-Storyteller – taking old folk tales, myths and legends which he re-interprets for an adult audience at Festivals, in Libraries and in Arts Centres.