NEIL’S THRILLING JOURNEY TO THE WELLS THEATRE FESTIVAL
With a single A level in Chemistry but apparently a talent for acting, I was encouraged to audition for Drama School by my English teacher. So started my education in the Theatre. Over the last 30 thirty years I have performed, produced and directed both in professional theatre and in education and even built and run my own studio theatre from scratch. I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people young and old as a teacher, business consultant, mentor and guide.
It took a long time and many years’ experience, including working for the BBC, writing science shows for Key stage 4, working for the NCS Challenge Project with disadvantaged 16 year olds and with the Tate and Aardman on a Primary school movie project, before I realised what I wanted to do when I grew up. I now teach Primary School aged children and hopefully inspire them to be able to stand up in front of their peers and speak out. Not because they are all going to be actors or performers but because of the confidence it will give them in many aspects of their future lives.
My work has taken me to many places around the world and I have had the pleasure of working in Europe, Asia and America for both business and education.
Ros and I have always worked well together, we met when a friend asked me to help out on a show he was directing and performing in and Ros was the producer. Since then we have organised and run numerous workshops, theatre productions and training courses and co-produced shows including with Joan Rivers and Clarke Peters. When we started talking seriously about bringing a Theatre Festival to our home city of Wells, we both knew deep down that it would happen and sure enough three years later we are now discussing our second Festival.
We have learnt a great deal since the first festival and met some fantastic people along the way, all who share our passion and have brought their skills, such as marketing, PR and administration and most of whom have become firm friends.
This year’s Festival promised to be bigger, even more exciting and hopefully will encourage more people to take a small risk and come and see something special happening in Wells, be it inside or outside the Cathedral or in one of the other many venues that will be hosting some fantastic new productions with local and National Theatre companies.
The roller coaster has started again and it’s going to be a thrilling ride through to the beginning of the summer. So please join us either as a volunteer, a member of the audience or as friend of the Wells Theatre Festival and come and be part of something amazing happening on your doorstep.
