Download THE ALuMNI NEWSLETTER - Central School of Speech and Drama

ISSUE 12 january 2009
The alumni Newsletter
THE Central school of speech and drama, university of london
HAROLD PINTER
The Central School of Speech and Drama is
mourning the passing of Harold Pinter, who had
been its President for just six months before his
death in December 2008. The greatest English
dramatist of the post-World War II era, Harold
Pinter began his theatrical career as a student at
the School. When he became President in October
2008, he said, “I was a student at Central in
1950/1951. I enjoyed my times there very much
and I am delighted to become President of a
remarkable institution.”
Up to the last moment, Harold Pinter had intended
to be present at the School’s graduation ceremony
on 10 December, at which he was made an
Honorary Fellow. Sadly, his health prevented him
coming. Proposing him for the Fellowship, Michael
Colgan, Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre in
Dublin, called him “the Picasso of literature and
the true pathfinder of drama in the twentieth
century, a man who has continually demonstrated
extraordinary courage, a searing social conscience
and the greatest integrity.”
The Principal of the Central School, Professor Gavin
Henderson, comments: “We were so delighted
that Harold Pinter accepted the role of President
of Central, his Alma Mater. He did so with great
enthusiasm and commitment, notwithstanding his
poor health. In doing so he set a benchmark for
the determination and breadth of theatre practice
which will be an example for many years to come.”
THOUGHTS OF CICELY BERRY
Central is planning a Voice reunion next year, about which
Cicely Berry, O.B.E Hon.D.LIT, is very pleased.
No-one connected with theatre ever needs
to ask who Cicely Berry is. Her work over the
decades has influenced Voice training the
world over. Google carries hundreds of
entries about her.
After studying with us from 1943-1946, Cicely
began a teaching career which brought her
back to Central in the early 60’s. In 1970 Trevor
Nunn invited her to start voice training at the
RSC and the rest, as they say, is history. Many
publications, broadcasts, awards and hundreds
of eminent acting pupils later, Cicely Berry
occupies a pre- eminent and affectionate place
in the evolution of voice training.
She remains Voice Director at the RSC, having
started her work there with Trevor Nunn,
Terry Hands and John Barton. All had different
approaches to Shakespearean text and the
actors needed help to find their own acting
truths in relation to the part within the spirit
or style of each production. The voice work
leading from this could thus be very varied.
For example, based on an intimate passion in
the actor which would affect their expression
of the part, the “faster and louder” approach
adopted for some of the History Plays or finding
nuances in the structure of the text itself.
Such has been the evolution of Cicely’s work that
it has become increasingly interwoven with the
rehearsal process and then with the directors
themselves, indeed, her latest book From Word
To Play is written for them. Her methods often
have a physicality which has found resonance
throughout the industry but above all she
presses the need for text to be heard, rather than
simply read. Cicely observes that, now, much
of the study of Shakespeare, particularly within
education, is based on reading whereas “in the
Shakespearian era the population was 92%
illiterate. They did not read his plays they heard
them”. She is also a strong advocate of the use
of poetry in the same way.
Cicely finds the actors she works with today very
keen to learn and to hear, however, she feels
that actors playing Shakespeare these days have
a difficult task. Modern audiences, she senses,
are less interested in the musicality of the text
than with its message. “Actors walk a tightrope
between honouring its music and poetic values
without reaching the singing declamatory
method of earlier leading Shakespearean actors
such as Gielgud. How are actors these days to
present this language as if it is being spoken for
now, without losing depth and imagery?”
Probably one of the most powerful illustrations
of Cicely’s dedication to her beliefs is her work
in the favelas of Brazil. In the 80’s she had
accepted a British Council invitation to give
a Shakespeare master class in Rio di Janiero
where she met the journalist and actor Guti
Fraga. Fraga mentioned a project of his, a
Designed by: Nimbus. Printed by: Disc to Print. Photographs: All credits (where provided) have been included in the newsletter.
Many thanks to all photographers whose photographs have been included in this edition of the Alumni Newsletter.
Cicely Berry (© Katerina Moraitis)
young persons theatre group in the slums on
the hills behind Rio where “I experienced some
of the most perfect and elegant performances
of 17th Century Portuguese short stories I had
ever seen.” To this day Cicely returns every year
to teach Nos de Moro (We of the Hillside) and in
2006 trained them in a production at the RSC.
At Nos de Moro she works in one of the most
dangerous environments in the world. Some of
the young she has taught have been shot and
her daily visits up to the hills must always be in
the company of two teenagers, one from each
of the major drug gangs.
Any reading of Cicely Berry’s career to date
fill one with wonder that just one person can
have achieved so much. We are our deeds and
there can be no more eloquent expression of
her irreplaceable contribution than the vast
spectrum within which Ms Berry works and
moves with such ease and inspiration.
The Alumni NEwsletter
AWARDS
Congratulations to our alumni for many and varied marks of achievement.
Clockwise from top left: Judi Dench (© Gayle Cook), Philip Glenister (© Ken Mcreddie Associates Ltd), Riz Ahmed (© Paris Jefferson), Kristin Scott-Thomas (© Colin Bell), Luke
Norris (© Sally Hope Associates), Robine Landi (© Fatimah Namda), Stephen Tomlin (© Esme Allen), James Nesbitt (© Phil Fisk), Laura Kerr (© Chris Baker), Alexis Zegerman (©
Jane Lehrer), Valmike Rampersad (© McVirn Etienne), Richard Maxted (© Casey Moore).
On 10 December Harold Pinter, incoming
President of The Central School of Speech and
Drama was awarded an Honorary Fellowship
at the school’s graduation ceremony.
Dame Judi Dench (S 57) was awarded
an Honorary Degree, (D.Litt) by St
Andrews University in June 2008 and at
the 21st Annual European Film Awards in
Copenhagen held in December 2008 received
The Lifetime Achievement Award. At this
ceremony Kristin Scott-Thomas (B.Ed 80)
was awarded Best Actress Award for her
role in I’ve Loved You So Long.
Philip Glenister (S 90) plays DCI Gene Hunt
in Life On Mars which won Best Drama at the
International Emmy Awards in November 2008.
At the Evening Standard Theatre Awards,
Michael Grandage (S 84) Artistic Director of
the Donmar Warehouse, was awarded Best
Director for his productions of Othello and The
Chalk Garden.
On 30 November Alexis Zegerman (BA A 00)
won Best Supporting Actress at the British
Independent Film Awards for her role in Mike
Leigh’s film Happy Go Lucky. The event was
hosted by fellow alumnus James Nesbitt. Other
alumni nominated were Kristin Scott-Thomas
(B.Ed 80) and Riz Ahmed (MA CA 06).
Valmike Rampersad (MA AfS 07) won Best
Film Award at the Buffalo-San film festival
for his film Open Secrets in November 2008.
Luke Norris (BA A 07) won the Alan Bates
Bursary for the best new actor, beating 129
other graduating actors to first place. His
award took place at the Actors Centre on 3
November 2008.
Mary Kalemkerian (ACSD 76) won the
Station Programmer of the Year Award at the
Sony Radio Academy Awards in May 2008.
Amy Manson (BA A 06) received the Critics
Choice Award for Best Actress in a theatre
role 2007/2008 for her performance in Six
Characters in Search of an Author with the
National Theatre of Scotland in March 2008.
CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO…
Alia Al Zougbi (MA AT) who was nominated
for a BAFTA Award in Scotland in November
2008 for Trouble Sleeping by Theatre
Workshop/Makar Productions. We would
also like to congratulate Laura Kerr (BA AMT
08) who was runner up in the prestigious
Sondheim Student Performer of the Year
2008 Competition at the Trafalgar Studios,
London in June. She was also performer of
the winning song for The Stiles and Drew
Award for the Best New Song of 2008.
Congratulations also to Richard Maxted (BA
AMT 08), Robine Landi (BA AMT 08) and
Katherine Lawrence (BA AMT 08), who
were all selected to take part in the Showtime
Challenge 3 charity performance of Me
and My Girl at the London Palladium on 26
October. Richard took the leading role (www.
meandmygirl2008.co.uk). We also congratulate
Stephen Tomlin (T72) whose demi-paradise
theatre company was shortlisted for the Equity
Ensemble Prize at the 2008 Peter Brook
Empty Space Awards for their production of
Hamlet at Lancaster Castle.
We do our best to find out about alumni who receive awards through the press, other alumni and our faculty.
Please let us know if you receive an award or know of someone who has, thank you. Performers: Are we on your
agent’s email press release list? Please ask them to add us, [email protected].
The Alumni NEwsletter SONY AWARD WINNER
On Monday 12 May 2008, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Mary
Kalemkerian (ACSD 76), Head of Programmes for BBC’s digital comedy
and drama station, Radio 7, won the Sony Gold Award for Station
Programmer of the Year at the 26th annual Sony Radio Academy Awards
ceremony hosted by Paul Gambaccini.
It was said of her achievement:
“Mary has created a rich, speech- based
station that provides a real alternative to
the other networks. The high calibre of the
comedy and drama archive is complemented
by Mary’s commissioning of contemporary
writers and performers not found elsewhere.
Her creative scheduling of such rich
programming from the BBC and beyond
has produced a service that has gone from
strength to strength and proves that a digital
station can thrive and find a loyal audience.”
Launched in 2002, Radio 7 broadcasts 10
hours of drama and 10 hours of comedy from
the huge BBC archive every day, and also
encourages writers and performers new to
radio by commissioning original work.
Mary sent us a thumbnail sketch of the route
she took to this career pinnacle:
I left school at 15, and later trained to be
a primary school teacher in Edinburgh,
specialising in drama. In the early 70’s I was
appointed as a member of Lothian Regions
first T.I.E. team as “teacher –adviser”. The
other members of the team had all been
drama trained, and I desperately wanted a
drama qualification
The opportunity came along to take a year off
to study for 1975/6 (on full pay – unheard of
now!). On offer were: Dorothy Heathcote’s
course at Newcastle, Rose Bruford College in
Kent, and Central.
The minute I came to Swiss Cottage and saw
Central for the first time, I knew it was for me.
I loved the higgledy piggledy rooms and the
character of the building.
I was accepted for the ACSD course – and
what a great year that was. Our Course tutor
was David Herbert, who was challenging and
inspirational. I remember fondly our dance
teacher Chrissie Hearne who was like a little
bird, with exquisitely graceful movements.
Gerard Benson taught us speech, he was very
entertaining and I always think of Gerard
when I’m sitting on a tube reading the poems
on the underground.
My family were worried that I would go back
to Scotland “speaking posh” and to be frank,
I had a secret longing to speak RP, but at
Central I was encouraged to hang on to the
Scottish accent. My dissertation at Central was
about the history of T.I.E., which was really in
its hey-day back then.
My year at Central inspired me with
confidence – I returned to Scotland, taught in
a drama centre, and began writing for schools
radio. And that was the beginning of a 28 year
career in the BBC.
I was offered a producer contract to launch
a daily pre-school series for Radio Scotland
in 1980. The budget was so miniscule that I
could either afford one actor and one writer, or
two actors and write the scripts myself – with
no fee!
I chose the latter, and ended up writing about
300 scripts. To compensate, I was also given
some “grown-up “ programmes to produce
on a hilarious radio soap opera set in a
fictitious Health Centre, called Kilbreck.
In the early 80’s I moved to England and was
producer on several series for Schools Radio,
followed by a stint in Manchester as Senior
Producer for a Radio 4 children’s programme,
Cat’s Whiskers .
1990 saw the launch of a new network BBC
Radio 5, and I was given the job of Chief
Producer for Children and Youth magazines.
I moved from broadcasting to the commercial
arm of the BBC in 1993, to become Editorial
Director on the Radio Collection at Worldwide.
This was a wonderful job, as I was responsible
for selecting radio comedy and drama for
commercial release, and working with
such legends as Spike Milligan, Galton and
Simpson, Alan Bennett, and the king of the
spoken word – Martin Jarvis.
After almost 10 years, and at a time I was
beginning to think about retiring from the
BBC, I was offered a job I couldn’t refuse:
The opportunity to launch a new digital radio
network consisting of archive comedy and
drama programmes.
Mary Kalemkerian (© Mik Wikojc)
On 12 March 2002, with a staff of 3, I had a
blank piece of paper, a small office with one
computer and a remit to bring in listeners
new to speech radio, by providing 20 hours of
“pure entertainment” every day, plus 4 hours
of children’s programming.
It was a daunting task, but after a 9 month
gestation period, BBC Radio 7 was finally
delivered on 15 December 2002.
It felt like seventh heaven.
We had tentatively hoped we could build a
listenership of around 60,000, but nearly 6
years on, with an audience of almost a million,
Radio 7 is recognised as the “star performer”
of the BBC’s digital portfolio.
So it’s been quite a journey for me from Swiss
Cottage to Broadcasting House. I still have a
photo of the “class of ‘76”, sitting on the steps
of the Embassy Theatre on a gloriously sunny
day and I still have my long black “practice
skirt.” I just wish it still fitted!
For those interested in finding out more, an
account of Mary’s work at Radio 7 appeared
in The Guardian on 24 August 2007.
Your Newsletter is about Central alumni in all fields of work (in the public arena or not) and our content depends on your contributions.
If you have news or an experience to recount, please contact the Alumni Office at [email protected]. Tel: +44 (0)20 7559 3997
The Alumni NEwsletter
ALUMNI NEWS
As always our alumni have been writing to us about themselves and the astonishing variety of careers they
are pursuing in the theatre, teaching, therapy, international work, academia, social areas and beyond…
Photos (clockwise from top left): David Horovitch (© Conway van Gelder Grant Ltd), Anna Martine (© Logan Riehl), Valmike Rampersad (© McVirn Etienne), Clare Hibberd (©
Leah Brooker), Mark Down (© Darius Brazauskas), Alice Pillar’s Design (© Nick Moran), David Harris (© Victoria Grove).
David Horovitch (S 66)
MARK DOWN (ATP 96)
David Horovitch played Major Arnold in Taking
Sides and Stefan Zweig in Collaboration at
the Chichester Festival Theatre in July 2008
following his run in Absurd Person Singular at
The Garrick Theatre.
Mark Down is co-artistic director of Blind
Summit Theatre with Nick Barnes. He has just
returned from New York where he was reviving
the puppetry in Madama Butterfly at the Met
Opera directed by Anthony Minghella, (this
runs until March 2009 and returns to London
ENO in May 2009). He recently performed in
On Emotion directed by Mick Gordon at Soho
Theatre. Blind Summit’s Bukowski themed
show Low Life toured China in November
2008 and the company is working on a new
production of George Orwell’s 1984 with BAC.
Blind Summit is working on Shunkin with
Complicite at the Barbican, in February 2009
and on His Dark Materials with Birmingham
Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse which
opens March 2009. More information can be
found at
www.blindsummit.com.
Anna Martine (BA A 08)
Anna Martine wowed the audience of the
Spotlight Showcase in August 2008, receiving
a special mention in The Stage for her
‘supreme confidence’ and excellent physical
theatre skills in her performance of Steven
Berkoff’s Decadence.
Valmike Rampersad (MA AfS 07)
Valmike Rampersad was recently described
as ‘One to Watch’ by Moviescope magazine.
Directly out of drama school he played to sellout shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, followed
by his appearance as the lead in Get To Know
Me shot on green screen in Denmark at Lars
Von Trier’s Zentropa studios. His new short
film, Open Secrets, sees him playing the lead
alongside BAFTA nominee, Saeed Jaffrey and
has just been selected for the 6th Buffalo-San
film festival. His first US feature film, Right
Hand Drive is due out end of 2008.
CLARE HIBBERD (BA TP 04)
Clare Hibberd is Sound No.3 on the International
Tour of Mamma Mia.
Alice Pillar (BA TP 08)
Alice Pillar took her first bow as designer in
Dartington this August, alongside Sir Peter
Maxwell Davis.
Alice designed the set and costumes for Sir
Peter’s chamber opera The Lighthouse, which
was presented as part of the International
Summer School at Dartington. The production,
which was directed by Orpha Phelan with
singers from the Royal Academy, was
extremely well received by the Dartington
audience. Sir Peter himself, who has seen
many productions of his opera all over the
world, was impressed at how well Alice’s set
worked for the opera. After the show he was
heard to comment to a producer asking about
staging the opera in London, ”you have to
take this production,” he said.
DAVID HARRIS (86)
David Harris is the creator of The Actors
Company. After graduating from Central,
David travelled to Toronto where he was
co-founder of the York University Drama
Department and the co-founder and Head
of Voice and Acting at the Ryerson Theatre
Department. These have gone on to become
two of the most established training
programmes in North America.
He spent 7 years with CBC Television and
Radio, directing, producing, writing and acting
(including in many films) and was a member
of the Stratford Festival Company under Robin
Phillips. He returned to England in the 70’s to
create The Acting Company (later renamed).
Sandy Foster (BA A 08)
Chris Tester (BA A 08)
Sandy Foster (BA A 08) and Chris Tester (BA A
08) took part in the BBC Carleton Hobbs Radio
Contest on 13 March 2008.
The Alumni NEwsletter FESTIVALS
Central students and alumni participated in a great number of
festivals during the year, some are reported below:
CHIDDINGLY FESTIVAL
Students on the BA DATE course undertook a
project with the village school celebrating the
history of Chiddingly. BAAC students went to the
festival and performed various historical characters
around the village.
WANAMAKER FESTIVAL
Rachel Winters (BA A 08) and Phil Harker (BA
A 08) performed at the Wanamaker Festival at the
Globe on 6 April 2008.
MINACK FESTIVAL
Students from the first year of BA DATE worked
with Twisting Yarn Theatre Company on a
production of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi for the
famous cliff top theatre at Minack in Cornwall.
EDINBURGH FRINGE
At the Edinburgh Fringe this year, Central
Alumni contributed to a number of very
successful productions including: The Boy
From Centreville by Complicite at The
Pleasance 1 and Life at the Molecular Level
by Present Attempt at the Big Belly.
Olivia Neville (BA A 07) performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe’s UnderBelly during August
in her one-woman observational comedy
sketch show Summat an’ Nowt.
Photos (top to bottom): The Accidental Festival
(© Gareth Martin), Olivia Neville (M.A.D Photography).
Olivia comments on her experience:
During the second year at Central we had the
opportunity to do a self direct piece where I
performed my own comedy sketches. From
this I went on to write a character sketch show
Summat an’ Nowt.
A month after graduating, I first performed
Summat an’ Nowt at the Buxton Fringe. After
that it was performed both in the north-west and
London and extracts were done live on BBC Radio
Lancashire. Then in February I took the huge step
of entering it for the Edinburgh Fringe and was
very fortunate to get a slot at the Underbelly.
My first experience at the fringe was fantastic
and also hugely nerve racking to be producing
and performing a one woman show. At times
it was very daunting but I was lucky to be in
the company of many other Central graduates
who were involved with other shows and so
it was great to have the network of support.
The festival has opened doors and I am still
developing Summat an’ Nowt whilst working
on a new show that will be performed in
London around January, with the aim of taking
it to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009.
ACCIDENTAL FESTIVAL
Students from the BA TP Performance Arts
strand produced this event at The Institute
of Contemporary Art in May 2008. 50
International artists took part.
Do you have
connections overseas?
Would you like to be an
International Alumni
Ambassador?
Alexis Zegerman (© Jane Lehrer)
NEWS FROM
A MENTOR
Alexis Zegerman (BA A 00) has written the play
Lucky Seven – a comedy about growing up, class,
love, disappointment and hope, which premiered at
Hampstead Theatre and starred Susannah Harker,
a fellow alumna. Alexis’ recent acting work has
included filming the German feature film Storm
directed by Hans Christian Schmid and the ITV drama
U Be Dead which will be transmitted early in 2009.
Alexis also won a BIFA Award in 2008 (see awards).
Central alumni are providing mentoring for a number
of acting third year students.
Central is launching an international student
recruitment campaign to increase the number
of students from outside the EU. In a large
number of universities around the world, it is
a tradition that their graduates help with this
sort of student recruitment.
The alumni office is working with Meg Ryan,
our recruitment officer and our course leaders
to set up a network of alumni around the
world who would act as our eyes and ears,
channelling any interested candidates towards
us. Your support, on the ground, often in
areas where we are unable to have access,
would be invaluable. Our work together
would be informal and voluntary.
If you would like to learn more, please contact:
Meg Ryan on [email protected]
+44 (0)20 7449 1632 or contact Central
by post (Attn Meg Ryan). Please note: Meg
is a part-time member of staff, working on
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Once we
have assessed response levels Meg will contact
you further.
Reminder
Forthcoming events in USA
Auditions & interviews
New York: 21 and 22 February
Los Angeles: 4 and 5 April
Chicago: 1 April
Please visit http://www.cssd.ac.uk/
us_auditions.php for information.
Alumni evening receptions will take place
after the auditions in New York and Los
Angeles, please contact us if you are able
to attend at [email protected]
The Alumni NEwsletter
ALUMNI in the building
It is hard to overstate the contribution you make when you return to give back to us. Whether you return
hours or many months either way, please contact the alumni office on [email protected]. Thank you.
PRESENT ATTEMPT – graduate
residency award
Present Attempt are 2007 MA ATP
graduates Alex Eisenberg, Matt Trueman,
James Bush, Venla Hatakka and John
Pinder, a collective concerned with devising
contemporary performances and projects in
other media and contexts. They are currently
enjoying a graduate residency at Central
awarded by the Centre for Excellence in
Training for Theatre. This achievement and its
preceding events seemed to occur almost as a
result of irresistible gravitational forces rather
than any grand design, a process which they
would probably deeply approve.
To grasp the totality of Present Attempt
would take longer than space here permits
but when asked, they describe themselves
as an intellectual ensemble who believes in
the organic and experimental development
of live performance and events. “We address
fundamental questions about the nature of
the live event creating passionate, anarchic
work with a comic undercurrent. Our fresh
experimental approach does away with the
polish and relishes the tarnished performance:
work that we believe resists the sense of
apathy that dominates our society as well as
the traditional practice of theatre.”
Their previous work includes You Are
Here,“guided audio tour” lighting, peopleing
and performing in rooms throughout the
buildings and outside spaces of Central at night,
in a stylish and unsettling work for the alumni
gathering in October 2007. Attempt 3.4 was
performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August
of that year; a studio-based piece that set the
performer’s the impossible task of building a
city in 60 minutes. Other completed works are
Domestic Drift and Wait Until it Gets Dark.
In the safe environment of the MA ATP course,
led by Nick Wood and Ayse Tashkiran they
spent the first six months devising work,
at times with others on the course, taking
risks and testing their ideas. They began to
notice a better energy when they formed the
members of the group which gradually fixed
most of them as an entity within the course
membership (John, a puppeteer, joined in
January 2008).
In developmental terms their hand was forced
in March 2007 when they committed to
performing at the Edinburgh Fringe later in
the year. It gave their sessions a focus it had
not had before. A School public production
performance in June was well received and led
to invitations to perform at the Manchester
International Student Festival (MIST) and
The Graduates Festival at the Battersea Arts
Centre in July. In Edinburgh they received a
nomination for Best Emerging Company from
Total Theatre magazine. This capped off a
stellar year during which Central offered them
the 12 months residency which they complete
this month.
Within their creative process Present Attempt
aim to stay open at all times to unexpected
influences, collecting and translating real
experiences into conceptual start points
and eventual performance material. They
are passionate about the democracy of
their creative process and disagreements
are apparently absorbed as part of it. Alex
explained “it’s not about compromise; it’s
about a shared idea.”
As for the future, it seems as full of different
possible pathways as their work, Alex feels
impelled away from traditional theatre towards
live art, Venla envisages the group diversifying
into writing, workshops and research – the
shared idea there has yet to emerge…However
all of them agree ruefully that Present Attempt
is a very fragile child. The ugly, familiar reality
of simply financing themselves to be able to
go on working is a constant struggle. But one
senses that their complete absorption in what
they are pursuing puts these concerns at the
back of the room. For as long as it’s possible
they will continue. As Venla put it “we have
got to the point where we cannot not do it”.
MENTORING RECEPTION
In December a warm and lively reception took
place for the acting alumni who have agreed
to mentor our third year students on the three
strands of the 08/09 BA acting course. At the
event Geoff Colman, Head of Acting took a
few minutes to thank the alumni who had
come along. This is the second generation
of mentors, the first of whom helped us to
launch the scheme through a pilot last year. It
has proved enormously popular and we plan
for this to be a regular feature. Acting alumni
generally mentor for two years.
CICELY BERRY
Cicely Berry OBE Hon.D.Lit visited Central to lead
a 3-hour workshop for MA Voice Studies 07-08
students in June 2008. This related to text and
coincided with the release of her new publication
From Word to Play.
TALK for FIRST YEAR BA
ACTING STUDENTS
Alumni Scott Handy (S 93) and James Lindsay
(BA A 08) joined Tricycle Artistic Director
Nicholas Kent in a discussion with first year
acting students about a life and career in acting.
Nicholas Kent gave his valuable perspective on
this from the point of view of a director.
BA DATE REUNION
Central was truly overflowing with alumni last
October when the 15-year celebration of the
creation of the BA DE / BA DATE degree course
was hosted by Dr Sally Mackey (Deputy Dean,
Reader in Applied Theatre and creator of the
course) and Dr Stephen Farrier (Senior Lecturer
and Course Convener).
We took the opportunity to surprise Sally
with the announcement of the award of her
PhD at which the assembled alumni noisily
expressed their approval. We send her our
congratulations and our thanks to them both
for their exceptional faculty support for this
alumni event. Thanks also go to Jamie Crabb
for his superb audio and visual displays.
The Alumni NEwsletter to the building for just a few
Sally has sent us the following account.
On 17 October, well over 200 people celebrated
the 15th anniversary of the BA (Hons.) Drama
and Education/Drama, Applied Theatre and
Education degree. The evening was a gracious
and generous affair. In the Embassy Theatre, the
Principal outlined changes to Central followed
by a speech by Dr Stephen Farrier, who currently
runs the degree, delivered in his usual witty style
(with the pre-requisite number of jokes at my
expense! Sigh.) Finally, I was allowed to speak!
In rather a daze of memories, I tried to convey
how important our alumni were to us and how
much we valued your continued interest in the
School. Graduates from 1996 to 2008 filled
Central’s foyers. In addition to the exuberant
noise from greeting old friends, alumni watched
edited videos/DVDs, looked at photos, toured
the building (with the absolutely expected
refrain of “We never had anything like this”)
and wrote memories of Studio 1 onto sheets of
cartridge paper in that space. This is for future
embedding into the fabric of any changes of
structure that may take place on that site.
Without wishing to seem fey, this really was
a wonderful night to remember. To have
representatives from 15 year groups (current
2nd and 3rd years kindly ushered) in the same
space was a powerful and deeply rewarding
experience for staff – past and present. The
‘job’ is nearly always pleasurable, of course.
Occasions like this allow us to revel, in one
brief slice of time, at the overwhelming
achievements in people’s lives, often because
of taking the degree. (We can’t lay claim to the
babies though!) The sheer number working
in the field was impressive and affirmed the
value of what we, the staff, do. So thank you
to all of you who came and made us feel very
good about ourselves! More than anything,
however, just thank you for coming because it
was so very good to see you.
Photos of this reunion are available at www.patrick
baldwin.co.uk please contact the alumni office on alumni@
cssd.ac.uk for access information to the photo folder.
Photos (clockwise from top left): Katerina Moraitis,
Cicely Berry, Tara McAllister-Viel (© Rebecca Root);
Cicely Berry with MA Voice Studies 2007-2008
(© Rebecca Root); Eileen Battye, Paul Goodwin,
Cicely Berry, Katerina Moraitis (© Rebecca Root);
Nick Moseley, Scott Handy, Christine Morris,
James Lindsay, Nicholas Kent; Dr Stephen Farrier
(© Patrick Baldwin); Dr Sally Mackey (© Patrick
Baldwin); BA DATE Reunion (© Patrick Baldwin);
BA DATE Reunion (© Patrick Baldwin); Studio 1
at Central during the BA DATE event (© Patrick
Baldwin).
The Alumni NEwsletter
CENTRAL USA
We’d like our own special relationship. Please read below
about plans to meet up with you in the USA and send us
news if you have worked or lived in the USA recently.
Alumni receptions in USA
Spring 2009
Rebecca Gross (BA A 06)
Jana Zenadeen (MA AT 08)
If you are living or working in the US at the moment,
we are currently trying to contact you about plans
for two receptions to be held for you in New York
(23 February) and Los Angeles (6 April). All alumni
with a US contact address were sent an email in
December 2008. If you have not had this email from
us please update us with your new email and postal
address as soon as possible on [email protected]
and please title it US ALUMNI. Thank you.
Having been spotted by an American producer
at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Rebecca Gross
and Jana Zenadeen toured California with theatre
company Conflict Relief, which they co-founded
to unite actors from Arab and Israeli / Jewish
backgrounds. They performed The Arab the
Jew and the Chicken at the Gallimaufry County
Theatre Festival in October 2008.
Recruiting Students from
the USA
Kara Tsiaperas is currently teaching voice at New
York University, AMDA and Marymount Manhattan
and is the International Resource Manager for the
Voice and Speech Trainers’ Association.
The alumni receptions are being held to co-incide
with our New York and Los Angeles auditions on
21/22 February and 4/5 April respectively. We are
campaigning to raise the number of US students
studying with us and if you would like to share
any insights in connection with this project your
comments would be very welcome.
Photos (top to bottom): Rebecca Gross & Nour Alkawaja,
Conflict Relief (© Imad Shawa), Kara Tsiaperas (© Kara
Tsiaperas), Jennifer Fell Hayes (© Bryant Hayes)
KARA TSIAPERAS (MA V 06)
JENNIFER FELL HAYES (T 65)
Jennifer Fell Hayes is a playwright for Algonquin
Productions in Manhattan and is published by
Samuel French and New Plays Incorporated. Her
new one-act play Seal Song was recently chosen
to be in the Samuel French Short Play Festival at
the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on Theatre Row.
DYSLEXIA TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Dyslexic Alumna Lennie Varvarides (MA TP
05) has written to us about her journey in the
creation of her forum for dyslexic practitioners.
Missfit Productions (www.missfitproductions.
org) was born while at Central to present my
MA show – a wonderful experiment in which I
mixed performance and film in a photobooth
– made out of wood and a computer monitor.
This is where it began, this interest in crossing
the boundary between the forms.
After graduation I knew that if I did not carry
on making work straightaway, there was a
chance I may not make anything at all. Once
you graduate it’s so easy to get caught up in
life and work and surviving, that the privilege
of actually being able to make theatre seems
like a luxury most cannot afford.
Feeling a little lost I became self-employed and
began teaching drama, even though I did an
MA in writing for performance. I worked with
Bigfoot for about 18 months and then fell
into the corporate sector as a Marketing and
Business Development person. All freelance
work with the ideology of perhaps being free...
In 2006 an opportunity arose to hire a small
theatre for a week and I jumped for it. A
friend and I went halves on the fee and we
set up new festival called Write Side of The
Brain which invited filmmakers, poets and
playwrights to submit their work. Another
friend sorted the website which made missfit
real in cyber space, I got some postcards
made, a logo and before I knew it, a producing
energy was in force. February 2008 Burning
Houses and missfit co-produced Write Side of
The Brain 2008.
I wanted to do it again only the second time I
was looking for a new angle...the angle was
me, a dyslexic writer, a secret poet and an
aspiring filmmaker. I knew there had to be
more people like me out there. I was convinced
that if missfit produced a festival for dyslexic
storytellers, a new experience of entertainment
was on the horizon. The concept of the odd
becoming accessible excited me.
DYS(THE)LEXI opened its wings in 2007 – the
odd kids were telling their stories and now
people were paying to hear them, it was
wonderful, I felt like I was building my own
playground and inviting all my friends to
play. It had a raw energy to it, a raw and low
production quality that somehow worked and
continues to work into DYSSING MONADYS.
During the DYSSING MONADYS Festival, there
were ups and downs and wonderful moments
of complete synergy. Most of all it has been
emotional because missfit is creating a
playground where the ‘odd’ kids rule and play
their, ‘games’, even if it is only for one night.
This concept coins the philosophy that ‘in
the playground we play and by playing we
discover, and by discovering we learn and by
learning we become all knowing’...
Every night I learn something new about the
kind of theatre I want to be part of. The kind of
event I want to create. I discover the possibilities
and limitations of my own imagination and will.
(Like I said...its been emotional)
So, how do you make good theatre and build
a great festival? Bottom line, money, because
money means good lights, technicians, props,
design, costume, salary, venue...and everyone
seems impressed with the smell of it too.
If you don’t have money, you hope to have
some of the magic that money cannot buy.
This magic is priceless being so really hard to
cultivate. But it can be found in the people you
work with, their generosity and faith in what
you are trying to do. These three words, Magic,
Generosity, and Faith have made DYSSING
MONADYS happen and continue to happen.
I would like to say thank you to the writers,
filmmakers, poets, directors, actors and every
audience member who has believed in my
playground.
Please visit http://dysthelexi.blogspot.com
for up to the minute information or to support
the festival.
The Alumni NEwsletter VOICE ALUMNI
MARY FIELDER (SLT 60)
Mary Fielder (née Rutherford) was awarded
her M.Phil on Stroke Assessment and
specialised in swallowing disorders and
training nurses.
MARIANNE MICALLEF (MA VS 05)
Marianne Micallef left CSSD in 2005 to
become voice tutor at Questors Theatre
for its foundation course. She has a private
practice which provides (inter alia) workshops
on voice care, she is also affiliated with
Moss Health Skills. Her theatre work has
included dialect coaching at the Finborough
Theatre Company and The Royal Court.
Most recently she has trained intensively with
Experience Vocal Dance Company on an
experimental new practice which appeared
in Backstage.
Ellen Newman (S 72)
Ellen Newman is head of Voice at RADA.
CAROL FAIRLAMB (PG Dip 95)
Carol Fairlamb was Voice Coach for Regent’s
Park Open Air Theatre this summer season
and recently finished dialect coaching on
Riflemind at the Trafalgar Studios directed
by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. She worked for
Sydney Theatre company last year including
a production of David Harrower’s Blackbird
directed by Cate Blanchett.
Photos (clockwise from top left): Mary Fielder (© Mary Fielder), Marianne Micallef (© Marianne Micallef),
Ellen Newman (© Clare Park).
Voice Care Network UK
Roz Comins (née Dorey) (T 47) is founder and trustee of Voice Care
Network UK which provides training for the safe use of voice to the teaching
professions. Below is her account of its formation, its work and why.
Every year over six thousand teacher trainees,
teachers and academics experience a
participative introduction to how to avoid
voice loss and to use their voices safely and
effectively at work. Among the 90 experienced
voice coaches and speech therapists who
deliver the work are myself and eighteen who
trained at Central. We combined skills in 1993
to further the work and created the Voice Care
Network UK (VCN).
Our motivation grew from studies indicating
teachers formed up to 30% of voice clinic
caseloads, and from therapists reporting that
half of these teachers would not be in clinic
if they knew how their voices worked. Voice
work hardly existed in teacher training and
some teachers came to workshops with voice
loss and serious hoarseness they termed the
“hazard” of teaching.
Interactive Study Meetings attracted new
members who enjoyed the stimulus of working
and learning together on effective ways to
work with teachers. Teachers’ responses to our
work were overwhelmingly positive. Now the
Network membership is over 200 including
40 who trained at Central. It stretches to
Edinburgh – Cathie Owen (ADVS), Exeter –
Caroline Cornish (T 52), Scunthorpe – Bryony
Simpson (Speech Therapy 79), Chester – Julie
Mclean (MA V 03) with many more between,
also in Iceland, New Zealand and Poland.
We gained Cicely Berry (T 46) as Patron
and became a publisher of modestly-priced,
user-friendly voice booklets. We sought links
in Education with Government Departments,
Health & Safety, Teachers’ Unions, research
and the press. All enquiries for advice,
information and training received swift
responses. The Board made us a charitable
company, Jo Eliot (T 63) developed the
regions, in 05-06 Lesley Hendy (ADSD
80) instigated Year of the Teachers’ Voice
culminating with a conference at Central.
Our most recent, ambitious, September venture
was publishing Voice Catcher, an anthology,
with contributions from many members and
Editor Heather Kay (T 47). It celebrates voice
and languages, revealing intimate, comical and
deep reaches of the human voice.
www.voicecare.org.uk
email: [email protected]
01926 864368
Photos (top to bottom): Roz Comins, Heather Kay (© Roz Comins), Caroline Cornish (© Roz Comins),
Julie McLean (© Roz Comins), Lesley Hendy (© Roz Comins).
Your Newsletter is about Central alumni in all fields of work (in the public arena or not) and our content depends on your contributions.
If you have news or an experience to recount, please contact the Alumni Office at [email protected]. Tel: +44 (0)20 7559 3997
10 The Alumni NEwsletter
Photos (left to right): Susan Ferguson in Helmand Province, Anthea Cox (3rd from left) at No. 10 Downing Street (with thanks to Christian Aid).
AFTER CENTRAL
In this part of the newsletter we like to hear from alumni whose careers have taken unexpected and
interesting turns since graduating.
Below is an account from War Zone Radio
Journalist Susie Ferguson (BA DE 99), and
Anthea Cox (MA AT DE 07), Methodist
Minister, and now Human Rights law
undergraduate.
FROM SWISS COTTAGE TO
A WAR ZONE
Susan Ferguson (DE 99) has travelled a
long way since graduation, both literally
and figuratively. Below is from her laptop…
somewhere…
War reporting may not seem like the most
obvious of career choices following three years
at Central. My initial ambitions of theatre
directing were replaced with another interest
– journalism – and of a career as an arts
correspondent.
I started in local radio in Scotland, and then
spent eighteen months as a newsreader on
national stations. But five years ago I had an
opportunity too good to miss – becoming a
radio reporter specialising in military issues,
as troops were massing on the Iraq/Kuwait
border. Weeks later I was roughing it – living
out of a tank in the desert alongside the
infantry and ended up as one of the first war
correspondents into Basra in 2003. Since then
I’ve reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Sierra Leone, Lebanon and Sri Lanka to name a
few. Reporting from Iraq has become a staple,
as has Afghanistan – most recently presenting
news programmes from Helmand province.
I’ve been privileged to tell the stories of some
extraordinary people, and to travel to awe-
inspiring places that I would otherwise never
have got the chance to see.
It’s all very far removed from the Embassy
Theatre, but perhaps isn’t as surprising a
career as it might first appear. From the early
days to the present there have been a long
line of radio presenters and announcers
who’d started out in theatre. And every day
of my working life I use techniques learned at
Central. I still tell stories – they’re just based
on fact rather than fiction. They benefit from
thinking about how to frame the narrative,
what techniques can be used to bring them
to life – to grab the listener’s ear – and how to
entertain as well as inform.
There’s a fair amount of performance and voice
work involved in radio to take the story off the
page and communicate with the listener.
And there’s also a closeness with the audience
as people listen to the radio while waking
up, in the bath or while driving – there’s an
intimacy and interaction there which is similar
to live theatre.
Methodist Minister to
Human Rights Lawyer via
an MA at Central
Anthea Cox (MA AT DE 07) who is currently
studying Human Rights Law, has written to
us describing what must be a fairly unique
career path.
When Anthea came to Central in 2002 to study
for her MA AT she held a portfolio of roles:
the founder (in 1994) of Goldhay Arts, a day
service for people with learning disabilities, a
City Councillor in Peterborough (the leader of
the Labour Group there) and for the NHS, a
non-executive director on the Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough Mental Health Trust. She was
then appointed to a senior leadership role in the
British Methodist Chuch – an achievement she
puts down to a “storming presentation” as a
result of her training with us.
Her Methodist Church appointment involved
considerable international travel and talking
extensively to the media often on controversial
subjects at short notice. As she writes:
I became heavily involved in 2005’s Make
Poverty History campaign, which meant
mobilising volunteers, being a leading
voice for the movement, and attending the
occasional breakfast in Downing Street! Other
work engaged me with key issues of justice,
including Darfur, Israel/Palestine, Trident,
climate change, and countering political
parties that promote racism. Continuing work
on the MA provided valuable help in fulfilling
this role, with its insistence on academic rigour
and encouraging creative and lateral thinking.
I am now at another turning point, having
moved on from my role with the Methodist
Church to study International Human Rights Law
at Oxford Brookes University. When I campaign
in the future I am looking forward to being
able to write my own briefs! It is a considerable
mental shift to move from an arts subject to
international law, but once again the learning I
experienced at Central has equipped me to do
this. To bring things full circle there is a plan for
a campaigning theatre show that will address
human rights issues, so watch this space.
The Alumni NEwsletter 11
Alumni abroad
Thanks to everyone abroad who has been in touch. As well as the
items below read more in Where Are They Now?
Peter Hinton (© LB Photography)
PETER HINTON
Peter Hinton finished at the RSC with King Lear
and The Seagull in February 2008 and went
on to perform in The Revenger’s Tragedy at
The National Theatre. He is currently in postproduction for a TV Pilot that he directed in
March 2008 called The Academy, starring Ian
McKellen, Jonathan Hyde, Sylvester McCoy,
Frances Barber and alumna Carol Harvey (S
81). He cast a number of Central graduates in
the show, including Ed Grace (BA A 06), Owen
Morse (BA A 06), Jessica Sherman (BA A 06),
Rebecca Gross (BA A 06) Ailidh McCay (BA A
06), Neet Mohan (BA A 08), Emily Patry (BA A
05), Tori Hart (BA A 06) and John Fitzpatrick
(BA A 08). He is planning to film a six part
series at the end of 2009.
Peter is one of a group of acting alumni who has
agreed to join our mentors scheme to mentor
the acting third year students.
Photos clockwise from top left: Maria Goiricelaya Buron (© Patricia Lorenzo), Fiona Gross, Eleanor Wedderburn
(© Intrepid Arts), Intrepid Arts (CHAT), Simon Breden, Alice Williams.
SPAIN
AUSTRALIA
Simon Breden (MA ATP 03) is continuing
collaborations with The Royal Court
International Department as Director and
Translator and has been working on A Wake
at the Southwark Playhouse Secret’s Season.
Lucy Withers (BA DATE 06) has been living in
Melbourne, Australia for the past 16 months.
She works as an arts practitioner for the Arts
Centre, Melbourne – the largest theatre
in Australia, in their Education Program.
She develops and facilitates educational
art programs across the whole of Australia,
which involves substantial work with the
aboriginal community. She also works with
St. Martins Youth Theatre in Melbourne (the
oldest and most renowned youth theatre in
Australia) as a teaching artist, conducting
youth programs with ages ranging from 5 - 25
years.
Maria Goiricelaya Buron (MA AMT 07) is
teaching Voice at the Escuela de Musica y
Artes Escenicas y Visuales de Bilbao, in the
Basque Country, Spain. She recently received
a grant to continue studying theatre at the
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid.
SINGAPORE
Eleanor Wedderburn (DE 03) is currently
working in Singapore. She has recently set
up the Children’s Arts Therapy project; CHAT
with Intrepid Arts. This is a community project
helping children who have suffered abuse
to share ideas and experiences with young
people in Singapore, and other countries,
through the medium of art, poetry, film and
music. View their website www.intrepidarts.
co.uk for news of their latest works.
TANZANIA
Fiona Gross (BA DATE 07) recently worked
on a 2 month English/Drama Education
project in Tanzania.
CHINA and KUALA LUMPUR
Alice Williams (née Reid) (PGCE D 01)
after teaching in London, moved to China
for four years with her husband Douglas
and set up the Drama department at the
British International School in Shanghai. Her
daughter Lois was born last year in China.
They moved to Malaysia this summer and
Alice has taken up the post of Teacher of
Drama at the Garden International School,
Kuala Lumpur.
Paul Piris (© Monika Kita)
Puppetry
Related PhD
AT CENTRAL
After gaining his MA at Central, Alumnus Paul
Piris stayed on to pursue a puppetry related
PhD in 2007. His research, based on his practice
as a theatre director, focuses on the SubjectObject, binary actor- puppet relationship with
reference to the Subject-Object relationships
developed by Sartre and Girard. Central has
given him access to key resources and high
profile academic interlocutors to pursue this
work, which is funded by AHRC.
12 The Alumni NEwsletter
CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAINING FOR THEA
Photos (left to right): Dionysus Body Enactment (© Jay Steward); The Bar of Ideas (© Alexander Corrie), The Devil’s Tale (© Gail Hunt); The Boy From Centreville (© Patrick Baldwin); Minack 2008
The work of the Centre for Excellence falls
into three areas: Interface, Innovate, Incubate.
Interface: Where Industry
and Education meet
CETT provides opportunities for students
to benefit from a unique interface with
industry professionals and ensures increased
opportunities to train within cutting-edge
theatre practices and technologies.
the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This year Central took a show up to the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Boy from
Centreville started as a course curriculum project
with students from the 2nd year BA Acting
(Collaborative and Devised Theatre) course
collaborating with students from the BA
Theatre Practice course.
The project was based on the events of 16 April
2007, when Seung-Hui Cho, a Korean student
majoring in English, killed 27 students and 5
faculty members at Virginia Tech University in the
most deadly school shooting in US history.
The students worked with a wide range of
associated designers from Complicite, including
Gareth Fry (BA TP 96) (Olivier award winning
sound designer), Finn Ross and Paul Anderson,
to develop a theatrical response to the events
surrounding that fateful day. Catherine
Alexander, lecturer at Central and an associate
director with Complicite, was the director.
The show ran for 9 performances at Pleasance
One and was well received by critics and
audiences alike with two 5 star reviews.
The George Pompidou Centre Project
Ten MA Performance Practice Research
students were joined by six graduates of the
MA PPR 2007 cohort and two MA Movement
Studies students to perform Urban-I-city at
the George Pompidou Centre, Paris as part of
their Les Jeudi’s season. Faculty member Ana
Sanchez-Colberg was the producer and Vicky
Spanovangelis was the space director. UrbanI-city was a live event that transformed the
CGP by physical theatre and dance artists who
questioned the relation between space (the
urban-city), architecture (the museum), and the
body (the collective bodies of the art work(s),
the performers and the audience).
Paradise Gardens Festival
The Bar of Ideas (pictured above) which was
created as the social space of the Theatre Materials
/ Material Theatres conference was transported
to the Paradise Gardens Festival at Victoria Park in
East London over the May Bank holiday weekend.
The Devil’s Tale
Students from MA Music Theatre took part in
The Devil’s Tale, which was the finale of the
Flow Festival at Stourport-on-Severn in July, to
celebrate the re-opening of the canal basins.
The students worked on this one-hour
spectacular show with SPIRAL, an international
theatre and events company, Stourport Brass
Band, Local Choirs, Percussion Ensemble
from Royal Northern College of Music and
international soloists.
Yamaha Training
Central Industry Partner Yamaha Commercial
Audio held two hands-on training seminars at
CSSD for industry professionals and Central
students in November. The seminars covered
‘Audio Networking’ and ‘Digital Audio for
Theatre’.
The Accidental Festival
The Accidental Festival has been produced by 3rd
year students of the BATP Performance Arts strand
for the past three years. This year CETT sponsored
the festival so that Richard Foreman and Kevin
Khulke from New York University were able to
attend the Festival and give keynote speeches.
Innovate : A laboratory
for Academic Exploration
Pioneering conferences, research-based
fellowships and the publication of academic
studies make CETT’s work available and
accessible to external audiences and participants.
CETT provides a platform for delving into and
challenging these academic notions.
Dionysus Body Enactment
A one-day conference with the Sesame Institute
UK and the International David Holt On-Line.
Dramatherapists, psychologists and theatre
makers, came together for workshops, a
performance of Brekekex Coax Coax, based on
The Frogs by Aristophanes and a keynote speech
by Mark Saban ‘Fleshing out the Psyche’.
Lu Santo Jullare Francesco
Francis the Holy Jester
Mario Pirovano performed an extract of the
English version of Dario Fo’s one-man show
Francis the Holy Jester for the first time. The event
was in association with Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge
Wells and preceded a World Premiere.
The Alumni NEwsletter 13
HEATRE
(© Dr Stephen Farrier)
Experience Vocal Dance
Company (EVDC)
International Puppet Theatre
Festival at Bialystok
CETT awarded Ros Philips, of MA Movement
Studies, a Student Ambassadorship to serve as
assistant movement director for the production
of Opera and the Undoing of Women in New
York. CETT had previously supported EVDC
with the presentation of its research into the
Integrative Performance Practice. Alumni Rachel
Hickson and Emma Savell were also sponsored
by CETT to perform alongside EVDC Principal
Vocal Dancers in New York.
MA ATP and MA MS students took part in this
annual international puppet theatre festival in
Poland. The company Yalla performed Transitions
and Iron Door performed Hooray for Hollywood.
Borowski / Grotowski
collaboration – The Song is Over
This documentary film by Polish director Piotr
Borowski was screened in collaboration with
the British Grotowski Institute led by Paul Allain,
which is based at the University of Kent.
Incubate: The best
Vocational Training
CETT ensures that students receive the highest
quality and experience in ground-breaking and
contemporary working practices.
Minack
For the first time this year at Minack, first year
BA DATE students worked with an established
theatre company, Twisting Yarn, on its
production of Life of Pi. CETT commissioned the
documentation from first read through to final
performance in order to capture the challenges
of making large-scale work for an outdoor
theatre in tandem with creating workshops with
the local community.
When is a Door Not a Door?
by John Arden
On 2 June 1958, playwright John Arden’s oneact play When is a Door Not a Door? was first
performed by acting students from The Central
School of Speech and Drama. 50 years later, on
2 June 2008, current acting students and Central
alumni revisited this play in honour of Arden,
as the School celebrated his career. Central was
delighted to welcome Arden back to Central
for this special occasion where there was a rare
opportunity to hear him talk about his career.
Lantern Procession
For the first time ever at Central, first year
students from all three of the undergraduate
programmes joined together to give them the
opportunity to meet their peers and set up
contacts. The project culminated in a procession
to the Swiss Cottage Open Space, where 200
students carried the lanterns they had made
during the week and gave a short movement
and choral performance to live music.
MA Music Theatre Kitchen Workshops
Students of the MA Music Theatre course took
part in workshops with working professionals in
the music industry.
Future CETT Events
Street Arts in Camden
19 January 2009
CETT is working in partnership with Camden
Council and the Independent Street Arts Network
to host an Outdoor Arts Networking event.
Dyslexia Workshop
31 January 2009
A dedicated workshop for post graduates who
attended the seven week Mindfulness Dyslexia
courses last year.
The Milton Project
28 February 2009
A performance and post-production discussion
of a devised work commissioned for St. Paul’s
Boys School (for their 500th anniversary) based
on Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.
Student Puppet Festival
17-19 March 2009
The third annual conference will feature work of
recent graduates together with students and new
and emerging practitioners from the UK. This
year, we are also hosting international groups
from schools across Europe to show their work.
Disability Symposium
11 May 2009
This symposium will look at Access to Training
in Drama, Theatre, Performance and related
vocational subjects in Drama Departments &
Drama Schools.
14 The Alumni NEwsletter
SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL
and COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
Bruce Wooding the Head of SPCD reports on the growing activity of
this enterprising part of CSSD.
MXAT trip
Award from Xcel
Central continue their relationship with the
Moscow Arts Theatre School (MXAT) and as
part of the Summer School 2009 are offering a
two month course for professional actors. This
training is an intensive combination of classroom
exploration and application of technique that
will help them gain an understanding of their
training methodologies by experiencing their
classes in person.
Anna Nguyen of the Central School of Speech
and Drama was awarded the Xcel Performing
Arts Student of the Year on 6 October. Her
achievement, along with that of 15 other
fellow students from all backgrounds was
acknowledged at the Xcel Student of the Year
Awards. Vanessa Blake, also from CSSD (PGCE
Drama), was commended.
For more information, please contact SPCD on +44 (0)20 7559 3960
or send an email to [email protected]
Photos (top to bottom): SPCD Production (© Craig Sugden), SPCD Summer Party (© N Moran)
RESEARCH Seminars
and EVENTS
The following seminars and events took place last Autumn at Central:
Documenting Practices Expo
October
An exhibition on ‘Documenting Practices’ was
held in the Embassy Theatre and Studio on 6
and 7 November. Among the exhibitors were a
number of eminent artists, photographers and
theatre-makers including Rae Smith, Quentin
Blake, Manuel Vason, alumnus Gareth Fry,
and some of Central’s own staff. Participating
organisations included the Cameron
Mackintosh and Delfont Mackintosh Theatre
Archive, Rambert Dance Company, LIFT, the
National Theatre, and the V&A. At a related
symposium, industry professionals, archivists
and media lawyers discussed theoretical,
practical and legal issues involved in recording
theatre.
In Discussion: Katie Mitchell
An online catalogue will be available on
Central’s website.
December
Research Presentations
Creative strategies for contemporary
performance
Central staff: Jane Munro, Jo Parker, Gareth
White and Nick Wood
November
Round Table
Auteurship and Collaboration:
Developments in Facilitated Creativity
Catherine Alexander (Central/Complicite),
Karen Fricker (Royal Holloway), David Rosenberg
(Shunt) and Helen Freshwater (Birkbeck)
Research Presentations
Real People and Performance
Dee Heddon (University of Glasgow) and
Derek Paget (University of Reading)
Photos (top to bottom): Part of Living Archive designed by Aldona Cunningham and Joanna Parker
(© Martin Hartley), Exhibit at Expo by David Harradine (© Martin Hartley)
The Alumni NEwsletter 15
forthcoming events
Alumni may wish to attend some of the following events:
Diploma Courses
The School of Professional and Community
Development (SPCD) is running a new parttime one year Diploma in Acting. On the course
students will learn skills in Stage Combat,
Movement, Voice and Acting. For further
information contact [email protected].
VOICE GRADUATES REUNION
EVENT 27/28 June 2009
Voice graduates will be pleased to know that
Central is to hold a major voice reunion next
summer which Cicely Berry hopes to attend.
We’d like to invite you to contribute views and
suggestions towards its production. A letter
is arriving with this newsletter for all voice
graduates to RSVP. If you have not received a
copy please ring or email us for a copy (+44 (0)20
7449 1628 or [email protected].)
ALUMNI FREE TICKET NIGHT TO
STUDENT PRODUCTION March 2009
Each term, 50 free tickets are to be made available
to alumni for one of our Public Production
performances. Following the performance there
will be an opportunity for catching up with other
alumni over refreshments.
For the Spring term dates please consult the
website in January 2009. If you need more
information about a specific event please give
us a call at the Alumni Office and we will be only
too happy to help, on +44 (0)20 7559 3997 or at
[email protected].
Conference exploring Russian
Theatre practice hosted at
the Moscow Arts Theatre
School (MXAT) 19-23 April 2009
The Moscow Arts Theatre School is hosting a
Conference exploring Russian Theatre practice
and the School of Professional and Community
Development can take you there.
This conference builds on the relationship
established between MXAT and CSSD through
holding the Voice conference that took place in
Moscow April 2006 and Movement Conference
in 2007. The conference is international whilst
still enabling a key focus on Russian physical
theatre practice. This allows an introduction of
new methodology, shared knowledge and should
catalyse reflective thought on your own work.
Amongst the key speakers there will be directors
Sergey Zhenovach, Cyrill Serebrennikov and Victor
Ryzhakov, as well as famous theatre teacher, actor
and Art Director Satiricon theatre, Konstantin Raikin.
Theatre Noise conference
22-24 April
Central is hosting Theatre Noise, an
international conference that takes place
22-24 April 2009. Three keynote speakers
are confirmed: Cicely Berry (world authority
on voice), John Collins (artistic director of
the New York company Elevator Repair
Service) and Heiner Goebbels (internationally
renowned composer and director). Theatre
Noise will examine auditory phenomena in
theatre, including sound design, music for
performance and voice production to ask how
hearing and listening shape our experience and
perception of a theatrical event. There will be
examples of innovative performance practices;
presentations; workshops, round tables and a
‘playback room’.
For more information, see the website
www.cssd.ac.uk or contact CETT:
[email protected].
Edinburgh Fringe festival
Summer 2009
Daphna Attias is working with dANTE OR
dIE, developing a site specific production on a
chair lift for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2009.
Audiences will arrive at sunset to sit on the
precarious chair lifts and slowly be lifted up the
side of the Pentland Hills. Movements of natural
beauty will sit alongside new music composed
specifically for the site and a plethora of striking
theatrical images.
MINACK FESTIVAL
Summer 2009
CSSD students will be performing The Greek
inspired by the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos
Kazantzakis, at the Minack Festival 2009 in
collaboration with Cartoon de Salvo.
Alumni Reunion Albert Hall
second half of 2009
Following on from the announcement of this
event made in our last newsletter, we are
delighted to report that the Albert Hall have
now confirmed they would like to join with us in
putting on an event in the second half of 2009.
Further information will be posted on our website
in early March, we will issue an email to those
having an email address and will be writing nearer
the time to send you an invitation.
If you studied at the Albert Hall and have not been
in touch with us in the last 12 months please make
contact so that we can add you to our guest list
(see Contact Us on the back page of
this newsletter).
Seminars Spring 2009
Round Table and Workshops
New theatre development and production
Wednesday 28 January
4.00-8.00pm
With Ed Collier and Kate McGrath (co-directors,
Fuel); David Jubb and David Micklem (co-artistic
directors, BAC); and Purni Morell (director,
National Theatre Studio).
Photos: Royal Albert Hall (© Marcus Ginns),
Daphna Attias, dANTE OR dIE (© Tim Morozzo)
THE CRAIG LECTURE
Actual work, theatre design and
creative collaboration
Thursday 5 February
6.00-7.00pm
Given by Michael Levine. In association with the
Society for Theatre Research.
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
Intentions and spontaneities
Wednesday 25 February
2.00-3.30pm
Central staff: Paul Barker and Richard Hougham.
ROUND TABLE
Research organisations for theatre
and performance
Wednesday 25 February
4.00-7.00pm
With Maggie Gale (Chair, Theatre and
Performance Research Association); Edward
Scheer (Chair, Performance Studies international);
Christopher Baugh (The Society for Theatre
Research); Brian Singleton (Chair, International
Federation of Theatre Research).
RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
Nervousness and performance
Tuesday 10 March
5.30-7.00pm
Caroline Goyder (Central) on actors’ preparation;
Dr Tamara Russell (Affective Neuroscience Group,
Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London) on
meditation and mindfulness; Professor Andrew
Steptoe (Department of Epidemiology and Public
Health, University College London), Chair.
For further information please visit
www.cssd.ac.uk
16 The Alumni NEwsletter
Where are they now…?
1940’s Christine Hayes (née Caldwell) (Dip. DA 40) is now retired, having worked as Chairman of all Drama Training for the LEA in
Devon and taught and directed theatre for the English Dept. at the University of Exeter. She was also greatly involved with the Exeter
Northcott Theatre 1950’s Phebe C. Tyson (née Pope) (T 54) worked for 34 years in schools and produced many plays including The
Government Inspector and Macbeth in Nepal’s National School. She now coaches WI competitions and Church readers John Neill
(T 51) was employed as British Centre Lektor by Swedish Folk University in Sweden, Germany and at the University’s School in Hove
Sussex. He is now retired Valerie Mars (née Stern) (SM & W 59) is now working as a social historian, an honorary research fellow in
dept. of Anthropology at University College London. Special Interests: material culture and culinary history Jennifer Warner (Dip. ST
57) has retired after 44 years of work as both a speech and language therapist and lecturer. She was course director at Central on
Dip.S.T course 1960-1974 and also worked part-time as senior speech therapist at St Thomas’ Hospital. She is now trustee and
governor for a Charity Independent School for Children with Autism Jess Curtis (T 55) is Director of Spellbound Community Arts
Theatre and Aural Visual Communications and a Board Member of Shout-it-Out (literacy) Theatre Projects Shirley Jaffe (née Jacobs)
(A 54) is directing and playing with White Room Theatre’s Bite-Size plays in Brighton and is also Director and main session leader of
Dramacare Reminiscence for residential and nursing homes and day centres while doing occasional TV and corporate filming
1960’s Lynette Reade (S 66) has recently appeared in A Slight Ache by Harold Pinter at the North Devon Fringe Gerard Benson (T
61) is writing poetry for children and adults and runs Poems on the Underground and is Poet Laureate for the city of Bradford June
Mitchell (T 67) is freelancing at Mountview teaching improvisation and character development Jane McCulloch (SM 61) is the
Artistic Director of both The English Chamber Theatre and Opera UK while also freelance directing both theatre and opera Deborah
Grant (S 67) has worked on Mutual Friends (Hatrick Productions) Doctors (BBC) and Absurd Person Singular – Tour for Bill Kenwright
Penny Harris (SLT 66) is working for the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist part-time Domini Blythe (A 67) is currently
making a film in Montreal called The Trotsky and has recently acted in several seasons at The Stratford Shakespeare Theatre, Ontario
Canada Wendon Evans (ST 64) is living in France. Of interest to therapists might be the fact that the world famous ear department
of the Clinique Causse in Colombiers, Hérault, uses speech therapists to give exercises for treating vertigo following ear infections.
Janet Lesley (née Thompson) (SLT 65) is retired but working part-time as an intermediary for the criminal justice system and parttime with people with little or no speech who use alternative methods of communication 1970’s John Shuckburgh (S 77) is a wine
consultant Susan Rogers (Tech 73) is working as a Production Buyer on Skins Series 3 Susanne Marsh (ST 75) is employed by
Barking and Dagenham PCT as a Band 8b Speech & Language Therapist Sue Meek (née Hemming) (T 71) has been Head Teacher of
St Mary’s Hall in Brighton for 11 years and is involved in a project converting the church of St Mark’s in Kemp Town into a Community
Arts Centre Sue Holderness (S 70) is playing Marlene in the fourth series of The Green Green Grass – nine episodes Bonnie Taylor
(ST 72) is a Speech Therapist in a specialist Parkinson’s Disease Unit in Edgware, North London. She is also a semi-professional jazz
singer Virginia Pavey (SM 79) is a Research Support Manager at Kingston University Stephen Farris (T 79) is Head of Performing
Arts at West Kent College, Tonbridge, Kent Karen Parkinson (ST 75) is practising as a counsellor in primary care and supervising
counsellors in a variety of settings as well as teaching counselling skills at the Minster Psychotherapy Training Institute Robert
Colston (ACSD 79) worked as a speech teacher instructing accountants, banks and the army (M.O.D) in Presentation. He also
worked in Broadcasting as an announcer and retired from ITN in 2000 Jenny Grant (S 71) is a special needs teacher Susanne
Marsh (SLT 75) has been in full-time practise in the NHS for thirty-three years in the North East Thames Region David Parry (T 78) is
Deputy Head of The Coopers’ Company at Coborn School Upminster John Parsonson (A 75) is a writer, director and acting teacher.
See www.johnparsonson.com Fran Dendy (née Anderson) (T 79) is a lecturer in Voice on Foundation Degree Programmes
(Bournemouth University) at Bournemouth and Poole College and Head of Tutoring at Poole Maggie Dean (S 74) has taken time off
to bring up children. She has joined the actor’s centre now to hopefully go back to acting Susan Templar (Rogers) (Tech 73) is a
production buyer for TV and has recently finished on Waking the Dead for the BBC Michael Townsend (Tech 77) is the Concerts
and Hirings Manager at Really Useful Group Theatres 1980’s Mark Carey (S 83) appeared in The Invisibles (BBC TV) and A Table for
Death (BBC Radio Drama) and played the title role in Macbeth at Bridge House Theatre, Warwick Russell Grant (S 80) recently
appeared in Criminal Justice on BBC and also works as a Blue Badge Guide in London Dianne Gammage (née Grimshaw) (84) is a
Dramatherapist and Play therapist. Currently undertaking an MA in Buddhist Psychotherapy and setting up an MA programme in
Play therapy in Exeter Sarah-Jane Morris (T 80) is recording an album in Rome with 14 cellos including songs from Morricone,
Ravel, Paolo Conte and Boy George. She is to play Mere Ubu in the opera version of Pere Ubu at Queen Elizabeth Hall and is
headlining three nights at Ronnie Scott’s Mina Smallman (Henry) (T 88) was ordained at St Paul’s Cathedral on 1 July 2006 and is
currently in her second year as assistant curate at St John the Evangelist in Great Stanmore Sean McLevy (A 89) recently directed
The Killing Game by Ionesco at the BAC and appeared in Hood at The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Rupert Vansittart (S 82) is
filming Margaret for the BBC and playing the role of Peter Morrison – Margaret Thatcher’s Parliamentary Private Secretary Emma
Victoria Winn (ST 87) is a Speech Therapy Clinical Manager in Camden and Islington Sara Stewart (S 88) is an actress and currently
appearing in a new series of The Prisoner for ITV Judith Downes (B.Ed T 82) is now Head of English at North Devon College FE & HE
linked to Plymouth University Geoff Felix (B.Ed ESD 80) is a puppeteer www.geofffelix.com Nick Corfield (SM 82) is teaching
drama to Autistic Boys at the Special Needs School – Cruckton Hall School, Shrewsbury Shropshire Amanda Kipling (T 84) has
recently been appointed PGCE Drama Course Leader at Goldsmiths and is delighted to be appointed in what she considers to be the
most rewarding job in education Wendy Wall (Bsc SLT 88) is working in SALT at Merton & Sutton PCT – part-time Alison Stewart
(SLT 89) is the manager of Speech & Language Therapy Services to Education Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea
and Westminster Michael Cuckson (A 84) is acting, directing, writing, doing photography and music. His next acting job is The Eva
To keep this page up to date, we’re dependent on your contributions. Please keep telling us what you’re up to, even if it isn't in the profession you train
The Alumni NEwsletter 17
Cassidy Story – National Tour 1990’s Phil Kingston (A 92) is acting for Bedrock Theatre Company in Smock Alley in Dublin
Jo Cameron Brown (PGDVS 97) is working as a dialect/dialogue coach on movies and is currently working in Berlin on Desert
Flower Rebecca Lenkiewicz (96) is a playwright and has an adaptation of The Enemy of the People playing at the Arcola and a new
play Her Naked Skin at the National Theatre Kate Keen (née Rowe) (PGCE 99) is a Drama Teacher at Kingswood School in Bath
Sarah Barnfield (DE 98) trained as a theatrical agent and has been running her own agency for seven years Sue Martin (98) is a
Speech and Language Therapist – working in Camden Adults with learning disabilities Shaun Canon (DE 97) has moved to the FE
National Consortium and become their new Head of Learning and Teaching Solutions Irenka Griffin (Sesame DMT 96) is the
Principal/Director of the company Sailnetuk.com Andrew Cuthbert (PGDVS 93) is teaching Voice and short courses at RADA. He is
still acting in fringe and worked on Radio 4 Melina Gammell (B Ed DSL 92) is teaching in a Pupil Referral Unit Justin Brett (A 95)
has toured with Return to the Forbidden Planet and was Dame in panto in Ipswich as well as touring Dick Barton. He is also doing
Stand-up and writing. Mary Smail (MA D & MVT T 90) is directing a Sesame Institute Charity and establishing Drama and Movement
Therapy training in Ireland and Wales and also undertaking PhD Research Samantha Tu (née Cones) (MA VS 99) is married with 3
children and will be returning to voice coaching in September 08 working with bankers, traders and lawyers Deirdre (Dee) Forrest
(PG VS 98) is Deputy Head of Voice at the Mountview Academy Claire Smith (B Ed SD 91) is teaching Special Needs in Sudbury,
Suffolk Mel Churcher (MA VS 99) is working as an acting and voice coach in theatre and film. Her book Acting for Film: Truth 24
times a second pub. Virgin Books 2003 Toni Williams (MA ATP 99) is the Technical Manager for Lighting and Sound at the Circus
Space Sarah Simmons (V 97) is a voice dialogue coach Nina Ayres (BA TS 97) is a freelance Theatre Designer/maker in film and TV.
She has just had the book Creating Outdoor Theatre published by Crowood Press 2000’s Kate Somerset How (06) is working as a
singer and actress for Lush Handmade Cosmetics movies and events. She will also appear in a production of Jekyll and Hyde at The
Cochrane Theatre in July 2009 Marion Tucker (BA TP 04) is working as a shop assistant, studying couture p/t and is a member of a
textiles group. She raised money for Langside school for disabled children by selling items she’d made Beckie Mills (PGCE D 05) was
Assistant Director on the RSC’s production of The Taming of the Shrew directed by Conall Morrison in Stratford Upon Avon Kate
McGregor (DATE 07) is currently directing Crimps’ Fewer Emergencies at the Unicorn Theatre and Final Pay at the Tabard Theatre
Aoife Mulholland (MA MT 06) is playing Maria in The Sound of Music at the Palladium Toby Olie (BA TP P 06) has been reprising
the role of Joey in War Horse at The National Theatre and is Puppetry Consultant for Liberty at Shakespeare’s Globe Caroline Anne
Wild (BA & MA A 06) runs a children’s theatre company and also a classical theatre company – The Distracted Globe, which recently
produced Hamlet Radene Carter (BA DE 01) has left the Albany to be Associate Producer for Birmingham Rep Theatre Rodrigo
Sanchez (BA DATE 07) has begun an MA History of International Relations Course at The London School of Economics Tori Hart (BA
A 06) is working as an actress in theatre, TV and film and running Mr Hart’s Theatrical Company Susanna Bishop (BA A 06) is still an
actress and also the director of the New Wolsey Youth Theatre, Ipswich and Head of Drama at Ipswich High School Adela Kobic (BA
TP 02) works for Autism West Midlands as a Day Services Support Worker Nicola Watson (PGCE D 04) is Head of Drama at Belfast
Boy’s Model School Amy White (BA TP 07) is working as a prop-maker for a company called Theme Traders Janice Claire Holtby
(DMT 01) is studying for a Graduate Diploma in Law Karen Maycock (BA TP 05) is a Technical Assistant for the Royal Festival Hall –
Southbank Centre Helen Williams (née Murphy) (PGCE D 02) is Head of Drama at Gateacre Community Comprehensive School,
Liverpool Nancy Walker (MA Sesame 08) works as a Drama Therapist on behalf of bereavement charity Grief Encounter and
Watford Mencap, and also works as a business trainer for Crag Rats Ltd Lucy St John (BA DATE 05) is working with children and
young people, facilitating, devising and teaching music, dance and drama Naana Agyei-Ampadu (MA AMT 06) is acting in The
Frontline by Che Walker at the Globe Theatre Holly Whymark (PGCE 00) is Head of Drama at St Albans High School for Girls Kelly
Jenkinson (PGCE D 07) is teaching drama full time at The Matthew Arnold School in Staines John Adam-Baker (MA PS 00) is a
Cultural Facilitator for New Wolsey Theatre (Ipswich) and part-time Lecturer at University Campus Suffolk (BA in Performance) Kate
Wood (PGCE D 02) is a teacher of AS and A2 Theatre Studies in Cambridge at CCSS Matt Morris (TP 04) is working worldwide as a
touring crew boss for a lighting department and freelancing in music and events Ros Simmons (MA VS 03) has just led the Spoken
English summer course at Central Voice Support for Mountview, Accent Coaching MD 2000 and LCTS and also working as a private
coach through The Real Speaking Company Kirsten Fiona Maclean (PGCE D 06) is Head of Drama at Overton Grange School Sara
Bexell (BA TP P 07) is a puppeteer in Stockholm, Sweden and is performing in a show that tours around Sweden and Europe and will
soon be leading a puppetry workshop in Laos Piia Surakka (VS 04) is a freelancer and studying to become a Feldenkrais teacher
Miriam Birch (BA TP 07) is a freelance costume supervisor/wardrobe mistress for the Tobacco Factory, Bristol and White Horse
Theatre, Germany Victoria Meager (PGCE D 02) is now Co-ordinator of Performing Arts at City & Islington Sixth Form College
Gemma Ashford (Dip. AMT 01) works in TIE, is also a photographer and has a dog clinic in Thailand! Caroline-Louise Armstrong
(PG Dip AMT 03) is Head of Drama at Cumnor House School, West Sussex Guy Davey (BA TP 02) is the Technical Manager at
Hurtwood House Guy Davies (BA TP 00) is a sound engineer Emma Rogers (MA VS 01) is a part-time teacher of ‘Foundation’
students at Mountview (speech & voice) and is a full-time mother of a five year old Catherine Gilchrist (PGCE D 01) is Head of
Drama at Purbeck School Alison Waters (DE 00) is Head of Drama at St Nicholas’ School, Old Harlow, Essex Kate Greenaway
(BA DATE 05) moved home to Cardiff and is working as a freelance Drama Facilitator for Stage Schools, Youth Theatres and
Community Projects mostly in areas of regeneration Amy Todd (MA CA 05) is currently acting with Riding Lights Theatre Company
and in between acting work temps as a PA in the city Alex Bingley (MA VS 03) is a full time voice teacher on BA (Hons) Acting
Course at Italia Conti and going Freelance in 2009 Nicola Shortman (BA TP 05) is teaching Art & Design at Boston College in
Lincolnshire and will be starting a national diploma course there this year Tracey Ashmore (PGCLTHE 05) is an HE study advisor for
ned in, by filling in the enclosed Alumni form or emailing us at [email protected], or calling on +44 (0)20 7559 3997.
18 The Alumni NEwsletter
Where are they now…?
University Creative Arts and is studying for an MA in Design Studies at Central St Martins Emily Hardy (BA TP 07) is a freelance
stage manager and is regular freelance ASM at the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre Gina De Marco Scanlon (MA WSBM 07) is
currently working in media archiving at ITV and is also a staff writer for a website based out of California called WeEarth.com
Charlotte Cherie Graham (MA VS 06) is Managing Director of WebbGraham Communications LLC providing voice training to
actors, politicians, executives and public/gov’t professions, reporters and presenters based in Washington DC and London Gavin
O’Donoghue (MA VS 06) is teaching in the Culture Studies Department, Dundack Institute of Technology Daniel Bartrope (MA
AMT 07) is currently swing on UK number 1 tour of Hello Dolly starring Anita Dobson and Darren Day. He began ‘ensemble’ in
Annie in September for another UK tour Paul Piris (MA ATP 06) is studying a PhD at CSSD funded by AHRC on the subject of
puppetry. He is also the Artistic Director of Rouge28 Theatre Luisa Guerreiro (MA AMT 05) is currently preparing to teach Musical
Theatre courses for Camden Summer Universities Paula Baker (MA AT 07) is setting up a site-specific theatre co. called Footprints
and is also teaching freelance dance and drama Honor Roche (MA AMT 07) has been auditioning, teaching dance and drama to
children and young people as well as musical theatre workshops, voice-over work and modelling Vivienne Buckley (MA AT 08) is
Head of Performing Arts Gorseman College and Artistic Director – West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Jonathan Niton (BA A 07) is
rehearsing for Plaza Suite for The Mill at Sonning Theatre Directed by Anthony Valentine Ed Bartram (MA AT 08) is a Theatre
Director and Creative Education Specialist Katie Marsden (MA CA 07) is acting in a kids road-show touring Wales Kim Medcalf
(AMT 00) has just finished the ITV production of Harley Street. In 2007 she played Sally Bowles in Rufus Norris’ production of
Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre, West End. Before that, she played Sorrel Bliss in Sir Peter Hall’s Hayfever alongside Judi Dench Victoria
Beeby (BA TP 07) is working as a Sales Associate in Harrods Li E Chen (BA TP 04) has been working as a new media designer for
theatre, opera and public arts Temitayo Oyeniyi (MA CA 07) is working as an education practitioner at Shakespeare’s Globe. She
is currently working on a new devised piece of theatre Charla Givans (DMT 01) is working as a Drama and Movement Therapist,
freelance and employed Andrew Royle (MA Sesame 08) is working as a drama-therapist with autistic children and working with
bereaved children Nina Lucy Wylde (05) recently got married and moved to South Africa. She is acting whenever possible for both
camera and stage, and also directing stage productions Juliet Goo Birks (TP 07) has been working as a company assistant for
Improbable Theatre and has directed projects at the Bristol Tobacco Factory and has been Education Assistant at the Hampstead
Theatre Anthony Mark Barrow (BA A 01) has recently finished filming episodes of Eastenders (BBC 1) and recording Silver Street
(BBC Radio) and has been touring with Cheek by Jowl’s Production of Troilus and Cressida Shereen Ali-Hassan (BTEC FAD 00) has
been doing a PGCE in Art & Design at Goldsmiths and is an Art Teacher Sophia Shaw (PGCE D 04) is teaching both Drama and
Dance in a secondary school in East London Becky Clatworthy (BA TP 05) has just finished working on silent witness and starts
Eastenders in January Georgina Morelle (BA DATE 06) is acting in a comedy show around Spain, based in Madrid for Face2Face
Theatre Maya Ercole (née Stevanovic) (MA DMT 06) is working as a Drama-therapist in education (primary school) and visiting
lecturer (Human Development strand) on MA Drama & Movement Therapy at CSSD Dan Skili (PGDip DMT 00) is a drama and
movement therapist working for Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (NHS). He is also directing The Snow Queen by Hans
Christian Andersen at Dalston Culture House Kitty Winter (MA MS 05) is a freelance movement director and choreographer,
specialising in work for young audiences. She was commissioned to make a dance theatre installation piece for CTC theatre last
autumn, Five, which is touring the UK and Germany this year. She is also in the process of setting up her own company Winter/
Walker Bella Tristram (BA DATE 05) is Acting Education Manager at Hull Truck Theatre – setting up and implementing Education
and community projects to use drama to improve well-being, learning and creativity Polly Agg-Manning (BA DATE 03) is the
Participation and Education Manager at Exeter Northcott Theatre Caroline Watsham (MA DATE 04) is running a small pre-school
music franchise (Rhythm Time), teaching newborns – 5 year olds, (whilst also keeping very busy as mother of two primary school
age daughters!) Julian Olive (BA DE 02) is an education associate at York Theatre Royal Anna Lewis (MA WSBM 06) teaches
English and Drama in a comprehensive school in Croydon Gemma Nicol (BA DATE 07) is working as Education Officer at Dundee
Rep Theatre Angela Gasparetto (MA MS 04) is Co-Head of Movement, Italia Conti (Acting BA) Jane Crook (BA TP 02) spent 5
years touring nationally and internationally relighting (and designing lighting when possible) for a variety of contemporary dance
companies. She is now in the West End working on video at We Will Rock You Matthew Taylor (A 08) has been filming Robin
Hood for the BBC in Budapest and is now at the Dundee Rep Theatre working on Beauty and The Beast Gavin James (A 00) is
currently playing The Bishop of Digne/Combeferre in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre, West End Stephen Woolmer (BA TP
06) is Technical Manager for The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, North Yorkshire Clare Stansfeld (A 06) is working at
Markham & Froggatt Jake O’Hara (BA DATE 07) is Head of Theatre in a Special Education High School in Boston MA USA and a
freelance Community Theatre Director and Set and Costume Designer Ben Eedle (MA VS 02) is teaching Voice and Acting Sandy
Foster (BA A 08) took part in the CDS Spotlight presentations at the Strand Palace Hotel in July 2008 Tunde Aleshe (BA A 08)
took part in the CDS CDS Spotlight presentations at the Strand Palace Hotel in July 2008 Dave Brinson (PGCE 02) is serving on the
National Executive of the National Union of Teachers and is a trustee of the East Sussex Youth Arts Trust
A = Acting AC SD = Advanced Certificate in Speech and Drama AD SD = Advanced Diploma Stage Design AD VS = Advanced Certificate in Voice Studies AMT = Acting Musical Theatre ATP = Advanced Theatre
Practice B Ed. DSL = B Ed. Hons. Speech and Drama B Ed. SD = B Ed. Stage Design BA A = BA Acting BA AMT = BA Acting Musical Theatre BA DE = BA (Hons) Drama and Education BA DATE = BA Drama,
Applied Theatre and Education BA TP = BA (Hons) Theatre Practice BA TP P = BA (Hons) Theatre Practice Puppetry BA TS = BA (Hons) Theatre Studies BTEC FAD = Diploma in Foundation Art and Design DE =
Drama Education Dip AMT= Diploma Acting Musical Theatre Dip. DA = Teaching Course Dip. ST = Diploma Speech Therapy DMT = Post Graduate Diploma Drama and Movement Therapy MA Afs = MA Acting
for Screen MA AMT = MA Acting Musical Theatre MA AT = MA Applied Theatre and Drama Education MA ATP = MA Advanced Theatre Practice MA AT DE = MA Applied Theatre Drama Education MA CA =
MA Classical Acting MA DMT = MA Drama and Movement Therapy(Sesame) MA MS = MA Movement Studies MA PS = MA Performance Studies MA V = MA Voice MA VS = MA Voice Studies MA WSBM =
MA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media MVT T = MA Sesame PGCED = PGCE Drama PGCL = PG Certificate in Learning PGCLTHE = Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
PGDip ATP = Post graduate Diploma in Advanced Theatre Practice PGDip DMT = Post graduate Diploma Drama and Music Therapy PGDVS = Post Graduate Diploma Voice Studies S = Stage SLT = Speech
Language Therapy SM = Stage Management ST = Speech Therapy T = Teaching Tech = Technical W = Wardrobe
The Alumni NEwsletter 19
Photos (top left to bottom right): Vanessa Ewan, Alan Pearce, Tom Gilbey, Matthew Markwick; Dominic Gerrard with mentees Katy Baker, Thomas Luke-Taylor and Elana Martin; Alexis
Zegerman and Ben Carruthers; Lianne Tucker, Chetna Pandya, Catherine Alexander and Geoff Colman; Zoe Tapper and Peter Bray; Greg Bartlett, David Hartley and David Emmings; Luke
Osborne and Reeda Ouzerdine; Sally Tatum between mentees Hannah Day and Grace Rowe; Rhidian Marc, Tom Stuart and Helen Worrall; Andrew London, Sam Peter Jackson and Ana Nguyen.
20 The Alumni NEwsletter
PUBLIC PRODUCTIONS
Contact us
Information about production nights and our courses is posted on
Central’s website just as soon as the dates are set – www.cssd.ac.uk
– can we reach you?
Last term’s productions were; The Love of the Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Intimate
Apparel by Lynn Nottage, Les Liaisons Dangereuses based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de
Laclos and adapted by Christopher Hampton, The Sightless and Interior by Maurice Maeterlinck.
Our alumni free ticket matinee performance of The Sightless and Interior was held on 6 December.
Publications
Dawn French (T 80)
Dawn French has written her memoir Dear Fatty
which was published in hardback by Century in
October 2008.
Email
[email protected]
Nina Ayres has written the book Creating
Outdoor Theatre – A Practical Guide which was
published by Crowood Press in July 2008.
IN MEMORIUM
With great sadness we learned of the death of
alumnus John Matshikiza (S 77), actor, widely
recognised and respected South African poet
and political journalist.
John was born in 1954 in a Johannesburg
township. After training with Central and
the Royal Shakespeare Company he worked
for the Glasgow Citizens Theatre company.
His career was heavily influenced by his keen
support for the African National Congress: He
believed in its activism and was instrumental in
the formation of its cultural arm – Mayibue.
In the 1980s his reputation grew not only as a
film actor but as a poet. His films included Cry
Freedom (1987), Mandela (1987), There’s a Zulu
on My Stoep (Leon Schuster 1993), Hijack Stories
(2000) and Wah-Wah (2005), Richard E Grant’s
film of his childhood in Swaziland. His published
In order for us to do this and to pass on
other news, it is vital for us to hold your
up to date contact records, (in particular
email, which helps us to keep costs down)
and we rely completely on you keeping us
accurate. Please find the time to send us a
quick email or there is an automated page
created for you at www.cssd.ac.uk and
hit the alumni tab at the top. Other ways
to contact us are:
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7559 3997
Nina Ayres (BA TS 97)
John Matshikiza
Job Alerts – these days we are trying to be
more actively useful to you by sending out
relevant work opportunities and helping
you to network.
poetry, which won critical acclaim, includes
South Where Her Feet Cool on Ice (1981) and
Prophets in the Black Sky (1986). A recent Nelson
Mandela anthology includes one of his poems.
In the 1990s after working in Holland, the USA
and a number of African countries (including
as culture director of the Goree Institute in
Senegal) John returned to South Africa after
Nelson Mandela was released. A significant
voice observing South African politics, he was
widely respected for his willingness to speak
out and not to be seduced by the trappings
of recognition. His journalism won him
several prizes as a regular contributor to many
prominent newspapers and magazines in
South Africa the US and UK. He also presented
a BBC radio series.
Facebook
We now have an official Facebook Group.
It is designed to let you network with
other Alumni and we also plan to inform
Group members with news of jobs,
events and other items. To find us, log on
and search Groups for “CSSD” and then
select “CSSD Alumni News – official site”.
By post
Alumni Office
The Central School of Speech and Drama
Embassy Theatre
Eton Avenue
London
NW3 3HY
UK
Update your contact details using
our automated forms on the website:
www.cssd.ac.uk then click on the
‘alumni’ tab.
John died of a heart attack on 15 September
this year.
Acknowledgements
With thanks to all featured alumni and photographers for their contributions towards this newsletter and also to the following members of CSSD: Caitlin
Adams, Catherine Alexander, Cariad Astles, Jessica Bowles, Ross Brown, Geoff Colman, Susan Emanuel, Vanessa Ewan, Stephen Farrier, Wendy Gadian,
Gavin Henderson, Gail Hunt, Sally Mackey, Peter McAllister, Peter Maccoy, Catherine McNamara, Nick Moran, Katerina Moriatis, Nick Moseley, Karl Rouse,
Meg Ryan, Debbie Scully, Ayse Tashkiran, Nick Wood, and Bruce Wooding.
The Central School of Speech and Drama, Embassy Theatre, Eton Avenue, London NW3 3HY. Tel +44 (0)20 7722 8183 Fax +44 (0)20 7722 4132
www.cssd.ac.uk Alumni Office: Tel +44 (0)20 7559 3997 Email [email protected]
This newsletter is written for alumni using information from alumni. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the staff or the governors of The Central School of Speech and Drama. This newsletter is printed on
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