I first trod the boards in 1973 in Arsenic and Old Lace, at Stanbridge Hall. My first public apearance was as Wee Willie Winkie at Bodicote Primary School circa 1966. This performance must have been too daunting as there is a gap of 17 years. The school later became The Church House, which was also the venue for Bodicote Players which i joined in 1983. I was in several productions at secondary school including, Timesneeze and an end of school concert, where I played Stan Laurel and mimed to The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine. This was to become a number two hit a year later, Christmas 1975. I had the chance to play Stan Laurel again in Once Upon A Clown in 1977. This was the first production ever to be staged in The Buttery at Banbury Upper School. It was whilst studying drama, that Fred Temlet who was a teacher and also owned, The Grange Theatre Little Tew, requested someone to play Flute (Thisbe) in his forthcoming production of, A Midsummers Night Dream, in 1977. My drama teacher suggested me, which led to 9 appearances in various plays and farces,including Othello, Why Not Stay For Breakfast, cullminating in a repeat performance as Flute, with amazingly almost the same cast bar one, in 1990. Obviously the fairies were different, as the 1977 lot were married with fairies of their own. From 1983 to 1987 at The Church House, the Bodicote Players and myself performed sketch shows and many melodramas. We also delved into the deeper dramas by the likes of, Bertolt Brecht and Dylan Thomas. We all went to see The Caucasian Chalk Circle at The Oxford Playhouse a few weeks after we had performed it. Even after seeing it done by proffesionals I still couldn't understand the plot.

There will be more . . when Stephen has finished writing it.