Spotlight On.... Archive

The spotlight falls on.... Bob Yeates

Bob has been involved with local operatic societies for over 42 years, first joining Birmingham and Midland Operatic Society with his wife Brenda, for Carousel in 1965. He has been on stage ever since, initially in the chorus but taking on cameo roles after joining Solihull Operatic Society in 1985.
 
Despite having the opportunity to play some great comedy roles his one regret is he never played the handsome leading man who always got his girl!
 
Bob has also been Secretary (11 years with BMOS) and Treasurer (8 years with SOS) and knows only too well the pressures that all Societies are under to give the Solihull audiences the very best in Musical Theatre entertainment.
 
Bob has also been a member of Knowle Operatic Society and St. Augustine’s MTC, his final resting place, where he was honoured in 2005 to receive an award for his performance in his favourite role (the pinnacle of his career he says!) of Hysterium in the much underrated show A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum with St. Augustine’s MTC.
 
When Bob is asked why he keeps coming back, he says his answer is easy:  “it’s a bug that gets hold of you, but which gives you a tremendous buzz when you are out there on stage working alongside so many talented people,  all dedicated to giving the public such high standard shows and variety.
 
I also admire the talent of youth and seeing them come forward and blossom in this happy environment. It has been a privilege to be on stage with them, as well as some of the very best local actors and actresses in this area, over my 40+ years.
 
Working in the chorus is hardest of all, and dancing has always been a challenge to overcome. You really do have to work hard to give your production team the best. However, in the end, the reward is sharing with them in a successful and happy show. I know that when I do finally leave I shall miss the many friendships I have made over the years.”
 
Bob is appearing in Little Shop of Horrors with St. Augustine’s MTC from 19-24 November 2007.

The spotlight falls on.... Gill Nevin

Gill took over as Chairman of St. Augustine’s MTC in January 2006 after Lawrence Conway’s retirement.  During the year and on the run up to Into the Woods, she has begun the work of steering the company towards its future productions.

Gill was a founder member of Beaconsfield Young Theatre Group which was founded by Ian R Wallace on 31 May 1970. She took part in their first three productions, playing Second Starfish in The Sea King’s Daughter, Madame Wang in Lady Precious Stream and First Naiad in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  Unfortunately, a move to Chester cut Gill’s further acting ambitions short!
 
Other early artistic activities included playing the piano from an early age, playing timpani and percussion for the Beaconsfield Youth Orchestra and ballet lessons up to the age of 15, dancing The Sugar Plum Fairy at the Northern Ballet in Manchester.
 
Gill is married to Michael and has two daughters, Victoria and Jessica.  Victoria is currently studying English Law and French Law at King’s College, London.  Jessica is studying for A levels at Solihull School and will be a familiar face to audiences at St. Augustine’s MTC productions as she has been a member of the company since she was a street urchin in Oliver! at the age of 10.  Jess performed the role of Little Red Riding Hood in into the Woods in November 2006.  Two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and two cats complete the Nevin family household.
 
Below is an extract of some of the comments Gill made in the programme of the recent production of Into the Woods:
 
“I was enormously proud to be asked to become the Chairman of St Augustine’s Musical Theatre Company. I care passionately about the theatre and for Musical Theatre in particular. What could be a greater honour than to represent what I consider to be the best amateur company in Solihull.
 
On behalf of St Augustine’s I would like to thank Lawrence Conway, our former chairman, for 31 years of service. His ability to relate to people under the most stressful situations has won him the respect and admiration of the company. I am delighted that he has continued to remain a part of the company…
 
I am very fortunate to have such a hard working and enthusiastic committee. Their commitment and dedication leaves me wondering if they have other lives outside St Augustine’s. Not only are they all involved in tonight’s show but during the course of this year they have helped to organise a Garden Party in June and a Barn Dance in October. I would also like to thank their partners who are often coerced into helping at events and who allow the committee to give so much of their time to St Augustine’s.
 
We were fortunate to obtain funding from Birmingham Airport to erect a garage to store all our props and costumes and the committee have had to develop new skills to deal with this project. Thanks go to Colin Dyke who was the project manager on this occasion.
 
Of course no society could function without a Producer and a Musical Director and we are very fortunate to have a team who have worked together so well for many years.
 
My thanks also go to the backstage crew, front of house staff and to everyone involved in the show. Your help and support make St Augustine’s the special society that it is and I look forward to the next year confident in the knowledge that this society will go from strength to strength.”

The spotlight falls on.... Lawrence Conway

Lawrence is standing down as Chairman after 30 years in the job.  He joined St. Augustine's in 1974 for its first show and became Chairman when the Committee was formed early in 1976 to support the expanding and ambitious company.

These were hectic years and Lawrence was not only involved behind the scenes but also played many different roles on stage and particularly enjoyed being the resident pantomime Dame - Oh yes he did!  At the same time, he and his wife Margaret were busy bringing up their four sons and he was working at the British Gas station in Solihull.  Margaret was also involved, including making all his pantomime costumes.  Lawrence always enjoyed singing and threw his heart into the part of Curly in Oklahoma!.   Moving to the Arts Complex in 1982 was a big step forward with many new arrangements to be made and Lawrence enjoyed success again in the first show there as Fagin in Oliver!

For a few years in the early 90's pressure of work (he was now General Manager of a new research centre in Loughborough) kept him off the stage but he was still active in the organisation.  At this time, Stephen joined us and brought stability and imporved the standards of our music.  In 1994, we were all shocked by the sudden death of our Producer, Chris Bishop, and it was the determination of the Committee and the strength of Veronica which helped us recover and continue to develop.

After early retirement in 1996, Lawrence returned to the stage in the singing chorus and in cameo parts.  His appetite for humour resurfaced hilariously as Leclerc, the lovable buffoon, in 'Allo 'Allo and as Erronius, the confused old man in Forum.

Lawrence says that working with so many talented and dedicated people over the years has been immensely satisfying.  He is proud of the Company's achievements, including its many awards, and is confident of its potential for further success.  He hopes to tread the boards a little longer, when he can spare time from his hobbies of grandchildren, walking and holidays!

It goes without saying that the Company has been in immensely stable hands with Lawrence at the helm over the past 30 years and St. Augustine's MTC is extremely grateful for all the work Lawrence has done to bring the Company to its successful position today.  We wish him all the very best for the future and look forward to seeing him on the stage!

The spotlight falls on.... Marie Parietti/Lizzie Wiggins

  

Just a matter of some 10 years ago, who would have thought that Doctors' Receptionist Marie Parietti would rise to become on of today's most versatile character actresses.  In particular with her creation fondly described as 'a female Les Dawson', the irrepressible 'Lizzie Wiggins'.

Marie was a member of St. Augustine's MTC during the earlier years and took part in several productions.  Since then she has gone on to carve an outstanding professional career as Lizzie Wiggins after an appearance on the ITV talent show Pot of Gold presented by Des O'Connor.  She was an instant hit and won a coveted place in the finals.

Lizzie's style of humour is a look at life, coloured with anecdotes about her own rather unique 'family'.  She has a style which is a little cheeky, but never in bad taste, and 'The Stage' described her as "one of the funniest, cleanest comediennes in the country."

Lizzie has worked with stars such as Dora Bryan, Danny La Rue, Bernie Clifton and Lily Savage.  After and appearance on Malcolm Boyden and Carl Chinn's midlands radio programmes, she won the title of 'Duchess of Dudley' with her ability to entertain local audiences with their own style of humour.

Lizzie has played many major venues throughout the country and in 2003, she had a sell out run at Solihull's Dovehouse Theatre with her own show.  She has recorded a series of The Performers for Carlton Television and plans a tour of her own Music Hall throughout the country.

The spotlight falls on.... Muriel Tapper

Muriel joined her first theatre company at the age of 23 after moving from London to Abingdon in Oxfordshire, although her first solo appearance was actually in church at the age of 3 thanks to nepotism as her uncle was the vicar!  She attended the Oxford Conservatoire to study singing and then took on professional engagements at weddings, in hotels and notably at Blenheim Palace.
 
Muriel has worked with several theatre companies playing numerous lead roles including Elsie Maynard three times in her favourite Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Yeoman of the Guard and the glamorous Anna in The Merry Widow.  A highlight of her singing career has been as a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus performing and touring under the conductor Sir Simon Rattle amongst others.
 
Muriel has gained a great deal of pleasure and friendship from singing but alongside that, she loves the sea and is a keen sailor, racing every Sunday at Sutton Sailing Club.  Her other passion is Ceramics, the subject she teaches at Solihull Technical College and Hobs Moat Referral Unit.  An example of Muriel’s work was seen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — a bust of her own head!  She is currently rehearsing the role of the Mother Abbess for The Sound of Music in November.
 
Muriel is married, has one son and one daughter, and two grandchildren.

The spotlight falls on.... Margaret Griffiths

Margaret has worked with both professional and amateur theatre companies over the past 20 years or so, appearing in around 100 productions. The roles she has enjoyed most are Shirley Valentine, Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, Irene Ruddock in Talking Heads and Rita in Educating Rita, although her ambition is to play Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers. She has also appeared in several films and on television in Brum, Marathon Mother and Casualty.
 
Margaret is also the co-director and executive producer of Troika Productions, a professional theatre company formed just a year ago which aims to produce quality classic and contemporary theatre to be enjoyed by all, but in particular to increase theatre attendance by the young. The aim is to give new, upcoming actors the opportunity to gain valuable experience and showcase their skills.
 
Troika's last production was Death of a Salesman which was performed initially at the Birmingham Library Theatre then later at The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The next production is William Shakespeare's Hamlet which Margaret is producing and also appearing as Gertrude. Hamlet will tour Oxford, Birmingham and London in the early part of 2004.  Future plans include The Importance of Being Ernest.

The spotlight falls on.... Rachel Pattinson

Rachel has been a member of St. Augustine's Musical Theatre Company since 1982 when she played the role of Bet in Oliver!.
 
Most recently she has appeared as Helga in 'Allo 'Allo and Anita in West Side Story. Rachel is married to Guy and has two daughters Grace and Francesca, both of whom seem to know the words of all the songs better than the cast!
 
Rachel is looking forward to her next role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and hopes for world peace and thin thighs.
 
Actually she doesn't care much about world peace!

The spotlight falls on.... John Castle

I first became interested in music and drama at school and attended the Hillingdon Borough School of Music for 6 years. After leaving the school I maintained my interest in music, but this was limited to collecting records and CDs, making guest appearances singing for little known pop and rock bands, and attending musicals and concerts.
 
I was first introduced to St. Augustine's MTC by Gill Salter (a long term member of the company and very persuasive and effective ticket-seller!) in 1996 when I attended the A La Carte show. The high standard of the performances on that night stuck in my mind. I did not feel brave enough to join the company until last year when my wife Catherine bought me singing lessons as a Christmas present and encouraged me to attend the West Side Story rehearsals. Before I knew it I was part of the company and playing Riff.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and feel privileged to be part of a group of such dedicated and talented individuals. The professional tutoring of Veronica, Stephen and Sharyn is a major asset to the group, ensuring that the company is well prepared for the opening night of a show.
 
I have been employed in the field of Information Technology for the past 14 years and am currently working for Misys Asset Management Systems in Edgbaston. I also do some part time work as a web site designer and developer, DJ and portrait artist. I am currently writing a play loosely-based on my experiences of joining the West Side Story cast. I hope that the play, and my continued participation in St. Augustine's Musical Theatre Company, will encourage more men to take part in amateur dramatics.
 
I am really looking forward to playing the role of Cliff in Cabaret in November.

The spotlight falls on.... Phil Green

Phil Green ran the recent London Marathon in aid of the Chicken Shed Theatre Company.  Many pledges of money have been made by St. Augustine's MTC members and Phil has raised a fantastic £5,850.

Well done Phil!