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Theatre biography in
detail

| 1961 |
First job was Nicola in Irene (by Ugo Betti, directed by Bryan Whitehouse) in the first ever season by Prospect Productions. Then at Arts Theatre Cambridge, as Gremio in Taming of the Shrew (dir Trevor Nunn). Northampton Rep, as Spanish Ambassador in A Man for All Seasons (dir Alan Brown). First French Baron and Second Becket Servant in Becket (dir Peter Hall), at The Globe Theatre (now The Gielgud), London West End. |
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| 1961-64 |
Royal Shakespeare Company appearing in more than a dozen productions, better parts being the Prompter in John Barton’s version of Taming of the Shrew (dir Peter Hall), Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (dir Peter Hall), Oskar Rose in The Physicists (dir Peter Brook), the Doctor in King Lear (dir Peter Brook, with Paul Scofield), the Pope’s Secretary in The Representative (dir Clifford Williams), Balthazar in A Comedy of Errors (dir Clifford Williams) and the lead, Zapo, in Picnic on the Battlefield (dir David Jones). Appeared in Royal Command performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream & A Comedy of Errors. |
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| 1964 |
Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre: Inquisitor in St Joan (dir Ken Parrott); the lead in the musical That’ll Be The Day (dir Ken Parrott). |
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| 1965 |
Wimsel in The Secret (dir Braham Murray), Theatre Lynn season, King’s Lynn. |
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| 1966 |
Chichester Festival Theatre: Brush in A Clandestine Marriage (dir John Clements), Seyton in Macbeth (dir Michael Benthall), Yasha in The Cherry Orchard (dir Lindsay Anderson). |
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| 1966-68 |
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Many appearances, including Nipple in Little Malcolm (dir Richard Eyre), Konstantin in The Seagull (dir Richard Eyre), Morocco in The Merchant of Venice (dir Eric Jones), Ron in Events While Guarding a Bofors Gun (dir Richard Eyre). |
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| 1968 |
Chichester Festival Theatre: The Rebel in The Unknown Soldier and His Wife (author & director Peter Ustinov). |
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| 1970 |
Cochrane Theatre, London: Gray of Gray’s Elegy (solo show). Gardner Centre, Brighton: Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (dir Gordon McDougall), Chris in Dark River (dir Gordon McDougall). Arts Theatre, Ipswich: Don Pedro in Much Ado about nothing (dir Nicholas Barter). Poetry recital with Margaret Drabble at the Poetry Society, Earl’s Court. |
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| 1971 |
Nottingham Playhouse and the National Theatre (Old Vic): Luigi in Fry’s A Yard of Sun (dir Stuart Burge). Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh: the title rôle in the Scottish premiere of Hadrian VII (dir Philip Grout) - click here for review. The Gray Bicentenary Festival, Stoke Poges: Gray of Gray’s Elegy. Arts Theatre, Ipswich: Beyond the Fringe (dir Suki Pitcher) and the leading rôle in I Learned in Ipswich How to Poison Flowers (dir Nicholas Barter). |
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| 1972 |
Tour of South East Asia for British Council as Stanley in The Birthday Party (dir Nicolas Kent). University Theatre, Newcastle: Quince in The Faery Queen (dir Gareth Morgan, conducted by Neville Marriner) and the Ragman in Peer Gynt (dir Gareth Morgan). Associate Artist of Tyneside Theatre Company. The Mermaid Theatre, London: the Judge in Shaw’s Geneva (dir Philip Grout). |
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| 1973 |
Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch: Dromio in A Comedy of Errors (dir Nicolas Kent). Commenced long association with Derby Playhouse, as Butley in Butley (dir Mark Woolgar) and Jaques in As You Like It (dir Mark Woolgar). |
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| 1974 |
Derby Playhouse: Long John Silver in Treasure Island (dir Mark Woolgar), Headmaster in Forty Years On (dir Mark Woolgar), Ugly Sister in Cinderella (dir Malcolm Sircom). Mermaid Theatre, London: Chief of Police in The Price of Justice (dir Bernard Miles). |
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| 1975 |
Palace Theatre Watford: Vershinin in Three Sisters (dir Stephen Hollis). Derby Playhouse: Polonius in Hamlet (dir Mark Woolgar) - click here for review, and Prime Minister in Sleeping Beauty (dir Malcom Sircom). |
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| 1976 |
Derby Playhouse: the title role in The Miser (dir Mark Woolgar), Holmes in Enter Sherlock Holmes (dir Mark Woolgar). Traverse Theatre: national tour and Edinburgh Festival playing the title rôle in The Jesuit (dir Sandy Nielson). |
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| 1977 |
Bristol Old Vic, Sir Robert Morton KC in The Winslow Boy (dir Patrick Lau), Brettschneider & Goering in Schweyk in the Second World War (dir John David). Birmingham Rep: Arnholm in Lady from the Sea (dir Bill Pride). Derby Playhouse: Baron Hardup in Mother Goose (dir Malcolm Sircom). |
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| 1978 |
Palace Theatre, Watford: Dr McPhail opposite Gloria Grahame in Rain (dir Stephen Hollis). The Young Vic, London: Rudolf Hess in Hess (written by Michael Burrell, dir Philip Grout) - Click for more information on the play or click here for reviews. Redgrave Theatre, Farnham: George in Jumpers (dir David Horlock), Headmaster in Forty Years On (dir David Horlock), and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (dir David Horlock) - click here for review. |
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| 1979 |
Palace Theatre, Watford: Ned in Autumn Garden (dir Stephen Hollis). Took Hess to Lancaster, Derby Playhouse, Edinburgh Traverse, Farnham, Rugby, and to New York - to Shelter West, 18th Street Playhouse, Entermedia Marquee Theatre; recipient of Obie Award, New York 1980 - click here for reviews. |
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| 1980 |
Hess at Cork, ten locations in Lancashire, Norwich Maddermarket, Manchester, Preston, Alsager, Boston, Dublin International Theatre Festival, Sherman Cardiff, Bristol Old Vic, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Stahl Theatre Oundle, Palace Theatre Westcliff. |
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| 1981 |
British Council Tour of Senegal, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia with Sorcha Cusack playing scenes from Shakespeare. Hess at Wells Centre Norfolk & Worcester, and at the Mickery Theatre Amsterdam. King’s Head, London played opposite Betty Marsden in Couples (dir Jon Bromwich) |
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| 1982 |
British Council Tour of Tunisia, Morocco and Portugal with Jane Wymark and Brian Smith playing scenes from Shakespeare, Pinter and Bolt |
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| 1983 |
British Council Tour of Morocco and Tunisia with Jane Wymark, playing scenes from Shakespeare. Salisbury Playhouse: Father in Relatively Speaking (dir Graham Berown), Melbury in The Woodlanders (dir David Horlock). Bristol Old Vic: Dr Rance in What the Butler Saw (dir Philip Grout), and both Messengers in The Bacchae (dir Andy Hinds) |
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| 1984 |
British Council Tour of Morocco with Susan Engel. Hess at Salisbury Playhouse. Shaw Theatre, London and touring with Cambridge Theatre Company: Conrad and He-Ancient in Back to Methuselah (dir Bill Pride). Hess at Edmonton Theatre Festival Canada; Edmonton Journal Best Actor Award and Edmonton Journal Best Show Award. |
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| 1985 |
Member of English by Radio team, BBC World Service. In Vienna, as the Detective opposite Maria Perschy in Dial M for Murder (dir Cyril Frankel). Edmonton Theatre Festival, Canada: with solo Shakespeare show, Burrell on the Bard (dir Christopher Wood); Edmonton Journal Best Actor Award. |
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| 1986 |
Hess plays in Ottawa Canada - first actor to appear solo at Canada’s National; Capital Critics’ Citation for Best Actor. British Council Tour of Morocco and Sudan with Susan Engel, and Burrell on the Bard goes to Beirut (both sides of the green line), Jounieh and Tripoli, Lebanon, for the British Council. National Tour of Canada with Hess. |
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| 1987 |
British Council Tour of Morocco with Pia Henderson. Greenwich Theatre & Palace Theatre Watford: Mr Morland in Mary Rose (dir Matthew Francis). Palace Theatre Watford: Dr Ranke in A Doll’s House (dir Lou Stein). |
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| 1988 |
British Council Tour of Morocco with Barbara Ferris in Borrowing Time (by MB, dir Philip Grout) - click here for review. At The Mill at Sonning played the three leads in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite (dir Anna Barry). |
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| 1989 |
British Council Tour of Morocco with Alison Skilbeck in Intimate Exchanges (dir Denise Coffey). Gala recital at Stoke Court. Theatre Royal Windsor: Tim in Ten Times Table (dir Robin Herford). Palace Theatre Westcliff: General Burgoyne in The Man Who Lost America (by MB, dir Philip Grout). Hess at Winnipeg Theatre Festival Canada. Edmonton Theatre Festival Canada, General Burgoyne in The Man Who Lost America (dir Philip Grout). Governor’s Residence, Mauritius: England from Afar (recital). Recited a poem at the Cenotaph, Port Louis for Remembrance Day. |
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| 1990 |
British Council Tour of Morocco with Alison Skilbeck in A Slight Ache. Latchmere Theatre London:, Richard & John, with Sheila Reid, in Borrowing Time (dir Philip Grout); General Burgoyne, with Nicholas Moore, in The Man Who Lost America. Nuffield Theatre Southampton: the lead, Oliphant, in A Curious Accident (dir Jeremy Raison). |
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| 1991 |
Winnipeg Theatre Festival: Burrell on the Bard. Edmonton Theatre Festival: the older Rauch in Funker Rauch (by MB, dir Brian Paisley) - click here for review. Greenwich Theatre; in The Government Inspector (dir Matthew Francis). Palace Theatre Watford: in The Picture of Dorian Gray (dir Lou Stein). |
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| 1992 |
Recital with King’s College Choir for Cambridge Arts Theatre Appeal. |
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| 1993 |
Hess at Orlando Theatre Festival USA and Bury St Edmunds Festival. Comedy Store London: guest artist with Comedy Store Players (twice). Stratford East Company: Wicksteed in national tour of The Invisible Man (dir Ken Hill). |
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| 1994 |
Winnipeg, Saskatoon & Edmonton Festivals Canada: Aldo Moro in No Tomorrow (by MB, dir Anna Barry). British Council Tour of India with Burrell on the Bard. |
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| 1995 |
Derby Playhouse: Clarence in Richard III (dir Mark Clements). Poetry recitals in Huntingdon and Angles Theatre Wisbech. |
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| 1996 |
British tour of Hess. Angles Theatre Wisbech: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (dir MB). |
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| 1997 |
Angles Theatre Wisbech: Silver in Treasure Island (dir MB). |
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| 1998 |
King’s Lynn Festival: several roles in Shakespeare compilation The Days We Have Seen (compiled & dir MB). |
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| 1999 |
Angles Theatre Wisbech: MC of Old Time Music Hall, and Roundheads and Cavaliers, a recital with Marcia Warren (also at Sidney Sussex College Cambridge). |
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| 2000 |
Angles Theatre Wisbech: Interviewer for An Audience with John Chapman, and recital, A Christmas Celebration. |
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| 2001 |
Stoke Poges, Thomas Gray recital. |
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| 2002 |
Stoke Poges Jubilee Event as reciter. Peckover House & Parson Drove, Fenland in Words, recital. Peterhouse Cambridge, recital from the writings of members of the Bloomsbury group. |
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| 2003 |
Guild of Tallow Chandlers, two poetry recitals. Wimblington, Fenland in Words. Stoke Poges, An English Celebration of Popular Classics in Words and Music. Huntingdon Festival and Wisbech Heritage & Harmony Festival, Samuel Pepys: Public and Private. Granary Theatre Wells, King’s Lynn Arts Centre & Sussex Barn Burnham Market: appearances in cameo rôles of Brigadier, Cole & Cedric in Margot Strickland’s Teddy Twindletail Talks for England, |
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| 2004 |
Various characters in interactive playlets for Carrie Herbert Consultancy for corporates. |
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| 2005 |
Further characters for Carrie Herbert Consultancy for a corporate. St George’s Day Recitals with Marcia Warren at the Salvation Army Hall, Wisbech and in Whitehall Place, London. Bad King John in Kings & Liberties, a commissioned play to mark 800th anniversary of Huntingdon’s Charter. Took over as Mr Paravicini in The Mousetrap, St Martin’s Theatre, London West End. |
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| 2006 |
St Martin’s Theatre, London West End: Mr Paravicini in The Mousetrap. Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds: Restoring the Repertoire - rôles in three long-unperformed Georgian plays given rehearsed readings. |
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| 2007 |
Fortune Theatre, London West End: Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black. |
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| 2008 |
The Mill at Sonning: Ashley Croucher in Sugar Daddies (Ayckbourn). Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds & Haymarket Basingstoke: Jeffrey in Animal Magnetism (Inchbald) and Mr Norberry in Wives As They Were, And Maids As They Are (Inchbald). |
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| 2010 | The Earl of Sandwich in The Winding Stair (Michael Burrell), and An Actor's Tale - a solo show for the Angles Theatre Wisbech | ||
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Last Update - July 2010 |
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