Ladies & Gentlemen, The Company

MARK BAMFORTH

Despite his boyish good looks, Mark has been acting, in one form or another, for almost 35 years. Starting with children’s theatre in the Dales, he has manifested his talents in places as diverse as Woking, Aldershot, Bristol and London, performing in almost every type of production from Shakespeare to panto and back again via farce and community theatre. Now back in the Dales, he has fulfilled part of his lifetime ambition by spending most of his time rehearsing and acting but unfortunately without the concomitant necessity of earning a living from it. Please give generously to...

MALVOLIO HARDCASTLE

The owner and actor-manager of the Mighty Excelsior theatre, Malvolio is a showman, despite being much beset about with trouble – from his wife, his troupe, poverty, sheriff’s officers, and, well, life. He’s led his motley cast through everything, and will ever hope for the money and recognition they so richly don’t deserve.

ANDREW JACKSON

Another founding member, and the one that writes the scripts, such as they are. Andrew has been involved with theatre all his life, from school to professional rep in Edinburgh, and all during his career as a doctor. From Solness in the “Master Builder” to the dame in Cinderella, including his own one-man show at the Edinburgh festival, he’s played hundreds of parts, as well as directed and written extensively for the theatre. He has now dropped a considerable amount of the doctoring to concentrate on acting. He’s almost as foolish as...

SUDBURY SPOONE

Mr Spoone not only acts terribly, but writes the worst scripts you could imagine. He’s the only one who can write, though, so they have to put them on. A tortured soul, he is certain of his, as yet undiscovered, genius. A genius so great that mundane things like washing and being nice to people are out of the question.

GEOFF KERR

Formerly first mate on the Endeavour, Geoff came late into acting, and surprised everyone with a great talent and dedication. Appearances include King Arthur, Edwin in “The Crossroads”, Gerald in “Rumours”, and many panto roles. Quite good at knots, too. Oh, and an electrician as well, but that’s no good when you’re being Victorian...

PERCIVAL TRIPSWITCH

Now in the sunset of a rather miserable acting career, Mr Tripswitch has rather turned to the bottle and his memories for consolation. As far as he remembers, he used to be a great tragic actor. He is, of course, wrong: it was life that was tragic.

PAULA VICKERS

Trained in drama at Cardiff, and has acted and directed a wide variety of traditional and experimental work, both in this country and in Europe. Her work as an Arts Officer and events organiser has come in very handy for advising us about development and funding sources.

FENOULAGH O’FLAHERTY

A refugee from the potato famine and taken on by Hardcastle because of her huge talent (or two huge talents, to be exact), Fenoulagh’s temper is as fiery as her hair. At her best in one of the frequent public-house brawls that seem to break out whenever the troupe are around.

RICHARD EMMITT

There can’t be a show written that Richard hasn’t been in at some time or other. He has taken both acting and singing roles in some of the most prestigious shows to be performed in Yorkshire. Anyway, he’d got a good lot of costumes, so we had to have him, really. He also directs for us, not to mention building our travelling theatre almost single-handedly. He has recently retired from his own engineering business.

PEREGRINE APPLEGATE

The only one of the company that really does anything. He can actually act, sing, and make and mend the set and props. No-one’s sure why he’s still with them, and neither is he (It was some trifling matter the police are still fussing about.)

JANE ELLISON-BATES

From 'The Mikado' to 'Daisy Pulls it Off', 'Lark Rise' to 'Les Liaisons Dangereux' Jane has played a host of leading roles. Selected to tour France with Northamptonshire County Youth Theatre at the age of 14 in ‘Look Back in Anger’ and ‘Savages’ she went on to perform with several Midlands companies. Since moving to Yorkshire she has worked with the Dales Theatre Group and Grassington Players, where she has recently made her directing debut with their production of Steel Magnolias. A folk singer with a lovely voice, and a morris dancer, too!

TESS TIQUELLE

Scooped up by Mrs Hardcastle as an abandoned child, Tess remains sickly, consumptive and terrified by life in general. She worries and frets and makes the whole troupe nervous, but get her on stage, and off she goes...

BARBARA LEIGH-MASON

Hails from the heady halls of Halifax in variety and musicals, but lured into the lights of London to be launched into TV and opera, then gravitated, via Glyndebourne, to the Grand Opera theatres of Germany, eventually to reach the culmination of a career in the creative cacophony of comedy drama in the Yorkshire Dales. Oh well.

GLADYS HARDCASTLE

Life with Mr Hardcastle has taken its toll on Gladys. Always the power behind his throne, but a trifle unreliable about paying wages. She gives of herself tirelessly, even though no-one wants to take her. Increasingly dependent on the medicinal qualities of juniper berries.

JOHN ANDERSON

Another all-rounder, John has been acting and singing for many years, alongside running a leisure development business. A comic actor above all else, his timing and expressions are enough to get any audience laughing. We also plundered his business skills shamelessly, and made him our treasurer.

SEPTIMUS THROBE

Quite how they came to have a minister in their ranks, the troupe can’t remember. They all wonder why he refuses to let them perform at Upton Snodsbury where he was formerly the incumbent, before succumbing to the pleasures of the bottle and a Mrs Bone. He attends to the spiritual needs of the troupe, which are not great.

ANGELA JACKSON

Is Penny Plain’s administrator, coming from a management background, although she now owns her own retail business. She’s the one who spends the hours on the phone and internet, getting bookings and organising rehearsals and venues.

She also finds time to make many of our costumes. There are times, however, when she can be glimpsed on our stage, although she’s appeared numerous times in the local panto.

 
 

JUDITH MARTIN

Part of the local players for some years, Judith’s taken part in many village productions, sung with various choirs, and has been known to compose the odd ode or two. She takes a deal of the stage management burden from Helen.

BESSIE FULSOME

A mother figure for the troupe, but only to the extent of beating them regularly and cooking some rather strange dishes, washing some rather strange clothes and on the whole – rather strange.

HELEN WHEATLEY

From Tasmania, although we try not to hold that against her, Helen’s main calling is as an artist and designer, in which capacity she worked for many years as set designer for the BBC, especially in period productions, so has amassed a great knowledge of costume and historical detail. She is still a professional artist, besides spending a lot of time at sea and has been crew on board the Endeavour. She’s our stage manager, so there’s not much difference between her and...

NANCY OVERDUNNE

Originally transported to Australia for stealing, she more recently transported herself back to England and joined Hardcastle’s lot who happened to be playing in the port she landed in. A cheerful, if bossy disposition, and much given to singing sea shanties; both traits succeeding in getting up everybody’s noses. She is the present stage manager, but trying to get herself transported back to Australia.

ALEX HORNSEY

Alex Hornsey, aspiring stage crew member of the Grassington Pantoloons...

OLIVER SUDDEN

An annoying small boy who we keep on because of his talent for pickpocketing members of the audience. He is also useful for 'gathering prey' for the troupe's hotpot.

Nick Carter

Dragged into theatrical performance by his children after a life-time of crime....

Abner Arbuthnot

A former crossing sweeper, entranced by the company when its horse collapsed on his crossing, he hangs about doing odd jobs and tries without success to get Spoone to write him a part.

Edwin Williams

Having done a bit of acting at school it wasn’t until working with the Prospice Company at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, playing Owen Glendower in Henry !V, that he was taken seriously. He has since performed in all forms of productions, including musicals and operas, and in all sorts of places from Skegness to Skipton. He puts on shows in Burnsall that bring together anybody from the community that wants to have a go on stage. This is normally panto, but has included Oliver, Fiddler and in 2008 Oklahoma! Despite all this his main love is music. As a teacher he has taken String Orchestras and Choirs on many musical tours across Europe. Very proud of his Welsh heritage, as is.....

Iffor Leek

The musician of the group; Iffor joined the company to escape creditors after a failed business enterprise in Wales. He was Chapel organist in Ystradgynlais and had a vision of mining for seaweed in the Brecon Beacons. He persuaded a rich American to bankroll his project and money poured in. After drilling for three years it proved, amazingly, to be a fruitless venture and just as he was about to be arrested for corruption and fraud, he left his wife Ida, and joined the players, who were performing nearby in Ystalyfera.

Jo Hornsey

One of the youngest members of the cast, Jo aspires to a theatrical life and is already well on the way. A dedicated member of the Grassington Pantoloons since she was nine, all the important roles she has undertaken have been male, though she insists the directors weren’t trying to tell her something. Jo is a member of The Northern Dance Centre and her musical talents include playing the guitar, piano, and, on occasion, to sing.

Emma Chisit

A young girl from somewhere, nobody really knows where. Emma ran away from her parents and stole away with the company, though they didn’t find out till the next morning. Nancy adopted her as a stage hand as she is a simple girl who doesn’t really say much, just wandering around smiling when she isn’t needed to be a coat stand for Mr. Hardcastle. She is handy when fights get out of hand - which they frequently do - as the company’s own Florence Nightingale.