The Play's The Thing - Cast and Crew

Cast

Dominic Bullock (Almady)

Dominic's first stage performance was as Dick Deadeye in his school's production of HMS Pinafore back in '71. Since then, he's played various roles, most recently in Tomahawk's Tempest and Triptych Theatre's King Lear. He greatly enjoyed playing Herod in his church Nativity Play and milked his death scene for all it was worth.

Phillip Cotterill (Turai)

Phillip trained at LAMDA and greatly enjoyed six years as a professional actor, especially the bits when he was working. Getting married and starting a family have meant the heave-ho for acting except for the odd play with ElevenOne (La Bete) or The Oxford Theatre Guild (Henry V, Humble Boy et al), and making things up in Oxford Comedy Deathmatch at the Folly Bridge Inn every second Saturday of the month. He lives in Kidlington with his wife Joanna Cotterill, children's author; and Jemima, daughter and perpetual motion machine. Phillip is even happier than Larry to be working with ElevenOne again.

Will Fournier (Albert Adam)

Will Fournier started his acting career whilst at Oxford Brookes, working with their drama society, and continued to be a committed member while at University, He performed in a number of shows, highlights including Mickey in Blood Brothers and Dr Arthur Seward in Dracula. Outside of university he has recently been playing Michael in The Pillowman at the Oxford Castle and previously took the role of Peter in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for the OFS studio. Last year Will took the part of Maurice in ElevenOne's production of Tom and Viv. He is very happy to be involved in The Play's The Thing and is hugely enjoying working with a new group of wonderful actors!

David Guthrie (Dwornitschek)

David is please to be making his debut with ElevenOne, although has now been involved in Oxford drama for thirty years. Favourite recent parts have included Shamrayev (The Seagull'), Duke Frederick (As You Like It), Revd Parris (The Crucible) and Mr Alfieri (A View from the Bridge), all with Oxford Theatre Guild; Sir Lucius O’Trigger (The Rivals), for ODT Productions; and Snug the Joiner (A Midsummer Night’s Dream''), for both Cakes & Ale and Tomahawk. He also plays keyboards for theatre productions, and has worked with OTG, Oxford Dance Theatre, Opera Exchange and the Oxford Stage Company.

Monica Nash (Ilona Szabo)

Monica has been acting since primary school, and is delighted to be appearing as Ilona in her first production with ElevenOne. Monica is a recent graduate from the University of Bristol, where she was heavily involved both in the drama and music spheres, performing as, amongst others, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Theo in The Ride Down Mount Morgan and Jenny in Company. She has recently performed with the Oxford Theatre Guild, appearing as a Witch in Macbeth. She was also rumoured to have played Gwendolen in the Guild's production of Travesties last year, although a later review stated clearly that the part was in fact played by a “Monica Hash”, presumably a distant relative.

Alistair Nunn (Mansky)

The Play's the Thing is Alistair Nunn's second production with ElevenOne Theatre, having previously played Victor Prynne in Private Lives. Alistair has appeared with a number of companies in Oxford. With Oxford Theatre Guild he directed Antony and Cleopatra, and has also played (among others) Shakespeare's Henry V and Henry Carr in Tom Stoppard's Travesties. With Tomahawk he has toured in glamorous locations such as Russia, Italy and Norfolk and played parts including Tesman in Hedda Gabler and playing Dogberry and directing Much Ado About Nothing. For BMH he directed The Merchant of Venice and adapted Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V for a single production performed in association with the RSC.

Ida Persson (Mell)

The Play's the Thing is Ida's third outing with ElevenOne Theatre, having previously played Dorine in La Bete, and Louise in Private Lives. So this will be a hat trick of oddly behaved maid/servant parts for this company..... Ida most recently played Mrs. Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream by Tomahawk and Beatrice in the Oxford Theatre Guild's production of A View from the Bridge. Other shows since she moved to Oxford three years ago, both on and off stage, include productions of Wit, Antony & Cleopatra, Henry V (Oxford Theatre Guild), A Christmas Carol (BMH) and Much Ado About Nothing (Triptych). Ida also performs regularly with the improvised comedy group Oxford Comedy Deathmatch (http://www.ocdimprov.com), in their regular monthly shows at the Folly Bridge Inn, as well as their Impro Pantos, the alternative fables The Hare and the Velociraptor and other Improvised Fables, and their various hire workshops, shows, and charity gigs.

Director

Helen Taylor

Helen Taylor directed ElevenOne Theatre's first two shows, Private Lives (2009) and La Bete (2010) but most of her theatrical experience is onstage rather than off, and she has performed in more than eighty shows in London, Edinburgh, and Oxford. Most recently she played Cleopatra in Oxford Theatre Guild's open-air production of Antony and Cleopatra and Viv in ElevenOne's production of Tom and Viv directed by Joseph Kenneway. Favourite non-Shakesperian roles include Frankie in Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune by Terence McNally (Class ACT Theatre Co), Mary in The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stevenson (OTG), and Constance Ledbelly in Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet By Anne Marie McDonald (Totally Portable Theatre Co).

Production team

Vince Haig (Set Design, Graphic Design)

Vince Haig is an illustrator and photographer with a large portfolio of publicity and web design work. He has designed the sets for all ElevenOne's productions and Oxford Theatre Guild's Humble Boy at the Oxford Playhouse in 2011.

Fiona Sinclair (Stage Manager)

Fiona has worked on a number of productions in Oxford, most recently Oxford Theatre Guild’s Humble Boy and Travesties. She is delighted to be working on her first production with ElevenOne Theatre.

Mike Taylor (Producer)

Mike is a co-director of ElevenOne Theatre Limited who looks after the non-acting / non-directing parts of the company. During the day, he works in Elsevier Labs doing R&D down at the funky end of science publishing. He has recently acted as Leonato in Oxford Triptych's Much Ado About Nothing in 2010, and was Macduff in the Oxford Theatre Guild's hugely successful 2011 production of Macbeth. Mike regularly performs improvised comedy with Oxford Comedy Deathmatch.

Dan Whitley (Production Manager, Technical Operator)

This is Daniel's second week hiding at the back of a badminton court behind some bins for ElevenOne, after debuting the role last year for Tom & Viv. Since then, he has stage managed OTG's Humble Boy and A Delicate Balance as well as being Production Manager for Macbeth at Trinity College. In his spare time, Daniel studies for a Mathematics and Statistics degree and frequents London theatres.