The Northern Stage Performance Group
| Deveral Capps | Pam Gibb | Bill Pickard |
| Adele Evitt | Alwyn Gornall | Eileen Sandy |
| Roy Farmer | Teresa Kirby | Linda Topping |
| James Fisher | Chris Moad |
The Northern Stage Performance Group Biographies
Deveral Capps
Deveral is 35 and from East Grinstead in the South East of England. He moved to Newcastle to work as a lecturer at Northumbria University’s Law School and has worked there for over 10 years. He is married, has two children, a cat, a dog and two chickens. Dev lives with them all in Northumberland.
Adele Evitt
Adele Evitt was born and raised in Newcastle. She attended Rutherford High School and then went on to Liverpool to be a Drama Student. She has been involved with theatre since childhood as actor, facilitator and lifelong student. She is a founder member of the Performance Group and has been in many productions at Northern Stage including Ballroom of Romance, Wings of Desire, Son of Man and Home. Her film, radio and TV work includes Past Crimes, Wishful Thinking, Elizabeth the Virgin Queen and Gone but not Forgotten (a documentary about Catherine Cookson in which she played that role). Recently Adele took part in ‘First in Three’ at Northern Stage, playing Maria in the Idol of Sarajevo by Fion Veitch Smith, directed by Annie Rigby.
Roy Farmer
Roy was provided with an excellent primary school education. His class enjoyed a holiday in Austria during which his bohemian side emerged: to the surprise of the teachers. He also received elocution lessons for which he is also grateful. From primary to grammar school; after which, being deprived of careers advice Roy has done an assortment of jobs. These have predominantly been as a science techcnician. Roy has always enjoyed performing. His other activities have included shows with relations and then friends, 10 years of amateur dramatics and two years with two public speaking clubs. So far Roy’s supreme achievement has been writing, producing and performing in a show for a relation's wedding anniversary. Having escaped from south London, Roy is pleased to be living in the North East. As well as Northern stage Roy is involved with two other theatres and a poetry group.
James Fisher
James Fisher was five or six when he first tasted theatre, seeing Cinderella. In the ballroom scene he stared at the corner stage exits and wondered where those tunnels led. Another outing a few years later he wondered how they got up on to the stage. He eventually took up drama at 17, three years after moving to the North East. Since then, James has been involved with Theatre Station Blyth, Delavel Studios, Parity, Cap-A-Pie and a few TV productions. He joined Northern Stage in 2001.
Pam Gibb
Pam was born in Gloucestershire and has moved up and down the country. Pam moved to the North East in 1973 to attend Teacher's Training college, studying Mathematics, Drama and Dance. Pam settled here very happily, working as a Primary teacher offering after school clubs in Drama and Dance. Pam has directed and choreographed plays and musicals for adults and children and acted in a great many straight plays, comedies and musicals. Pam has a great love of traditional song, dance and storytelling, which she uses when working in school and calling for ceilidh bands.
Alwyn Gornall
Alwyn Gornall was born in Morley, West Yorkshire. He left school at the age of 15 and did 12 months as a painter and decorator before becoming an apprentice gardener in a local council parks department. He worked for Gateshead Council for 27 years and is now self-employed in horticulture. He discovered a passion for acting and general theatre work in 1997 when taking part in a production of Godspell. He has been a member of Whickham Theatre Club for 10 years and has been a part of Northern Stage Performance Group since 2003 when he took part in Wings of Desire.
Teresa Kirby
Teresa Kirby is from Dorking. She read Cell Biology and Biochemistry at York University, before researching a PhD in immunology at University College, London. Teresa has worked for twenty years securing European funding; and now works at Northumbria University. Teresa spent two years with Stage Focus and, ten years ago joined the Northern Stage Performance Group. Teresa enjoys acting, dancing, writing poetry, painting and studying languages. Teresa has been a photographic model. TV appearances include dancing with Bullies Ballerinas, and the Metro Centre adverts. Teresa’s stage work includes devised performance pieces, and dancing in Fosse, Bugsy Malone, and Ballet Lorent's "The Ball”.
Chris Moad
Chris joined the Northern Stage Performance Group in 2006, and appeared in his first production with them, the devised piece HOME in which he played a reporter reminiscing of the various Northern Stage productions he had written about. Chris has a wealth of acting, music and dance experience. He works as a professional role-play actor for various businesses, and is a drama lecturer and facilitator who has a flair for creativity and originality. Chris likes working with Northern Stage because of the way the company creates simple ideas effectively on stage.
Bill Pickard
Bill is from Gateshead. He worked for three years as a junior clerk at the CWS Ltd, Newcastle which is now the Discovery Museum, before joining the Royal Navy. After nine years before the mast, leaving as a Petty Officer, he spent 22 years with Northumbria Police. His retirement has given him the opportunity to indulge in his passion for theatre, and he now fills his time between his role as Chair of a local primary school Governing Body, acting, and occasional television and film work. He wants to try his hand at playwriting, and is currently engaged on a collaborative project in that field.
Eileen Sandy
Eileen is a founder member of the Northern Stage Performance Group, and has been involved in their productions ofChorus, The Idiot Bar, and The People Factory, as well as performances in Northern Stage’s The Ballroom of Romance. She had personal input into Wings of Desire, and featured in film footage of 1984,and performed in IMAGINE as part of the opening event at the new Northern Stage. Eileen has taken part in workshops with Northern Stage an with the RSC. Eileen has a RADA Shakespeare bronze level award with merit, and an Open University B.A. Eileen continues to study Literature, Theatre and Art History with Newcastle University.
Eileen’s interest in local history presently involves her in a collaborative project, researching the life and times of an eminent Tyneside character.
Linda Topping
Linda was born in Newcastle but moved to the coast in 1976 when she got married. Now divorced, Linda’s one child who is to university this autumn. A long working as a social worker, and other pursuits, kept her away from actively participating in theatre until the last couple of years. She is now part of the Live Wires group based at Live Theatre and Northern Stage Performance Group. Linda is looking forward to leaving work next year to become more involved with theatre and film extra work.
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