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home | accolade | articles | acting | festivals | guestbook | group pages | greenroom | links | news | plays 1 productions | photos | quote | reviews | up west |
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This page will spotlight some of the brightest stars of the Amateur Theatre in the area, both in front and behind the footlights. The Brownsea Open Air Theatre productions on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour are a showcase for the cream of the local talent and the cast of this year's play, Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night, were shining examples. Elaine played the part of Olivia, the Countess who Malvolio believes is love with him and as Linda Kirkman wrote in her review of the production she was "a sparkling jewel in a highly polished crown." Her performance won for her a well deserved award for Best Actress in a Comedy at this years Daily Echo Curtain Call Awards. Elaine first caught the acting 'bug' at school. Her school was faced with a similar situation to that faced by Shakespeare at the Globe. His actors were all male and so the female roles had to be played by men. Elaine's school, the Abbeygale Girls Grammar School at Sheffield, was an all girls school and so the male roles had to be played by girls and Elaine found herself playing some of Shakespeare's men, by far the 'meatier' roles. This changed when she attended Sussex University at Brighton, playing 'Lady Macbeth' and 'Electra' among a host of others parts in their productions. Leaving University she became a teacher and decided to be a teacher of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), as it gave her opportunities for travel. She taught in Paris, Switzerland, Spain and also Singapore, where she spent five happy years. There was no professional theatre in Singapore, at least, not when she was there, and the only Theatre Group of any consequence was the Stage Club, a long standing prestigious amateur group whose patron was John Gielgud. There she played many parts, in drama, comedy and farce, but those that delighted her the most were pantomine evil-doers rather like the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Elaine is not a stranger when it comes to receiving accolades for acting, as she attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she received both their silver and a gold medals for acting. She also won the Curtain Call award for best supporting actress in a Drama or Thriller, playing Angela in "The Paragon" in 1996 and was highly commended for the role of Teresa in the Angel Player's production of "How the other half loves" in 1998 and received a special Curtain Call award last year for her contribution to Drama and Acting. Elaine says that this year's summer BOAT production was a happy time and she looks forward to playing as many varied roles as possible and as she says, "Who knows, where next....?!" Previous accolades: LIN DENNING |
