ALISON SKILBECK
Alison Skilbeck started acting at Oxford University, where she read Spanish and French.

Her first, and last, appearance on the Fringe was in the 1967 OXFORD REVUE, whose cast included writers Nigel Williams and Simon Brett, and actor Bruce Alexander (Chief Supt. Mullet in A TOUCH OF FROST).

Her first television job was as presenter of theSpanish Language Programme ZARABANDA.

The four linked tales that make up ARE THERE MORE OF YOU? had lain in a drawer for years, until friend and director Jeremy Stockwell persuaded her to dig them out and do them. She launched the show at the White Bear, at a private charity performance in aid of The Sunera Foundation of Sri Lanka, which runs drama and dance workshops for disabled and disadvantaged people all over the island. Alison also produced SOLOS FOR SUNERA for the charity, with, alongside her show, Gareth Armstrong’s acclaimed SHYLOCK, Roger Llewellyn’s SHERLOCK HOLMES, Bruce Purchase’s DR JOHNSON, Linda Marlowe’s BELIEVE, and Jeremy Stockwell’s own ACTING WITHOUT ACTING. Alison spent six weeks working for Sunera in Sri Lanka in early 2006, and is a Trustee of Friends of Sunera Foundation, a UK charity set up later that year.

Alison’s enormously varied theatre career has taken her all over the UK and a lot of the world. She began with five years with Alan Ayckbourn in Scarborough, playing leads in six Ayckbourn world premieres (JUST BETWEEN OURSELVES, TEN TIMES TABLE, JOKING APART, SISTERLY FEELINGS, TAKING STEPS, AND SUBURBAN STRAINS) and roles such as Elisabeth Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE, Anna in Pinter’s OLD TIMES, and Masha in THE SEAGULL.

In the West End she was Nancy in Nell Dunn’s STEAMING, Charlotte in LITTLE LIES, and Hedda Hopper in the musical JUDY. Other London roles have included Andromache in WOMEN OF TROY (Finborough), Katherine Petkoff in ARMS AND THE MAN (Orange Tree), Mrs Waters and Lady Bellaston opposite Rupert Graves in TOM JONES (Watford), Miss Ronberry opposite Patricia Routledge in THE CORN IS GREEN (Greenwich and tour), ten roles in A.R.Gurney Jr’s THE DINING ROOM, and Hilde in Coward’s SONG AT TWILIGHT (both at Greenwich), and most recently, for The Godot Company, Beckett’s half- hour monologue ENOUGH at The Bookshop Theatre, and PLAY, which also came to the Traverse.

Alison has toured the USA twice for Actors From The London Stage (formerly ACTER), in five-actor, no scenery Shakespeare, playing Rosalind etc in AS YOU LIKE IT, and Paulina etc in A WINTER’S TALE, and giving classes and workshops at American universities. She is and Associate Director of AFTLS and recently cast their highly successful tour of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. She has been to Hong Kong in Vaclav Havel, to Spain in Dryden and Shakespeare, and Morocco in Pinter and Ayckbourn. She was a notably sinister West-Country Mrs Danvers in REBECCA at Vienna’s English Theatre.

In Repertory Theatre all over the UK she has played Elmire in TARTUFFE and Eleanor in PASSION PLAY (Bristol), Mrs Conway in TIME AND THE CONWAYS (Derby), Sue in ABIGAIL’S PARTY and Mrs Linde in A DOLL’S HOUSE (Theatr Clwyd), Vera in JUST BETWEEN OURSELVES, Lady Rumpers in HABEAS CORPUS, and Lady Hayling in RELATIVE VALUES (all at Salisbury), Maria in WHEN WE ARE MARRIED (York), and Sheila in RELATIVELY SPEAKING (Northampton).

Alison’s extensive television credits include SHERLOCK HOLMES (The Naval Treaty), MISS MARPLE (Nemesis), THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR (as Helen of Tadcaster), SOLDIER SOLDIER (she was Dr Sarah Eastwood throughout Series Six), HEAD OVER HEELS (Flora Dunn throughout); also SHINE ON HARVEY MOON, DR WHO, THE FEAR, THE BILL, LOVEJOY (The Judas Pair), NO BANANAS, MURDER PREVENTION, HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT, NEW TRICKS, and MIDSOMER MURDERS (to be seen later. Her most recent film is PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

On radio, her greatest claim to fame is that she took over the role of Polly Perks in THE ARCHERS for about a year: the character was killed off by a milk lorry! She has also worked extensively for Ellen Dryden (THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR, WHAT HETTY DID, MRS LIRRIPER), Don Taylor (BALLET SHOES, RITES OF PASSAGE, SHOOT THE CAMERAMAN), and Simon Brett ( NO COMMITTMENTS, SMELLING OF ROSES).

As a director her work includes Christopher Godwin’s one man show on Henry Irving, THE GUV’NOR, THE GREEN BAY TREE at Wimbledon, and DAYS OF CAVAFY at The King’s Head. She has directed and taught at most London Drama Schools, working freelance at RADA for nearly 20 years, specialising in Shakespeare and serving on the Admissions’ Panel. She also trains non-actors from all walks of life in Communication and Presentation Skills.