People

Melodie Minty plays Mother Bayard in The Long Christmas dinner. My husband and I love cooking – often wining and dining with friends or our regular visitors. My time is spent gardening, writing short stories, singing in the community choir and I love wild swimming. Unfortunately, I missed out being in ETC’s last two productions, due to my love of travelling as last year I was exploring the Galapagos isles and this year I was on a Safari holiday for my 70th birthday.

Ian Warwick plays Roderick 1 in The Long Christmas Dinner I was a DJ for 25 years, with two years professionally in Scandinavia, where I met my wife in 1970. I have always been an avid American Soul Music collector. I worked for a Building Society for 25 years and while there I played and managed the firm’s football team in the local league for 12 years before retiring from playing at 42. I also ran for the Leamington Cycling and Athletic Club and ran in the first London Marathon in 1981 coming inside the first 3,000 of the 9,000 entrants in a time of 3hrs 15 mins.

Rebecca Shields plays Lucia 1 in The Long Christmas dinner Before my life in France, I was a bit monochrome, really. Out here, I feel free to be a gardener, a chef, a blogger, a cold water swimmer and now… an actor! I adore watching stars and reaching for them, as well.

Chris Sutton plays Cousin Brandon in The Long Christmas dinner Chris, presently the ETCs only Scotsman, has been a part-time resident of the Hautes Pyrenees for almost 20 years. After an early career in the nuclear power industry and then 25 years running his family caravan park in the West Highlands of Scotland he and his wife Danielle fully retired to France in 2019. He likes nothing better than to combine his three passions by hopping on his motorbike and riding to Scotland for a couple of weeks of sailing and hill walking. His recently found interest in the theatre has seen him appear in ETCs productions such as Ben’s War, Calendar Girls and Beyond Reasonable Doubt.

Bill Kimber plays Charles in The Long Christmas Dinner Music industry specialist for the last 60 years; performer, producer and publishing executive for record company. Worked with some of the world’s biggest songwriters and recording artists. Still passionate about music and can’t stop dabbling.

Maggie Crane plays Leonora in The Long Christmas Dinner My love affair with acting began at school; the tall one with the short hair at an all-girls school, I got the boys’ parts. Then later, I acted in various plays for the royal Naval Drama Festivals and also in a local town group. Fast forward to France; a member of two amdram groups in another region but, since 2016, it’s been third time lucky for me with the ETC – to quote from Tina, ‘simply the best.’

Jenny Wood plays Genevieve in The Long Christmas dinner I have been an active member of the ETC for over two years performing in the comedies. My hobbies are gardening and crochet. In the UK I have one son and one grandchild who I visit as often as possible. I am known locally as the ‘Giraffe Lady.’ This is because I have a large collection of giraffes, both inside and outside, including a 2.5 metre tall garden statue.

Joanne Wood plays Lucia 2 in The Long Christmas dinner I have been a member of the ETC for 2.5 years assisting both front of house and backstage. My hobbies are cooking and knitting/sewing. I particularly enjoy providing catering for small occasions. I have three rescue pets, one dog and two cats. In the UK I have three children and five grandchildren. I visit the UK regularly to perform my ‘Nanny duties.’

Jon Wainwright plays Sam in The Long Christmas dinner and Borden Eisler in Plaza Suite As well as making an exhibition of myself onstage with the ETC, I am a professional photographer, art teacher, and graphic designer.

Mark Jackson plays Roderick 2 in The Long Christmas dinner I’ve been living in France for over two years and, after 44 years of doing roofing in England, I never thought I could be a “thespian” so I joined the ETC one year ago and it’s been fun fun fun all the way and would advise anyone to join us with or without experience.

Susan Seth plays Cousin Ermengarde in The Long Christmas dinner Having travelled on six Continents and lived in four of them, I have been Gersoise for the past 18 years. Apart from the theatre I love travelling, meeting up with friends, wining, dining and cooking as well as exchanging silly messages with my daughters in Oxford and Geneva. I also help with village gardening, knit, sew and am now on my third mandate on the local conseil communal. I enjoy monthly meetings with friends, including some ETC members, reading Shakespeare plays. I play the piano often accompanied by my marmalade cat, Rossini.

Caroline Lenaghan plays a nursemaid in The Long Christmas dinner Caroline says that ‘having played the fool on many occasions in life I thought I’d have a go on stage and played the whacky make-up artist in Calendar Girls. What a joy it has been to be involved with such a great bunch of people.’

Phil Faiers
From The Beggar’s Opera to The Browning Version for the BBC staff training college, Phil’s involvement in theatre has been diverse. With leading roles in Pardon Me Prime Minister, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, Noises Off, Donkey’s Years, and many other classic comedies, he eventually turned to directing. Since helping to found the English Theatre Company he has had roles in Absurd Person Singular, A King’s Speech, The Dark Side of the Moore, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead  and The Vicar of Dibley. He directed Under Milk Wood, Comedy Theatre Lunches, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Calendar Girls. He is currently rehearsing in ‘Allo, ‘Allo. Phil is the English Theatre Company’s founding President.

Nick Ashman
What started as a schoolboy crush has become a life-long affair; trying to create the magic that is theatre.  Being asked by his headteacher to help with the set-up for a visiting company led to helping, while still at school, with the staging for the Romford Shakespeare Theatre and thence to working professionally at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch before moving into the West End where he earned the nickname ‘Spider’ for his climbing abilities. Nick is a founder member of the English Theatre Company and has controlled all things technical for all of our productions as well as overseeing the acquisition of much of our technical equipment.​

Gary Irvine
Gary moved to France after 14 years living and working in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where he was a member of The Abu Dhabi Dramatic Society. He played roles in ‘Allo, ‘Allo, Educating Rita and Breaking the Code. As well as being a stalwart of the English Theatre Company he is also a member of  The Secret Panto Society in Toulouse where he played the dame in Peter Pan and directed Pinocchio. For the English Theatre Company he played in Auditions, The Vicar of Dibley and Mad Moments. He also directed The Vicar of Dibley and is currently directing ‘Allo, ‘Allo.

Jane Irvine
Jane described her role in Auditions with the English Theatre Company as ”an experience,
which though admittedly a bit scary at first, has since challenged me way out of my comfort zone
and luckily has been tremendous fun!”. She went on to play Thisbe among other roles in Mad Moments, then worked with The Secret Panto Society in Toulouse in their 2022 production of Peter Pan and more recently in Pinocchio which was directed by her husband Gary. For the English Theatre Company she played the iconic role of Alice Tinker in The Vicar of Dibley and is currently rehearsing in ‘Allo, ‘Allo.

Melodie Minty
During her teaching career  Melodie worked mainly overseas  in The  British  Primary School in Abu Dhabi,
where she  was regularly involved in all aspects of  school plays and end of term concerts. Now enjoying her  retirement and living  in  France, she was delighted to join the English Theatre Company and the opportunity to get back on the stage herself. Auditions was her third production with the ETC, having appeared in Under Milk Wood and Ben’s War. Melodie played several roles in Mad Moments and was in Countdown and bravely played a major role in Calendar Girls.

​Jacqueline Rochelle-Cawte
Jacqueline is an Honours graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). She trained in classical ballet, was a member of the Royal Ballet and the International Ballet Company. She was a member of the International Dancing Masters Association (IDMA) and was a Gold Bar medallist at Tap Dancing. Her international television work includes political satires with David Frost and sketches with Marty Feldman as well as recordings with the BBC Light Orchestra. Her IMDB entry notes her involvement with Marty Feldman’s At Last the 1948 Show. For the English Theatre Company she appeared in Under Milk Wood and had a part especially written for her in Auditions. She starred in various roles in Mad Moments and A Christmas Carol and most recently as Mrs Cropley in The Vicar of Dibley.