Gill Banks
Actor - allegedly!
How to get involved in amateur dramatics? Find a leaflet advertising a drama group and take it home to see if your son is interested. Take him to rehearsals and end up designing and painting the sets. Then find that you are working the lights for the performance too! Before long you find that the kind director has written you a small part in the next show and that's it - hooked!
That was eight years ago and I have worked my way up from playing various maids to Queen Rat in Dick Whittington, Puss in Puss in Boots and the Snow Queen in - the Snow Queen! Favourite roles have been the compere, at a Joseph Rowntree show, dressed as the theatre cleaner and joining in with most of the acts on stage; being really evil as Queen Rat and the Snow Queen and playing the dame, Mother Hubberd in Mother Goose - where I could go mad with the costumes and frighten the audience to death!
I have also been made to sing - a great cause of amusement to cast, friends and family but - I don't care. It's not me singing it's the character!
Rehearsals are great fun although I am notorious for being last to learn my lines. It's only when the music starts on opening night that I wonder what on earh I am doing - NERVES! Do I suffer!!
The list of shows is getting longer..........
Concerts in the community ....................
On stage at Joseph Rowntree theatre. ...............................
I work full time as a teaching assistant at a local primary school,teach some art lessons and cover lessons when teachers are absent. I also run an after school art club which had a very successful art exhibition this summer. My background is in art so I have come in useful at times! It does get embarrassing when children from school remark on photo's in the local paper but it's even worse when you get on stage and see them grinning at you from the audience!
I have four children - Dave is the drummer in Ben's Brotherwww.bensbrother.co.ukwho at the moment are 24 in the album charts He also teaches when not on tour. He is married to Jane, also a teacher! . They have a daughter Megan who is gorgeous and a baby due in February 2008.
James is in the RAF - he has also been a member of Rising Stars and surprised me because until then I didn't realise he could sing!
Helen has just finished her English Lit degree and is having a year out before going on to study law. She was also persuaded to act in one of the shows but found once was enough!
Tom is the one who got me into this. Apart from a short break for exams he has been in every show since that leaflet first came to light. We are rehearsing together again for the next panto.
Oscar - the most stupid Tibetan Terrier in the world. Mad, lovable, scruffy and totally untrainable.
Spare time? What there is of it is spent reading, painting, gardening, making costumes, taxi service, bottle washer, cook and laundry maid. Dead boring really. I do like Facebook tho and when possible I go to see my grandaughter in London but as we are all working in education we have the same holidays so they are frequent visitors to York too .
I am now in my second childhood because I have at last got my little MX5 and LOVE it. Brrrrum!
