Introducing Brian Leveson and Paul Minett…

For over 40 years Brian Leveson, together with his writing partner, Paul Minett, have written material for some of television’s biggest names, Russ Abbot, The Two Ronnies, Kenny Everett, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd – and many others who are not dead.

You will find their names on around 125 episodes of various sitcoms including ‘The Piglet Files,’ ‘May To December’, ‘Time After Time’ (which won a British Comedy Award), ‘Close To Home’ ‘Oh Doctor Beeching’ and ‘My Family’ (which ran for over 100 episodes and won National and International Awards). The pair also co-wrote one of ITV drama’s biggest ever ratings hits, ‘The Booze Cruise’, starring Martin Clunes – a trio of full length films, two of which won The Royal Television Society’s Award for Best Network Drama.

Paul and Brian are currently working on surviving COVID-19.

Andrew Baird

Andrew has been a member of the Company of Ten for ten years and enjoys working on the Marketing team as well as being on stage. His roles include Perks in The Railway Children, Stanton in Dangerous Corner, Toad in The Wind in the Willows and Ben Hur in Ben Hur.’

Ben Fricke

Ben has previously appeared for CoT at the Abbey Theatre as a pratfalling Soldier and Robber in The Snow Queen.  For St Albans Musical Theatre Company at the Alban Arena, he has appeared as Sir Lancelot in Spamalot, Miss Understanding in Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Dad in Our House and most recently as Alfie Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Previous roles range from Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Waterman’s, Brentford) to Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf, Into The Woods (Magdalen College Gardens, Oxford & Wimbledon Theatre); as well as Cliff, Cabaret (Old Fire Station, Oxford) and many others, including Sophocles’ Electra, T S Eliot’s The Cocktail Party, & Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter.

Katy Jane Meehan

Katy is thrilled to be returning to CoT after successful stints in Company and Arms and the Man in previous years, as well as directing and choreographing many times for SAYMT. Katy regularly performs with other local groups including SAMTC and HMTC, as well as teaching performing arts at Stagecoach. She is a National Champion Freestyle Disco dancer and studied Dance and Musical Theatre at university. Katy is looking forward to treading the boards in this comedy romp with some real life people, after spending nearly 6 months alone with her cat.

Jill Priest

Jill trained at Mountview Academy and is involved in all aspects of theatre as an actor, choreographer, director and also a songwriter, having composed AlterNativity, a pop nativity, and the songs for Lily and Bear (Irrational Theatre). Jill has acted in a wide range of productions, from Shakespeare to panto. Favourite roles include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Marmalade Theatre Co), Nellie Nora in Eclipsed (Company of Ten), Joy Gresham in Shadowlands (OVO) and the Wicked Queen in Snow White (Harpenden Public Halls). Jill has choreographed many productions, including OVO’s Minack productions of As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing, and Barnum for Radlett Musical Theatre Co. 

John Pyke

John has ‘trod’ the boards for half his lifetime. He has appeared in numerous Company of Ten productions, a firm favourite with audiences. He usually enjoys comedies, although he has introduced a laugh into the occasional drama and, from time to time, in the occasional radio play. He is also a valuable member of the CoT backstage team, as a stage manager………These days he is mainly asked to provide stage props and backstage assistance!

Building The Wall

America, 2019. The President is impeached, a wall has been built on the border with Mexico and Rick is in prison awaiting sentencing for the crime of the century. He grants just one interview to Gloria, an African American historian. As this extraordinarily relevant new play unfolds, the truth is chillingly and inevitably exposed – or is it?

The Stage called the play ‘bold, bite-size, and unapologetically political. A binge-worthy, 80-minute box-set of a show.’ Variety said it was ‘a hot-off-the-laptop scorcher of a play… sure to provoke shock, awe and much talk’.

Relatively Speaking

Greg and Ginny have been co-habiting for about a month and things are getting a bit edgy. Greg is bemused and hurt by gifts for Ginny of flowers and chocolates, which arrive hourly. He is perplexed by her decision to visit her parents without him.

Actually, Ginny is going to the home of her boss Philip to put an end to their affair. Greg follows, assuming he will meet her parents and ask to marry her. But Philip thinks Greg is the lover over whom his wife, Sheila, ostentatiously fantasises.

The Secret Garden

A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.