Sir Alan Ayckbourn - NSDF Festival Patron
Sir Alan, born in London, has been working in theatre since leaving school at the age of eighteen. To date, he has written 56 plays, most of them premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, of which he is Artistic Director. His plays, translated into over 30 languages, are preformed throughout the world, winning numerous awards in the process. A director who works regularly in London and abroad, he was the 1992 Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Oxford. He was appointed a CBE in 1987, and in 1997 became the first playwright to be knighted since Terence Rattigan. A Trustee of the World Student Drama Trust and a Patron of Springboard and the NSTC, Alan has been the final judge of the International Playscript Competition since its inception in 1976.
Clive Wolfe - NSDF President
Festival President CLIVE WOLFE has been involved in every NSDF bar that in 1962: acted in first winner (1956: director Timothy West) and 1961; Local Organiser, 1959; Festival Selector 1962 - 2000; Festival Judge ) mostly with Harold Hobson and Rona Laurie), 1965 - 1970; first (until last year, the only) professional NSDF organiser from 1968; also Artistic Director, 1970 - 2000. married teacher and constant help, Pat, 1969. Other student drama work: 1976, founded the World Student Drama Trust, International Student Playscript Competition and National Student Theatre Company, which he has presented on the Edinburgh fringe and in London for 25 years; 1987, founded the professional Springboard Theatre Company to further the careers of past NSDF and NSTC successes. Other relevant experience: acted, sang in, directed or organised over 50 student productions (including a memorable In Camera directed by Robert Winston), and more with, amongst others, the Tavistock Rep and (mercifully briefly, professionally) Butlins and Theatre Royal York. Organiser the 1973 Alexandra Palace Centenary Celebrations (over 50 events in 10 days) to save the building from demolition. Emergency organiser of the biennial Bolton Festival, 1981. Uncomfortable part-time managing director, 1983 - 1990, of a family pharmacy that supplemented the student drama venture. Recreations: music, cinema, theatre, swimming. Was appointed the first Festival President.
The NSDF board of directors
KHALID ABDALLA was born in Glasgow to Egyptian parents. He was raised in London, before studying at Cambridge University and then training in Paris at Ecole Phillippe Gaulier.
His theatre credits include: THE DUCHESS OF MALFI, BEDBOUND (Judge’s Award for Acting – National Student Drama Festival 2003), THE CHAIRS, OTHELLO, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and EQUUS (all at Cambridge) and THE SUPPLIANTS (directed by Sam Leifer at BAC).
Screen work includes: He is currently filming Freddy in THE GREEN ZONE THRILLER for Paul Greengrass (Working Title). The lead role of Amir in THE KITE RUNNER directed by Marc Forster for Dreamworks. Ziad in Paul Greengrass’ UNITED 93 (Working Title), SPOOKS (Kudos Productions, for BBC) and DETACHED (directed by Tom Tyrwhitt).
ANTHONY ALDERSON first joined the Pleasance team in 1986, and has been involved with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for over twenty years, he was appointed director of the Pleasance in 2004. Anthony worked as associate producer for Glynis Henderson Productions for six years managing several world tours including Stomp. During that time Stomp was presented in over 47 different countries, it was one of the first productions to open in China. Other theatrical work has included: National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Cheek by Jowl, Ennio Marchetto, David Strassman, as well as project managing the first Kenyan National Festival. Anthony is the founder of Maya World Productions, a documentary film company, film titles include Dancing at the Crossroads, Mumbai Jumbo and Following the Swarm.
ROBERT HEWISON took part in university theatre and comedy at Oxford, including a West End run of Hang your Head Down and Die in 1964. After time in television and at art school he went back to Oxford to do research on Ruskin, a life-long passion which led to him curating the Ruskin centenary exhibition at Tate Modern in 2000 and becoming Slade Professor at Oxford that year. He has always earned his living as a journalist and contemporary cultural historian, publishing more than 15 books and writing on the theatre for The Sunday Times since 1981. He has been the Sunday Times's Festival Judge since 1985 and is an Associate of the think-tank Demos.
DONNA MUNDAY first attended NSDF91 with Flesh and Bone whilst a student at Lancaster University. Won a special Sunday Times Student Drama Critic Award for her controversial articles and contributed to make a substantial contribution to the production of Noises Off for several years. Worked as Financial Controller and Company Administrator for the NSTC before leaving university and pursuing a career in Arts Management. Donna is currently the Chief Executive of Royal and Derngate Theatres in Northampton, where she is leading a £13 million redevelopment of the theatres as well as welcoming 350,000 people a year through the doors. Prior to joining Royal and Derngate in June 2003, she was General Manager of Really Useful Theatres for 3 years. Has also been General Manager/Administrator of a number of middle-scale, small scale and TIE companies, as well as a Tour Manager and Booker, and a Stage Manager.
MARK RAVENHILL is a playwright. His work includes Shopping and Fucking (Out of Joint/Royal Court), Some Explicit polaroids (out of Joint), Mother Clap's Molly House (National Theatre), The Cut (Donmar) Citizenship (National Theatre) and pool (no water) for Frantic Assembly.
PAULA RIDLEY took over the Chair of NSDF in June 2009, and is also the Chair of the Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art. From 1999-2008 she was the Director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the UK, a major charitable foundation specialising in the arts, education and social welfare. She was Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum 1998-2007, a Trustee of the Tate and first Chair of Tate Liverpool from 1988-1998, on the Board of the National Gallery and is also an Honorary Fellow of the RIBA. She was Chair of the Liverpool Housing Action Trust regenerating Liverpool's high rise housing between 1992-2005 and is a member of the Board of the National Communities Resource Centre. She has worked in television and for the corporate sector, and was a member of the Board of the Merseyside Development Corporation. The most important thing Paula has done is be in the winning NSDF play when she was a student at Liverpool University in the sixties. In May 2009 she joined Liz Amos Associates, an Executive Search Firm.
GLEN WALFORD International Theatre Director specialising in Shakespeare and musicals. Her most recent productions include four Willy Russell productions: Educating Rita, Breezeblock Park, (Liverpool Playhouse) and Blood Brothers (Tokyo and Seoul). She has just directed 'Cabaret' for Tokyo Globe. She will return to the new Mondavi Centre in Davis, California (where she directed 'HMS Pinafore') to direct 'Rocky Horror Show' opening at the end of February 2005. BA English at Bristol, playing the Gypsy in NSDF winner Camino Real, then Dip Ed at Liverpool. Acted and directed at many regional reps and London venues, including Royal Court, Bush and Aldwych (Glenda in Cousin Vladimir or the RSC), as well as touring productions for Cambridge Theatre Company, English Shakespeare Company and Bill Kenwright Ltd. Has directed in Hebrew, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, German, Bahasa Melanau, Russian and Greek (Epidaurus Festival). Founder/Artistic Director of the London Bubble Company, Chung-Ying Company (based in Hong Kong and touring South-East Asia). Artistic Director of Liverpool Everyman '83-'89. Directed Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and A Midsummers Night's Dream for the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Ludlow Festivals. Six times an NSDF Judge.
