STAFF

The wgytc staff consists of industry professionals – many of whom were former Company members themselves. The Company is currently managed by an Artistic Directorate of eight highly experienced drama educationalists and theatre professionals:

Vivienne Buckley trained at CSSD and has an MA in Applied Theatre Directing, she is a qualified teacher and gained a first class degree in Theatre and Media Drama. For many years she was the coordinator of the BTEC Performing Arts Course at Gorseinon College, worked for the NPTC Group as a Performing Arts Academy Coordinator and was Curriculum Area Manager for Creative Arts and IT at Bridgend College.

Currently Viv is Deputy Principal at Bridgend College. As well as delivering on core drama courses (HE, BTEC and A Level) she has been an external verifier for Edexcel and acts as a consultant for education establishments setting up Performing Arts courses. Since 2008 she has been the co Artistic Director of the Gradco, producing professional work in and around the South Wales area. For wgytc she has directed many productions and has lead several winter and summer courses. Her main interest is contemporary drama and she specialises in preparing young actors for auditions to specialist colleges.

Matthew Bulgo was a student of wgytc from 1993 until 1999, missing only one residential course in that time. In 1999, he commenced drama training at LAMDA, graduating in 2002 with a 3 Year Diploma in Acting. Upon graduation, he embarked on a career as a professional actor, and more recently has also worked as a freelance playwright and director.

Theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol, All My Sons (Theatr Clwyd); Lord of the Flies, The Cherry Orchard, The Sleeping Beauties, Clytemnestra, A Christmas Carol (Sherman Cymru); Kenny Morgan (Arcola); I’m With the Band, Horizontal Collaboration (Traverse Theatre); The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion, Praxis Makes Perfect (National Theatre Wales); The City (Sherman Cymru/Living Pictures); Blue/Orange (Sherman Cymru/Canoe Theatre); Under Milk Wood (Royal & Derngate); Play/Silence (The Other Room); The Prince Hamlet (WhyNot Theatre, Toronto); Breakfast Hearts, Choirplay, Patching Havoc(Theatre 503); Hamlet (Natural Perspectives); Feeding Time, The Play About the Baby (BAC); My Father’s Hands (Come To Where I’m From, Paines Plough); Adventures in the Skin Trade (Theatr Iolo); Shifts (Bristol Ferment); Amphibians (Offstage Theatre); The Exquisite Corpse, Mr. Theatre Comes Home Different, Bash, Riddance(True/Fiction Theatre); Early Days of a Better Nation (Agency of Coney/NTW Scratch); Repeat (Dirty Protest); The Secret of Belonging, Stella Time, Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco, Gull (Antic Corporation); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Dangerous Liaisons (Mappa Mundi);The Dumb Waiter (GradCo); Seven Jewish Children (Notional Theatre); Hostage: Bleach: Burn (Etcetera Theatre); Bank (Kings Head); Words and Music (Ruth is Stranger than Richard); Sweeney Agonistes (Arcola); Company, Cabaret (Broadway Studio); Tender Napalm (Chapter Arts Centre); The Future for Beginners (LiveArtShow). He has also contributed on development work at National Theatre Wales, Young Vic, Sgript Cymru, Soho Theatre, The Globe and National Theatre Education Department among many others.

Julie Hobday is a graduate from University College Bretton Hall (Leeds Uni) gaining a BA (Hons) in Dance. She has an MA from Laban and a PGCE from Bedford College.

Julie has worked in dance education for 26 years specialising in the areas of performance, choreography and technique, teaching students on BTEC and A level courses. Since 2001 she has been a senior examiner for AQA A level and AS Dance she is also subject advisor for the new specification. Julie worked at Gower College Swansea for 23 years but is now a freelance practitioner delivering dance to a range of young people from Primary School level to those in professional training at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She also delivers CPD training for AQA and for the National Resource Centre for Dance at Surrey University.

She has been artistic director and choreographer for County Youth Dance Company since 2002. The Company has collaborated with many professional artists including: Henri Oguike; Richard Alston; Lea Anderson; Frantic Assembly; and Motionhouse. She has also worked as a choreographer for the sister Company of CYDC, West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company, on numerous productions and projects.

Julie is currently a board member for the National Dance Company Wales as well as continuing to teach as both a qualified Pilates teacher and freelance dance practitioner.

Adrian Hocking trained with the Association of British Theatre Technicians and has spent his career working as a freelance lighting designer across Wales, from 1993 to 2004 he worked at the Cardiff International Arena as the Technical Manager. Currently he is the Head of Production Arts at Gower College Swansea. Outside of College Adrian is responsible for the technical apprenticeships happening at every major venue in Wales including the Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Opera. The success of his students and the percentage of learners gaining a place at a Specialist Colleges is second to none. For many years Adrian has been the Technical Advisor and Lighting Designer forwgytc and cydc.

Matthew Rees was a wgytc student, playing several lead roles for the Company, in 2002 he gained a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he completed a Diploma in Acting. Since graduating from RADA, Matthew has performed across Britain playing a variety of roles.

Theatre: THE PASSION, National Theatre Wales, THE DUMB WAITER, Graduate Theatre Company (Gradco), LOOSE ENDS , Grass Roots Productions, MARATHON, Graduate Theatre Company (Gradco), RASHOMON, Minjae Kang OUT OF THE GOLDFISH BOWL, Graduate Theatre Company (Gradco), SHIFT DELETE ERASE, Graduate Theatre Company (Gradco), Vivienne Buckley RICHARD III, RADA Graduate, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Cunard, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Cunard, POMEGRANATE, Royal Exchange Theatre Studio, Manchester. Televsion: INDIAN DOCTOR, BBC, BEING HUMAN, BBC 3 Television, CAUGHT IN THE WEB, BBC.

Matthew has worked as a freelance acting coach and drama lecturer since 2006. He completed his PGCE is 2008, specialising in acting coaching at FE level. In 2012 he became Curriculum Leader of the BTEC Performing Arts course at Gower College Swansea, leaving in 2015 to take up the role of Acting Tutor at GAMTA Cymru (Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts). Matthew is currently Head of Curriculum at Bridgend College charged with leading multiple areas across the organisation.

His directing credits include After Juliet (McDonald), The Rise to Power, a devised piece based on Macbeth, Bouncers and Shakers (Godber) Confusions (Ayckbourn), Toad of Toad Hall (A. A Milne), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare), I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (DiPietro/Roberts). He is a regular tutor and director forwgytc and the co Artistic Director of GradCo.

Hilary Statts gained a first class degree in Theatre Design at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and is currently a lecturer in theatre design and production, art and fashion at Bridgend College and co-ordinator of the Young People's Production Arts programme at RWCMD.

Theatre Design Credits Include; The Awkward Years (The Other Room), Bassett (The Egg), Dick Whittington and his Cat, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella (Harrow Arts Centre), Bouncers (Regional Tour), Edges (Landor), The Secret Garden (National Tour), Charley’s Aunt (National Tour), Love In Idleness(Yorkshire Dance), Hit Me! The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury (Garrick), The Tender Land (Cochrane), Crazy For You (London Palladium), Oohrah! (Finborough), Hedda Gabler, The Merchant of Venice (Greenwich Playhouse), Uncle Barry (Blue Elephant), BANK (King’s Head), The Secret of Belonging (Wales Millennium Centre), A Handbag (Stephan Joseph Theatre), The Beauty Manifesto (Sheffield Crucible), Bernarda Alba (Union), Ubu Roi, Inherit the Wind, Barbie Caerdroia (Halliwell Theatre), One Kid and Their Dog, Hangman (Mufti Games), The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, Just So, 5/11, Blood Wedding, Hamlet, Company, Blue Stockings, Metamorphosis, A Chorus of Disapproval, The Canterbury Tales, Toad of Toad Hall, The Pirates of Penzance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, DECADE, Anne Boleyn (West Glamorgan Youth Theatre Company).

Gemma Thomas was a wgytc student both as a performer and as part of the production team. In 2007 she graduated from RADA with Distinction in Theatre Technical Arts (Stage Management) and has gone on to work as a stage manager and show caller on a range of performances and events.

Theatre includes: The Lord of the Rings (KWL, West End), Billy Elliot the Musical (Working Title, West End), Shelf Life, Is Love Dangerous?, The Passion, The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, De Gabay, Tonypandemonium, Mother Courage on Trial, The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion, Roald Dahl's City of the Unexpected, We're Still Here, As Long As The Heart Beats, Storm 3, On Bear Ridge (National Theatre Wales), Ultimate Broadway (GWB Entertainment), Only The Brave (WMC/Soho Theatre), Tiger Bay (WMC), The Snow Queen (Bristol Old Vic), Now The Hero (1418NOW).

Events include: Take That Odyssey UK Tour (Batasco), Pope Francis In UAE Mass (HQWS), Hogmanay19 (Underbelly), UAE 47th National Day (Done+Dusted) Closing Ceremony of Great North Games Run (Greenwich Festival), Fast and Furious Live Arena Tour (Brand Events), UEFA Champion's League Final 2017 Ceremonies (Filmmaster Events), Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games (Betty Productions), Aarhus Capital of Culture Opening Ceremony (Aarhus 2017), UK Welcomes Modi (Event Production Management), Boundless: Salvation Army 150th Congress (Corporate Magic), Ryder Cup 2014 Opening Ceremony (Smyle Events), Sochi 2014 Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies (Five Currents), London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies (L2012C), Glastonbury (Glastonbury Festivals Ltd), Corona Sunsets (Loudsound Events), Citadel Festival (Mama Group), Camp Bestival (Sunday Best), Field Day (Eat Your Own Ears), Lovebox (MamaCo), Creamfields (Cream/Nation) Bestival (Sunday Best), Carnival 56 (Loudsound Events).

Ruth Williams holds an MA (Dist) in Drama and Education from the University of Wales, having attained a 2:1 B'Ed degree in Drama from Exeter University in 1987. She started her teaching career as a teacher of Drama and English at The Ivo School, St Ives, Cambridgeshire before returning to Wales in 1990 to take up the post of Head of Drama at Bishop Gore School. In 1995 she was internally promoted to the post of Curriculum Co-ordinator for Performing Arts, and in 2015 took up the post of Assistant Headteacher alongside still teaching drama. Ruth has worked extensively for Edexcel as an assessment associate for both GCSE and A Level since 1990 and was the Chairperson of the Senior Team for A Level Drama for ten years. She has been involved with wgytc since 1994 as a tutor and course leader.

Production staff are made up of the core team of the Artistic Directorate and complimented by a wide pool of industry professionals. These professionals trained at various highly prestigious drama schools such as RADA, LABAN, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Central School of Speech and Drama, Guildford School of Acting, Laine Theatre Arts, LAMDA, Bristol Old Vic, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Arts Educational.

Recent staff members include:

Chris Evans (Production Rigger)
Godfrey Evans (director, acting and text tutor)
Nick Evans (director, acting and text tutor)
Luke Ganz (choreographer)
Mair George (wardrobe supervisor)
Jason Marc-Williams (director, choreographer)
Lee Mengo (director, acting and text tutor)
Michael Morwood (musical director)
Jennie Quirk (costume maker and wardrobe supervisor)
John Quirk (musical director)
Simon Pirotte (director, acting and text tutor)
Catrin Sullivan (design workshop leader)
Dafydd White (acting and text tutor)