The Directors
The Director of this production is Meri Mackney
Meri has been a Masker for more years than she cares to remember and has been involved with many shows both on and off-stage. She most recently appeared in Murder in the Studio and The Merry Wives of Windsor, and her last production was Jane Eyre, which she adapted and directed. She has been a regular performer in the Christmas Shows and thinks this is the third Christmas Show that she has directed. When she isn’t in/directing the show (and sometimes when she is!) she will be found in the bar serving mulled wine and mince pies.
Assistant Director of this production is Jenni Prior
Jenni joined Maskers in November 2023 for Almost Maine, and has a long history of acting, directing and backstage roles before Maskers. She was the joint director of Murder in the Studio and is looking forward to being involved in her first Maskers’ Christmas Show.
Musical Director for this production is Peter Liddiard
Peter has been a member of Maskers for nearly 40 years, during which time he has been involved with various aspects of Maskers’ productions, including acting, producing and set design & construction. However, this is his first outing as Musical Director, and he hopes people will forgive the odd “bum” note. Peter was also a member of A Motley Crew Theatre Company and has been a very active member of the Chesil Theatre in Winchester for nearly 50 years.
The Performers
Sue Dashper
During Sue’s time in Maskers, she has been involved in a variety of productions including: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Out of Focus, Contractions and Metamorphosis in the Studio and Sitting Pretty and An Italian Straw Hat at the Nuffield Theatre. Sue has appeared in many open-air productions including: Much Ado About Nothing, Don Quixote, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Jungle Book, Anne Boleyn, Treasure Island, Twelfth Night and Jane Eyre.
Katy de Haviland
Having acted in the Midlands as a child, Katy studied Drama and Performing Arts at college before joining her local theatre company. After a 20-year break, she joined Maskers last May and has since played Elvira in Blithe Spirit, Susan in Murder in the Studio and Naomi in a brand-new production of Murder In The Citizen's Jury. She's now looking forward to being part of something very different with the Christmas show!
Bandy Smith
This is Bandy’s third show with Maskers, having previously been in a couple of pantomimes with another company, He was Bob Cratchit in Christmas with the Cratchits, and he played a police officer in Sorry! Wrong Chimney! As well as doing shows, he also helps out behind the bar and with catering at our summer show.
Brian Stansbridge
Brian has been a member of Maskers for fifty years and during that time has performed in many, many productions. His most recent performances have included Time & Tide and Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Brian is also a regular Director for the Maskers. In recent times, he has directed Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Servant of Two Masters, The Comedy of Errors and The Man in The Iron Mask, as well as several Christmas productions at the Makers Studio in Shirley. He directed our recent open-air production of Romeo and Juliet. When not busy with Maskers and grandparent duties, Brian sings and plays guitar and keyboard in a covers band, which he absolutely loves. We guess that performing is just part of his DNA.