The Director of this production is Paul Green
Paul has been acting and directing in Southampton and the surrounding area for over 50 years. He was the Artistic Director of The Talking Heads Theatre Pub in Portswood during the 90s. Since then, Paul has worked with many companies and has directed at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall - a well-received production of The 39 Steps. He joined Maskers in 2013 and has acted in and directed several shows. Last year Paul was very busy directing: Ugly Lies the Bone in the Maskers Studio, Lilies on the Land outdoors at Furzey Gardens, and Rules for Living at The Plaza Theatre in Romsey. His next production will be outdoors at Furzey again, a comedy by Amanda Whittington, Ladies' Day.
Dorian Gray is played by Alex Mawers
Alex is a new member of Maskers and this will be his first show with the group. His only previous experience on stage (excluding Drama classes at school) was in 2019 as Anthony Marston in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Alex works in a role in finance for the NHS, which he initially joined in 2012 on the apprenticeship program. Outside of work Alex enjoys keeping fit and playing sports, and spending time with friends and family.
Henry Wotton is played by Jez Minns
Jez has been working in the theatre as an amateur, and sometimes professional, actor for the last 35 years and he has been with the Maskers for 25 of them. Most recently he played Tiny Tim in last year’s Xmas show Christmas with the Cratchits. Other recent appearances for the Maskers include Borachio the drunkard in Much Ado About Nothing in the open air and, before Covid, the bullyboy Innkeeper in The Flint Street Nativity in the Maskers Studio. When he is not doing theatre, Jez enjoys painting and sketching and writing poetry.
Basil Hallward is played by Neil Forster
This is Neil's second show with Maskers, after playing Stan in Four Weddings and an Elvis last year. This production couldn't be more different but, as they say, variety is the spice of life! A native Geordie(ish), Neil grew up in South Shields and studied at York University, where he appeared in various shows including Cider with Rosie, Arcadia and Journey’s End. He moved to London after university, where he performed in many other productions including A Clockwork Orange, Oh, What a Lovely War! and Hand to God.
Jim Vane is played by Robert Osborne
Robert has been with Maskers since 2011 and has turned his hand to pretty much every area from acting to stage managing to directing. Currently in his fourth year as the company’s Productions Director, he has faced the tricky task of rebuilding the programme of plays after the pandemic. Last seen as the smiling Marvin Marvel in Four Weddings and an Elvis, Robert now portrays the gruff sailor, Jim Vane. With a degree in English Literature, he is pleased to get the chance to be part of this reworking of Wilde’s only novel.
Alan Campbell / Chorus is played by Duncan Randall
Duncan has enjoyed community theatre for more than a decade in various places. He started as a character actor at primary school. On moving to the south coast, he joined Titchfield Festival Theatre (TFT). His creations for TFT include, Bri in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Enobarbus (Anthony and Cleopatra), Goldberg (The Birthday Party) and the Landlord in Jim Cartwright’s Two. Duncan joined the Maskers last year for The Three Musketeers playing Athos, an outrageous King Louis and a Boris-like Buckingham. Duncan has enjoyed the ensemble and physical acting rehearsals with all its weird creative moments.
Sybil Vane / Chorus is played by Philippa Messent Watling
This is Pippa's first production with Maskers and she's very excited to make her debut with the company. Her previous theatre experience includes participating in Addington Theatre Group's 2015 production of Jack the Ripper and being cast as Barbara in their 2017 production of Billy - with both having been musicals, she hopes to be able to live up to the vocal (and dramatic!) expectations of this role. Outside the theatre, she enjoys fibre crafting, digital art and running.
Leaf / Chorus is played by Jill Desborough
Jill joined Maskers in 2014 and has been involved with many shows in a variety of roles, both on and off stage. Recent acting highlights have included: Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Liz, a cleaner in an art gallery in Sharks in the Custard, a member of the Watch in our open-air production of Much Ado About Nothing and, most recently, the Ghost of Christmas Present in Christmas with the Cratchits. She is excited to be working on this production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, her first time being directed by Paul.
Mad Cat / Chorus is played by Kinga Motyka
Kinga, originally from Poland, started performing in a theatre at age 6 in her first show, Cinderella. Kinga studied Musical Theatre at the University of Winchester and Acting at the University of Shenandoah in Virginia, USA. Kinga has performed in many productions, but this is her first show with The Maskers. Apart from theatre, Kinga loves singing and travelling.