The Director of this production is David Jobson
David has been a part of the Maskers for the past decade, first lurking in Anne Boleyn, then appearing in plays such as Richard II, The Jungle Book, Ten Times Table, An Italian Straw Hat, Around the World in Eighty Days and most recently playing D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers.
He has also performed for Titchfield Festival Players, where he has played several Shakespearean roles including Cassius in Julius Caesar, Claudio in Much Ado about Nothing, Malcolm in Macbeth, and recently Richard Plantagenet of York in an adaptation of the Henry VI trilogy.
He is also a proud trustee of Flute Theatre Company, headed by Kelly Hunter MBE, which uses Shakespeare's rhythmic language and physical gesture to release communicative blocks within children on the autism spectrum.
Ginette/Waitress/Gayle is played by Jenni Prior
Jenni joined Maskers in November. She has been involved in amateur drama since 2001, playing a mixture of comedy, drama, farce and pantomime. Jenni is enjoying being involved in her first production with Maskers.
Pete/Chad is played by Alec Sleigh
This is Alec's second show with Maskers, after previously playing Don John in the 2021 production of Much Ado About Nothing. His first role was as the lead in a production of Simon Stephens’ Birdland, which was taken to the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, he has had other roles in Miss Julie, At The Mountains of Madness, Hamlet, As You Like It, and the original play A Stranger In Our House. Last year, he returned to Much Ado with Titchfield Festival Theatre, this time as Benedick - shortly before heading back to the Edinburgh Fringe in a production of The Misunderstanding.
East/Man is played by Philip de Grouchy
Over the last fifty years, Philip has played a large number of varied characters with Maskers, usually extrovert in nature; Scrooge in 2022's Christmas with the Cratchits for example. As his contribution to this interesting play, he is looking forward to the challenge of tackling two more subtly introverted types.
Glory/Hope 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. 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, more recently, the Ghost of Christmas Present in Christmas with the Cratchits and Leaf/Chorus in The Picture of Dorian Gray. She is looking forward to experiencing the magic of the northern lights in this production of Almost, Maine.
Jimmy/Dave is played by Simon Mewett
Simon's second appearance for Maskers was as Colonel Dent, Vicar and innkeeper for Jane Eyre last summer. Simon was also involved in Love & Power, scenes from Oscar Wilde, a BBV production, which was performed at Maskers Studio back in November.
Sandrine/Rhonda is played by Emily Smith
Emily joined Maskers in the spring of 2023 and has worked backstage on several shows; both as a board operator and a stage manager. She briefly studied acting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco before changing to Motion Pictures and Television (Cinematography) and has produced several short films for her own studio. This is her first performance on stage in over ten years!
Marvalyn/Marci is played by Dawn Gatrell
Dawn previously performed in pantos at The Bent Brief pub and in The Shadow Factory, which premiered at the Nuffield City Theatre. This is her fourth appearance with Maskers. She was first seen getting to grips with Shakespeare, as the tavern owner in The Merry Wives of Windsor and then in Gormenghast, playing one of the twin aunts. She was delighted to be involved with Time and Tide... last September and is really looking forward to her dual roles in Almost, Maine.
Steve/Phil is played by Rob Iliffe
Rob's first appearance for Maskers was as Mr Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre last summer. Previous performing includes: Southampton Mummers Play, on the first Sunday of the new year at St Michael's Square, storytelling at festivals, Pirate Shakespeare and story walks. Rob has also directed several productions for both The Gantry & Salisbury Playhouse Youth Theatres.
Lendall/Randy is played by Neil Forster
This is Neil's third show with Maskers, after playing Basil Hallward in The Picture of Dorian Gray last year, and Stan in Four Weddings and an Elvis in 2022. 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.
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