When I was a child I had a very bad stammer. Most of the time it didn’t cause a problem, but if I was nervous or excited I wouldn’t be able to get the word out. Words beginning with B, M, P or S would be particularly difficult. When I started work in an office, I would avoid answering the telephone. Speaking to managers or senior staff would leave me unable to get my words out. 

It still affects me today, though nowhere near as bad.

As a teenager I joined the local Church Drama Group. We performed Plays, Pantomime and Musicals. I only had minor parts to begin with. I soon realised that when I was on stage speaking my rehearsed lines, I never had problems with stammering. Words I would struggle with in everyday life, on stage I said without hesitation.

Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s I performed with various theatre groups in Leeds and Bradford; some Amateur and some Professional. I was also invited to join some touring companies. As much as I loved acting I wasn’t brave enough to give up my secure job, and join a theatre group that couldn’t offer regular work after the current tour ended. The confidence I portrayed on stage, was not there in my real life. How I regret those missed opportunities today. My acting career came to an end in 1978 when I settled down with my partner, Alan.

In 2021 I learned that 2023 was going be City of Leeds Year of Culture, and Leeds Playhouse was to be taken over by the Older People of Leeds, for two weeks. I was particularly interested in ‘1001 Stories’. Maybe I could restart my acting career. I contacted Performance Ensemble and I was invited to attend their regular Friday morning sessions, when they restarted early 2022. As well as submitting several stories for ‘1001 Stories’, I also had the opportunity to take part in ‘Sinfonia’, a show combining music, dance and storytelling from the lives of older people across the region.

In the Autumn of 2022, Performance Ensemble performed ‘Work in Progress’ in front of an invited audience, which was very well received. This was the forerunner of what would become Sinfonia. Then in March 2023 a small Film Company asked members of Performance Ensemble if they were interested in being in a short, silent film. They needed two ‘older men’. After an audition, I was offered one of the parts. Meanwhile rehearsals were ongoing for Sinfonia. Sinfonia was a huge success. We performed 7 shows in 10 days, at the end of April, with great reviews from the Press.

In July, five members of the Performance Ensemble, including myself, were asked to take part in a show by Space 2, celebrating 20 years of their work in the Community. 

Then in September I was asked if I would like to work with ‘Aphids’, an Australian theatre group, that was coming to Leeds to perform as part of the ‘Transform Festival’, taking place at Leeds Playhouse in October this year. I was delighted to be asked.

So, this year, at the age of 76, I have returned to acting. I have been in 3 stage shows, and a short film. Maybe you are never too old to make a comeback.