Jennifer Rigby – Artistic Director – Jen is the driving force behind AJP and has had a varied career! From performing for Super-group U2 to sharing the small screen with Jedward, life has certainly never been dull! Once the ‘Birdseye Pea Lady’ Jen spends her time acting, directing and public speaking here in The Midlands.
One of Jen’s specialisms is Shakespeare! She worked as Actor/Manager and Drama Education Officer at Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust for several years before spending 12 months with the Education Department at The Royal Shakespeare Company. Jen writes all of our Shakespeare workshops and directs our Shakespeare for Schools productions.
Jen writes our pantomimes and Murder Mysteries – her Google search history is really quite random! As a Director, Jen’s main aim is to make you smile; if you’ve seen one of our shows, you’ll recognise the unique style we’ve developed.
Neville Cann – Policies Officer – Neville used to have a real job doing stuff. He stopped doing that in 2011 and went to the Birmingham Theatre School instead. Since then, he has quite literally not shot to fame, playing real historical characters such as Joseph Goebbels, Herbert Asquith, Joseph Goebbels, Winston Churchill, Fourth Wildebeest, an evil pudding from space, Doctor Who and a goat. Aunty Jen’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2020 was the first time Neville had performed on the back of a lorry, though he had previously played a scary doctor in a shipping container.
Neville’s television appearances do not include The Bill.
Neville really enjoyed talking rubbish as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and loved playing five different characters in Alice in Wonderland, especially as it gave him the opportunity to play his cello live on-stage dressed as a caterpillar!
Nicolette Morgan – Musical Director – Nicolette has previously toured theatres across Europe and Malaysia in Oliver Twist, worked as a singer for hotels in Spain and Greece, and enjoyed stomping around as Mary in ‘The Secret Garden’ in Brum.
She got princessy in our production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’, stalked a guy to a forest in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and learnt how to fly as Wendy in Peter Pan! She loves books, musical theatre, beaches, being outdoors, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
Nicolette manages our social media and has been MD for several of our productions.
Phil Hunt – Founder Member
Phil is a popular member of Studley’s Community. You’ll find him helping out at Nosh and Natter or at Studley’s Dementia Café, he’s always at the heart of community events and is always busy!
As a founder member of AJP, Phil has been with us since Day One and without his input, we wouldn’t have got much further than just having a ‘brilliant idea’!
Our Creatives
Martin Smith (aka Martin Conway, Martin Tomms) – Author
Martin began his writing career as a performance poet and singer/songwriter, and then went into television, writing for Birds of a Feather as well as sketches for Hale and Pace and the Friday Zone. He did an MA in Playwriting at Birmingham University, and later wrote three plays which were broadcast on BBC Radio Four. He has written or adapted many plays for children, and two of his children’s books were published by Oxford University Press –Olaf the Viking and The Pig who would be King.
Martin first met Jen while working in touring theatre and thinks the first words she ever said to him were ‘You’re going to have to be more careful with your coat hangers’. At the time, he thought this officious and bossy, but it turns out she was definitely not officious, and is only a little bit bossy. Oh, and she was dead right about the coat-hangers.
Marc Alden Taylor – Stage Combat Advisor – Marc has worked with AJP on several projects including ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Peter Pan’ choreographing outstanding fights, both armed and un-armed.
Seen here with Dan Gough, Marc and his team work with us on our School’s Shakespeare Projects leading workshops for KS2, KS3 and KS4 students.
AJP Alumni
