Michael M Gilroy-Sinclair, playwright of 'Blue Box Messiah'
Michael is a life-long Doctor Who fan from Newcastle upon Tyne. His mother is on record as saying he would tap out the theme tune while in the womb. Born on the day that the sea devils first wandered onto our screens, he has always marked the most important moments of his life by which Doctor happened to be on TV at the time. He is also the host of the reasonably popular Tin Dog Podcast (www.tin-dog.co.uk/rss) and author of the humorous Doctor Who Astrology book Whostrology, which demanded him to rewatch/listen to every single episode ever made and think of something funny to say about each of them, then turn them into one of three hundred and sixty-six sarcastic astrological readings.
This year he has written the play Blue Box Messiah, dealing with the fun subjects of Doctor Who fandom and religion.
Louise Gregory, Director
Louise has written and directed a number of interactive murder mystery plays with her company Mystery, Inc., including 'Death Among the Vegetables', 'Blood & Champagne', 'Gone to Texas' and 'The Virtuous Sweets'. She is also a lighting and sound designer, and has lit shows for Zendeh, Awkward City and Tarab Dance Company.
Louise came late to the adventures of the Doctor, seeing her first episodes at University. The disappointment that the student who had invited her to his room to watch 'Doctor Who' episodes actually wanted to watch them, was quickly tempered by the enjoyment of discovering the Doctor! When she was sent the script for 'Blue Box Messiah' she laughed so hard that she jumped at the chance to direct it for the stage, and has been enthusiastically downloading Tardis sound effects and imagining alien puppets ever since. Louise's favourite Doctor is William Hartnell, but she is very excited at the prospect of a renewed grumpiness with the new Doctor!
Adam Lightfoot, actor - 'Luke'
Adam is a graduate of BA(Hons) Performance at Northumbria University. Upon graduating, he set up the theatre company Spectrum Arts with some friends. They have staged several productions in the North East, including the one-man show He Do the Police in Different Voices at the Star and Shadow Cinema, and a performance of Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits at Newcastle City Library.
He is very excited about being part of Blue Box Messiah as he is a huge fan of Doctor Who. Adam’s character, Luke, articulates the central argument ‘Is Doctor Who a religion, and highlights the pedantic and obsessive ways of being a Whovian as well as being intelligently thought-provoking, not to mention funny. The rehearsal process has seen Adam discover new depths of anger as well as bringing out his girlish side!
Lee Shillito, actor - 'Matt'
Lee is a 23-year old actor from the North East of England who has worked on a varied mix of projects over the years, ranging from background extra work to Shakespearean extracts and even the odd murder mystery, but nothing has been quite as exciting as Blue Box Messiah.
He has been a big fan of Doctor Who since the age of 13, watching some of the old William Hartnell, Tom Baker and the odd Pertwee stories. When it was relaunched with Christopher Eccleston, his passion and love of the show grew, and with the introduction of his favourite Doctor, David Tennant, and the brilliant eccentric styles of Matt Smith, it was clear that he was set for life. In Blue Box Messiah he plays a character called Matt, questioning Luke’s ideas and seeing how they play out, even if at times he doesn’t know what’s being talked about!
Lee has had great fun looking at how fandom can merge with religion, not to mention mastering an impeccable impersonation of Richard Dawkins!
Michael is a life-long Doctor Who fan from Newcastle upon Tyne. His mother is on record as saying he would tap out the theme tune while in the womb. Born on the day that the sea devils first wandered onto our screens, he has always marked the most important moments of his life by which Doctor happened to be on TV at the time. He is also the host of the reasonably popular Tin Dog Podcast (www.tin-dog.co.uk/rss) and author of the humorous Doctor Who Astrology book Whostrology, which demanded him to rewatch/listen to every single episode ever made and think of something funny to say about each of them, then turn them into one of three hundred and sixty-six sarcastic astrological readings.
This year he has written the play Blue Box Messiah, dealing with the fun subjects of Doctor Who fandom and religion.
Louise Gregory, Director
Louise has written and directed a number of interactive murder mystery plays with her company Mystery, Inc., including 'Death Among the Vegetables', 'Blood & Champagne', 'Gone to Texas' and 'The Virtuous Sweets'. She is also a lighting and sound designer, and has lit shows for Zendeh, Awkward City and Tarab Dance Company.
Louise came late to the adventures of the Doctor, seeing her first episodes at University. The disappointment that the student who had invited her to his room to watch 'Doctor Who' episodes actually wanted to watch them, was quickly tempered by the enjoyment of discovering the Doctor! When she was sent the script for 'Blue Box Messiah' she laughed so hard that she jumped at the chance to direct it for the stage, and has been enthusiastically downloading Tardis sound effects and imagining alien puppets ever since. Louise's favourite Doctor is William Hartnell, but she is very excited at the prospect of a renewed grumpiness with the new Doctor!
Adam Lightfoot, actor - 'Luke'
Adam is a graduate of BA(Hons) Performance at Northumbria University. Upon graduating, he set up the theatre company Spectrum Arts with some friends. They have staged several productions in the North East, including the one-man show He Do the Police in Different Voices at the Star and Shadow Cinema, and a performance of Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits at Newcastle City Library.
He is very excited about being part of Blue Box Messiah as he is a huge fan of Doctor Who. Adam’s character, Luke, articulates the central argument ‘Is Doctor Who a religion, and highlights the pedantic and obsessive ways of being a Whovian as well as being intelligently thought-provoking, not to mention funny. The rehearsal process has seen Adam discover new depths of anger as well as bringing out his girlish side!
Lee Shillito, actor - 'Matt'
Lee is a 23-year old actor from the North East of England who has worked on a varied mix of projects over the years, ranging from background extra work to Shakespearean extracts and even the odd murder mystery, but nothing has been quite as exciting as Blue Box Messiah.
He has been a big fan of Doctor Who since the age of 13, watching some of the old William Hartnell, Tom Baker and the odd Pertwee stories. When it was relaunched with Christopher Eccleston, his passion and love of the show grew, and with the introduction of his favourite Doctor, David Tennant, and the brilliant eccentric styles of Matt Smith, it was clear that he was set for life. In Blue Box Messiah he plays a character called Matt, questioning Luke’s ideas and seeing how they play out, even if at times he doesn’t know what’s being talked about!
Lee has had great fun looking at how fandom can merge with religion, not to mention mastering an impeccable impersonation of Richard Dawkins!