News

Here you will find up to the minute, regularly updated news of what
I have been doing, what I am doing, and what I will be doing.

See my Photo Gallery page for my latest updated headshots.

May – 14th May 2011 at 7.15pm: I have been invited to work as bass clarinettist with members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of the Peter Eotvos project at the Barbican. Working in a collaboratively and improvisatory way with composer Duncan Chapman and nine other musicians, we will devise short duets which will then be recorded and remixed by a group of music students and also performed live in the foyers of the Barbican with a live-electronic mix. Visit the BBC website here

April-May – I have had some new headshots taken by photographer Cordelia Donohoe. If you’d like to see more of her work, have a look at lifelikepictures.co.uk. I’m working on Bass/Bb clarinet duets with Swedish clarinettist Lars Karlsson for an event in May.

March - A Little Orchestra goes from strength to strength. We’ve been working with composer Simon Shannon on his challenging new compositions, one of which, ‘Yiddish Melody’, we’ve just played at Read and Shout, a library benefit gig in South London. To follow ALO gigs, including our forthcoming appearance at the Edd Billig Memorial, at Indietracks Festival in Derbyshire in July and at How Does It Feel to be Loved in June and July, see alittleorchestra.wordpress.com. You can also watch a recording of our performance with Darren Hayman on his track ‘Out of my League’.  Darren has since asked us to play with him on his next album.

February - My communication skills consultancy xperient.co.uk continues to receive nationwide bookings for the acclaimed ‘Professionalism’ Workshop I designed last year, a full-day event featuring dramatic and comic scenes and challenging improvisational games. I perform various roles and act as presenter and facilitator together with business partner Ian Sanders and multi-talented actor Louise Yates.  

January - I performed on bass clarinet and vocals at a gig celebrating the life of my friend the talented Scottish musician and artist Paul Ballingall who died too young last year. The event took place in Edinburgh at ‘Out Of The Blue’ in Leith and featured various musicians who had worked with Paul over the years, including my sister Katrina Smith with whom he had a duo, ‘Uz Chickens’. As well as being a talented guitarist, singer and arranger and co-founder of the now legendary Bongo Club, Paul was a prolific artist. The venue was dressed with a selection of paintings and lino-cut prints from his home and studio.

Voice-over
I’ve been asked to narrate a film about the Galapagos Islands, to be shown at the UNESCO conference. As a result I’ll be travelling to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. Another notable voice-over job for a charity, the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, they want me to be the voice of two promotional films. Visit www.lucyfaithfull.org or view their film page here
Clarinet
I’m playing in the City Wind Orchestra on Bb clarinet in their Winter Concert, repertoire including Shostakovich and Prokofiev. I’ve also joined Monster Bobby’s Little Orchestra with my bass clarinet, working on contemporary compositions.
Xperient LLP
The communication skills partnership I set up with colleague Ian Sanders in 2007, is going from strength to strength. We’ve launched our new website with excellent photographs by Cordelia Donohoe - visit www.xperient.co.uk. And I continue as a Chair and Committee member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the General Dental Council, adjudicating on cases of alleged misconduct by Dental Professionals.

2008

Voice Demo
I have recorded a professionally-produced demo with the help of writer-director Jonathan Keeble. It includes various radio and TV commercial voiceovers, nature programme/corporate commentary and a dramatic extract. In standard and ‘street’ Scots, RP and Irish accents. Visit Voice123.com to listen.
Justice
A short film by Oliver Williams of Attain Media: I play the role of Senior Intelligence Officer Christine Williams.
Clarinet 
After all my years as an actor-musician, for the past year I have taken up serious study of the clarinet again with tutor Robbie Martin, undoing years of bad habits, working my way up through the theory examinations and taking part in competitions and festivals. I am currently revisiting Grade 6 theory and have a shiny cup on the mantelpiece from the Hatfield Music Festival Advanced Adult Class!
General Dental Council  
I have been appointed as a Chair of the General Dental Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel, of which I have been a Lay Member for five years, representing the public interest in cases of alleged professional misconduct.

2007

Xperient LLP
I have set up my own communication skills consultancy with colleague Ian Sanders. We already have four clients: two law firms, a major insurance provider and a public body. Visit xperient.co.uk for more details.
A Day Within - a film by Letitia and Venetia Kidza.
The film was made to raise awareness of Jewish Care, a charity dealing with mental health issues. I play the role of Louisa, the imaginary muse of one of the residents. A copy of the film is available.
Red Hood – a short film by Navin Dev
Psychological thriller in which I play ‘Red’, Little Red Riding Hood when she has grown up and had a daughter of her own. More info here
Magistrate’s Training Video - So You Need a Warrant?
For Mike Fowler of Axiom Video. I play a Magistrate who is awakened late at night by a policeman.
Stills Photo Shoot for photographer Ian Robson
The photos were used extensively on the website of a healthcare charity. I play the concerned mother of a young woman.

2006

Emmerdale ITV
Dr Pam Bradshaw returns to Emmerdale’s local hospital for two more storylines involving the cast in dramatic house explosions and domestic accidents. Directed by Haldane Duncan and Duncan Foster.
Radio Café BBC Radio Scotland
I was asked to appear as a guest on the programme to discuss my work as a voice artist and was then invited to return to discuss the new book ‘The Human Voice’ with the author, Anne Karpf.
Presenting videos for www.cognac.co.uk
For Cognac I am the presenter of various information videos for their new website. Despite filming in an unheated garage in Letchworth with snow dripping down the walls and an off-centre autocue, I manage to look quite warm and not too squint-eyed.
Corporate
As an Associate of Impromptu Interactive Consultancy, www.impromptu.co.uk, I have been working as a communication skills consultant, facilitator and role-player in the public and private sector. Most recently I have been developing scenarios for senior management coaching skills training at AstraZeneca in Brussels, facilitating at Barclays Wealth in the City of London, performing at a leadership conference for Vodafone in Dublin and playing the role of a Chair of a Strategic Health Authority for the NHS Appointments Commission in Leeds.

2005

2004

2003

Cinderella at The Brunton Theatre Musselburgh

Christmas 2003 I was working in Scotland, appearing as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh. The show is written and directed by Stuart Thomas with whom I worked in December of  2002 at the Citizen’s Theatre Glasgow, in his acclaimed new play, Damn’d Jacobite Bitches. I last appeared at The Brunton in February 2002 as Titania & Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for director Mark Thompson.

Morag in Perfect - BBC Television
A short film written by Jonathan Goodfellow and directed by Anya Camilleri, with Stephen Moyer as the homicidal estate agent. Produced by the Glasgow Comedy Unit - soon showing on BBC TV. The cast also includes Roy Sampson, Yvonne O’Brien, Ford Kiernan, and Mark Cox. Watch this space for a transmission date. Shown at Film Festivals throughout Europe

2002

Who Killed Simone Valentine? - Granada Television - a Drama Documentary about a teenager, Simone Valentine, who is considered to be ‘at risk’, and her alleged neglect by Manchester Social Services. I play the school psychologist who assesses Simone. Legal problems meant that the transmission of the programme was suspended until finally being broadcast in August 2002.

Return to the top of the page