Radley Film Society in the 1950s & 60s

Richard Medrington (1969, A)

Role: Founder, Artistic Director & Performer Company: Puppet State Theatre Company

Experience: 39 years in the industry

Your career story in 150 words …

In 1984, underqualified and unemployed, I bought a set of rather beautiful German hand puppets, built a puppet booth, wrote a play and began entertaining audiences in primary schools and community venues in the North of England. In 1991 I moved to Edinburgh, where I found a strong community of puppeteers and storytellers and began performing at the Fringe. Shoestring budgets and small audiences turned to full houses when I was granted permission to perform A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories, and I toured these across the UK, culminating in a sell-out run at the National Theatre. In 2006, with American puppeteer Rick Conte, I adapted Jean Giono’s environmental tale The Man Who Planted Trees as a twoman multisensory puppetry and storytelling show. The production has since taken Puppet State all over the world, with over 1,800 performances and repeat visits to the Sydney Opera House and New York’s Lincoln Center.

What has been your favourite project?

Touring my one-man retelling of JRR Tolkien’s immaculate short story Leaf by Niggle, this time taking to the stage without a puppet in sight! Performing before hundreds of dedicated members of the Tolkien Society at their 50th anniversary gathering in 2019 and receiving a standing ovation felt very special. It has also been a total joy for the last 18 years to work alongside my wife Elspeth Murray who has uncomplainingly added touring stage manager to her career portfolio.

What’s next?

A rest from theatre. Time to concentrate on writing projects.

Explore Richard’s work: Visit his website at https://www.richardmedrington.com

Jon Tarcy (2007, G)

Role: Actor & Producer

Experience: 8 years in the industry

Your career story in 150 words … I had a fantastic time at Radley as I had the opportunity to take part in so many school plays, concerts and performances. Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd were the highlights.

After graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, my first job was playing Rolf Gruber in The Sound of Music Live on ITV. Since then, I’ve worked on a wide variety of theatre, TV and Film jobs. Some highlights include working at the Royal Shakespeare Company on their Rome Season, and a recurring role in the TV show Outlander

I’ve also been producing projects alongside my acting work and run Bonaparte Films which currently holds a slate of projects in development – several of which were selected for Film London’s New Talent Strand and Film Bazaar’s co-production market in India. Most recently I produced an independent feature film called The Effects of Lying starring Ace Bhatti, Laila Rouass and Harry Potter’s Mark Williams. The film was released in the UK on ITVX and screened at festivals around the world, including Galway International Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival and Dinard Film Festival.

What has been your favourite project?

It’s very hard to pick one project! In terms of my acting work, it would have to be working at the RSC on the Rome Season. I’d always wanted to work with the company and had the chance to perform in three different Shakespeare plays simultaneously with an incredible company of actors, so it was very special. The Effects of Lying was my favourite project I’ve produced and despite being exhausting – we shot it in only twelve days – I’m really proud of the film we made!

What’s next?

I’ve recently finished filming two acting roles in a TV show and a film, which will be out early next year. And I have several production projects at various stages of development.

Explore Jon’s work: Visit Jon’s production company online at www.bonapartefilms.co.uk and https://www.imdb.com/name/ nm6879708/