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Rikki Jackson - Director of Drama
Rikki studied Theatre at Warwick University graduating in 1992 and upon realising
that his future was not going to be spent playing for the England Cricket team he
opted for teaching. Previously the Director of Performing Arts at Wanganui Collegiate
School in NZ he joined Dauntsey's as Director of Drama in 2001. Since then he has enjoyed
seeing the department develop, grow and fully establish itself as a major part of school life.
He still enjoys playing cricket reasonably, golf erratically and skiing with little grace. An
avid movie fan and lover of music of most types, he is married with two children and dotes on Poppy,
his ever so slightly neurotic Labrador.
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Naomi Wilson - Drama Teacher
Naomi has always wanted to teach and has vivid memories of reading story books to a class of
teddy bears, Barbie dolls and other various stuffed animals at about the age of five. She graduated from
Reading University in 2004 with a first class degree in Theatre Arts, Education and Deaf studies. This
training has left her with a huge passion for physical and visual theatre; she is most inspired by the
Spanish playwright Lorca. Having previously worked as head of department at Salisbury college and workshop
leader at Salisbury Playhouse and Stagecoach theatre school she has taught a huge range of ages (6 – 60!)
Now she is excited about working in the drama department here at Dauntsey’s and watching students develop
throughout their entire school career. She loves French wine, good food, and spoiling her mischievous cats
Gulliver, Muddiford and Jessie James rotten!
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Fiona Bardsley - Drama Teacher
Fiona is a graduate of Durham University and Mountview Theatre School and
since leaving the latter, has worked extensively in theatre, TV, radio and as a voice over artist throughout Britain,
Eire and the US. She is now very much looking forward to being part of the vibrant and exciting drama department at
Dauntsey's. Fiona loves strong coffee, good wine and late night jazz (especially Bill Evans) and is a firm believer in
the restorative powers of Green and Black's chocolate. She is married to actor/director Garth Bardsley and they have
two children.
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Matthew Herring - Production Manager
Matthew first started work at the Swindon Arts Centre while on work experience
(his first paid job was doing sound for the world-famous Italian
performance artist 'Ennio Marchetto'). Since then he first
became technical manager of the Arts Centre and then technical
manager for the whole of Swindon Borough Council's Arts Services
department. Between 2001 and 2006 he Production Managed the
Borough's annual street festival and Mela festivals. As a freelancer
Matthew's work has included stage managing shows at the Edinburgh
Festival, at the Arc Theatre (Trowbridge) and at the (then)
Green Room Club (London); done make-up for two Summer Youth
Productions and has worked on the Longborough Festival Opera
in the Cotswolds. He has also designed lighting for dance,
plays, cabaret shows and conferences. Matthew is also very
proud to be a serving member of the Association of British
Theatre Technicians' H&S Committee.
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Tom Hollis - Drama Gap Student
Tom has been involved in Drama since primary school and is now
very much a product of Dauntsey’s Drama and Music departments. He was first treaded the boards at Dauntsey's in the
Lower school production of “Wind in the Willows” and has since then been involved in numerous productions including exam pieces
(“Claw”, “Scenes from an execution”, “East” and co-devised “Moravia”). In "Twelfth Night" he got to combine his love of acting
and music by performing as one of the strolling minstrels who provided musical interludes throughout the play. A few years later as MD for "Tristan and Yseult" Tom won much praise
for his contribution to the drama department and was awarded a "George" Dauntsey's version of the Oscars. Other productions include:
Witches of Eastwick, Alice in Wonderland, Evita and Cabaret. He has also worked backstage on the Lower school productions of
James and the Giant Peach and Peter Pan. Now back (for a limited time) as the drama Gap Student, Tom has already assisted with "Delirium" as an
Assistant Director and Composer. Theatrically, Tom is very much inspired by (or a “disciple” of) Howard Barker and he also enjoy’s
struggling as an amateur recording artist. Post-Dauntsey's Tom is looking forward to knuckling down to read Law at university following a
brief Gap year stint in Australia.
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Elle Taylor - Drama Gap Student
Elle is our drama Gap tutor from New Zealand. Having acted in the shows “Oliver” and “'Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” at the ripe age of eight soon realized that the lime light was not for her and at age fifteen,
discovered the magic of bringing a show to life through backstage and behind the scenes work. Since then she has been involved in many
productions as part of the backstage crew and set crew, including that of West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Pirates of Penzance and Grease.
During her last year at Kristin she was stage manager for Othello, Dance in the Dove, Pinteresque, International Peace Night and Shakespeare
Night, as well as being assistant stage manager to Kristin’s major school production “Beauty and the Beast” the winner of AMI Auckland’s best
overall school production. She has also assisted the production manager in the New Zealand tour of country singer Isla Grant, but more recently
in October 2009, was a crew member of the Royal Imperial Russian Ballet Company’s Australasian tour of “Swan Lake”. Elle pretty much loves
anything theatrical, animals of all sorts, adores hot chocolates and is delighted to be working in the drama department here at Dauntsey’s.
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