Janine Sharp, Hay Theatre Artistic Director

 

 

Janine began her career as a professional performer in 1980 with Pentabus Theatre, touring the 5 counties of the West Midlands. BBC TV brought her back to London when she joined Brian Cant and the Playaway team. As both an actress and trained Drama teacher, her work in Theatre  also allowed her to work closely with children, education and the community, in and out of London. Since coming to Herefordshire in 2002, she has moved away from performance towards directing and writing her own plays, including adaptations of books for theatre. In January 2005 she was commissioned by The Courtyard Theatre Hereford to write and direct an appropriate adaptation of Mary Norton's "The Borrowers"  in order to celebrate the 60 year anniversary of the end of WW2. This professional production ran for 2 weeks in the main house then succesfully toured UK theatres  for 12 months until March 2006. "Stig of the Dump" was to follow this sell-out success and in 2007 she was commissioned by Midland Arts Centre Birmingham, to update "The Borrowers"  to the 21st Century and adapt it for their Christmas season 2008. This received exceptional reviews.

Janine enjoys working with professional and community performers and says that a combination of the two in the same production can often create a particular and sparkling kind of magic. Hay Theatre Company is the platform upon which she aims to make this happen more often. After nearly 40 years in the business she is delighted to have formed her own theatre company and return to the border areas of Hereford and Wales where she used to tour with Pentabus Theatre at the beginning of her career.

Janine says: “ I am so lucky, I have had, and continue to have, an amazing career. It is a wonderful gift to give, to be able to promote confidence, fun and laughter within all aspects of my work but at the same time take the quality of it very seriously and produce new, excellent and exciting material." 

Contact Janine at haytheatreco@gmail.com