Creative Team

OPUS Theatre Company

OPUS Creative team

Gerry Hinks , Artistic Director

A native of Rugeley in Staffordshire, Gerry became a full-time professional actor in 1987. Since then he has enjoyed a wide variety of roles. His many theatre roles have included Arcadia for Manchester Library Theatre, Lady Windemere’s Fan for Manchester Royal Exchange, Worms Eye View for CV productions,; Double Death for the Mill at Sonning; Kafka’s Dick for the Dukes Lancaster; Shooting Star for Chester Gateway; Our Song for TEG productions; 28 plays over 14 years for Jill Freud and Company at Southwold in Suffolk; An Inspector Calls; Spring and Port Wine; and the Railway Children for Middle Ground theatre; Hobson’s Choice; Man For all Seasons and The Rivals for Lookout Theatre; The Wars of The Roses and Summer 2007 Much Ado About Nothing for Stafford Shakespeare. In London’s West end he played in the Manchester Royal Exchange production of Lady Windemere’s Fan 17 weeks. Television roles include Coronation Street as Reverend Graham Broadbent for 8 episodes; The Royal as Major Chapman; Emmerdale as Doctor McKay; No Angels as Mr. Hope; Things you Do For Love as Pinstripes; Hollyoaks as the judge; Anatomy of a Crime as Da Silva QC; Days That Shook the World as Stanley Baldwin; and Dalziel and Pascoe as the Vicar. He has recorded over 30 radio plays for BBc radio 4, the most recent being Odd Body. Feature films include Widow Maker; The Ring and The Seal and This Little Life with David Morrisey. Wolfgang Meisller in ‘Confessions of Honour and Tommy Cornish in ‘Growing Old Disgracefully’ for OPUS. Gerry has just finished playing Wolfgang Meissler in the 2008 production of ‘Confessions of Honour’ for OPUS.

Paolo Allen, Deputy Artistic Director

www.paoloallen.com

Paolo has been a professional performer since the late 1980’s ,as well as being heavily involved as an educator, teaching young people and adults, theatre, voice, musical theatre singing and stage-craft., he developed and set-up the Blue Theatre at Djanogly Academy in Nottingham .Paolo is LAMDA trained and he was a founder member of OPUS playing ‘Ricky’ in ‘Rattle of a Simple Man’ ; John Worthing in The Importance of Earnest and Mick in The Caretaker. Other theatrical roles include Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Norman in Table Manners from the Norman Conquests, and the Mikado!

His singing roles have included touring with the Shane Cullinan Ensemble , Soloist with the Brodsky Quartet in ‘The Juliet Letters’ singing on the cabaret circuit in New York City and soloist with Ovation amongst many others!

Directorial highlights have included, Blood Brothers, The Phantom Of The Opera, Hay Fever; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Outside Edge, Romeo and Juliet, The Norman Conquests and Little Shop of Horrors. Television work has included roles for The Bill, Short films for Channel 4’s mental health season, Jim’ll Fix It, as well as consultancy work.

Paolo also worked with Mona Media and Apna Arts to create ‘Calling on Angels’ at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal as well as directing work for the NHS sexual health project. He is delighted to work once again with OPUS and stage managed/marketed their new production ,Confessions of Honour in 2007 and played Gerald/Nurse in ‘Growing Old Disgracefully’ 2008. He has just finished playing RSM Turner in the 2008 production of ‘Confessions of Honour’ for OPUS.

Della Allen, Actress

Della began acting as a child when the theatre bug really hit and she has worked consistently ever since. Her first professional role was with OPUS when she played Gwendolyn Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest in 1989.

Some of Della’s theatrical highlights have included Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mrs. Pepper in Good Old Summertime, Ruth in Table Manners from the Norman Conquests, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Maggie in Outside Edge and Roots by Arnold Wesker among many others!

Della has sung with concert company Ovation throughout the midlands and is delighted to join OPUS once again for the 2008 season.

Della has dedicated much of the last two decades to working as an actress and demonstrator at Staffordshire’s Shugborough Hall, where she has been able to work in numerous period and contemporary situations, playing a wide variety of roles.

Della was delighted to be back once again with Opus and played ‘Amber’ in Growing Old Disgracefully in Spring 2008. She has just finished playing Sgt Karen Baker in the 2008 production of ‘Confessions of Honour’ for OPUS.

Keith Minshull: Actor

Keith is a locally based actor and is well known to Staffordshire and Shropshire audiences. He is a member of the successful Sundial Theatre which has been the resident theatre company at Blist Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge Gorge Museum, for the past ten years.

His many Shakespearian credits include Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Malvolio in ‘Twefth Night’ and Capulet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with the Stafford Shakespeare Company. Over the past 30 years he has portrayed many notable roles including Norman in ‘The Dresser’, Dr Prentice in ‘What The Butler Saw’, Herbert Soppitt in ‘When We Are Married’, Guy Jones in ‘A Chorus of Disapproval’, Arthur Wicksteed in ‘Habeaus Corpus’, King George in ‘The Madness of King George III’, Emcee in ‘Cabaret’, Henry Higgins in ‘My fair Lady’ and Neville in ‘Neville’s Island as well as Frederick Salisbury VC in ‘Confessions of Honour’ and Michael Hartley/ Bob Crutchley in ‘Growing Old Disgracefully’ for OPUS. He has just finished playing Frederick Salisbury V.C in the 2008 production of ‘Confessions of Honour’ for OPUS.