In The Spotlight - Len Dobson

How long have you been performing in shows
At least 60 years starting in school and youth club shows and concerts,acting in plays and singing with choirs. When I left the army in 1956 I joined a group doing drama and comedy shows for charity. I directed my first show in my early twenties.

What got you interested in music / theatre
I suppose I've always had an interest in music/theatre.My mother played accordian and my father as a young man played trombone in the Salvation Army. I sang my first solo at the age of 5 standing on a table in a club while the war was on! I have played harmonica since I was fifteen and in recent years have started to play the saxophone.

What was your first show
Having done so many it's not easy to remember, but my first Greasepaint show was Guys and Dolls when I played Arvide Abernathy, which was interesting as my Dad had been in the Salvation Army.

What has been your favourite show and/or character and why
My favourite charactor has to be Everett Baker in Crazy for You. It was so relaxing playing my own daughter's father on stage.

What has been your most embarassing or funniest moment in a show
A funny thing that happened to me was in pantomime. I was playing one of the ugly sisters,(the other one was 6'4"), when we had to sit on a bench with Baron Hardupp. In the final dress rehearsal the bench collapsed as we all sat down. in our elaborate costumes we had great difficulty getting up and it didn't help that the rest of the cast were in hysterics!

Describe the best and worst costumes you have had to wear
One of my best costumes was as King Hildebrand in G & S Princess Ida. The very expensive cloak had been made for a high class wedding! The worst was as Widow Twanky where I had to wear an enormous pair of boobs.

What has been your proudest moment
There have been many proud moments, every time one of my children or grandchildren perform on stage, but I think one of the best waswatching my daughter Alix singing as Jenny Lind in Barnum in a performance an opera singer would have been proud of. This following the fact that before the show she had laryngitis!

If you could choose any show to perform in, what would it be and why
Maybe Tevye In Fiddler on the Roof or Emile in South Pacific, ther are so many to choose from......

Do you have any plans to pursue theatre as a career
I plan to continue on stage as long as I am able. At my age some people seem to think they are too old but I think it's all in the mind. Having taken a lead part in three short films in 2008 I am now looking forward to the future. Who knows..............