Jon Trained as a teacher at Froebel and as a Drama Teacher at the Royal Academy of Music and Drama. Further training includes Mime and physical Theatre with Lindsey Kemp, Desmond Jones, Marcel Marceau, Jacques LeCoq, Theatre du Movement, Sanko Juko. He also studied Improvisation, with Keith Johnstone, Roddy Maude -Roxby and Theatre Machine and Design, Ritual Celebration and Street Theatre with Welfare State International. He became Artistic Director Colway Theatre Trust in 1985. The company changed its name to Claque in 2002.
Jon has directed numerous touring theatre shows for TIE Break Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Bristol University and Knee High Theatre. In 1998 he wrote and directed 'Fightback' a play about, and featuring the ex miners of Kent. He directed 'Anchor Lane' two major street re enactments for the International Festival of the Sea that attracted a million visitors. He has directed twenty five major community plays for Colway Theatre Trust; Blyth Festival Theatre, Canada; Towngate Theatre, Basildon; Remould Theatre, Hull; Claque Theatre; two community plays transferred to the National Theatre, London. He has directed new plays by some of this countries leading writers including Nick Darke, Peter Terson, Arnold Wesker, David Edgar, and David Cregan. The plays have been performed in communities across Britain, America, Canada, France, Finland,
and Denmark.
As a writer, Jon has countless credits: 'Seven Ages' won AJ Cronin Award. 'Lucy' a mime circus based on the music of the Beatles. National Tour; 'Gobstopper' a solo mime show for the Edinburgh Festival and National Tour; 'Treageagle' Knee High Theatre Company. The play has been revised three times and toured internationally with over 1,000 performances. 1985. 'Fools Paradise' for Knee High Theatre. London Mime Festival and International Tour. 1984. 'Waves Against the Flames' a community play for Gainsborough 1985. Co wrote with Boris Howarth 'Dennisons Vs Dishwater' for Welfare Stare International 1987.'The Kings Shilling' a community play for Shillingstone, Dorset 1987. 'Out of the Blue' a community play for the Frome Valley, Somerset. 1989. 'Flying Crooked' a community play for Minneapolis. USA 1990. 'Vital Spark' for Remould Theatre. Hull 1992. 'Birds of Passage' for David Hall Arts Centre, Somerset. 1993. Adaptation of ' The Happy Prince' by Oscar Wilde for Kent Youth Services. 'Torbay Tempest' a community play for Torbay, South Devon College 1994. 'Over and Under the Earth' a community play for the village of Aylesham, Kent. 1996. 'Fightback' a national touring play. 1998. 'Changing Views' environmental theatre for Chiltern Open Air Museum 1999. 'The Floating Republic' a community play for the Isle of Sheppey in 2002.
