Thursday 19 January 2017

Meet the Family Dimple!

We've already introduced Jack to you, so now it's time to introduce his family: Dame Dotty Dimple (his mother) and Simple Simon (his brother), who are as ridiculous as Jack is brave and as doolally as Jack is smart!


Dame Dotty will be played by John Woodford, a well-known face on the Island's theatrical scene, particularly for his legendary Island-wide performances as dame and numerous Isle of Wight Amateur Theatre Award wins.

John, who is also the chairman of the Island Savoyards and a long-standing member of Ventnor Theatre Group, started out with The Wight Strollers in 2014, when he joined the cast of Robinson Crusoe as Camilla Crusoe, whose flirtatious ways landed her a horde of pirate admirers and a husband in the charming Captain Perkins.

The following year, John returned to the Strollers stage as dame to play Widow Twankey in Aladdin, before taking a break from heels to play Smiley the Dwarf in our 2016 production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

This summer, he not only paraded the streets as part of our 'Dirty Dancing' carnival entry, he also played both Levi and Mr Potiphar in our July musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

John is infamous within the company for his infectious laugh, excellent comic timing and his sense of fun, and his turn as Dame Dotty Dimple will prove no exception to this rule...especially when he's paired with the incomparably silly Patrick Barry!

Patch will be playing Simple Simon, the latest in a string of comic roles for Patch within The Wight Strollers, and certainly one of his greatest!

Patch joined the Strollers as Prince Rupert for our 2013 pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, a performance for which he won an Isle of Wight Amateur Theatre Award. He made himself especially memorable for this win when, at the awards ceremony, he tripped up the stairs and flew onto the stage in the brilliantly comic way that only Patrick can!

Since then, he has taken numerous roles within the company, including Robinson Crusoe in the 2014 panto of the same name, Wishee Washee (Aladdin 2015) and Dozy the Dwarf (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 2016), as well as taking on the part of Napthali in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.


An accomplished thespian, Patch's skills range from Shakespeare to swordplay, and he has been a member of numerous theatre groups over the years, including Ad Lib and the Isle of Wight Shakespeare Company, playing roles ranging from D'Artagnan to Lysander.

Patch's three daughters also perform in the Strollers as dancers, and he's often to be found having a 'proud Daddy' moment in the wings when he's not on stage himself!

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To see these two create comedy gold, you need to get your tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk on Saturday 18th, Sunday 19th and Saturday 25th February - you can get them online, by phoning 01983 823884 or by visiting Medina Theatre Box Office in person.

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