My Gurus

Steve Lacey
Steve was my drama workshop tutor in my first year at drama school. He asked us to do some stuff which, on the face of it, was a bit strange and wacky, and perhaps the relevance wasn’t always clear. However, for a 17-year-old not quite sure of how he ended up at drama college rather than on a rugby field or accountancy course, he opened the door to a wonderful array of possibilities through the creative arts. He gave me an understanding of the power they could have and the confidence to experiment with them. Thankfully that door has remained open and I have returned to the knowledge and experience gained from his workshops on many occasions as the relevance to me as an actor and director became clearer.

Marilyn Gray
Like Steve, Marilyn was a drama school tutor, and she arrived with amazing energy, imagination and humour. She became a friend and mentor long after I entered the profession and was always happy to listen, share ideas and give advice. She has worked as an actress with many of the greats of Scottish Theatre, and also as voice coach, writer and teacher. Her understanding of people and how funny we all are in different ways was a joy to see. Her ongoing encouragement and perceptiveness is much missed since she passed away a few years ago.
Donald Smith
Donald is the Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, which for most people would be a full-time job. Ever since I’ve known him, though, he has been the true exponent of multi-tasking: his office was always strewn with many piles of paper each with a weight on the top, each a project either ongoing or in development. His ability to hold all the different strands together and change from one to the other is a skill I’d love to master. He is probably the most intelligent person I know, with a wealth of insight into politics, religion, arts, history, social studies and all connections between them, which he is happy to share in a non-patronising manner. Donald encourages a freedom to experiment using the power of stories and to continually challenge ourselves. He also introduced me to marketing, venue management and festival administration, which started me on the journey to where I am now.