Youth Music Theatre: UK - Gold Circle Supporters


	Dame Judith (Judi) Olivia Dench (Born 9 December 1934, York, England) Dame Judi Dench is arguably Britain’s most respected and versatile actress with roles encompassing stage, screen and television. After starting training as a theatre designer, she switched to acting and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating, she made her stage debut in 1957 as Ophelia in the Old Vic’s production of Hamlet. A prolific stage career followed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Her screen debut was in The Third Secret in 1964. Following supporting roles in such classics as A Room with a View and A Handful of Dust (among others), in 1997 she was Oscar nominated for her leading role in Mrs. Brown. In 1998, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for eight minutes as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. Most recently she has appeared as M in the James Bond films and in 2006 in Notes on a Scandal.
	Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE (born 12 April, 1939, Hampstead, London) Sir Alan Ayckbourn is one of the world's most successful living playwrights and is internationally acclaimed as both playwright and director. He is the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, where he premieres the majority of his work - predominantly in the world-famous Round auditorium. More than 25 of his plays have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has written 70 full plays and more than 20 other revues and plays for children. They have been translated into over 30 languages and are performed on stage and television throughout the world He is also an internationally acclaimed director, who Arthur Miller said directed the definitive version of his play A View From The Bridge. He was knighted in 1997 for services to the theatre. Other Gold Circle Members Alan Rickman Ben Elton Alan Bennett Gareth Bunn
	Patron ZOЁ WANAMAKER CBE (born 13 May 1949, New York, USA) As a dual citizen of both Britain and the US, Zoë is one of Britain's most skilled and respected actresses. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and over the last 30 years has worked extensively at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the West End and on Broadway, with her considerable talents being recognised by winning or being nominated for many awards, including both Oliviers and Tonys. Her television work includes the very successful comedy drama “Love Hurts” (1990), in which she starred with Adam Faith, and more recently the BBC's hugely popular sitcom “My Family” (2000) with Robert Lindsay. She made a new generation of fans when she played Madame Hooch in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone” in 2001. In 2000 she was awarded a CBE.