Actress
I was a graduate with a degree in English wandering from job to job when I ended up as an Assistant Front of House Manager at the University Theatre in Newcastle. I used to stand at the back of the auditorium every night watching the shows and thinking 'I want to do that!' A fire had been kindled that still shows no sign of dying!
I was offered a place at Easting 15 Acting School  but no grant so I lived in a caravan on the school grounds and painted the building inside and out during the holidays in lieu of paying fees. After 3 years, I headed for my first job, theatre-in-education in Chester. From there I went to the Victoria Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent; it was there I learned my trade. It wasn't quite weekly rep but it was not unusual to have at least 3 plays on the go at once. I went on to work in theatres throughout the country, from the West Yorkshire Playhouse to Harrogate to Windsor to Farnham to Basingstoke and beyond! My first TV appearance was in a series called 'Angels', the precursor of 'Casualty' and 'Holby City'. After a break during the time my children were small, I returned to the business by completing a post-graduate year at GSA, the Guildford Conservatoire. Since then I have worked with Alan Ayckbourn, lived in a windmill in the mountains of Majorca whilst making an arthouse feature film, and appeared in countless short films, promotional films and photo shoots. I have written and performed in my own play at the Edinburgh Festival and been a regular corporate and medical role player. I am looking forward to doing more and more work as I get older!
You can see ....
My showreel on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu_1i25qvf0
and my cv below ...
Caroline Jay
Agent: Lowy Hamilton Artists 0208 946 2992
Height: 5'5" Hair: Fair Spotlight Page No: 1886
Eyes: Green Born: London Equity Member No: 87522
Playing Age: 50 - 60 Vocal: Mezzo Soprano
Trained: East 15 Acting School, Guildford Acting School, BA Hons English - Durham University
RECENTLY
Mesocafe Feature Film (Sheila Adams) Directed by Ja'far Abd al-Hamid
Ecology Arts Council and Film Council art-house feature (Mother) directed by Sarah Turner
Public Awareness Film Mediazoo (Scam victim) cirected by Hannah Price
Corporate Training Film Xube Ltd (4 roles) directed by Richard Woolfenden
Workshop/Performance of New Plays Farnham Maltings Theatre
Outliving The Hamster Guilded Balloon, Edinburgh Festival (Nina) directed by Ellie Jones
Snake in the Grass Stephen Joseph Theatre tour (understudy all roles) directed by Alan Ayckbourn
FILM
Nice to Meet You Distilled Films (CID detective) directed by Will Garthwaite
The Date Seeing the Sun Films (Sole character) directed by Lisa Howells
How To Films Video Jug (Mother) directed by Tobias Tobbell
See You at the Altar Milkshake Films (Mandy) directed by Victoria Thomas
Woman in the Woods Octopus Films (Mary) directed by Nicola Paglia
End of the World Waveform Films (Caroline) directed by James Appleton
Johnson & Johnson Promo Film Low Fat Films (Patient) directed by Ben Hilton
Containment Eldritch Films (Sue) directed by Anthony Tattershall
Abbey National commercial Crocodile Casting
Boots Plc Promo Film Gutsy Ltd (Sarah)
Fish4 Insurance national stills campaign
A shortage of Angels Onion Shed Productions feature (Harriet) directed by Monica Lissak
THEATRE
Jane Eyre adapted by Fay Weldon West Yorkshire Playhouse (Charlotte Bronte) directed by Helena Kaut-Howson
Having a Ball Horseshoe Theatre Basingstoke (Surgeon) directed by Kit Thacker
One for the Road Redgrave Theatre Farnham (Jane) directed by Ellis Jones
The Adventures of Alice Redgrave Theatre Farnham directed by Stephen Barry
Not Now Darling Redgrave Theatre Farnham (Sue) directed by Stephen Barry
Good Harrogate Thatre (Anne) directed by Mark Piper
Cider with Rosie Harrogate Theatre (Rosie) directed by Nick Darke
Murder on the Nile Theatre Royal Windsor (Chrstina) directed by Joan Filey
The Merchant of Venice The Victoria Theatre Stoke-on-Trent (Portia) directed by Peter Cheeseman
Also ten other productions at the Victoria Theatre
TELEVISION
Casualty BBC (Mother) directed by Antonia Bird
Murphy's Mob Central (PE Teacher) directed by Mike Holgate
Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest Central (Teacher) directed by Derek Martinus
The Home Front Central (Health Visitor) directed by Roy Battersby
Rose Thames (Janie) directed by Derek Banham
The Gentle Touch LWT (Police Officer) directed by John Davies
Angels BBC (Staff Nurse) directed by Julia Smith
OTHER
Extensive corporate and medical roleplay
Co-author of 3 musical documentaries for the Victoria Theatre Stoke-on-Trent
Author of short stories, children's stories, a novel, video voice-overs and the Seeds of Hope Activity Pack for children and young people
Founder of a national registered charity
Counsellor
Skills: Tennis, skiing, swimming, scuba diving, running, clean driving licence, stage fighting
Accents: RP (native); heightened RP; London; Liverpool; West country: Yorkshire; standard American
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