who we are
multi story was created in 2000 by Bill Buffery and Gill Nathanson inspired by their visits to Canadian Fringes and building on years of touring experience in the UK. As the name implies, we are centrally concerned with the enduring power of story - and with communicating the richness of the old stories to new audiences, both young and old.
Gill Nathanson trained as a Drama Teacher and worked with some of the UK's top Education and Community theatre companies before joining Orchard Theatre Company in 1989. As well as playing leading roles with the company, she ran three Youth Theatres and an extensive workshop programme.
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Gill made a starring debut as Puss in Boots at her Primary School in the Wirral. She trained at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire but then headed southwards and set up camp in Devon. Which led, inevitably, to work with England's leading TIE company at The Belgrade, Coventry, and with Theatr Powys in Wales.
She eventually found gainful employment in Devon with Plymouth based Rent-a-Role and in 1989 started an 11 year association with Orchard Theatre Company.
For Orchard Theatre she played Mrs Linde in A Doll's House, Sonya in Uncle Vanya, the title role in Medea, the bride in Surviving Bluebeard, all the women in La Ronde, and a host of other roles in a variety of new work, children's plays and classics.
Gill was also responsible for devising and delivering a comprehensive programme of theatre-skills workshops for schools, colleges and adult groups. A trained teacher, Gill has proved herself particularly adept at developing activities that sensitively that complement work in schools.
Education & Training
- Bretton Hall College 1975-79
- Full Equity 1982
Physical characteristics
- Height 5'10" | Build slim
- Hair brown | Eyes brown
Career details
- 2000 - present: Co-director multi story theatre company
Producer, performer and workshop leader.
Productions: The Firebird, East o'the Sun West o'the Moon, The Golden Key, The Magician's Daughter, Baby Iron Teeth, Tattercoats, Poor Jack, Clever-Clogs & the Cunning Princess, Twelve Wild Ducks, Beauty & the Beast, The Adventures of Perseus, The Labyrinth, Little Brother and Little Sister, Burd Ellen, Jason & the Golden Fleece, Viking Tales and Pandora for young audiences and Medea, Earthly Delights, Cassandra, Dancing with Angels, Surviving Bluebeard, Beast!, Backward Glance, Sealskin, Every Mother's Son, The House Jack Built, Almost Heaven, Digging the Dirt, Pericles - All At Sea and Last Dance Saloon for adult audiences.
Workshops: skills workshops with theatre students; role play with unemployed young people; actor/facilitator in conflict resolution work for the Social Services.
From 2007 - 2024: co-director of Barnstaple's Fringe TheatreFest
- 1989-2000: Performer & Education Officer Orchard Theatre Company
- The Contract The Woman (lead)
- Medea Medea
- Ubu Rules Ma Ubu
- An Enemy of the People Katharine
- La Ronde all female characters
- Dead Man's Hat Cattle Kate
- A Doll's House Mrs Linde
- Uncle Vanya Sonya
- A Lady of Letters Mrs Ruddock
- Plantation Pocahontas/Virginia
directors:Bill Buffery, Zoe Hicks, Georges Verin, Geof Keys, Nigel Bryant
- 1982-88: performer with:
- Rent-a-Role dir: Sheila Snellgrove, David Oddie
- Belgrade TIE dir: Brendan Murray, Stephen Ley
- Theatr Powys dir: Bob Tomson, Jonathon Morgan, Jamie Garvin
Films
- Thursday Mary dir: Dan Weldon
- Tequilla Julia dir: James Pounce
Television
- Down to Earth Deputy Head BBC
- Teachers Janice dir: Richard Dale
Audio tapes
- Beauty & the Beast Princess Nell
- The Little Mermaid Sycorax
Skills
- singing good alto
- instruments piano (gde 8), accordion, saxaphone
- sport swimming, tennis, lacrosse
- experienced workshop leader
- good ear for accents
- clean driving license
Bill Buffery both performed and directed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was Deputy Director of the National Youth Theatre and was Artistic Director of Orchard Theatre Company for eleven years.
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Bill played Narcissus at an impressionable age and has never been the same since.
After six years with the National Youth Theatre, Bill started his professional acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company. After 5 years treading the boards around the country he joined the full-time staff of the National Youth Theatre, directing a mixture of devised productions, new writing and Shakespeare.
Bill re-joined the RSC in 1987. He directed productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Lucy Gannon's writing debut, Keeping Tom Nice. He was also assistant to a number of RSC directors.
In 1989 Bill was appointed Artistic Director of Orchard Theatre Company. Over the next decade he directed 40 productions, acted in 18 of them and wrote or adapted 12.
More than anything he enjoyed the variety - classics, new plays, children's shows, Glastonbury Festival, France and Canada plus the delight of travelling the length and breadth of South West England in all weathers.
Education & Training
- Perse School 1966-73
- National Youth Theatre 1972-77
- Oxford University BA Hons English 1974-77
- Bell Language School Cambridge/RSA CELTA 2000
- Full Equity 1977
Physical characteristics
- Height 5'10"
- Hair brown | Eyes blue
Career details
- 2000 - present: Co-director multi story theatre company
Writing, creating and performing The Firebird, East o'the Sun West o'the Moon, The Golden Key, The Magician's Daughter, Baby Iron Teeth, Tattercoats, Dragon Fish, Poor Jack, Clever-Clogs & the Cunning Princess, Twelve Wild Ducks, Beauty & the Beast, The Adventures of Perseus, The Labyrinth, Little Brother and Little Sister, Burd Ellen, Jason & the Golden Fleece, The Vikings and Pandora for young audiences and Medea, Earthly Delights, Cassandra, Dancing with Angels, Surviving Bluebeard, Beast!, Backward Glance, Sealskin, Every Mother's Son, The House Jack Built, Almost Heaven, Digging the Dirt, Pericles - All At Sea and Last Dance Saloon for adult audiences in the UK, the USA, Canada, South America, Norway, Portugal, Czech Republic, Finland and Ukraine. Theatre skills workshops for students. Inset training.
From 2007 - 2024: co-director of Barnstaple's Fringe TheatreFest
- 1989-2000: Artistic Director Orchard Theatre Company
Touring mainly in South West England but also nationally and in France and Canada. Directed 40 productions, wrote or adapted 15, and acted in 18. Productions directed included: Frankenstein, Deadman's Hat, Sweeney Todd, Plantation, Surviving Bluebeard, The Contract, Reynard Fox, Fen, The Snow Queen, The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Venus & Adonis, Romeo & Juliet, Uncle Vanya, A Doll's House, La Ronde, An Enemy of the People, Ubu Rules, Medea.
- 1988: director with Royal Shakespeare Company
Directed productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Keeping Tom Nice. Devised an anthology to represent the RSC in Japan.
- 1987: assistant director with Royal Shakespeare Company
Assistant to Deborah Warner, Terry Hands, Jonathan Miller, John Caird and Bill Alexander.
- 1983-1986: Deputy Artistic Director, National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
Directed 9 productions - a mixture of Shakespeare and new plays - and a variety of workshops with young actors.
- 1977-1983: Freelance actor and director
Two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, seasons at the Nottingham Playhouse, work with repertory companies around the country, a tour with the Royal Court and several leading television roles.
Films
- Caleb Williams Herbert Wise Claridge Films
- Thursday Dan Weldon Tallstories
Television
- By Common Consent Ron Daniels BBC
- Fast Hands Alan Clarke Thames TV
- The History Man Rob Knight BBC
- No Surrender Barry Davies BBC
- Trial & Retribution IV Michael Whyte La Plante Productions
- The Bill Brian Parker Pearson TV
- Office Gossip Francis Matthews BBC