Care Takers
Written and directed By Billy Cowan

Those who care, aren’t the ones who stay.

Ms Lawson, a new teacher at St Margaret’s High School, believes Jamie Harrow is being bullied because he’s gay. She wants to help but Mrs Rutter, the Deputy Head, thinks it will sort itself out. Is she speaking from experience or is there something more unsavoury about her unwillingness to help?

A gripping and powerful new drama about homophobia and complacency within the staffroom of a school.

Care Takers was produced by Truant Company with funding from The Arts Council and The National Lottery. It was also made possible by the generous help and support of Oldham Coliseum, M6 Theatre Company, Peggy Ramsay Foundation, Salford University and The Stockport Garrick. In particular Truant would like to thank Kevin Shaw, Dot Wood, Lisa Moore, Mary and Martin Pritchard, Punam Ramchurn, Muriel Gott and Simon De Courcey at Falinge High, Rochdale.

Cast

Penny McDonald (Mrs Rutter)
Penny’s acting career began at the Bolton Octagon where she played a number of Shakespeare’s heroines as well as roles in plays by Ayckbourn, Rattigan, Whelan, Miller, Shaw, Priestley. Other theatre work includes Mike Harding’s ‘Hell Bent’ (Century Theatre), ‘Daisy Pulls it Off’ (Manchester Library Theatre), ‘Me And My Girl’, ‘Aspects of Love’ and ‘Girls’ Night Out’ (Palace Theatre, Westcliff) and ‘One For The Road’ (Jersey Arts Centre). London work includes ‘Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against The Eunuchs’ (Boulevard Theatre), ‘Top Dogs’ (Truman Centre), Bitchkiss’ (BAC), ‘The Possibilities’ (The Finborough) and ‘Abigail’s Party’ (Central Station). More recently she toured in ‘The Shadow Box’ with her own company, 5th House Productions and over Christmas she terrorised small children in the role of Maldemort in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at Winchester Theatre Royal.

Annamarie Bayley (Ms Lawson)
Annamarie Graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2007, theatre credits include: Now Breath Out for Breath Out Theatre Company at Studio Salford, Under the Dirt for Trickster Theatre Company at The Lowry, Lady Macbeth in Salford Macbeth for The Lowry.

Stage manager/Technician - Dan Powers
Residing just outside Manchester, Dan has worked in the theatre since 2003. An interest in site-specific events, touring productions and physical theatre has led to projects with companies as diverse as M6 Theatre Company, IOU, Spiral Dance and The Silver Hammer. A music producer and engineer, Dan can usually be found locked in his basement studio through his own volition.

Music - Jamie Summers
Summers is a Jamie of all trades. He lives and works in Manchester as an artist and is a regular collaborator with Truant Company having created animation for ‘Daddy’, designed and built the set and made a shrine to Susan Sarandon for ‘Stigmata’, and designed Truant’s website and promotional materials. Primarily Jamie is a visual artist. His painted, drawn and screenprinted works are towards a figurative abstract style. Recently he showed at the
‘In the Bag’ Exhibition 2008 at Sale Waterside Arts Centre. www.jamiesummers.co.uk