Roy Alcorn (1953 - 1957) Honours degree in History

Outside of his studies Roy’s interest was drama and as a leading light in Dramsoc he both acted and directed. In the days when Queens Festival was merely a twinkle in someone’s eye November saw the main Drama Society production mounted in the Whitla Hall. As well as playing Othello Roy directed a modern dress ‘Coriolanus’, Shaw’s ‘St Joan’ Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and ‘King Lear’. He also worked in the Group Theatre and during the summer in Bangor’s Little Theatre which is where he met Jimmy Ellis.

He taught for a year in Ballyclare High School until invited by Jimmy Ellis to join the cast of ‘Over the Bridge’ which after six weeks in the Empire Theatre toured Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Brighton and finally the Shaftsbury Theatre in the West End. When he came back Ulster Television beckoned but after a year Roy decided he preferred teaching and directing plays. In Regent House he was the first to mount a school production of an American Musical (as opposed to Gilbert and Sullivan) when he put on ‘Annie Get Your Gun’. At Belfast Royal Academy he wrote his own musical version of ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ and his own adaptation of ‘The Orestian Trilogy’ with music by Keith Rogers.

He spent the last nineteen years of his career teaching English in Dalriada School Ballymoney producing a school play every year including a musical version of the story of Samson with music by the head girl and another musical adaptation of his own of ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’. In his leisure moments he also acted and directed for various amateur drama groups winning awards in both categories at Drama festivals round the province.

 

 

Back to list

 

 

 

 

Top of Page