Acting Lecturer Owain enjoys sell out shows and Channel 4 News coverage

A play directed by a University of Northampton Lecturer could return to the capital after its initial run sold out.

Lecturer in Acting and Drama, Owain Rose, drew praise from critics for his direction of celebrated contemporary historian and playwright Francis Beckett’s A Modest Little Man.

The show, pictured, which offers an affectionate portrayal of former prime minister, Clement Attlee, was a complete sell out when it debuted at the Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham, over 11 days in January.

A review from the Morning Star, stated: “Despite limited resources, Owain Rose directs with sensitivity and skill and injects energy into a play that serves to educate, entertain and remind us of the possible.”

The play was also featured in a Channel 4 News segment, which saw Mr Beckett quizzed on the possibility of a second Brexit referendum.

Owain said: “I acted in a play for Francis Beckett a few years ago and he came to me to direct this piece for him, knowing that I am an Acting lecturer here at the University of Northampton. A Modest Little Man seems to have hit a bit of a zeitgeist and went down well with the audiences – and we are now hoping to revive the piece in a venue in central or north London.”

Owain’s colleague, Acting Programme Leader, Chris Burdett, said: “It is fantastic that our students are being taught be people who are still able to work in the professional industry, and Owain has done a fantastic job with this play. Well done Owain!”