All about Alan Spence.
Alan was born in Middlesbrough and brought up in South Bank in Eston Urban District, an area full of shipyards, steelworks and yes chemical industries. This was the age of 'children were seen and not heard. Which probably explains the haircut.
Alan failed the 11+, unlike brother Peter and sister Janice, and as a very unhappy adult in the world of work had to take on a range of industrial disguises... As a shipyard welder, a maintenance man at South Bank Coke Ovens, a student nurse at St James Infirmary in Leeds and tele-sales advertising for Thompson Magazines. He even worked in a man’s clothes shop, for a whole morning. But Alan had already fallen in love with film and music by singing in a church choir and a local boy's club, who got him to play football, the drums and fostered his newfound passion for Drama and Theatre.
It wasn't till 1980 that Alan was able to put his dreams into reality, with redundancy from British Steel and going college to study Drama and History and become a teacher. Despite failing the 11+, Alan was the first and only member of his family to go to university and then went on to gain a Master's Degree in Film and Television Studies at the Institute of Education, London University.
In 1991 Alan became a Head of Drama in North London and spent nine happy years teaching, doing school productions and bringing many theatre practitioners to the school. He was also a GCSE and A Level examiner for Drama and Media Studies and still found time to raise money for charity and sit on the board of Face Front Inclusive Theatre company based in Edmonton, North London.
In 2009, Alan achieved a long-held ambition by starting his own theatre company Theatre is real life and did regular productions in his native North East, before his final production in 2016 at the Dugdale Centre, Enfield, North London. And even appeared on London Live talking about the My Name is Tom project.
With less and less monies available for developing companies, Alan took the decision to close in 2018 and focus on my writing. He continued to develop his practice and attended writing courses at every opportunity, meeting some great people like the class of 18/19.
Alan joined the Writers Guild of Great Britain and have served on the Theatre Committee since 2018, here celebrating the winners of the Olwen Whymark Awards 2019 for their support of new and developing writers.
In 2021 Alan moved from North London to Eastbourne and he feels so blessed. He has started teaching again and found an artistic community to continue with his passions of theatre, music and much more at the Printers Playhouse.
Alan has even found time to publish two books and he has a third book to be published in Spring 2025. Alan has also rejoined the National Association of Writers in Education and National Drama and has also recently joined the Society of Authors.
Why...SIR, CAN WE BE 3?
There can't be a teacher anywhere, who having instructed the Drama class to find a partner and to try working with someone different. Before long the un- assuming, perhaps less confident child, is sidling to you with their hand up..."Sir, Can we be a 3"?
"Would you like to work with me"? I suggest trying to be helpful. Some will happily smile and say...yes!! For others, it was obviously the wrong answer, their eyes say it all. Yes of course you can I say, thank you for asking. And they run off rather relieved...to join their friends.
