ROBIN GODDARD
Chester Mystery Plays Artistic Director 2008   A veteran of Chester Mystery Plays, Robin directed the highly-acclaimed 2003 production and while the cycle has also featured occasionally in his career in other ways, he has also performed in Chester's five-yearly production himself,
as Lucifer (1977), Christ (1982) and Noah (1997).

'The 2008 event will be simplicity of epic proportions,' he said. 'Building on the success of 2003, we will surpass those previous accomplishments, artistically and in every way. This cycle will be a new and different experience, an enriching one for everyone involved. The unifying effect of the plays is amazing. It will be a first rate entertainment with all the magic of theatre, and include plays omitted from 2003.

'The focus will be on the human drama, conflict and dilemmas of the plays, making them relevant to a 21st-century audience. The audience will be taken on an exciting journey during which they will be thrilled by the spectacle and scale of the production. In the open-air, this is a theatre experience without a theatre, everything has to be built from scratch and while it is another enormous challenge, the opportunities for all involved are equally enormous. Music, dance and circus skills will play a large part, while spectacle, surprise, colour and variety will be keynotes.'

Currently director for Flintshire Youth Theatre, Robin began his career in theatre while still studying drama, dance and English at Exeter University. During his time there he worked at the Northcott Theatre, for Westward Television and
Western Theatre Ballet.

Teaching theatre studies full-time in Cheshire, he also directed productions at residential drama courses at the Menai Centre, Anglesey, and was director of Cheshire Youth Theatre. He went freelance in 1996 as a director, writer, tutor and consultant in theatre arts. His numerous contracts for both English and Welsh companies and local authorities have included productions for royal visits, youth and community projects, and initiating and running a musical theatre course for Merseyside Dance and Drama College, Liverpool.

He wrote and directed Cheshire Tales, a musical history of the county first performed in Chester Cathedral in 2005. Other freelance work has included The King and I at Chester Gateway Theatre, Stone Windows, Ruddigore and Cider with Rosie at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, and he also writes, directs and runs summer schools and adult workshops on stagecraft and acting.