Ken Spinks

Ken Spinks Joined the Settlement Players circa 1928 and has credits spanning nearly 50 years. Ken was involved in around 80 productions, directing around 50 of those.
At the Settlement, Ken and Gwen Spinks have a craft room named after them, opened in 1975 to acknowledge their heavy involvement with The Settlement Players. In the 25th Little Theatre Drama Festival in 1987, new stage curtains were dedicated to the memory of Ken and Gwen Spinks. Ken first became involved in The Settlement as a tutor to village courses in drama and mime. A portrait of the Spinks can be found in the Spinks Room.

ken and gwen spinks
Acting Credits

Michael Dara in The Shadow of the Glen; The Rising of the Moon; The Workhouse Ward, December 1928
John Hunter in Father Noah; Mary Stuart, April 1929
Nicola in Arms and the Man, November 1929
General Burgyone in The Devil’s Disciple, February 1933
Churdles Ash in The Farmers Wife, April 1934
Huddle in The Young Idea, November/December 1934
Ensemble in Twelfth Night, February/March 1935
George Growsell in Barnet’s Folly, May 1936
Unnamed Role in The Insect Play, November 1936
Attendant/Guard in Solomon’s Folly, February 1937
Minister for Foreign Affairs in Lady Precious Stream , May 1937
Rodney Martin in It Pays to Advertise, November 1937
Satan in Gods Jailer, May 1938
Sir Charles Marlow in She Stoops to Conquer , November 1938
Villager in The Red Velvet Goat, February 1939
Officer in Arms and the Man, December 1940
Major Fothergill in The Fourth Wall, April 1939
Pygmalion in Call to Kenilworth; Celestial Meeting; The Sword is Double Edged, February 1940
Cast in Playboy of The Western World, 1941
Attendant in Tobias and the Angel, May 1942
Mummer in Mimes and One Act Play, June 1942
Major Whitred in Death takes a Holiday, November 1942
Peachum in The Beggars Opera, July 1943
Ensemble in Caesar and Cleopatra, October 1944
Cast in 1066 and all That, December 1945
The Shepherd in Mute Swan, June 1947
Mgr. de la Tremouille in St Joan, December 1947
Grigory Steanovitch Smernov in The Bear, April 1948
Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal, December 1948
Lord Wriothesley, Lord Chancellor in The Queen who kept her Head, November 1949
Cast in 1066 and All That, 1951
The Old Spinx in The Caliph’s Cure, December 1952
Thomas in The Admirable Crichton, November 1954
Dr. Chambers in The Barretts of Wimpole Street, October 1955
Hebble Tyson in The Lady’s not for burning, November 1956
Ensemble in Androcles and the Lion, June 1957
Ensemble in Sweeney Todd, May 1958
Francis Nurse in The Crucible, November 1958
General Burgyone in The Devil’s Disciple, May 1959
Waiter in The Senora; Merry-Go-Round; This is Impossible, January 1960
Prompt in The Senora; Merry-Go-Round; This is Impossible, January 1960
Gaston/Villager in Three One Act Plays, October 1960
Ensemble in An Italian straw hat, May 1961
Zeus/Chairman in Without Rhyme or Reason, December 1962
Courtier in Great Catherine (acts 1, 2 and 4), Festivals April 1968

Technical Credits

Director / Producer
The Devil’s Disciple, February 1933
Pygmalion, November 1933
The Farmers Wife, April 1934
You Never Can Tell, February 1934
The Young Idea, November/December 1934
Twelfth Night, February/March 1935
Major Barbara, November 1935
The Late Christopher Bean, February 1936
The Insect Play, November 1936
The Lady Precious Stream , 1937
It Pays to Advertise, November 1937
The Man Who Wouldn’t go to Heaven, February 1938
She Stoops to Conquer , November 1938
Solomon’s Folly, May 1939
The Red Velvet Goat, Festivals 1939
The Sister who Walked in Silence; One Evening at Nero’s, February 1940
The Cloak; Ali The Cobbler, April 1940
Call to Kenilworth, June 1940
Its Autumn Now; Back to Adam; Midsummer Nights Dream, February 1941
Too good to be true, 1941
Playboy of The Western World
Tobias and the Angel, May 1942
Death takes a Holiday, November 1942
The Beggars Opera, July 1943
Marry Go Round, November 1943
Caesar and Cleopatra, October 1944
1066 and all That, December 1945
Outward Bound, May 1946
St Joan, December 1947
Mute Swan, June 1947
The School for Scandal, December 1948
The Dover road, April 1949
1066 and All That, 1951
Man and Superman, 1952
One Act Plays and Mimes, 1953
Two Plays by G B Shaw, November 1953
Cats of Egypt, July 1953
Back to Methuselah (excerpt), 1954
The Admirable Crichton, November 1954
The Spartan Girl, May 1955
The Ring Game, May 1956
The Importance of being Earnest, March 1957
Androcles and the Lion, June 1957
The Devil’s Disciple, May 1959
The Senora; Merry-Go-Round; This is Impossible, January 1960
Three One Act Plays, October 1960
An Italian straw hat, May 1961
She passed through Lorraine, November 1961
Romanoff and Juliet, November 1964

Stage Manager
As You Like It, October 1932
Mr Pim Passes By, April 1945
A Dream of John Bull, November 1969
A Letter from the General, January 1970
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, February 1971
The Taming of the Shrew , November 1973

Assistant Stage Manager
Nine Till Six, April 1938
Arms and the Man, November 1976

Staging
Dear Brutus, November 1946
Ambrose Applejohn’s Adventure, December 1946

Set Design
The Spartan Girl, May 1955
Lord Arthur Savile’s crime, May 1967
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime (act 2), June 1967
Breath of Spring , February 1974

Stage Décor
Waters of the Moon, February 1966