This is the first of a regular monthly feature in which we profile members of the

  Burton Joyce Players. ‘Victims’ are chosen at random and this month’s Player of the

 Month is Jane Murray.

Jane was born in Nottingham, but left when she was  20 to go for a bit of a walk-about moving to Jersey, London, Deal, Leighton Buzzard then back to London  (they never did catch up with her!)

Jane had been very involved in all things theatrical at her secondary school and she particularly remembers playing the title role of Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. She first stepped onto the adult stage with the Leighton Buzzard Masqueraders in their production of Calamity Jane – but this time she didn’t get the title role.

Jane returned to Nottingham when she was 30 and spent a few years with what was then the Co-op Arts, now the Nottingham Arts Theatre. She considered her best role to be that of Lady Mary in J.M. Barrie’s The Admirable Crichton in which she moans

“Who is to put us to bed, and who is to get us up, and how shall we ever know it's morning if there is no one to pull up the blinds?”

  Jane loves musicals, and in one of the Masqueraders productions she was asked to pick any song from any show. She chose “Another suitcase in another hall” from Evita. Could this be something to do with her travels during her 20’s.

Jane’s first appearance with the BJ Players was in 1997 as Miss Blanche Meadows in Autumn Manoeuvres. This was the start of a very busy period during which Jane was involved in 4 of the next 5 productions.

She played Bell-Bell in Bazaar & Rummage (1997) and the Jumbly Girl in The Owl and the Pussycat (1998).

Her favourite role with the Players to date was as Annelle in the 1998 production of Steel Magnolias.

Jane’s last appearance for the Players during this spell was in 1999 as Dorothy in Peter Gordon’s spoof thriller, Murdered to Death.

The adjudicator said of her performance:-

“She handled well her tears and reactions to being thought a killer...her warm affection for Charles and irritation at the Inspector for not listening to her. My only criticism is over the modern relaxed way of sitting – she would have been taught deportment”.  Tut, tut Jane.

After a gap of ten years, Jane returned as Tanya Mason

“No need to stand, precious. Just treat me like you would any other international star”.

Jane says that “making people laugh” is what gives her the most enjoyment from her involvement in amateur theatre, and she should get the chance in October to do just that when she appears in Stepping Out.

You’ve been a long time away, Jane – it’s nice to see you back.