Jill Payne
Jill's first appearance for RDG was as the Grandmother in Billy! in 1998.
She went on to play Feste in Twelfth Night and Mrs Drudge in Real Inspector Hound, The. The whole group was delighted when she won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2003 Woking Drama Festival for her performance as Cissy in Losers. She was a key member of the cast of the Festival-winning productions of The Allotment and States of Shock. She made a wonderfully drink-sodden Mammy in The Cripple of Inishmaan, a role in direct contrast to her next appearance as Poncia in our award-winning The House of Bernarda Alba. When not cast Jill is ever ready to contribute to a production in so many ways~ notably as wardrobe mistress, house manager or in the prompt corner. In 2012 her period costuming added enormously to our production of Making History. Later that year she gave a delightful cameo appearance on our popular version of Calendar Girls. Her most recent appearance was as one of the Dames of Theatre in The Beggar'sOpera. Although failing health prevented her from appearing onstage again she remained keenly interested in RDG. After a lifetime interest in the theatre Jill sadly died at the end of 2024,