Annette Badland becomes latest Old Rep Theatre patron - with pictures
Birmingham-born Olivier and SAD Award-nominated actress Annette Badland has been named the new patron of the Old Rep Theatre.
The Doctors veteran was presented with a dedicated seat plaque at the city venue to honour her career and achievements in the arts.
She has joined The Old Rep’s list of iconic patrons including Brian Cox, Toyah Willcox, June Brown and most recently Brian Blessed.
Welcomed at Stage Door by The Old Rep team, Annette was taken on a tour around the building to reminisce about her time here.
The star used to attend The Old Rep as a young girl and revealed she was an avid fan of attending Shakespeare plays here.
“The Old Rep was so important to me when I first fell in love with theatre and acting, so I’m utterly delighted, surprised and honoured to be a patron," the 69-year-old commented.
"I used to enjoy Shakespeare because of the feeling of a company which I enjoyed very much, and then I just found it a magical place to be so I used to just come whenever I could, I guess Shakespeare was my first love.”
Annette trained in acting at London’s East 15 Acting School and after drama school joined Sir Ian McKellen’s Actors’ Company before eventually moving on to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She is best known for her roles in Doctor Who, Cutting It and most recently Aunt Babe in long running soap opera EastEnders.
In 1993 she was nominated for an Olivier award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Jim Cartwright’s play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
For more information on events coming to The Old Rep Theatre and to buy tickets, click here.
