Yesterday Tim and I traveled to Lancaster for the second in this years round of Graduation Ceremonies. This time it was to see Jon graduate with a BA in Theatre Studies.
Jon has always been the family entertainer, as a young child he could memorise not just adverts, but entire TV programmes and recite them back to us complete with impersonations!
Family dinner times have never been boring with Jon around, as he ably manages to tease everyone, without ( somewhat miraculously) causing offense!
That said Jon did not discover his real talent for acting until he was 16, when he landed the lead role in an adaption of Terry Pratchett's Night-Watch. That kicked off a passion in Jon and although he did not study Theatre Studies at GCSE he decided to apply for a place on the A'level course and was readily accepted. Since that point he has played roles as varied as Toad in Toad of Toad Hall ( adapted from Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willow's) to Othello. The later was played in his second year at University, and it was during that performance that Tim remarked that he had stopped watching Jon and started watching Shakespeare!
I chose the photo above because although Jon will tell you he is arrogant I believe that the truth is far from it, he is not concerned with being "the star" and is willing to put in every effort to help others, he is also willing to take a back seat and accept a more minor part in a play and he sees and appreciates talent in others. That said, he loves to take the lead, and is very able to do so! His talents are wide ranging and much of his degree has been concerned with physical and adaptive theatre. Next year he and some friends will continue at Lancaster to complete an MA whilst setting up their own Company "Sticky Tape". The University will aid and support them in this.
Jon is hard working and fun loving, yesterday was a wonderful celebration, especially when we consider that we almost lost him to mis-diagnosed diabetes when he was twelve, Tim and I had both taken him to the doctor the week before and were told he had a stomach bug, we left him with my parents and went away for a weekend and he deteriorated rapidly, they got him to their GP who called for the air ambulance. It is with thanks to the swift responses of the staff at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford that we still have Jon with us, and for that we are very thankful!
A more Jon like pose!
