Jon was born in a small town outside Wigan in the north west of England, and grew up in the mining village of Golborne...not that far from the even smaller town of Osbaldeston. Wigan is in Greater Manchester, the postal address of the village he grew up in is Cheshire...but he comes from Lancashire...as does everyone born in Wigan! He attended Golborne Comprehensive School and later Leigh College: the only place he was allowed to take A Level Drama! Before deciding to become an actor, Jon wanted to be a radio presenter and in fact was a 'junior' presenter on the 'Hometime' slot on BBC Radio Manchester, where at the tender age of 14, he advised listeners not to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show if they were easily offended! After leaving school at 18, he moved to London and spent three years training at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Arts. At the time he graduated, it was still necessary to obtain an Equity card to work in theatre...and Jon was lucky enough to audition for a job at the Half Moon Theatre: a job that had an Equity card attached. The play was Poppy by Peter Nichols with music by Monty Norman, directed by Chris Bond. Jon played a variety of roles, including the front half of the pantomime horse Cherry.
Other less equine work includes: Guys and Dolls (Leicester Haymarket); Uncle Vanya (Co-Producers/Chester Gateway); The Rivals (Re:Creation Theatre); Promises Promises (Bridewell); and his particular triumph...appearing naked (some of the time), in the revival of Let Me People Come at London's Boulevard Theatre...the show that his mother still refers to as "the nude show". Thanks mum.
In the West End, Jon spent four years in Les Miserables: two, two year stints with a gap of five years in between, and was fortunate to also be part of the amazing cast for the 10th Anniversary Concert...and that shows his age. Other West End credits include: Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Fiddler on the Roof and the dubious distinction of one of London's biggest flops: Leonardo...or to give it the correct title: Leonardo The Musical: A Portrait of Love.
While appearing in Les Miserables, Jon met Jill Nalder, Linda Jarvis, Frances Fry and renowned Musical Director Jae Alexander. The five of them formed The WestEnders: the UK's internationally renowned musical theatre cabaret group...begun in the last century and still going strong today!
Other work in theatre includes several productions in Canada: Clown 2 in The 39 Steps, the Actor in The Woman in Black (both for Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects, for whom he also Directed the very funny award winning Canadian play Sexy Laundry); Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia (for Theatre New Brunswick); and two separate seasons playing Scrooge in a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol by George Pothitos, with music by Eric Rogers for Neptune Theatre in Nova Scotia. He was also delighted to be asked by actor/writer Bruce Gooch (Kipps in The Woman in Black), to play Pale Person in his coruscating new play Trashman's Dilemma, presented by New Fangled Stages at The Pearl Theatre. Also in Canada, Jon played Jonathan Nicholby in season 3 of Afghanada for CBC Radio.
Jon has also spends time writing, and his play Hard as Nails won First Prize at The London Writers Competition. It was then broadcast by Oneword Radio and given a US premiere by Moving Arts Theatre in Los Angeles, where it was directed by Paul Stein and was the Critics Pick in LA Weekly. With his creative partner and best pal, Felicity Duncan he co-wrote and co-created...and played half the characters...in The Adventures of PG Woodlouse for BBC Radio. The show also featured specially composed music and songs by Mark Caroll, and ran to 24 episodes and was broadcast in a cycle of encore series for five years. Jon has been especially fortunate to spend a lot of time working with Felicity Duncan: they were (respectively) the nighttime and daytime hosts/announcers on the UK speech digital station 'Oneword Radio'. Working in conjunction with Barbara Worthy and UK composer John Hogg, Jon adapted It's A Wonderful Life as an olde time radio play performed live on stage, and was delighted when the production featured as the Christmas show during the first season of the newly re-opened Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls.
Jon was awarded an International Scholarship to study on the Playwriting program at Texas Tech University, and worked there on his MFA under the guidance of Dr. Norman Bert. While studying at TTU, he also played Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes at The John Maegden Jnr Theater, for which he won a regional Best Actor Award...probably because he had the most authentic British accent...it certainly wasn't the tap dancing! Also at TTU, his play Eggs Are Off won the Script Raiders Competition and was produced in the studio theatre there.
Currently, Jon is working with The WestEnders, and has begin a project with Bruce Gooch, Lynn Vogt, Alexandra Pavlidou and Davydd Cook to seek and produce work in a new tri-national project, seeking to tour in Europe and north America.
But...like all actors/writers...he is always open to offers...
Other less equine work includes: Guys and Dolls (Leicester Haymarket); Uncle Vanya (Co-Producers/Chester Gateway); The Rivals (Re:Creation Theatre); Promises Promises (Bridewell); and his particular triumph...appearing naked (some of the time), in the revival of Let Me People Come at London's Boulevard Theatre...the show that his mother still refers to as "the nude show". Thanks mum.
In the West End, Jon spent four years in Les Miserables: two, two year stints with a gap of five years in between, and was fortunate to also be part of the amazing cast for the 10th Anniversary Concert...and that shows his age. Other West End credits include: Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Fiddler on the Roof and the dubious distinction of one of London's biggest flops: Leonardo...or to give it the correct title: Leonardo The Musical: A Portrait of Love.
While appearing in Les Miserables, Jon met Jill Nalder, Linda Jarvis, Frances Fry and renowned Musical Director Jae Alexander. The five of them formed The WestEnders: the UK's internationally renowned musical theatre cabaret group...begun in the last century and still going strong today!
Other work in theatre includes several productions in Canada: Clown 2 in The 39 Steps, the Actor in The Woman in Black (both for Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects, for whom he also Directed the very funny award winning Canadian play Sexy Laundry); Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia (for Theatre New Brunswick); and two separate seasons playing Scrooge in a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol by George Pothitos, with music by Eric Rogers for Neptune Theatre in Nova Scotia. He was also delighted to be asked by actor/writer Bruce Gooch (Kipps in The Woman in Black), to play Pale Person in his coruscating new play Trashman's Dilemma, presented by New Fangled Stages at The Pearl Theatre. Also in Canada, Jon played Jonathan Nicholby in season 3 of Afghanada for CBC Radio.
Jon has also spends time writing, and his play Hard as Nails won First Prize at The London Writers Competition. It was then broadcast by Oneword Radio and given a US premiere by Moving Arts Theatre in Los Angeles, where it was directed by Paul Stein and was the Critics Pick in LA Weekly. With his creative partner and best pal, Felicity Duncan he co-wrote and co-created...and played half the characters...in The Adventures of PG Woodlouse for BBC Radio. The show also featured specially composed music and songs by Mark Caroll, and ran to 24 episodes and was broadcast in a cycle of encore series for five years. Jon has been especially fortunate to spend a lot of time working with Felicity Duncan: they were (respectively) the nighttime and daytime hosts/announcers on the UK speech digital station 'Oneword Radio'. Working in conjunction with Barbara Worthy and UK composer John Hogg, Jon adapted It's A Wonderful Life as an olde time radio play performed live on stage, and was delighted when the production featured as the Christmas show during the first season of the newly re-opened Seneca Queen Theatre in Niagara Falls.
Jon was awarded an International Scholarship to study on the Playwriting program at Texas Tech University, and worked there on his MFA under the guidance of Dr. Norman Bert. While studying at TTU, he also played Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes at The John Maegden Jnr Theater, for which he won a regional Best Actor Award...probably because he had the most authentic British accent...it certainly wasn't the tap dancing! Also at TTU, his play Eggs Are Off won the Script Raiders Competition and was produced in the studio theatre there.
Currently, Jon is working with The WestEnders, and has begin a project with Bruce Gooch, Lynn Vogt, Alexandra Pavlidou and Davydd Cook to seek and produce work in a new tri-national project, seeking to tour in Europe and north America.
But...like all actors/writers...he is always open to offers...