Tom Cocklin, 1979 - 2004
Tom Cocklin worked with BTS on a number of productions, including Hamlet and Twelfth Night in Dubai and at the Westminster Theatre 2001/2, and As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost and Twelfth Night on tour in 2001. He died in hospital after a car accident on Monday 8th November 2004, at the age of 25.
Tom was a highly intelligent and witty individual, and a exceedingly talented actor. He played a variety of very different roles with BTS, and his brilliance as a performer can be seen from their very diversity:
Sir Toby Belch
Twelfth Night 2001/2
Berowne Love's Labour's Lost 2001
Oliver / Amiens As You Like It 2001
He was a master at playing a crowd, but was consumately professional on stage, always putting the needs of the scene and his fellow actors above his own performance - performances which were always consistantly excellent. Tom never seemed to have an off night or forget lines, and he could ad lib with the best of them when others were not so lucky...
He was also a fine singer, an excellent verse speaker and an inspired comedian - as well as being a snappy dresser and lover of tea and cake!
He will be best remembered by BTS audiences for his superb Sir Toby Belch and powerful Claudius at the Westminster and in Dubai.
Time Out talked of "the delicious villainy behind Tom Cocklin's palm-rubbing Claudius" in Hamlet, and The Independent of him as a "fine verse speaker...brilliant in the part" as Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night.
Tom also worked extensively in pantomime and with children as a workshop leader. In his short life he touched thousands of people - a fact illustrated by the publication of his obituary in The Independent on the 25th November.
He will be sorely missed.
You can see several clips of Tom as Sir Toby Belch and Claudius in our promotional video - click here for dialup, here for broadband
