Jo Taylor Jo TaylorJo's career in MUGSS had an auspicious start, joining by mistake after failing to find the drama society. Rumour has it that she joined the Society with the serious intention of acting. Six years later she has forgotten what the word means but has learned the vital skills of party costume making, MUGSS holiday organisation and elementary DIY for those post-party-broken-house traumas.
Ruddigore saw Jo gingerly dip her toes into the Coarse Acting waters. Video footage, however, reveals her potential - for example, making herself conspicuous by the simple feat of being the tallest person in the female chorus. She built upon these well-laid foundations the following year, reaching the dizzy heights of being exactly one beat behind the rest of the chorus in the opening dance routine. To her success she attributed her many years of training in gymnastics, classical dance and the military.
The year 1996-7 was also the first year that Jo was seen to buy a round in Harry's Bar. She stenuously denies that this is in any way connected to the fact that she was the Society Treasurer that year.
As director of "The Sorcerer", Jo cruelly exploited her position of power to demand a nude scene of her tenor soloist, insist that a hot lesbian action love scene was essential to the plot and write in a rainstorm so that she could indulge her penchant for slightly damp half naked young men. It is also suspicious that many of the society's fit young men appeared on stage in tight breeches and large boots that year. When questioned about her motives for such displays Jo insisted that they were purely for dramatic import and vital for character development.
After her directorial triumph in command of The Sorcerer, Jo returned to MUGSS in the capacity of Ticket Manager. The aftermath of the show saw her incarcerated in a padded cell but she would like to assure the three people who will ever read this that she is now completely cured.
Jo has recently completed her costume making frenzy for MUGSS' 50th show: The Yeomen of the Guard. She initially volunteered for the job on the understanding that she would be able to indulge her fetishes for corsets, farthingales, and hat making on a grand scale. Several sewing machines later she hopes never to see a carpet tile again as long as she lives. She is, however, pleased to hold the distinction of being the first MUGSS costume manager ever to need tin snips, a drill, welding equipment and a saw to manufacture the female chorus' costumes.
Jo would like to sincerely apologise for inflicting Neville the Animatronic Sheep on the world.
Jo can be contacted on jo_taylor@bigfoot.com.
Current location: Manchester
Currently doing: Flitting from MUGSS house to MUGSS house and muttering about buying her own one day
Ambitions: To become president of the world. (Jo's ambition was to become Deified God Emperor of the universe in perpetuity but she decided that this was a little on the ambitious side.)