Too True To Be Good & Major Barbara

"Stephen Chance�s Tallboys and Paul Thomas�s Meek were drawn with clarity and elegance, underlining the stupidity of the former and the authority of the latter.
For me Paul Thomas gave an equally inspired and intelligent comic performance in his portrayal of the �foundling� Adolphus Cusins in Major Barbara."
Anne Wright, The Shavian

One Festival: Bollocks!

"Although Bollocks! also touches on grief, it is more an exploration of identity than it is an unhappy piece. Danny (Paul Thomas) revisits the past in a rambling, drunken conversation with a friend who isn't there anymore, finally making good on an old promise. Thomas bounds about the stage, pausing every so often as a memory catches up with his character and his eyes threaten to mist over. As you would expect from Mike Carter, the dialogue is well written and very natural. Director Saffron Myers captures both the comedy and the tragedy of Carter's script."
Views From The Gods

The Collective Project: Genres

"Jayne Edwards' cool delivery and Paul Thomas's pathetic whining are especially polished and humorous."
Views From The Gods

"the Pensive Federation have produced a consistently high standard to their body of work in a short period of time"
Michael Davis, Female Arts

The Complete History of the BBC (Abridged)

"she is ably partnered by a new actor who (in the best Doctor Who tradition) is regenerated into the bouncing and eager form of Paul Thomas."
Lawrence Lettice, East Coast FM

"When we were greeted as we went in by Terence [Paul Thomas], looking very dapper in his dinner suit and ad-libbing about his Dr Who lunch box in perfect Received Pronunciation, I knew we were going to be in for a comedic treat."
"Both actors in this two-hander were totally believable in their roles and there was a real connection between them on-stage. The dialogue itself was utterly sublime with a great balance of comedy and pathos."
Susan Omand, The Cult Den

"He has an unconventional charisma, being so weird that even his bad jokes ... become hilarious, if only for the way he tells them."
Harrison Kelly, A Younger Theatre

"The snivelling Terrance's obsession with the BBC is hilarious to watch and the idea of the whole show taking place in his garden shed makes the show even more amusing as if he is holding a dark secret from the world outside. His eccentricity is certain balanced out by Cavanagh's constant reality checks, bringing the cute old man back to his senses when he suddenly begins waffling over subjects such as Blue Peter or The Shipping Forecast." **** (4 Stars)
Liam Blain, British Theatre Guide

"While Terence is constant in his desperate enthusiasm for the Grand History of the BBC, Ingrid has more the tone of a school teacher and provides a more down-to-earth version of events, cracking jokes which elicit a scowl from Terence and a giggle from the audience."
Jenni Ajderian, Broadway Baby

Twelfth Night, The Festival Players

"This was Shakespeare staged with a vital spark - keeping a reverence for the language, while performing the comedy with a real sense of freedom."
"At points the fourth wall was shattered - including Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Paul Thomas) taking his hobby horse out into the audience to search for a sugar cube - giving, if I�m not being too fanciful, a glimpse of the knockabout atmosphere of the Elizabethan stage."
"Bolstered by other notable turns including Paul Thomas� fey and affected Aguecheek"
Will Ramsey, The Stage

"The ease with which Portacio and Thomas worked together as drunken rogues could not fail to amuse. The scene where Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Feste bait Malvolio with a letter supposedly declaring Olivia�s love for him, was particularly well-executed with superb comic timing."
Yvonne Couch, Daily Info, Oxford

"Paul Thomas as a delightfully foppish and cowardly Sir Andrew Aguecheek. This was a superb open-air production"
Donald Hollins, Gloucestershire Echo.

Winter Tales: Basement

"Basement is the most gripping performance of the evening, set in total darkness in, you guessed it, the basement, it instils fear from the moment you�re led behind the bar and into the working cellar of the premises. As the robbers creep in, the tension mounts, and I crept further and further up my bench, away from the ominous, black-sheeted doorway hovering over me... and oh, what a wise move it turned out to be."
"Despite their 20-minute chunks, these performances created some of the most electrifying drama I�ve seen all year."
"Head off to the West End for your Christmas kicks if you must, but for a quarter of the price you can get all the thrills you cherish down this Bloomsbury local and never have to wait for a drink at the bar. If you want to see theatre as it's born, in its' shimmering, delicious infancy, snuggle into the Kings Arms pub and let the words flow over you... just don�t go down to the basement alone. "
Richard J Thornton, EXTRA! EXTRA!

"I must also congratulate the company on the ghost story �Basement�, which was wonderfully immersive and had us all on a knife edge. At one point I was so terrified that I accidentally leapt onto a stranger�s lap (being pitch dark I don�t know whose lap it was I ended up on... possibly Darren�s)"
Tilly Michell, A Younger Theatre.

"Special mention to the piece �Basement� as it literally caused me to almost jump into my fellow patrons lap with fright at one point. The on hand guides, are quick to point out each time a group is about to go down to the basement that if anyone doesn�t like small cramped dark places then they can sit that show out and have a drink at the bar instead. I laughed at my partner�s paltry determination to stay upstairs at the bar, but by the time I came out of the basement I had to acknowledge that he would probably have jumped and run for the stairs before we�d even reached half way through the story."
"This was an enjoyable night out for some great stories told by firelight and candles. It is the sort of thing that you should take a group of friends to, gather tightly around each other while sampling the complimentary mulled wine and mince pies, and collectively shiver and shriek as the tales unfold, then spend the rest of the night talking about the show and enjoying the spoils of the bar."
Toni Stott-Rates, The Public Reviews

The Merchant of Venice

"Paul Thomas finding more infectious humour in Portia�s lady in waiting Nerissa"
"another Festival Players success."
Jeremy Brien, The Stage

"The relationship between an impressive Portia and mischievous Nerissa - Matthew Barksby and Paul Thomas - was delightful."
"When I look back on this wash-out of a summer, one evening will stand out in my memory - for all the right reasons."
Avril Silk, Somerset County Gazette.

"played by five young and extremely talented actors who cleverly adapted to whichever role they were playing."
"Tom Giles and Paul Thomas harmonised well together"
"a good evening of travelling theatre by a hard-working and well-spoken team of young actors."
Donald Hollins, Stroud News & Journal.

"Outdoor Shakespeare at its best"
"slick performance"
"For Paul Thomas' Lancelot Gobbo a mop became the tool for self-consideration and then a weapon for fun making when his blind father arrived on stage."
"The Festival Players Theatre Company production of The Merchant of Venice gave us exactly what outdoor Shakespeare should provide - it was funny, well paced, professional and most importantly of all entertaining." ***** (5 Stars)
Lauren Witts, RemoteGoat.co.uk.

"Crackerjack rating: 9 / 10."
"fab performance by the sparkling and accomplished cast"
"sharply and accurately delivered"
"a bustling, all-male production"
"very well worth a visit"
Jo Barber, Crackerjack Gloucestershire.

As You Like It

"Paul Thomas managed to leap from the most arch of French courtiers bristling with hauteur to the engaging junior shepherd Silvius whose almost hopeless love for the Ganymede-obsessed Phebe (Trudi Jackson) was the most touching part of the production."
Roderick Swanston, Online Review London

"Michael Sergeant's production at The Courtyard benefits from a strong cast that sees the lesser roles often outshine the main characters."
Dawn King, Camden New Journal

"a cast that is exceptionally good at reading Shakespeare's verse with conviction" **** (4 Stars)
Michael Darvell, What's On

Much Ado About Nothing

"a strong supporting cast"
John Thaxter, The Stage

DSL Showcase (The Dice House)

"Paul Thomas as Matthew added another enjoyable off-kilter personality"
Derek Smith, The Stage