Salford Star Awards
Best Performer
Brian Gorman
What a year it has been for Salford's creatives. Our poets, comics and performers provided us with a wide range of top quality shows. Topics including fandom, conspiracy theories, girl bands and wheelie bins were amongst the subjects that provided inspiration. It was going to take something very special to grab the Salford Star Best Performer Award.
It has been one hell of year for Brian Gorman. His classy Joy Division play New Dawn Fades returned and was accompanied by the long awaited graphic novel. Brian also wrote and performed an 'off-the-wall' show at The Fringe titled One Man Bond, which was executed with the style and panache of Roger Moore, Daniel Craig or Sean Connery... Actually, it was done with a little of all of the aforementioned and quite a few others...
One Man Bond was a premise that sounded impossible to deliver. Brian elected to perform every single Bond film, on his own and in one hour! During his performance at the Kings Arms, Brian juggled plots and impersonated hatful of iconic film characters. It proved to be a triumph and was very popular with our readers.
So, Brian, how does it feel to win Salford Star Best Performer Award?
"It feels absolutely incredible. I am genuinely gobsmacked! There are a lot of wonderful people I know performing in the Salford and Manchester area, and I was well chuffed to even be nominated. One Man Bond was a big risk, as I had no idea if I could cram 24 Bond movies into an hour, let alone play around 150 characters. It's also the most exhausting show I've ever been in! I am especially pleased that this is an award from the Salford Star, as I bloody love what you do, and how you do it."
What has been your highlight from 2018?
"My highlight from 2018 would have to be the nightly standing ovations for the fifth year of NEW DAWN FADES: A Play about Joy Division & Manchester at The Dancehouse Theatre, directed by Emma Bird. We started in 2013, with an audience of just 30 people, upstairs at The Lass O'Gowrie pub, but we've grown and grown. We still have the core people we had from day one, and they are all stars. The graphic novel came out around November, from Invisible Six Books, and is already on its third print run. Add One Man Bond into the mix, and it's been my busiest year yet, and now an award!"
What does 2019 have in store?
"2019 sees me touring with a talk/Q&A/signing of the New Dawn Fades graphic novel. There's also another UK tour of One Man Bond, and my new graphic novel, ANIMUS is due out in the spring. Written by S M Worsey, and drawn by me, it's a mix of Watership Down and The Expendables! My producer, Giles Bastow, and myself are also planning more performances of New Dawn Fades, and we have European dates in our sights.
"I have also been invited to tour One Man Bond, and my earlier stage play EVERYMAN: A Celebration of Patrick McGoohan and The Prisoner to the USA and Canada, which is a huge challenge, particularly as I have never flown! I also have another stage play to write, about a major UK artist; a top secret project for the moment. And I really must get my play TUXEDO WARRIOR: The Story of Cliff Twemlow - The King of Manchester Exploitation Movies on stage. I am never bored!"
This year's winner masterfully delivered a sublime and ambitious concept. Congratulations to Brian Gorman on a great show and an incredibly productive year.
If you missed out last year, keep your eyes and ears open in 2019.
Words by Ian Leslie
Main photo shows Brian Gorman receiving his award from Ian Leslie
Photos by Michelle Leslie
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