All About Our Compere

Alis Ballance is our compere for *Moffat Book Events'* Jeans or Genes? on Sat 15th Oct 2011 9.30pm-6pm. Alis says:

I live in Moffat with my husband, Chris, and we have two wee boys, Calum
(5) and Ossian (2).

I taught languages in my twenties then got my Equity card and went into
professional acting when I reached thirty. I have been a green campaigner
throughout, having 'gone green' at the age of fifteen, despite being the
daughter of a very Tory farmer and very Tory doctor!

If I could have been born in Moffat, I would be content, because Moffat is
the place I feel at home, and I am really chuffed that at least my boys are
going to be local Moffat boys. However, I grew up, and very happily, on a
farm in Aberdeenshire, where I had a lot of freedom, cycling and running
around the countryside, climbing trees and putting on plays with my friends
to any captive audience.

Reading was really important to me - I can't imagine my childhood without
stories. My favourite book was 'The Bullerby Children' which was all about a
little girl on a farm in Sweden. So there was just enough I could recognise
in her life to relate to, but also there were lots of intriguing
differences, such as Swedish customs, plus she had two brothers, while I was
an only child. Enid Blyton books were a full-on addiction, especially the
Famous Five and the Big Adventure books.

But it wasn't just stories in books that I loved; I loved listening to
story-tellers, and going to the theatre and to the opera from an early age.
Although in some ways I was quite shy, I always enjoyed being the narrator
or acting in plays from an early age - I continue to be fascinated to become
someone else for a while when playing a role, to know how it feels to be
someone else. It is really only as I have got older and had my children that
I've started to be a bit more confident just being myself and not playing
someone else.

As I seem to spend all my time campaigning these days, I really enjoy when
I get the chance to work in story-telling and performing again, so am
delighted to be involved with Moffat Book Events once more, having done a
reading for them at their Miss Buncle Married event back in the Spring.
Moffat Book Events have a flair for offering very special and creative
events locally."