North East actor David Whitaker suffered a massive stroke during the interval of a performace of the Live Theatre / Soho Theatre production Utopia at the Soho Theatre in July 2012.
Since then, after being treated at University College Hospital in London, the RVI in Newcastle and then at Newcastle General Hospital, he has been unable to speak and has very limited movement, being paralysed down the right-hand side of his body, and has been living in a care home.
Intensive therapy sessions, not available on the NHS, are essential to enable him to regain some quality of life and his family, friends and colleagues have been fundraising to enable this therapy to continue.
Now Pit-Pop folkrock & brass band DENNIS has recorded a fundraising track Third Time Around with many of his friends and family, the sales and royalties of which will be donated to his therapy. The track will be launched at an event at Live Theatre with a spectacular and eclectic lineup of entertainment from DENNIS, Jane Wade and Donald McBride. Event tickets will be exchanged on entry for the Third Time Around CD.
Tickets for the event, which takes place at 7PM on Saturday 15 March, are £7 and are available from Live Theatre.
David Whitaker was a founder member of Live Theatre and has had a long career which has included work with the RSC, film and TV. He was one of the original cast of The Pitmen Painters, performing in Newcastle, at the National Theatre, on two national tours, on Broadway and in the West End.