Play and Script Writer
He studied Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham. On graduation he founded a theatre co-operative in Coventry called Tic Toc, and wrote over 15 political plays. The company eventually received funding from West Midlands Arts and the Arts Council of Britain. It was also funded by the company becoming a major promoter at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, promoting and hosting acts such as Julian Clary, Harry Enfield and Mike Myers.
His most successful play was Hooligans which won a Fringe First at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It also won the Perrier Pick of The Fringe. This play was subsequently adapted by Yorkshire Television, and Gaunt began writing for television, becoming a member of the Emmerdale script writing team for two years. In 1989, Gaunt and the company raised over one million pounds from the private sector and West Midlands Enterprise Board to buy and renovate an old cinema, The Orchid, into a multi-purpose arts centre and nightclub called The TicToc Club. This venture went into administration in 1992.
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