"Jan discovered her love for the theatre whilst still at school and soon became a member of Manchester Youth Theatre where she learnt most of her theatre skills. Her professional career began in 1983 when she joined Moving Parts Theatre Cmpany, a touring community theatre group where she played Lady Macbeth and various other roles. In 1984 she went on to join and eventually run Options Ltd., a TIE group based in London and concentrating on black women's issues. She has recently finished working with Granada TV as Dandy on the children's series Allsorts. Jan's special skill as a teller of Jamaican and West Indian Folk Tales earned her a place in the 1987 International Story Telling Festival. She has also made a film for UNESCO, Dutch Television, and has been storytelling on Radio Four's BBC World Service. Jan has also been a vocalist with a number of bands including the Manchester Distractions, Disjunct and more notably Mervyn Afrikas Kaap Finale. She is now a member of the Accappella Vocal Trio Molasses, who specialise in gospel and soul music. ~ Programme biography, Comedy of Errors, Octagon Theatre, Bolton, 1989

Alphonse also works as a storyteller under the name of Jan Blake and works with the group Trade Secrets: http://www.tradesecrets-uk.com/who_we_are/people/jan_blake.php