SIMON BALCON graduated from Exeter university in 1997 with an Honours Degree in English, Drama and Education, having studied at the St Lukes campus. he qualified as a teacxher, but his passion was always for acting.
He subsequently trained at Drama Studio London and the Actors Temple. His theatre credits include Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Antonio in Twelfth Night (Cambridge Shakespeare Company), Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet (Tower of London), Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing (Illyria Theatre) and Reynaldo and Francisco in Hamlet (Actors Temple Company). He has toured nationally with Ape Theatre’s Too Much Punch for Judy and The House on Cold Hill (Number One Tour). He appeared as Gethin Price in Comedians (Chelsea Theatre), which he also co-produced, Kulygin in Three Sisters (Cockpit Theatre), Him in Poison (Actors East) , Greg in The Other Half, a self-devised collective piece in London, and James in Peckham: The Soap Opera (Royal Court). Throughout lockdown he played roles such as Benedick, Malvolio and the Earl of Warwick in a number of cue script performances for Shakes-Scene Shakespeare. TV credits include Grantchester (Kudos/ITV) and The Nevers (HBO/Mutant Enemy). Film credits include Requiem (NFTS) and Young Woman and the Sea (Disney).
I came to Exeter knowing that I wanted to go into publishing, and I picked the Classical Studies and English programme because I loved History and English and couldn’t decide which subject to study, so double honours gave me the best of both worlds. After I graduated, I worked in a law firm, before becoming an Editorial Assistant at T&F: an academic publishing house, publishing books primarily for university researchers, students, and industry professionals. I have since been promoted to Commissioning Editor. I enjoy my job because I love researching potential new titles and building a rapport with authors, looking at how best to serve our audiences. My job is to publish books that help inform current researchers/professionals and teach new generations going into industry, so it’s contributing to the growth of verified knowledge, important in a world at risk of rampant misinformation.