Tommy and Bobby starred as Captain and Mate
Dates and Times
|
December Friday 8 – 7:15pm |
January Monday 1 – No performances |
Cast of Characters
Tommy the Captain – TOMMY CANNON
Bobby the Mate – BOBBY BALL
King Rat – PAUL NICHOLAS
Dick Whittington – BEN RICHARDS
Sarah the Cook – LEON CRAIG
Fairy Bow Bells – SARA WEYMOUTH
Alice Fitzwarren – LORA MUNRO
Sultan of Morocco – RICHARD LINFORD
The Pussycat – PUSSYCAT
The Ensemble – JADE BIRCHALL, LAURA BOUTTELL, KATIE COLLINS, LUKE JOHNSON, RICHARD SMIKLE, HELEN STAINSBY
The Babes – PANTOMIME BABES
For the Dick Whittington Company
Executive Producer – PAUL ELLIOTT
Director – ALAN COHEN
Choreographer – MICHAELA HEADFORD
Flamenco Choreography – NURIA GARCIA
Musical Director – KATE YOUNG
Lighting Designer – SHAUN CORNELL
Company Stage Manager – RICHARD LINFORD
Deputy Stage Manager – PATRICK TREANOR
Stage Manager – CARL ROWLANDS
Assistant Stage Manager – ELLIOT CLARK, BILLIE JO BERRY
Wardrobe Supervisor – TONY PRIESTLEY
Wardrobe Assistants – WENDY MOLLICA, RACHEL MORRIS
SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
Act One
SCENE ONE – HIGHGATE HILL
SCENE TWO – OUTSIDE FITZWARRENS STORES
SCENE THREE – A LONDON STREET
SCENE FOUR – INSIDE FITZWARREN’S STORES
SCENE FIVE – A LONDON STREET
SCENE SIX – THE HAUNTED BEDROOMS
SCENE SEVEN – HIGHGATE HILL
SCENE EIGHT – THE LAND OF DREAMS
Interval
Act Two
SCENE ONE – ON BOARD SHIP
SCENE TWO – IN THE DRINK!
SCENE THREE – THE SHORES OF MOROCCO
SCENE FOUR – THE SULTAN’S PALACE
SCENE FIVE – HOME AGAIN
SCENE SIX – THE WEDDING
MUSICIANS
MUSICAL DIRECTOR/KEYBOARDS – KATE YOUNG
BASS GUITAR – NEIL BOWMAN
DRUMS/PERCUSSION – NICK TWYMAN
PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIGHTING EQUIPMENT BY – PRG
SOUND EQUIPMENT BY – AP AUDIO
DRY ICE SUPPLIED BY – ICE COOLING
TRANSPORT SUPPLIED BY – KB EVENTS TRANSPORT
BATTERIES SUPPLIED BY – ALL BATTERIES
LIGHTING CONSUMABLES BY – AC LIGHTING
DEVISED AND WRITTEN BY – KEITH SIMMONS AND PAUL ELLIOTT
Programme
CANNON AND BALL – CAPTAIN AND MATE
Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball are one of Britain’s funniest and most successful double acts. In a career spanning 40 years they have achieved a string of honours that includes them among the all-time greats of show business.
On television they have starred in their own series practically every year since 1979. They have also ‘guested’ on all the major shows including Wogan, Parkinson, Des O’Connor, Sunday Night at the Palladium and several Royal Variety Shows. They featured in a BBC documentary Funny Business based on double acts, which also included footage of comedy legends Martin and Lewis, Laurel and Hardy, and Morecambe and Wise.
To add to their pedigree, they remain the only act to have won three separate National Club awards and be named as the Variety Club Personalities of the Year. Their feature film The Boys in Blue, in addition to its cinema success, has gone on to become a video best seller. The boys have also been the subject of This Is Your Life!
During the 1970s they built a strong reputation around the UK cabaret club circuit for being a great live act. They also toured extensively in the hotel circuits of Australia and South Africa.
Tom and Bob have broken records in theatres all over the UK, including London. In 1981 they played a six-week season at the Dominion Theatre. Every seat was sold before the show opened, and in 1988 their pantomime Babes in the Wood broke all previous pantomime records at the world famous London Palladium, where Cannon and Ball created the record for the largest box office amount taken in one week in British theatre history.
Rock With Laughter 96 fulfilled Tommy and Bobby’s ambition to star in their own rock ‘n’ roll spectacular, their first summer season for producers Qdos.
After an extensive autumn tour and a trip to Israel, the boys played the Chinese Policemen in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle and again at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton.
They have appeared on many major TV shows including The Des O’Connor Show, Noel Edmonds House Party, Talking Telephone Numbers and The Generation Game.
In the spring of 1999 the boys appeared at various theatres across the country starring in An Evening at the Music Hall whilst continuing their tour of An Audience With.
The boys played full houses at their summer season in 1999 at the Blackpool Grand Theatre, the season was one of the most successful summers that Blackpool has ever had!
The 1999/2000 pantomime season saw the boys play the Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent for the production Cinderella co-starring Melinda Messenger and Britt Ekland.
The early part of 2000 saw the boys starring and touring in various shows throughout the UK’s theatres. Summer season 2000 featured the successful Comedy Bonanza show (which broke box office records) at the Blackpool Grand Theatre and the Princess Theatre, Torquay for 10 weeks and later included Sundays at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth. Pantomime 2000/2001 saw the boys star at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford.
2001/2002 pantomime season saw them starring in Aladdin with Tricia Penrose at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham.
Tommy and Bobby appeared at the Comedy Bonanza, Blackpool Grand Theatre throughout the summer of 2002 and went on to star in Dick Whittington as Captain and Mate at the New Theatre Cardiff, which followed with them starring in summer season at the Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth and Weymouth Pavilion Theatre.
The box office hit a new record breaking high at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton with Peter Pan for one of the longest running seasons in the UK 2003/2004. The boys played Starkey and Smee, two bumbling pirates, much to the annoyance of the evil Captain Hook.
Tommy and Bobby returned to our television screens early in 2004 with the BBC1 series Revolver, a comedy sketch show that brought together a whole host of talent that we all know and love, such as John Inman, Leslie Phillips and Honor Blackman.
The summer of 2004 saw the boys teamed up with the Grumbleweeds as they performed at the Blackpool Grand Theatre with the hugely popular Comedy Bonanza, they also appeared at the Britannia Pier Great Yarmouth, Futurist Theatre Scarborough and the Embassy Skegness.
They went on to feature in an episode of the new series of Last of the Summer Wine which was transmitted in March 2005.
The boys starred in Peter Pan at the Civic Theatre, Darlington in the 2004/05 panto season playing Smee and Yoo.
During the summer of 2005 Bobby filmed an episode of Heartbeat playing the role of Mr Turner.
Again in 2005 they starred at the Blackpool Grand for the summer season in the comedy show Legends of Comedy, also taking the show to Great Yarmouth, Scarborough and Skegness. The show at Blackpool was also filmed by the Rights Company for release on DVD.
After proving massively popular, both were also asked back to film another episode of Last of the Summer Wine in August 2005.
Tommy and Bobby were then invited to experience life in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here for ITV1. Both were thrilled to take part in such a unique television show and once again proved their popularity with the audience.
Panto beckoned for the 2005/2006 season in Hull with the production of Dick Whittington where the boys played Captain and Mate and broke all box office records since they were last there 16 years ago.
Bobby returned to Heartbeat in March 2006 to revive his role as Mr Turner.
This summer they were thrilled to have appeared at the Blackpool Opera House with their show Back From the Jungle with special guest stars, the Grumbleweeds.
They also took the show to the Britannia Pier Theatre, Great Yarmouth, the Embassy, Skegness and the Futurist Theatre, Scarborough.
Tommy and Bobby are really excited about starring with Paul Nicholas at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend in the pantomime Dick Whittington.
Even after 40 years of making people laugh, Tommy and Bobby are still enjoying every minute and are looking forward to entertaining for many years to come.
PAUL NICHOLAS – KING RAT
His theatrical success began in 1969 in the original London production of Hair Following his lead roles in Jesus Christ Superstar and Grease, he was invited to play at the Young Vic in several productions including Much Ado About Nothing, Crete and Sergeant Pepper A season with the Prospect Theatre Company in their production Pilgrim was followed by two plays at the Royal Court The Innocent Bystanders and Richard O’Brien’s T-Zee.
In 1979 Paul went to live in the USA for a year, returning to London to create the role of Rum Turn Tugger in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. He subsequently played the title role in Sir Tim Rice’s musical Blondel and followed this with Charlie Girl at the Victoria Palace Theatre. He appeared as the Pirate King in the highly successful production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Manchester Opera House. This was followed by a successful season at the London Palladium. Paul starred as Buttons in the Wimbledon Theatre production of Cinderella over Christmas 1984 and as Prince Charming in the record-breaking 1985-6 season of the same pantomime at the London Palladium.
Paul starred in the first national tour of Barnum – playing the title role – for which he trained in all circus skills, including tight-rope walking and juggling.
At the end of 1991, Paul was the subject of This Is Your Life. For his services to show business and charity, Paul was awarded a Silver Heart from the Variety Club of Great Britain.
Aside from Just Good Friends, Paul’s television work includes Season of the Witch, Early Struggles, Two Up Two Down (all BBC), Chips (MGMNBC), The Lady Killers (Granada), The Boys From Ipanema (ATV), A Little Rococo (Yorkshire Television), Doubting Thomas – a musical (TVS), Close to Home (LWT) and numerous appearances including four Royal Variety Performances.
His venture into pop singing in 1976 resulted in four top 10 hits, including the two million best seller “Heaven on the Seventh Floor”. Paul continues to record and has received a further four gold albums.
His major film credits include Tommy, Stardust, Lisztomania, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, The World Is Full of Married Men, Yesterday’s Hero, Alice, The Jazz Singer, Blind Terror with Mia Farrow, The Nutcracker with Joan Collins and Invitation to the Wedding with Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud..
1992 Paul formed a production company with fellow actor, David Ian. Their 20th anniversary concert tour of Jesus Christ Superstar was a complete sell-out. They followed this success with The Greatest Shows in Town (Bournemouth International Centre) where the show broke box office records! Following this Paul and David produced a sell-out tour of The Pirates of Penzance in which Paul starred as the Pirate King. In 1995 Paul Nicholas and David Ian produced a very successful tour of Singin’ in the Rain in which Paul was directed in the lead role by Tommy Steele. They also produced Evita and Chess, both shows toured successfully. They also produced the West End revival of Ain’t Misbehavin’.
In June 1996, Paul appeared as King Arthur in the Covent Garden Festival’s production of Camelot. Paul then went on to complete a national tour of Michael Cooney’s The Dark Side with Jenny Seagrove. This was followed by a tour of The Mysterious Mr Love in 1997 – a two-hander written by Karoline Leach – alongside Susan Penhaligon. After its successful run, the play transferred to the West End’s Comedy Theatre.
In February 1998 Paul starred in the play Catch Me If You Can along with The Bill’s Christopher Ellison. This was followed by a new musical adaptation of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities developed by Paul in which he played Sidney Carton.
In 1999 Paul toured the highly successful The Pirates of Penzance during which time he also wrote his autobiography Behind the Smile published in November 1999 by Andre Deutsch. In December 1999 Paul completed filming the BBC television series Sunburn which was televised in February 2000.
In June 2000 Paul completed the role of Ronnie Buchan in the new police drama series Burnside. In September 2000 Paul was happy to play the leading role of John Smith in Ray Cooney’s sequel to his hit comedy Run for Your Wife the aptly titled Run for Your Wife Again.
Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates are responsible for co-producing two of London’s biggest hit musicals Grease – on which they joined forces with the legendary impresario Robert Stigwood – and Saturday Night Fever, which opened at the London Palladium in May 1998 and on Broadway in October 1999. Both shows began UK tours commencing September 2000. Grease continues to tour the UK and
Saturday Night Fever recently completed a run at the Apollo Victoria as well as touring throughout Europe. Following this Paul played the title role in the national tour of Dr Dolittle and Eric Chapple’s brand new comedy Snakes and Ladders with Ian Ogilvy.
2003 saw Paul play the lead role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in a national tour.
Paul once again teamed up with Eric Chapple in his new comedy Mixed Feelings. Paul both starred in and co-produced the UK premiere of the Broadway record breaking musical Jekyll and Hyde by Leslie Bricusse and Frank Wildhorn. More recently, Paul took the lead role in Simon Grey’s play Stage Struck at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. Paul is looking forward to starring in and co-producing the Broadway production of 42nd Street which will tour the UK in 2007.
Paul continues to do television work and has recently appeared in Doctors and Holby City for the BBC.
In 2005 Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates co-produced Grease in an arena production in Australia. Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates will produce Grease on Broadway in 2007.
Paul is extremely pleased to be starring with Cannon and Ball in the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend this year.
BEN RICHARDS – DICK WHITTINGTON
Ben’s TV credits include Justin (series regular) in Holby City, Bruno Milligan (series regular) in Footballers’ Wives and Footballers’ Wives Extra Time, Doctors and Dad.
Ben’s film credits include Julie and the Cadillacs and Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis.
Ben’s extensive theatre credits include leads in
Grease at the Victoria Palace Theatre and the UK tour, Little Shop of Horrors at the Octagon Theatre, The Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Saturday Night Fever at the London Palladium, Sensation and An Excellent Adventure both at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Smokey Joe’s Cafe at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Grease at the Dominion Theatre, Up on the Roof at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and Hot Mikado at the Queen’s Theatre.
Ben also appeared as a judge on the second series of Strictly Dance Fever for BBC 1.
LEON CRAIG – SARA THE COOK
After training in musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting, Leon made his West End debut playing Jesus and Montel in the award-winning Jerry Springer the Opera and appeared on BBC2 when the show was televised.
He has just finished playing Sid and an inventor in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and was also a semi finalist in this year’s BBC Voice of Musical Theatre event at the International Festival of Musical Theatre, Cardiff, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Wales.
Other theatre credits include a UK tour of Over the Rainbow and Exit Allan at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.
In previous pantomimes he has played Widow Twankey in Aladdin, Queen in Puss in Boots, Dame Flora Fatty in The Snow Queen and he is delighted to making his Qdos panto debut as Sarah the Cook in Southend.
SARA WEYMOUTH – FAIRY BOW BELLS
Sara trained at the Guildford School of Acting, where she won the Student Award.
Her recent theatre credits include: Mrs Darling in Peter Pan at the New Theatre Cardiff, Mrs Pilsworth in Ray Cooney’s Time’s Up at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Vera in Stepping Out (UK tour), Fairy Godmother opposite Julian Clary in Bristol in Cinderella, Martha in The Ghost and Mrs Muir UK premiere workshop production, Julie Saunders (one of the two Julies) in the workshop/recording for the promotion of Bad Girls the Musical, Aunt Patience in Jamaica Inn at Salisbury Playhouse and UK tour; the Queen in Cinderella – the Musical at Bristol Old Vic; the role of Golde opposite Paul Nicholas in the UK tour of Fiddler on the Roof and Sue Bayliss in All My Sons at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter.
West End credits include: Evelyn in Peggy Sue Got Married (Shaftesbury); Joan Durbeyfield in Tess (Savoy); Guilia in Which Witch (Piccadilly); Petra in A Little Night Music (Piccadilly); Nancy in Oliver! (Sadler’s Wells); Carol in Girlfriends (Playhouse); Georgina in Mind the Gap (Soho Theatre); two seasons at the RSC in Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Tempest, The Venetian Twins, A Christmas Carol, Troilus and Cressida, Three Hours After Marriage, The Proposal and Gates of Paradise.
Other theatre credits include: Chichester Festival Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Yvonne Arnaud, Manchester Library, enjoying such roles as Kitty in Charley’s Aunt, Regina in Ghosts, Lulu in The Birthday Party, Miami in Seduced and Teresa in How the Other Half Loves.
Opera: Frasquita in Carmen Negra, Jenny Diver in The Threepenny Opera (Scottish Opera); Tango dancer in The Barber of Seville (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden).
For television Sara has played Mags in The Bill (Thames), the role of Polly’s Maid in Nancy Mitford’s Love in a Cold Climate (BBC) and Miss Young in There’s a Viking in My Bed (BBC).
Radio: Soloist for BBC Radio 2 on Friday Night Is Music Night and Songs From the Shows, two afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, Square Circle Triangle and The Angel of New Street.
Sara has taken part in two new play reading workshops with the RSC: Babyminding and The Sun Porch.
LORA MUNRO – ALICE
Lora trained from an early age at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London where she won the student award for jazz dance and the most outstanding all-round performer. She made her professional debut at the age of six alongside Sue Pollard and Les Dawson in Babes in the Wood at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.
On leaving Italia Conti, Lora was offered a recording contract with a record label and a UK/European tour followed performing live to audiences of over 20,000 people at venues such a Cafe de Paris and the London Astoria. During the promotion of her record Lora performed on both national and international television and her songs have been featured on compilation albums all over the world. Other recordings include dance tracks for Rumor records and Clone Records, and Lora was a principal vocalist on the recording of a new musical on the Profumo affair.
UK television appearances as a dancer and actress, include Night Fever (channel 5), Chalk (BBC) and Greasemonkeys (ITV). As a solo artist she has performed alongside Blue, Alison Moyet, Ant and Dec, Girls Aloud and Kelly Lorenna. She was also invited to perform songs from her album at Madonna’s birthday bash.
She has worked as a choreographer and a dance coach for various fashion and trade shows (Saks Hair and Beauty, Next, New Look, Marks and Spencer, Accessorize etc), pop bands, (Supersister, Sensory Overload), theme parks, (Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventure) and theatre schools.
Lora’s biggest passion is Flamenco dance. She has studied at the Centro de Bailejerez in Andalucia and has been fortunate enough to train with several world-class dancers including Belen Maya and Angel Munos. Lora recently made her professional Flamenco debut performing at Goodwood Hall, Chichester, for the UK international press.
Lora is also director of four theatre schools in East Sussex.
www.thetheatreworkshop.co.uk
RICHARD LINFORD – SULTAN OF MOROCCO
Richard’s wide-ranging career in the entertainment industry began as a film trailer script writer before training as an actor in New York and London and then moving on to a spell as a Max Miller stand up comic. He then went on to run the Marainne Theatre Company appearing in Butterflies Are Free, The Private Ear and Tomfoolery ahead of visits to the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton for The Selfish Shellfish and Windsor Theatre Royal for Not Now Darling. Since then favourite theatre moments include playing the leading roles in the Peter Shaffer double bill White Liars, Black Comedy, Jim in The Glass Menagerie, Felix in The Normal Heart, Keefer in Charlton Heston’s West End production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Jack Absolute in The Rivals, Dan Clancy in Here Come The Clowns at the King’s Head, writing and playing Detective Banter in many murder mystery evenings and the role of John Smith, both in Run For Your Wife and its sequel Caught In The Net in a Middle and Far East tour and at the Mill at Sonning Theatre directed by the author and master of farce Ray Cooney. TV work numbers Tender Is the Night, Constant Hot Water, A Quiet Conspiracy, Minder, Fortunes Of War, Murder on the Orient Express and Poirot. Directing credits include Broadway Genius [and wrote], the workshop premiere of Jeremy Lloyd and John Chapman’s musical Wimbledon, Plaza Suite, Tonight at 7.30, his own play The Hideaway, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Music Man and many corporate videos. As a presenter Richard has appeared in Side By Side By Sondheim, Broadway Genius, written and narrated five Gilbert and Sullivan platform performances, fronted many corporate stage shows and videos and has made regular TV and radio appearances as an arts interviewer on Channel 5’s Exclusive!, Radio 5’s Entertainment News, Radio 3’s Music Matters and a regular slot on BBC Greater London Radio.
THE ENSEMBLE
JADE BIRCHALL
LAURA BOUTTELL
KATIE COLLINS
LUKE JOHNSON
RICHARD SMIKLE
HELEN STAINSBY
THE PANTOMIME BABES
TEAM FAIRY BOW BELLS
Georgina Downey
Shola Mainwaring
Crystalle Cox
Shelby Speed
Amy Hammond
Roseanna Tilley
Lucy Andrews
Raha Shahnooshi
THE PUSSYCAT
Linzi Mirams
TEAM ALICE FITZWARREN
Charlotte Downey
Tamsin Edwards
Holly Neicho-Wild
Ellen Oakley
Lily McFarquhar
Elice Foster
Alice McCarthy
Aislinn Oakley
THE PUSSYCAT
Kasey Notton
PAUL ELLIOTT – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Paul Elliott is happy to have survived 42 years as a producer!
He has produced or co-produced over 60 West End Productions including Buddy – the Buddy Holly Story which played for 13 years in the West End; Jolson (Olivier award – Best Musical 1997) Victoria Palace Theatre; Kat and the Kings (Olivier award – Best Musical 1999) the Vaudeville Theatre, The Goodbye Girl Albery Theatre; Run for your Wife at various theatres in London and Stones in His Pockets (Olivier and Evening Standard award 2001).
With Duncan C Weldon he produced Private Lives at the Albery Theatre, with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan, also on Broadway (Tony Award Best Revival). The Royal Shakespeare production of The Hollow Crown with Dame Diana Rigg, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Donald Sinden and Ian Richardson in Australia and with Vanessa Redgrave in Toronto, Sir Derek Jacobi in The Tempest at the Old Vic, Patrick Stewart in The Master Builder at the Albery Theatre, Amanda Holden in Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Shaftesbury Theatre (and on tour with Lesley Joseph), Suddenly Last Summer at the Albery starring Dame Diana Rigg and Victoria Hamilton. More recent productions include The Birthday Party with Dame Eileen Atkins and Henry Goodman at the Duchess, The Philadelphia Story with Kevin Spacey at The Old Vic and As You Desire Me at the Playhouse with Kristin Scott Thomas and Bob Hoskins. Paul’s first play as an author There’s No Place Like a Home opened in September 2006 for an extensive tour.
Paul has produced over 350 pantomimes in the UK and abroad and has enjoyed a 16 year association with Nick Thomas, developing the biggest and most successful pantomime company ever.
ALAN COHEN – DIRECTOR
Trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Glasgow University. After leaving college he was awarded the Thames Television Regional Theatres Directors Training award and began his directing career with the Tyneside Theatre Company, Newcastle. He then became Associate Director of the Phoenix Theatre Company, Leicester, before becoming Artistic Director of the Wearabout Theatre Company, Sunderland. In 1982 he was invited to join the National Theatre.
Productions for the National include: The Pied Piper, a musical, which he also devised, featuring Matthew Kelly and Sylvester McCoy; Animal Farm, adapted by Peter Hall; and Macbeth. As Associate Director; Antony and Cleopatra with Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench; The Tempest, Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale with Geraldine James, Eileen Atkins, Michael Bryant and Ken Stott. As Staff Director: Inner Voices with Ralph Richardson and Robert Stephens; Coming Into Land by Stephen Poliakoff with Maggie Smith; Coriolanus with Ian McKellen; You Can’t Take It With You with Jimmy Jewell and Geraldine McEwan; Martine and Lorenzaccio, both by John Fowles; The Petition with John Mills and Rosemary Harris.
After leaving the National Alan was appointed Artistic Director of the Ludlow Festival. Productions include: Macbeth with Haydn Gwyne and David Rintoul; As You Like It with John Gordon Sinclair and Victoria Wickes; Othello with Greg Hicks and Wendy Morgan.
Alan’s freelance work includes: Dangerous Obsession for the Theatre Royal Bath with Ian Ogilvy and Liza Goddard; Misery with Susan Penhaligon and Michael Praed; A Right Royal Farce-, Lettice and Lovage, British tour; The Merchant of Venice for the English Shakespeare Company; Just Between Ourselves and Absurd Person Singular, both by Alan Ayckbourn; The Three Musketeers for the Crucible Theatre Sheffield; The Darling Buds of May, British tour with Christopher Timothy and Gemma Craven; The Party’s Over by Alan Bleasdale; Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet; Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, all in New York; National Opera Studio productions at the Festival Hall, London; numerous pantomime productions including Peter Pan with Russ Abbott; Babes in the Wood at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow; Cinderella at Cork Opera House; as well as productions for Plymouth, Woking, Nottingham, Milton Keynes and Newcastle.
Alan was also Artistic Director of the New Vic Theatre Company, directing productions of Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities and The Hunchback of Notre Dame that toured throughout Britain and the United States.
He was the Tour Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Tantalus project by Peter Hall and John Barton which originated in Denver, Colorado and after an extensive tour transferred to the Barbican Theatre, London.
Much of Alan’s work has taken him abroad. Notably, the Moscow Art Theatre; the Globe Theatre in Tokyo; and Epidaurus in Greece. He has also worked at the Cameri Theatre, Tel Aviv; the Theatre of Nations Festival in Baltimore in addition to productions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Vienna, Helsinki, Madrid and Zurich.
In addition Alan has directed Shan Khan’s award winning play Office for BBC Scotland’s Culture Show; presented an episode of Brass Tacks for the BBC; attended the National Film School; and was a shadow director to Richard Platt on EastEnders for the BBC.
MICHAELA HEADFORD – CHOREOGRAPHER
Michaela is a local girl who has worked extensively in theatre and television from a young age both in the UK and overseas, and has also turned her hand to a spot of TV presenting. She went into choreography after an accident stopped her from pursuing her dance career and has since been working internationally for companies including Wella, L’Oreal, Olympus and Keymed.
Michaela has staged and directed for Walt Disney World Millennium celebrations, choreographed Oliver! and Pippin in New York and Leo Sayer’s recent number one hit ‘Thunder in My Heart’. She is also very privileged to have been asked to choreograph for the NHS Foundation Trust charity awards and the Rainbow Trust Glass Slipper Ball.
Michaela is currently working alongside Daniel Galvin and Intercoiffure on various projects at home and abroad and will be taking shows to Luxembourg and Chicago in the New Year.
Michaela is also assistant director of Masters Performing Arts College, Rayleigh, Essex and is proud to have three of her students performing in the show tonight.
She is delighted to be working with Qdos Entertainment for her seventh panto season and would like to wish all cast and crew a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
KATE YOUNG – MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Kate was born in Edinburgh and made her debut aged 10 playing Haydn’s D Major piano concerto with the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra. She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Honours in 1982.
As a Composer: she has been finalist twice in the Vivian Ellis Prize (Best Adaptation-Therese Raquin and Best Original Musical – Chatline), Life of my Own (Edinburgh Fringe – Starring Claire Moore), Aspects of the Fringe (Theme Tune BBC Radio 2) and wrote the music for Infidelities at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. Kate is currently composing the new play with music Love and Death on Long Island (book by Gilbert Adair), which has projected production dates in the West End for 2007.
Arriving in London as a Keyboard Player: The Pirates of Penzance (Drury Lane), Cats (New London), On Your Toes (Palace), Snoopy (Duchess), Les Miserables (Palace), Singin’ in the Rain (Palladium), Chess (Prince Edward), Anything Goes (Prince Edward).
Musical Director Credits (West End): The Hired Man (Astoria), Girlfriends (Playhouse), Wonderful Town (Queens), By Jeeves (Lyric), Joseph (Palladium), Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria), Jesus Christ Superstar (R.U.G national tour), The Snowman (Peacock)
Musical Director Credits Repertory: Who’s a Lucky Boy (Royal Exchange Manchester), Snoopy (Watermill Theatre), Girlfriends (Oldham Coliseum), Side By Side (Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford), Mixed Blessings (Westcliffe), By Jeeves (Scarborough), Just So (Watermill and Tricycle Theatres)
Kate was also Children’s MD for Oliver! at the Palladium. She was MD for Assassins at the Landor Theatre, and for Dr Livingstone, L Presume… at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith.
TV work includes: Black Adder, The South Bank Show, The Vicar Of Dibley, This Morning, Pebble Mill, GMTV, and numerous appearances as musical director and accompanist to artistes such as Michael Crawford, Dory Previn, Phillip Schofield, Ruthie Henshall and Darren Day. Most recently she has been seen as musical director for Late Night with Jerry Springer on Channel 5.
Workshops: Kate played keyboards at the original workshop productions of Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Love Songs and Whistle down the Wind at Lloyd Webber’s Sydmonton Festival.