Biographies

Cast

Vlach Ashton - Dizzy

Vlach trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Theatre credits include: Floyd Collins (Southwark Playhouse), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tabard Theatre), 1888 (Union Theatre), A Christmas Carol (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Day Before Spring (Sadler’s Wells – Lost Musicals Season), A Christmas Carol (Birmingham Rep), I Can’t Believe It’s Not Godard (Edinburgh Festival).

Film and Television credits include: Hollyoaks, The Magic Mansion.

Whilst training, Vlach was a finalist for the Laurence Olivier Bursary Award, a nominee for the Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award and winner of the Newton Blick Award for Best Actor in his graduating year.

For more information on Vlach visit: www.vlachashton.com Twitter: @vlachashton

Michael Bertenshaw - Mrs Trott

Michael trained at Rada.

Theatre credits at Theatre Royal Stratford East include: Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Martina Cole's Two Women, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and The Beast, Dick Whittington, The Snow Queen, Jack and The Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Just Frank, The Public, Wild Justice, Not Fade Away, Revolting Peasants, Fattie. 

Theatre credits include: Taming of The Shrew, Anne Boleyn, All's Well That Ends Well, Henry VIII, Measure For Measure (Shakespeare's Globe), One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Curve Leicester), Taking Care of Baby (Hampstead Theatre), Absolutely Frank, Inglorious Technicolour (Stephen Joseph Theatre) and Long Time No See (Talawa).

Film credits include: Little Things, Another Life, Intimate Relations, Fly Boys, Da Vinci Code, Paper Mask, and Bellman and True.

Television credits include: Milliband of Brothers, Culshaw and Stephenson Impressions Show, Doctor Who, Casualty, Murderland, Criminal Justice, EastEnders, Worst Christmas of My Life, Foyle’s War, Silent Witness, The Brief, Carla, Murphy's Law, Messiah III, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Sherlock Holmes, Silent Witness, Touch of Frost, Oliver Twist, Summer In The Suburbs, Undercover Heart, Oktober, Seaforth, Kavanagh QC.    

Allyson Ava-Brown

Theatre credits at Theatre Royal Stratford East include: Martina Cole's Dangerous Lady

Theatre credits include: The Swallowing Dark (Theatre 503), The Wiz (Birmingham Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse),Moonshadow in Concert (Royal Albert Hall and on tour), Les Miserables (Queens Theatre), London Road (National Theatre Studio),Julius Caesar, The Tempest  and Antony and Cleopatra (RSC and on tour), Hairy Fairies (Fick! Productions), Simply Heavenly (Trafalgar Studios),Les Miserables (Dennmark tour), Passports to the Promised Land (Nitro Theatre Company), Rent (Olympia, Dublin),The Villains Opera and Honk (National Theatre).

Television credits include: Casualty, Doctors, Bear Behaving Badly, EastEnders, Sea of Souls, Kerching!, Holby City, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and The Wrong Door.

Allyson won the Mobo Award for Best Unsigned Act in 1998 and was nominated for Best Actress for The Swallowing Dark (Theatre 503) in the 2011 Off West End Theatre Awards.

Jorell “MJ” Coiffic-Kamall - Jack

Jorell trained at Pineapple Studios. He teaches at Westside Performing Arts in Dublin, Ireland.

Theatre credits include: Bring On Tomorrow (The Robin Howard Theatre), Pineapple Takes The Mickey (Stratford Circus), Goes To The Circus (Mermaid Theatre), When Will I Be Famous (The Shaw Theatre), Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (The Bridewell Theatre), The Show Must Go On (The New Players Theatre), Little Shop Of Horors (Hertford Regional), Rocky Horror Picture Show (Hertford Regional), Connect ’05 (Sadlers Wells), Move It (Olympia), Street Dance Weekend UK vs USA (Wembely), Be Aware (Mermaid Thatre), Dance Platform (Paddington Arts), Y@P-Breakin’ Out (The Unicorn Theatre and Butts Theatre), Freaked (Helix Theatre-Dublin), Jackson 5 Alive (UK Tour).

Television credits Include: Ahead Of The Class, Top Of The Pops, Blue Peter, The Queen’s Jubilee, Eylem Concert, Proms In The Park, Basil Brush, DJ Ironik’s Music Video ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, MTV Sweet 16, MOBO Music Awards 2007/2008.

Jorell and his dance crew were nominated for Best Dance Crew In The UK in the 2007 Dance Off Awards.

Susan Lawson-Reynolds - Mrs Porridge

Theatre Royal Stratford East credits include: Cinderella, A Clockwork Orange, The Harder They Come, Hansel & Gretel, Skin, Origin Unknown, The Snow Queen, Da Boyz, Jack & The Beanstalk.

Theatre credits include: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Novello), Breakin' Convention (Sadler’s Wells), The Harder They Come (Barbican, Playhouse, West End and USA/Canadian Tour), Anansi & The Magic Mirror (Talawa/Hackney Empire),Anansi Trades Places (Talawa/Shaw Theatre), Ska By Day (Talawa/Greenwich),Grace & The Don (Arts Theatre),Jamie The Saxt (Finborough), Aeroplane Man (Queen Elizabeth Hall).

Television credits include: Choke Point, Eva Goes to Foreign

Choreography credits include: Romeo & Juliet (Custom/Practice), The Wiz, Associate Choreographer (Birmingham Rep/WYP), The Harder They Come, Assistant Choreographer (Playhouse)

Windson Liong - Mr Fleece/Spiderorgan

Windson trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London and Lasalle in Singapore.

Theatre Royal Stratford East credits include: Muncitor: All Workers Go to Heaven and Takeaway.

Theatre credits include: Love: The Four Letter Word (Union Theatre), The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole (Platform 65), Nui Ah, Take Off (Yellow Earth), Into the Woods, Hagridden (Embassy Theatre), If There're Seasons, I am Queen, Immortalx (The Theatre Practice), Five Foot Broadway, Roses & Hello (Musical Theatre Ltd), Shanghai Blues, Army Daze (Toy Factory), Moonbird, Summer Swarm of Songs, You are Special (I Theatre), Fugitive (Dramabox)and The Wiz (SRT Young Co.).

Film credits include: After School

Television credits include: Daddy's Girls, Incredible Tales, True Courage and @Moulmein High.

For more information on Windson visit: www.windsonliong.com

Gemma Salter - Lucy

Gemma trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 2008 with a BA (hons) in Acting.

Theatre Royal Stratford East credits include: Come Dancing, Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood

Theatre credits include: Dreamboats and Petticoats (Playhouse Theatre, West End), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Brentwood Theatre), 1888 (Union Theatre), On Our Street (King’s Head Theatre) and Oh! What a Lovely War (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch)

Television credits include: Rock and Chips

Gemma was also a lead vocalist in ‘License to Thrill’ at the O2 Arena and is the founder of ‘The Royal Knees Up’ cabaret (Theatre Royal Stratford East).

Follow Gemma on Twitter: @gemmasalter

Jack Shalloo - Boz

Jack trained at Colins Performing Arts.

Theatre Royal Stratford East credits include: A Clockwork Orange, Angelic Tales

Theatre credits include: Lift (concept version, Soho Theatre), Goodbye Barcelona (Arcola), Hamlet the Musical (Royal and Derngate and Richmond theatre), Departure Lounge (Waterloo East), Stop Search (Catford Broadway), Our House (Birmingham Rep, UK Tour, Savoy Theatre), The Kissing Dance (Jermyn Street) Laters (Drill Hall), Fit (Manchester Contact/Drill Hall/Birmingham rep), The Bitches of Eden (Tristian Bates) Kick Off (Riverside Studios), Stand Tall (Landor), Matilda (RSC - Workshops), Whistle Down The Wind (Original cast, Aldwych Theatre) Oliver! (London Palladium). 

Film credits include: Fit, Kick-Off and Bashment, all for Rikki Beadle-Blair

Televison credits include: Miranda Hart’s New Year’s Eve sketch show, Excluded (pilot), The Man Who Loved the Lakes, EastEnders, Out of Control, Holby City and The Bill.

Recordings and concept albums include: Whistle Down The Wind, Departure Lounge, Hamlet the Musical, Lift, Stand Tall.

Jack's original debut album 'London Soul' is available via his website www.jackshalloo.co.uk

Oliver Taheri - Biz

Oliver trained at The Birmingham School of Acting graduating in 2008. Whilst training he was a specially commended finalist of the BBC Carleton Hobbs radio competition.

Theatre credits include: Poseidon: Sauna and Spa (Olorin Productions), Beauty and The Beast (West Wing Arts Centre), Merrily We Roll Along workshop (Menier Chocolate Factory), Britain’s Got Bhangra workshop, Rifco Arts: A Celebration (Watford Palace), Whistle Down The Wind (UK Tour), Aladdin (Hawthorne Theatre), Taming of The Shrew (New Rep Co - St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch).

Musical concert credits include: Cecily's Fund charity concert (Covent Garden), Sunday Night Live (Her Majesty's Theatre), Jonathan Ansell and Friends (UK Tour).

Film and Television credits include: The Screenwriting Detective and Mama's Burka.

Oliver is also co-founder of Michael Oliver Productions whose first production, Impotent, premieres this January in London.

For more information on Oliver visit: www.globalartists.co.uk Twitter: @ollytaheri

Marcia Vanessa Richards - Harpo

Theatre credits include: Patience in Praise Singer (Hackney Empire), Rita in Come Dancing and Ms Brown in The Harder They Come (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Gina in Tell Hell I Ain’t Comin (Broadway Theatre), Ms Sherman in Fame (Monte Carlo Theatre), Ruby in Smokey Joes Café (The Landor Theatre), Cindy/Dynamite and understudying Motormouth/ Little Inez in Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre), Andrea Devereux  and assistant choreographer in Once On this Island (Hackney Empire), Ensemble and understudying Elizabeth in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre), Billy Holiday in The Billy Holiday Story (UK and European Tour), Alladin (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Shente/Shuita in The Good Woman of Setzuan, Julie in Hotstuff and Pacific Overtures (Leicester Haymarket), Sybil in The Big Life (Apollo Theatre), Choreographed  Passports To The Promised Land (Greenwich Theatre), Sarafina understudying  Shenzi and  Sarabi and dance captain in The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre), Carmen Jones (The Old Vic), Swing and understudying Mabel in Fame (Cambridge Theatre), Heavenly in Aeroplane Man and Carrie in Shoot to Win (Theatre Royal Stratford East).

Film credits include: Evelyn in Shoot the Messenger.

Television: Public service advert.                                               

Backing Vocals: Lyndon David Hall, Donna Gardier, Keni Burke and Noel Mckoy (Jazz Café)

Marcia is married to Pastor Courtney Richards. 

Shelley Williams - Henrietta

Theatre Royal Stratford East credits include: Wah! Wah! Girls (The Peacock, Curve, Theatre Royal Stratford East and Hall For Cornwall), Cinderella and Takeaway.

Theatre credits include: Mummy Ji Presents (The Watford Palace Theatre), Up Against The Wall (Bolton Octagon Theatre), Annowons Song (The Tricycle Theatre), Jack and the Beanstalk (Barbican) Daddy Cool The Musical (Shaftesbury Theatre), Hair (Octagon Theatre) For Better For Worse (The King’s Head), Supposed to Live (The Pleasance Theatre), Blue Girl (Vienna's English Theatre), Sweet Soul Music (The Solvedore), Sleeping Beauty (The Paul Robeson Theatre), Poison (The Tricycle Theatre), Romeo and Juliet  (The Open Air Theatre), Twilight (Voices in the Dark Theatre Company – tour), Aladdin (The North Cheshire Lodge), Septimus Severus (Collective Artistes).

Film credits include: Ballast, Two Minds

Creative Team

Paul Sirett

Paul is a playwright and musician. Most recently he wrote and appeared in his 2012 TMA nominated musical Reasons To Be Cheerful for Graeae Theatre Company. The show had a successful run at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich and Theatre Royal Stratford East before heading out on a national tour and a performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall to mark the closing of the Cultural Olympiad.

Paul has a long association with the Theatre Royal Stratford East where productions of his plays include the Olivier nominated Ska musical The Big Life, whichopened at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2004 and had two successful runs there before transferring to the West End in 2005, Come Dancing (co-written with Ray Davis), Bad Blood Blues; A Night in Tunisia; Worlds Apart; Crusade; and Jamaica House.

Productions elsewhere include Mods and Rox (New Wolsey Theatre 2012), Paul’s adaptation of Shawn Levy’s book Rat Pack Confidential for Nottingham Playhouse and Bolton Octagon, which transferred to the West End in 2003; Ghosts in the Gallery (Polka Theatre); Running the Silk Road (Yellow Earth Theatre); Lush Life (Live Theatre, Newcastle); A Couple of Poor Polish-Speaking Romanians (Soho Theatre, translation with Lisa Goldman); This Other Eden (Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh); and Skaville (Soho Theatre and Edinburgh).

Awards include: Best Play, Pearson (Worlds Apart); Best Production, City Life (Rat Pack Confidential); Best Comedy, London Fringe/Time Out (This Other Eden) and nominations for TMA (Reasons To Be Cheerful), TMA, Evening Standard and Olivier awards (The Big Life).

Paul has also won two Best Writer awards for his radio plays at the New York International Radio Festival.

As a musician he plays regular gigs with the band Ta Mere.

Wayne Nunes

Wayne was born in England and Raised in Guyana South America where he began his musical career as a chorister. He then went on to play in top 40 bands until returning to England in 1983 and has been working professionally as a Bass guitarist, writer & producer. He has toured, recorded and made television appearances with: Billy Ocean,  Tricky, Jebloy Nichols, Ava Leigh, African Headcharge, Warrior Charge, Myron, Conya Doss, Donnie Fritts, Joyceline Brown, Caron Wheeler, Eddy Grant, The Pasadenas, Lynden David Hall, Don-E, Loose ends, Imagination, Janet Kay, Carol Thompson, Ronnie Laws, Light of the World,  291 Show House Band, Rozalla Miller and Wayne Henandez.

His discography includes: Blow Back, Vulnerable, Knowle Boy West (Tricky). Writing and Production credits include: Just What time it is and Easy now. Film credits include: Bad company film soundtrack, Leila, Bully and 13 Ghosts. TV credits include:  24 and the Wild at heart Soundtrack.

Theatre credits include: Inner City Jam (West Yorkshire Playhouse & Tour) Grace and the Don – Workshop (MD), Ska Ba Day (Greenwich Theatre), Day OH – Workshop, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, The Snow Queen, Cinderella (two productions), Aladdin, Hansel and Gretel and The Big Life concert (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Harder They Come  - musical director & bass player (Theatre Royal Stratford East / Barbican, /Birmingham Hippodrome / West End / Miami /Toronto & British Tour as Co.),  The Wiz (Birmingham rep &  West Yorkshire Playhouse).

Perry Melius

Perry Melius has become a Mainstay of The Theatre Royal Stratford East family. A regular member of the musical team for our ever popular Christmas Pantomime.

As joint musical director of the 2005 original stage adaptation of “The Harder They Come” at Theatre Royal Stratford East and an equally successful run in 2006 Perry brought the wealth his of experience to our productions, gained from his diverse career as Drummer and Producer on a multitude of projects. His list of credits includes world tours, studio work and film sound tracks with Tricky, Aswad, Gabrielle and the stunning resurgence of Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), which sporned the brilliant release “Café Sessions” a live studio album bring together great Musicians in its production. Other recordings include Rozalla’s  recent release.

Lose Ends, Adrian Sherwood, Eddy Grant, Maxi Priest, Leela James, Light of the World, African Headcharge, Myron; all feature strongly in this Musician’s extensive catalogue.

Perry is presently Touring and recording with Billy Ocean as his Musical Director, A chair he has enjoyed for five years. Between dates, Perry has played Festivals with Patrice, and found time to support Labrinth on his successful U.K. tour with D.O.T. Rotten.

Perry continues to develop his personal project, Warrior Charge with his rhythm section and producing partner Wayne Nunes, A.K.A. Lickle Kings, their second Album is due out next year. Perry is the watchword for prolific.

Dawn Reid

Dawn is the Deputy Artistic Director at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Most recently she directed A Clockwork Orange for the theatre. Other work for the theatre includes assisting on shows such as One Dance Will Do, Aeroplane Man, Windrush and Things Change. Dawn has produced festivals for the Theatre including Gateway to the Arts, a series of shows for and by young people, and Spoke-Fest, festivals of Spoken Word, performances and workshops.  Dawn produced Boy Blue’s sold-out show The Book of Koraka; and produced and directed Club V.  Her directing credits for Theatre Royal Stratford East include A Clockwork Orange; Funny Black Women on the Edge; Ade Ikoli’s Diary of a SingleMan; DRD’s Dis is How We Do It; Speechify: Four Men on Family; Kat Francois’ one-woman shows Me, Myself and 7, Raising Lazarus and Kat’s Got Your Tongue; Da Mic Sounds Nice; Summit; Over The Dune; My Father and Other Superheros and she is the Co-Director of  The Harder They Come (Barbican, West End, Toronto and Miami); Mad Blud; and Rikki Beadle Blair’s Family Man.  Dawn was the Assistant Director on Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin and Red Riding Hood; and she directed Sleeping Beauty, The Snow Queen and Hansel and Gretel.  She has also directed rehearsed readings for BritAsia and New Voices, part of the Theatre’s work with new writers.  Other theatre credits include directing Llewella Gideon’s premiere of Fruit Salad (Greenwich Theatre) and working as Associate Director on Avenue Q (Noël Coward Theatre).  Dawn is the co-creator of Spoke-Lab with Roger Robinson and the recipient of a Carlton Multicultural Achievement Award for Performing Arts.

Jenny Tiramani

Jenny Tiramani has worked as a Costume and Stage Designer since 1977. She was Associate Designer at the Theatre Royal Stratford East 1979-1997 and Director of Theatre Design at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London 1997-2005, receiving the Laurence Oliver Award for Best Costume Design 2003, for the Globe production of Twelfth Night.

Recent opera work includes costume designs for La Clemenza di Tito by Mozart (Aix-en-Provence 2011) & Anna Bolena by Donizetti (Metropolitan Opera, New York, September 2011). Jenny returned to the Globe in 2012 to design new productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III that have transferred and are now playing at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue.

She was Visiting Professor of Costume at the School of Art & Design, Nottingham Trent University from 2009-2011. In 2008 she completed Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 4: The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men & women c1540-1660 with Santina M. Levey (pub. MacMillan). She has since co-written Seventeenth Century Women’s Dress Patterns: Book One (pub. April 2011) and Seventeenth Century Women’s Dress Patterns: Book Two (pub. July 2012) for V&A publications. Jenny is the Principal of The School of Historical Dress.

For further information, visit: www.theschoolofhistoricaldress.org.uk

Harriet Barsby

Hattie is a costume designer and supervisor whose 1st job was in the Costume Department at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, she is very happy to return to create the costumes for Jack & the Beanstalk. Her design work includes Come Dancing at The Theatre Royal and Market Boy at the RNT. She was costume supervisor on Richard III and Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe this summer and is Deputy Principal of the School of Historical Dress.

Declan Randall

Award winning lighting designer Declan Randall has over 17 years of professional lighting design experience. He has designed over 250 productions for theatre, opera, musicals and dance. His designs have been seen worldwide in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, South Africa, Asia and Australia. He holds a degree in Stage Lighting Design & Arts Administration and won a scholarship to attend the Broadway Lighting Master Class (New York). He was Resident Lighting Designer for the Market Theatre, State Theatre Dance Company and Opera Africa.

Credits: Don Giovanni, Madame Butterfly (Mid Wales Opera); Something Very Far Away (Unicorn);  Moll Flanders, Hot Mikado, Pirates of Penzance (GSA); La Cour de Célimene, Gianni di Parigi, Maria (Wexford); Dialogues des Carmelites (Guildhall), Foreplay (Amsterdam Festival), Winnie The Opera (Pretoria), The Graft, Two Women (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Porgy & Bess (UK Tour); Dead Man Walking (Cape Town); High School Musical (SA /Shanghai/Hong Kong); Re:Wind Cantata (Royal Festival Hall); Aida (Johannesburg, Cape Town); Saturday Night Fever (Lyric); African Footprint (USA, Canada, China, South Africa, France, Israel); Les Contes d’Hoffman (Nationale Reisopera); Relativity (Australian Tour)

Future Projects: Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’be (GSA); Starlight Express (Johannesburg)

He has published a book: Theatrical Lighting Design: Making the Light Fantastic.

www.declanrandall.com

Ian MacGregor

Ian MacGregor started his musical studies as a choral scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read mathematics. He was musical director for Cinderella (Olivier award nomination, Theatre Royal Stratford East) and The Big Life (Olivier award nomination, Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue). He was recently musical director for A Christmas Carol (Arts Theatre Leicester Square), Once On This Island (Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse and Hackney Empire), The Wizard of Oz (Royal & Derngate), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Millfield Theatre) and Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Royal Stratford East). Other previous productions include The Boyfriend, The Music Man, South Pacific, Crazy For You, Fiddler On The Roof, Oklahoma! and Salad Days.

Ian was the musical director for A tribute to Siegfried & Roy (London Palladium), Wow - A Magical Variety Experience (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Variety Live at the Grand (Grand Theatre in Blackpool). He is also a founding director of Various Entertainments Ltd., whose most recent productions were Millfield Magic (Millfield Theatre), Cinemagic and A Fistful Of Broken Wands (Bloomsbury Theatre).

Ian has extensive choral experience, both as a singer with professional choirs including The Purcell Singers and OSJ Voices, and as the conductor of The Highgate Camerata. He is also the Musical Director for the Sunday Night Singers, a company who specialise in performing work by new musical theatre writers.

www.ianmacgregor.com

Theo Holloway

Theo's recent work as a sound designer and composer includes – Macbeth (UK Tour for Icarus Theatre), The Trojan War & Peace Season (The Scoop, London), The Producers (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (UK Tour), Shalom Baby (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Third Floor (Trafalgar Studios 2), The Moon is Halfway to Heaven (Jermyn Street Theatre), Parade (Southwark Playhouse), Macbeth (UK Tour for Icarus Theatre), The Dangerous Journeys Season (The Scoop, London), Sign of the Times (Duchess Theatre – Musical Arrangements), The Knitting Circle (Soho Theatre), The Graft (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Invisible Man (Menier Chocolate Factory - Associate Sound Designer), Hamlet (UK Tour for Icarus Theatre), Pam Ann – Flying High (Vaudeville Theatre), Spare (New Diorama Theatre), Corrie! (The Lowry, Salford), The Bad Boys Season (The Scoop, London), Two Women (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Counted? (London County Hall - Consultant Sound Designer), The Extension (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Crossings (RichMix and Tour), Plague Over England (Duchess Theatre). He also works as a technical consultant and software developer for live sound, specialising in radio frequency engineering.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles

Jeanefer has been busy working as a Mass Movement Co-ordinator on all four of the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies.

Jeanefer is thrilled to be returning to Theatre Royal Stratford East after a long association as a performer in the variety nights with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers and Zoots & Spangles, an audience member for many shows and choreographer on Pinchy Kobi & The 7 Duppies with Paulette Randall.

Other choreography credits include: the world record-breaking Big Dance on Trafalgar Square (Mayor of London & BB1) the Handshake in Parent Trap (Walt Disney), Commonwealth Youth Games Opening Ceremony (Walk The Plank), Bolero Re-Mixed with over 70 dancers and a 52 piece orchestra – (Greenwich + Docklands International Festival), the Beijing Cultural Olympic Festival (Beijing) unveiling of Mandela’s Statue (Parliament Square), A Raisin in the Sun (the Young Vic & Lyric Hammersmith), Journey to the River Sea (Theatre Centre) Garbage King (Unicorn Theatre) British Ski Ballet – (‘92 Olympics).

Co-founder of Bullies Ballerinas Jazz Productions (1990-2000), Jeanefer directed, produced and performed in Jazz Umbrella, Rhythm Circus, and Barefeet & Crazy Legs touring nationally and internationally under the auspices of the British Council and other prestigious arts sponsors.   Her work has been staged in Italy, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa.

Jeanefer is a Rayne Fellow and executive director of her company Tomorrow’s Men - using dance as a tool to empower vulnerable young men and help them build better relationships.

www.jeanefer.com
www.tomorrowsmen.co.uk

Bret Yount

Bret Yount’s recent theatre credits include Dangerous Lady, A Clockwork Orange, Shalom, Baby! Graft, Two Women and The Harder They Come  at Theatre Royal, Stratford East; POSH at the Duke of York’s; The Country Wife at Royal Exchange, Manchester; Soul Sister at the Hackney Empire; The Alchemists and A Streetcar Named Desire at the Liverpool Playhouse; The Physicists and The Recruiting Officer at the Donmar Warehouse; Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Double Feature and Men Should Weep at the National; Death and the Maiden and Absent Friends at the Pinter Theatre,  A Delicate Balance, Children’s Children, The Knot of the Heart, House of Games and Ruined at the Almeida; Choir Boy, Belong, In Basildon, Wastwater, Clybourne Park and POSH at the Royal Court; Much Ado About Nothing and Anne Boleyn at Shakespeare’s Globe; Macbeth at Liverpool Everyman; Inheritance and Faith and Cold Reading at Live, Newcastle; Bedroom Farce on tour; Elektra and Annie Get Your Gun at the Young Vic; Shraddha at Soho Theatre; Too Much Pressure, Babylone and Behud at the Belgrade, Coventry; The Caretaker at Liverpool Everyman/Trafalgar Studios and World Tour; The Harder They Come at Playhouse Theatre; and The Lover and The Collection at the Comedy Theatre. TV includes Against All Odds and Blue Peter. Film includes Troy, Young Hearts Run Free and Shades of Beige.

Ben Bennett

Ben graduated from The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Theatre work as Assistant Director: THE RIOTS, CAT B and GRETA GARBO CAME TO DONEGAL all for The Tricycle; RANDOM (2010) for The Royal Court and WELCOME TO ROCKSBURG by Paul Grootboom for UK Arts International. In 2012 he directed Eleanor Lawrence's LAST MAN ON THE HEYGATE for 'CHAVS' at The Hammersmith Lyric and Shamser Sinha's BREDDERS for 'Sound Bites' at Rich Mix. Theatre work as an actor includes: Mustapha Matura's THREE SISTERS directed by Paulette Randall and Juliet Gilkes Romero's AT THE GATES OF GAZA directed by Steven Luckie both for The Birmingham Rep, and URBAN AFRO SAXONS & THE GREAT EXTENSION at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Television work as an actor includes: THE CANTERBURY TALES and IN DEEP, BBC. For radio: 'ONE HOT SUMMER' by Juliet Gilkes Romero, BBC R4 Drama. He sits on the boards of The Albany and Talawa Theatre Company.'

Tanika Gupta MBE       

Tanika Gupta's work for theatre includes: Skeleton (Soho Theatre1997); Translation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan (NT Education tour); The Waiting Room (NT, Winner of the John Whiting Award 2000); Sanctuary (NT,2002); Inside Out (Clean Break 2002); Fragile Land (Hampstead Theatre; nominated for Olivier and EMMA awards 2003); Hobson’s Choice (Young Vic nominated for Olivier Award 2003);  Gladiator Games (Sheffield Crucible and Theatre Royal Stratford East 2005/2006); Sugar Mummies (Royal Court, 2006); Catch (Group Play for Royal Court, 2006); White Boy (National Youth Theatre, Soho Theatre, 2007 );  Meet the Mukherjees ( Bolton Octagon 2007).Her adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations for Watford Palace Theatre/English Touring theatre; Wah!Wah!Girls a British Bollywood musical (Sadlers Wells/ Theatre Royal Stratford East) 2012.

Tanika has written extensively for Television:  (EastEnders, The Bill, All About Me, Grange Hill). She has also written original screenplays for television: Flight (BBC2 - 1997) and Banglatown Banquet (BBC2 -2006). Tanika has also written over thirty plays for BBC Radio.

Tanika is the recipient of the Aisan Woman of Achievement Award (2003), Amnesty International Award (2005)  and she was included in the Queen’s honours list and awarded an MBE (2008) for ‘Services to Drama’.

Her next production The Empress will be staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in April 2013.