Cast Announced for Grand Theatre's Production of BRASSED OFF

Today, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre announced that Jeffrey Holland will lead the cast of its first in-house production in almost 40 years. Jeffrey will play ex-miner and veteran conductor of Grimley Band, Danny in BRASSED OFF, from Wednesday 23 August - Saturday 2 September 2017.

Other casting includes Christopher Connel who will play Phil, Miriam Edwards as Sandra, Ash Matthews as Shane, Clara Darcy as Gloria and Eddy Massarella will play Andy. Full casting will be announced soon.

Jeffrey Holland (Danny) is probably best known for his portrayal of 'Spike' in BBC TV's Hi-De-Hi, the stuffy footman 'James Twelvetrees' in all four series of the hugely successful You Rang M'Lord? and more recently as Mr Parkin the stationmaster in Oh, Dr. Beeching! Born in Walsall, West Midlands, Jeffrey trained in Birmingham and began his career with four and a half years in repertory at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry where he eventually finished up as leading character man. His theatre work is extensive and includes seasons at the Chichester Festival Theatre and Edinburgh Festival.

Christopher Connel (Phil) Theatre credits include: The Pitman Painters, Live Theatre, The Pitman Painters The National Theatre and Friedman Theatre Broadway, Aladdin Durham Gala, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum Durham Gala, Close The Coal House Door, Northern Stage/Live Theatre, Wet House Live Theatre/Soho Theatre, Nativities, Live Theatre, 'Stuart' in the premiere of Cooking With Elvis at Live Theatre, TOAST, Live Theatre, Shooting The Legend, Theatre Royal Newcastle, Cooking With Elvis, Hull Truck, Bouncers, Ambassadors Theatre Group, Bouncers, Hull Truck Studs, Up On Roof, Hull Truck, A Kick In The Baubles, Hull Truck, Black On White Shorts, Paines Plough/Live Theatre, And A Nightingale Sang, Cheltenham Everyman, The Steal and Men Women Inspectors And Dogs, Theatre Royal York/Cloud Nine, The Girls Of Poppy Field Close Live Theatre, Peer Gynt, Three Over Eden Theatre Company, Cuddys Miles, Customs House South Shields, Unreal, Cloud Nine, Peer Gynt, Three Over Eden, The Purple Pullover, Cloud Nine and productions far too many productions with Bruvvers Theatre Company. Television and film credits include: the feature films Goal and Purely Belter, Emmerdale, Ytv, The Round Tower, Festival Films, Badger, BBC/ Feelgood Fiction,GEORGE Gently, Company Pictures The Bill, ITV, Byker Grove, BBC/Zenith, Quayside, Zenith/Tyne Tees, King Leek, Granada Television, Heartbeat, YTV, Crocodile Shoes (series 1 and 2), BBC, How We Used To Live, YTV, Finney, Zenith/Carlton, The Block, Channel 4, Take Me, Scottish TV/Coastal Productions, the sitcom Breeze Block, BBC, Steel River Blues, Granada and Lawless, Company/ITV and Navy Of The Damned. Chris has also presented various features for BBC North East and Cumbria

Miriam Edwards (Sandra) comes to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from working on New Writing and Educational projects at Birmingham Rep. Her other Theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol at Corby Cube, Breathe by Chris O'Connell for Theatre Absolute, where she is an associate artist. The Sisterhood (Belgrade Theatre); Vampomime (Belgrade Theatre); People (Theatre Absolute); The Hundred Years' War ('Midland Creative in association with The Belgrade Theatre and Bloodaxe Books'- National Tour); Luminous (Birmingham Repertory Theatre): Powder (Theatre Absolute); Epiphany (MAC); First Do No Harm (Tea and Tenacity); Unplugged (Belgrade Theatre); Flesh and Blood (Pendle Productions); Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell (DT Productions -National Tour); Dracula (Blue Orange Arts); The Importance of Being Earnest (National tour), Chip Off The Block (National Tour), Rattle of a Simple Man (Regional Tour) (Opus Theatre Company); A Woman Of No Importance (Ay Mango Theatre) and Measure for Measure (Rogue Play). Film, TV & Radio credits include: The Canary Girls of White and Poppe's (BBC Radio); 50 Ways to Lose Your Lover (Current TV); Inspector Drake; The Seagull (Flying Ducks) and Red (Met Film School).

Ash Matthews (Shane) recently played Enoch Snow Jr in Carousel for Opera North. His credits whilst training include: 'Officer Barrel' in Urinetown, 'Her Brother' in Roberto Zucco, 'Tim/Robot' in Candine, 'Posthumus Leonatus' in Cymbeline, 'Gloucester' in Richard III, 'Barry' in Dumb Show and 'George Gibbs' in Our Town.

Clara Darcy (Gloria) trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Her theatre credits include: James & the Giant Peach (Northern Stage); Miss Nightingale (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds & national tour); Forever Young (Nottingham Playhouse / Oldham Coliseum); Propaganda Swing (Nottingham Playhouse / Coventry Belgrade); Brassed Off (York Theatre Royal & national tour); Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd, David Copperfield (Bolton Octagon); Chicago, Brassed Off, Martha, Josie & the Chinese Elvis, Jack & the Beanstalk (Oldham Coliseum); We Love You City (Coventry Belgrade); A Government Inspector, Heidi - A Goat's Tale (Northern Broadsides), The Hired Man (TMA Award Winner: 'Best Performance in a Musical' - Bolton Octagon); The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (New Vic, Stoke); Return to the Forbidden Planet (Oldham Coliseum / HarroGate Theatre); The Right Ballerina (Library Theatre / Lowry); The Merchant of Venice (Lancaster Castle), The Taming of the Shrew (Oddsocks Productions tour), Fourteen (24:7 Theatre Festival). Television and film credits include: Eric & Ernie (nominated for BAFTA), Emmerdale, The Royal, Nightmare in Suburbia and Retribution. Radio credits include: BBC Radio 2's Elaine Paige on Sunday.

Eddy Massarella (Andy) is a recent BA Acting graduate of Rose Bruford College. His notable credits include 'Demetrius' in A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Globe Theatre for the Sam Wanamaker Festival, 'Bassanio' in The Merchant Of Venice, 'John' in Mike Bartlett's 13, and 'Domnhall' in The Lock In. Eddy has performed at the Soho Theatre, working with director Tony Graham, and featured in Haolu Wang's, Emma.

BRASSED OFF is written by Paul Allen, adapted from the screenplay by Mark Herman. It's 1994; and Danny's lifelong ambition to lead Grimley Colliery Band to the National Brass Band Competition at the Royal Albert Hall looks like it might finally happen. But as Grimley pit faces closure, the future looks bleak as the town is thrown into conflict. Flugelhorn player Gloria arrives in town bringing with her a renewed sense of hope and a touch of romance, but no-one knows who she's really playing for...

BRASSED OFF is produced by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in association with talkingScarlet. It will be directed by Gareth Tudor Price, formerly Artistic Director of Hull Truck Theatre. Set and costume design is by John Brooking. Lighting design for the production is by Anthony Aston.

BRASSED OFF was first performed at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield on 17th March 1998.

Tickets for BRASSED OFF between Wednesday 23 August - Saturday 2 September 2017 are now on sale and can be purchased in person at the Box Office, by calling 01902 42 92 12 or online at grandtheatre.co.uk.

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