Di Botcher Announced As Special Guest Performer At The West End Gala Of The 12th Annual Stephen Sondheim Society

The Stephen Sondheim Society and Mercury Musical Developments today announce Welsh actress Di Botcher as the special guest performer at the 12th annual West End Gala for The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year and the 11th anniversary of The Stiles + Drewe Prize.

Botcher will reprise her show-stopping performance of the Sondheim classic 'Broadway Baby' from the National Theatre's acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies. She is perhaps best known to TV audiences as Aunty Brenda in Ruth Jones's hit comedy-drama Stella and recently made her debut as series regular paramedics boss, Jan Jennings in the popular, long-running medical drama Casualty.

The 2018 competition is being staged at the Savoy Theatre on Sunday 10th June at 3pm, hosted by Olivier Award winner Tracie Bennett. Chris Hocking returns to direct the annual gala, with musical direction by Mark Etherington.

In addition, the London Musical Theatre Orchestra will orchestrate the winning song of the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Prize and perform it at one of their private play-throughs in Autumn 2018.

Freddie Tapner, Founder and Conductor of London Musical Theatre Orchestra, said today, "LMTO are delighted that we can offer this opportunity to the winner of the Stiles & Drewe Prize. As a composer, there is nothing more thrilling than hearing your work performed by a full orchestra, and we can't wait to give that experience to someone this year. Good luck to all entrants!"

This annual competition, co-produced by The Stephen Sondheim Society and Mercury Musical Developments, sees twelve of the top student performers from musical theatre and drama schools across the UK each perform a classic song by Stephen Sondheim and a new musical theatre song, written by members of Mercury Musical Developments. The first prize is £1,000. Writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson returns to Chair the Student Performer judges with Rebecca Caine (the original Cosette in Les Miserables, and Christine in the original London and Canadian companies of The Phantom of the Opera), Rebecca Trehearn (Olivier Award winner for the recent London run of Showboat), Stephen Ridley (Musical Director for American in Paris and The King and I) and David Benedict (Sondheim's official biographer).

The Stiles + Drewe Prize supports and develops new musical theatre writing via its two distinct arms. Recognising an outstanding song from a new musical and supported by The Entertainment Business, the winner of Best New Song receives £1,000 to put towards developing their work. Judging the Best New Song entries with Stiles and Drewe will be Sharon D Clarke (Caroline, or Change, The Lion King, We Will Rock You) and writer/director Susie McKenna (former Creative Director of Hackney Empire).

In addition, the winner of the Stiles and Drewe Mentorship Award - now in its third year, generously supported by Music Theatre International (Europe) - will also be announced at the Gala. One new musical and its writer(s) will be selected to receive mentorship over a 12-month period, culminating in an industry showcase. Along with Stiles and Drewe, the 2018 judges were composer Grant Olding, the Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate James Dacre and Chichester Festival Theatre's producer Amelia Ferrand-Rook. A song from each of the three finalist shows will be performed at the event.

Di Botcher's credits for theatre include Follies, Cardiff East, A Little Night Music and Sweeny Todd (National Theatre), A Flea in Her Ear (Old Vic), Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), Amazed and Surprised and Black Milk (Royal Court), Flesh and Blood (Hampstead Theatre) and Beauty and the Beast (Dominion Theatre). For television her credits include Stella, Walliams and Friend, Silent Witness, Wasteman, Downton Abbey, DCI Banks, Coming of Age, Pulling, The Thick of It, Belonging and Bleak House; and for film, Victor Frankenstein. She also has just made her debut in as series regular in Casualty as Jan Jenning.

The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is the world's only professional orchestra dedicated to performing musical theatre repertoire. LMTO produces spectacular concerts of musicals in major London venues with our full orchestra and world class soloists. The orchestra is formed of musicians who love musicals - most of whom are established professionals, but a quarter of whom are always young developing professionals. Since LMTO's public launch in June 2016, the orchestra has performed at iconic central London venues such as the London Palladium, the Lyceum Theatre and Cadogan Hall to sell-out crowds and rave five-star reviews. One Sunday each month, LMTO organises a private Play-through; a gathering of around 120 musicians and singers to rehearse the music from a musical, with no audience present. To find out more, see http://www.lmto.org/get-involved/play-throughs/

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Tracie Bennett's theatre work includes Follies (National Theatre); and in the West End, Ruthless - The Musical, Mrs Henderson Presents, End of the Rainbow (also Broadway - winner of Outer Critics' Circle and Drama Desk awards; and Olivier and Tony Award nominations), La Cage aux Folles, Hairspray - Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Les Misérables, She Loves Me - Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Other theatre work includes The Hypochondriac (Theatre Royal Bath), Sex, Chips & Rock 'n' Roll - TMA Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical (Royal Exchange Manchester), Carousel, Billy Liar (ATG), High Society (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), and Guys and Dolls, Educating Rita, Spring Awakening (Sheffield Theatre). For television, her work includes Scott & Bailey, Burn It, New Tricks, Candy Cabs, Dalziel and Pascoe, Vincent, The Royal, The Long Firm, MIT: Murder Investigation Team, Heroes and Villains, Keen Eddie, Where the Heart Is, Coronation Street (as series regular Sharon Bentley), Heartbeat, The Gingerbread Girl, Joking Apart, The Upper Hand, Rich Tea and Sympathy, Making Out; and for film, Shirley Valentine, Deep Red Instant, Knights and Emeralds.

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