Full Cast Confirmed for World Premiere of TEDDY at Southwark Playhouse

Snapdragon Productions and Theatre Bench announce the full cast for the world première of Teddy at the Southwark Playhouse. Will Payne plays 1950s heartthrob Johnny Valentine, lead singer of rock 'n' roll band The Broken Hearts, whose blistering live performance of Dougal Irvine's songs, underscores the show. The Broken Hearts line-up is completed by Alexander Bean, Alice Offley and Harrison White, who also takes the role of Musical Director.

They join the previously announced Joseph Prowen and Jennifer Kirby in the roles of Teddy and Josie. Snapdragon's Artistic Director Eleanor Rhode directs the production, which opens on 8 June, with previews from 4 June, running until 27 June.

Elephant and Castle. 1956. Saturday night.

Teddy and Josie are about to hit the streets of London for a good time. It's pissing it down, they're totally skint, and someone wants them dead - but a little trouble never stopped a Ted from having a good time. Desperate times call for rock 'n' roll.

Teddy is a punchy, lyrical ride though the dark and damaged world of 1950s London. Expect sex, violence and damn good hair.

Tristan Bernays is a writer and performer. As a writer, his work includes Iron (Orange Tree Theatre), Iron Oxide (Southwark Playhouse as part of Theatre Renegade's Courting Drama), The Bread & The Beer (Soho Theatre and UK Tour), Old Fools (Bush Theatre as part of Theatre Renegade's Courting Drama), Coffin (Kings Head Theatre), Arden 2.0 as part of Old Vic New Voices' Arden Project (Warner Brothers Theatre) and Aftershocks (National Theatre Studio).

Dougal Irvine is an award winning composer, lyricist and writer. He trained in playwriting at Royal Court. Credits as a bookwriter/lyricist/composer include Departure Lounge, In Touch, The Other School, Angry Birds and The Busker's Opera. As a lyricist his credits include Britain's Got Bhangra (The Off West End Award for Best New Musical), Laila and The Lighthouse. As a composer, his work includes The Snow Queen (Nuffield Theatre/Royal and Derngate), The Bacchae, Blood Wedding (Royal and Derngate during the Cameron Mackintosh/Mercury Musicals Resident Composer Scheme), The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors (Changeling Theatre) and Captured by the Dark (StopGap Theatre).

Will Payne plays Johnny Valentine. His theatre credits include Backbeat (Duke of York's). His television work includes Mr Selfridge, The Red Tent and Summer in Transylvania ; and for film, his work includes The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box and Elfie Hopkins.

Alexander Bean plays drummer Sammy 'the Sticks' Smith. He is soon to graduate from Rose Bruford's Acting Musicianship BA course.

Alice Offley plays bass player Jenny O'Malley. Alice has performed with Cyndi Lauper, Billy Bragg and fronts her own band 'Alice & The Lovers'. Her television credits include Trollied and Alan B'stard.

Harrison White plays guitarist and keyboard player Buster Watson and is also the production's Musical Director. He has been composing and arranging music for his own projects and other people since he was 16, and has toured all over the UK with various acts. Recently, he has worked with Dougal Irvine on Angry Birds and Future Fest. He has performed at Her Majesty's Theatre, The Queen's Theatre and the Lyric Theatre. He is currently writing his own "teach-yourself-music-theory" book.

Joseph Prowen plays Teddy. His theatre credits include Jefferson's Garden (Watford Palace Theatre), An Ideal Husband (Chichester Festival Theatre), Mojo and Dinner (Acorn Productions) and The History Boys (Oxford Triptych Theatre).

Jennifer Kirby plays Josie. Her theatre credits include Pride and Prejudice (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), The Recruiting Officer (Salisbury Playhouse) and Henry IV Part One and Henry IV Part Two (Royal Shakespeare Company).

Director Eleanor Rhode directs. Her recent theatre work includes Toast, The Dead Wait and Thark (Park Theatre), Generous, the London première of The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey and the first London revival in over 30 years of A Life by Hugh Leonard (all Finborough Theatre). Other directing includes The Gypsy Thread (National Theatre Studio), Can I Be Straight With You? (Bush Theatre), The Error of Their Ways (Cockpit Theatre), A Number (Camden People's Theatre), This Lime Tree Bower (Edinburgh Festival) and staged readings of The Session (Pushkin House), The Promised Land (Tristan Bates), The Geese of Beverly Road (Theatre 503), Photos of You Sleeping (Hampstead Theatre) and The December Man (L'homme de décembre), Sihanoukville and Barrow Hill (Finborough Theatre). She is currently working on a new musical for Centerstage Theatre Seattle.

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