Zac Donavon and More to Star in THE SECRET GARDEN: IN CONCERT at King's Head Theatre; Full Cast Announced!

The producing team behind The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Arts Theatre) and The Children of Eden Gala Concert (Prince of Wales Theatre), Aria Entertainment and Knockhardy Productions are delighted to announce the cast for their forthcoming concert revival of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman's three times Tony Award winning musical The Secret Garden.

Following in his father's footsteps and making his professional stage debut in the shared role of Colin is Zac Donavon, son of Pop/TV/Musical Theatre star Jason Donovan. He will be sharing the role with Tyler Fagan an original Gustave in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies at The Adelphi Theatre and also played Michael Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins both in the West End and on the extensive UK Tour. The role of Mary Lenox will be shared between Ana Martin who also makes her professional debut and Olivia Hallett who was a recent soloist in the West End Voices concert at The Actors Church in Covent Garden alongside Peter Polycarpou, Summer Strallen and Michael Xavier.

Alexander Evans, who has just returned from Broadway in the US production of Masterclass, will play Archibald Craven. Also joining the cast will be Amanda Goldthorpe-Hall in the role of Mrs Medlock a part she understudied in the original UK production in 2000, whilst fresh from playing Mrs Corny in Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver! will be Rachael McCormick as Martha. Joining them will be Graham Hoadly who has just finished playing the lead role of Bert Barry in UK Productions' recent tour of 42nd Street. Zoe Curlett will play the role of Lily, her previous credits include Cosette in LES MISERABLES and Christine in The Phantom of the Opera.

Completing the cast are: Ross Barnes (A Winter's Tale : Landor Theatre), Robert Dalton (Save the Last Dance : UK Tour), JorDon Lee Davies (Into the Woods : St David's Hall), Martin Dickinson (Jekyll & Hyde : UK Tour), Natalie Douglas (Steel Pier : Union Theatre), Wesley Dow (When Harry Met Barry : Above the Stag), Joanna Eliot (Let There Be : Riverside Studios), Fiona Finsbury (The Young Ones : Queen's Theatre Hornchurch), Mona Goodwin (Spring Awakening : Lyric Hammersmith & West End), Matthew Ronchetti (A Winter's Tale : Landor Theatre) and Pippa Winslow (Old Goat Song: Lion & Unicorn).

The Secret Garden : in Concert will be directed by Matthew Gould who continues his exciting creative partnership with Aria Entertainment, whilst David Keefe will musically direct.

Performances will play the King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street Islington, Greater London N1 1QN. Previews 10th February 2013 - 7:15pm. Evening Show 11th,17th,18th,24th,25th February & 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th March : 7:15pm. Matinee Show 17th March : 3:00pm. Press Night 11th February : 7:15pm. Ticket Price £10 (preview) / £10 - £25 (all other shows) Box Office 0207 478 0160. Website: www.kingsheadtheatre.com.

Director: Matthew Gould - Matthew has been directing for a number of years focusing on New Writing and Musical Theatre, winning the People's Choice Award for the Preston Fringe Festival with the new play Baby Jesus Freak by Ian Winterton. He had his first foray into film direction in 2011 with a promotional DVD for a Martial Arts stage show In the Gutter Looking up at The Stars, which he also choreographed. Prior to this he adapted comedienne Janice Day's book about getting over breast cancer for her one woman show which premiered at the Epsom Playhouse in February 2012 and then directed the recording of Adolf Killed my Sweetheart for ALL FM radio. Recently he directed and choreographed the first major revival of the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood at the Arts Theatre, London; a new musical based on the Cuban Missile Crisis called Thirteen Days at The Grimeborn Festival at The Arcola in London; and the premiere of a musical by David Reiser called Old Goat Song. Prior to Christmas 2012 he directed the beautiful musical I Do I Do at The Riverside Studios. Matthew is thrilled to be directing this revival of The Secret Garden and will follow this with a new play by author Deep Singh and a new musical, A Body to Die(t) For.

Musical Director: David Keefe - David studied piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and musical direction at the Royal Academy of Music. He has recently been musical director of TIN, a collaboration between Miracle Theatre and English Touring Opera (ETO), and associate musical director of Shadowball, a jazz opera for children by JulIan Joseph, in Birmingham. Other credits include education projects (In the Belly of the Horse for ETO, The Toy Box for HMDT), productions involving communities (Street Scene, The Human Comedy for the Young Vic/Opera Group, Antigone at Southwark Playhouse) and musicals Follies (Pleasance, Islington) and Thrill Me (Tristan Bates Theatre, London).

Aria Entertainment: Producer - Aria Entertainment was formed in 2011 by Katy Lipson and is a recent Stage One bursary recipient and has gone on to produce the Best Little Whorehouse In Texas at the Union Theatre and a charity gala of Children Of Eden at the Prince Of Wales Theatre, West End starring Gareth Gates, Russell Grant and Kerry Ellis. Most recently, Aria produced the West End revival of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood starring former Coronation Street actress Wendi Peters. Aria Entertainment's production of Edward Reid: Living The Dream One Song At A Time - won the Forth Radio Award 2012 for Best Fringe Production. Aria is currently co-producing From Page to Stage a season of new musical theatre with the award winning Landor Theatre.

Knockhardy Productions: Producer - Knockhardy Productions was formed in 2008 as an independent Production Company that focuses on the performing arts, particularly musical theatre. Recent production credits include: Roll On The Day (Etcetera), Knowledge By Degrees (Greenwood); Associate Producer for Our House 10th Anniversary Concert (Savoy), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Landor & Arts), #searchforatwitterstarLIVE! Final (Lyric) and for the West End Gala performance of Children of Eden (Prince of Wales).

The King's Head Theatre : Venue - The King's Head Theatre is London's first pub theatre since Shakespeare's time, founded in 1970 with 50 West-End/Broadway transfers to its credit. Multi-Award winning Adam Spreadbury-Maher became the venue's second ever Artistic Director in March 2010, re-launching the venue with a revolutionary opera programme. Since 2008 Spreadbury-Maher's Production Company has become renowned for staging world premieres and first time revivals of work by some of the most well-known and respected playwrights of the modern era, including Edward Bond, Peter Gill, Nick Ward and Tennessee Williams.

Casting : Ben Newsome - Casting credits include; The Mystery Of Edwin Drood (The Arts Theatre), Search For A Twitter Star (The Lyric Theatre), I Do! I Do! (Riverside Studios), Crazy For You The Musical (Upstairs At The Gatehouse), The Mark Of Lia (The London Theatre), Pop Factor (UK Tour), Old Goat Song (The Lion & Unicorn), The Boy Who Was Woody Allen (The Pleasance), The Route To Happiness (The Landor) & One Touch Of Venus (Ye Olde Rose & Crown)

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