Emma Hatton, Sally Ann Triplett & More to Star in BERLUSCONI World Premiere Musical at Southwark Playhouse

The cast has been announced for the world premiere of BERLUSCONI - a naughty, noisy exposé of the original perma-tanned media mogul turned populist politician, told through the eyes of three formidable women ready to share their side of the story and break the veneer of that million Lira smile.

The full cast includes: McCallam Connell (The Colour Purple, UK Tour) as the Judge, John Conroy (Half a Sixpence, Noel Coward) as Luigi, Susan Fay (The Girls, UK Tour) as Mama Rosa, Jenny Fitzpatrick (A Christmas Carol, The Old Vic) as Fama, Natalie Kassanga (Dreamgirls, UK Tour) as Bella, Emma Hatton (Wicked, West End) as Veronica, Sebastien Torkia (RSC's Matilda The Musical, West End) as Silvio Berlusconi, Sally Ann Triplett (Cabaret, Lido 2 Paris) as Ilda, Gavin Wilkinson (Guys and Dolls, Théâtre Marigny) as Vladimir Putin and Matthew Woodyatt (Piaf, Nottingham Playhouse) as Antonio. Full biographies can be found in Notes to Editors.

Rehearsals begin on 13 February with first preview on 25 March and press night on 29 March.

BERLUSCONI is an urgent and prescient story about a brand of political leadership that has become all too familiar. With soaring melodies and driving beats, this hilarious and outrageous new musical assembles an award-winning team to tell the astonishing, outlandish, almost true story of one of the world's most charismatic, charming and morally dubious political leaders.

As Silvio tries to enshrine his legacy by grandiosely writing the opera of his life, his detractors are closing in...

Written by Ricky Simmonds and Simon Vaughan, this modern-day cautionary tale is produced by Francesca Moody Productions (Fleabag) and Thomas S. Barnes and directed by James Grieve (Fisherman's Friends). The musical will be choreographed by Rebecca Howell (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ ) with Set and Costume by Lucy Osborne (The Famous Five), Paul Schofield (Hair - In Concert) as Musical Supervisor, Arranger and Co-Orchestrator Jordan Li Smith (City of Angels) as Musical Director, Oliver Fenwick (Blues for Alabama Sky) as Lighting Designer Dan Samson (Heathers) as Sound Designer, Video Design by Stanley Orwin Fraser for Duncan McClean Projection (The Jungle), Music Production and Co-orchestration by Lewis Andrews and Original Vocal Score and Original Vocal Arrangements by David White (Cabaret) and Math Roberts (Merrily We Roll Along) as Associate Musical Director and Casting by Will Burton CDG. Associate produced by Alex Cooke and Alan Hayling, based on an original idea by Alan Hayling.

MCCALLAM CONNELL (JUDGE)

McCallam is an actor, singer and writer and a platinum accredited songwriter. He recently co-wrote lyrics and melodies for the Arts Council England funded musical workshop production of The Coloured Valentino which was staged at The Arcola Theatre in January 2022.

Theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol (Middle Temple Hall); The Color Purple UK Tour 2022 (Leicester Curve); To The Streets (Birmingham Hippodrome); Playboy Of The West Indies (Birmingham Rep); Small Island (National Theatre); Mass Carib (National Tour); Oh Babylon (Arts Theatre Leicester Square), Moondance Night (Riverside Theatre); The Black Jacobins (Riverside Theatre); Dr No and Macbeth (Moving Parts Theatre); The Mikado and The Antigone (L'ouvertre Theatre).

Theatre Workshops: On The Ropes (Park Theatre); The Coloured Valentino (Arcola Theatre); Artaban The Musical (Actor's Church Covent Garden);

Recording & song writing credits include: Tina Turner - Twenty Four Seven (Parlaphone Records); Buen Color - Son Asi (Warner Bros Spain); Solomon Album (Champion Record/Goodsingle Records) and The Tony Rich Project (Top Of The Pops).

John Conroy (LUIGI)

LONDON WEST END: Mr Shalford in Half a Sixpence (Noel Coward Theatre), Mr Schumacher in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre), Arvide in Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre), Shelley Levine in Glengarry Glenn Ross (Piccadilly Theatre), Sandor in Grand Hotel (Donmar Warehouse), Donald Hall in Take Flight (Menier Chocolate Factory), Frankie Holmes in Jolson (Victoria Palace Theatre), Mr Lyons in Blood Brothers (Albery Theatre) - the last two having transferred to the Royal Alexandra Theatre Toronto. Four Years at the New Shakespeare Theatre Company (Regent's Park) playing Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Verges in Much Ado About Nothing, the MC in Oh What A Lovely War, the Exiled Duke in As You Like It, Sir Nathaniel in Love's Labour's Lost, and Brasset in Where's Charley? Other theatre includes Baptista in Kiss Me Kate (Crucible Theatre Sheffield), Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady (Teatro Di San Carlo), Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Live (Europe and South America), Jimmy Jack Cassie in Translations and Parchester in Me and My Girl (Sheffield's Crucible Theatre), Rowley in The School For Scandal (Theatre Royal Bath), Merroman/Lane in The Importance of Being Earnest and Peter Shelley in Major Barbara (Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre), Peadar Cassidy in The Ha'penny Bridge (The Point Theatre, Dublin), Theodore Whitman in Follies (Toulon Opera, France) and Wilbur in Hairspray in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore).

TELEVISION: The Crown, Gold Digger, Women on the Verge, Atlantis, Holby City, The Mrs Bradley Mysteries, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Omid Djalli Show.

CONCERTS: Regular Guest Soloist with the RTE Concert Orchestra, and John has his own one man show Conroy Sings Coward.

John is a keen runner, and has completed six London Marathons in aid of the blood cancer charity Bloodwise.

Susan Fay (MAMA ROSA)

Theatre includes: The Last Ship (UK Tour, Toronto, LA and San Francisco), The Girls (UK Tour), The World Goes Round (Union Theatre), Saturday Night Fever (Royal Caribbean), Oliver (Drury Lane), Billy Elliott (Victoria Palace), My Fair Lady (Drury Lane), Les Miserable Concert (Scandinavian Tour), Paradise Moscow (Opera North - Leeds Grand Theatre), Half A Sixpence (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Spend, Spend, Spend (Plymouth, Piccadilly Theatre), Saturday Night Fever (London Palladium), Martin Guerre (Prince Edward), Buddy Holly Story (Strand / Novello Theatre), Les Miserable (Palace Theatre), Aspects of Love (UK Tour), Cabaret (Crucible Sheffield), Annie (Crucible Sheffield), Annie Get Your Gun (UK Tour), West Side Story (UK Tour), Camelot (Liverpool Playhouse), Me And My Girl (Adelphi Theatre)

Workshops: Mary Poppins, Bridget Jones

Concerts: My Fair Lady (Albert Hall), Les Miserable (10th & 25th Anniversary)

Film: Blitz (Working Title), Snow White (Disney), Wonka (Warner Bros), Mandalorian Series 3 (Disney), Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Pathe Films), Florence Foster Jenkins (Pathe BBC Films), London Road (Cuba Pictures).

Susan is thrilled to be playing the role of Mama Rosa in this exciting new production.

Jenny Fitzpatrick (FAMA)

Training: Mountview Academy of Performing Arts.

Theatre includes: Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol (The Old Vic); Fish/Sonny's mum in Wonderboy (Bristol Old Vic); Justice in Rock of Ages (UK Tour); Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre); The World Goes Round (Barn Theatre); Lucius in BOUDICA (Shakespeare's Globe); Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour); Dr. Lacey in A PACIFIST'S GUIDE TO THE WAR ON CANCER (National Theatre); Deloris Van Cartier in SISTER ACT(Aberystwyth Arts); Tina Turner in SOUL SISTER (UK Tour); Bluette in THE BLUES BROTHERS (UK & International tour); Angie in the OUR HOUSE Concert (Savoy Theatre); Louise in GHOST (Manchester Opera House/Piccadilly Theatre); ALADDIN (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Mimi in RENT Gala (Garrick Theatre); Rose seller in OLIVER! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Billie in OUR HOUSE (Birmingham Rep/UK Tour); Ronette in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Menier Chocolate Factory and Duke of York's); Nala in THE LEGEND OF THE LION KING (Paris); Katisha in HOT MIKADO (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); and CAMELOT, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and HENRY IV PART I (Regent's Park).

Television includes: MARY POPPINS, CROSSWALK THE MUSICAL (CBS), MI HIGH (Kudos), EASTENDERS, SILENT WITNESS (BBC).

Natalie Kassanga (BELLA)

Natalie most recently played the role of Deena Jones in the UK tour of Dreamgirls. Before the pandemic, she understudied the roles of Alana Beck & Zoe Murphy at the Noël Coward Theatre in the Original Cast of Olivier award winning West End musical of Dear Evan Hansen.

Prior to this, she took on the iconic leading role of Diana Ross in Berry Gordy's, Motown The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre and was also the leading character of Moesha in the workshop of brand new dance musical CHASE, produced by Base Productions. Kassanga made her West End debut at 10 years old, as Young Nala in The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre and was then an original young ensemble cast member of Cameron Mackintosh's revival of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Other credits include: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour), a "Popular" in Debbie Isitt's workshop of new musical film 'Prom Fever' and Puccini's opera of Tosca at the Royal & Derngate Northampton.

Emma Hatton (VERONICA)

Emma's soaring voice and transformative abilities have made her a unique West End star. She has played roles including Eva Peron in Evita, Elphaba in Wicked and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You. Her reputation as a Leading Lady has led to invitations to appear on This Morning - during which she both performed Defying Gravity and collected the Olivier Award on behalf of Wicked. On radio, Emma has been a guest artist on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 2 Live and the Elaine Paige Show. This year, she had the honour of being chosen to perform as Eva Peron in the BBC documentary celebrating 40 years of Evita.

She works regularly as a presenter on both radio and TV for Magic FM on their 'Magic at the Musicals' channel and as a sports host and presenter for Swim England (BBC). She is a proud Ambassador for leading music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins and she has also recently launched her own podcast 'Dear Music...' which explores our collective love affair with music whilst raising awareness of the many varied music charities in the UK.

Sebastien Torkia (SILVIO BERLUSCONI)

Sebastien's theatre credits include A Christmas Carol (Old Vic Theatre), Mr Wormwood in RSC's Matilda the musical (west end), Alberto Beddini in Top Hat (National Tour), Al Wheeler in The Stripper (west end Offie Nomination, The Other Palace), Peter And The Starcatcher (Royal Theatre, Northampton) The Wild Party (The Other Palace), Travels With My Aunt (Minerva, Chichester), Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Leeds Playhouse/Royal Exchange, Manchester), The Lion King (West End), A Streetcar Named Desire (Bolton Octogan), Women Beware Women (National Theatre), La Cage Aux Folles (West End/Menier Chocolate Factory), Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre), Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (West End, Germany, Italy), Benoit in Martin Guerre (West End), Grease (West End), Eddie Ryan in Funny Girl (Minerva, Chichester), A Chorus Line (Sheffield Crucible), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ( Leeds Playhouse), Singin' In The Rain (National Tour). Television credits include, Mammals (Amazon Prime), The Boleyns (BBC), Victoria Wood's That Day We Sang, Coronation Street, Babes In The Wood. Film credits include, Aladdin (Disney), Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Mamma Mia, The Clan, The Phantom Of The Opera, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Radio work includes Leaving Normal (BBC 4).

Sally Ann Triplett (ILDA)

UK Theatre Credits include: Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret (Lido 2 Paris); Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot (Curve Theatre); Josie in Taboo (London Palladium); Rose in Gypsy (Alexandra Palace); Martha in White Christmas (UK Tour); Toine in Piaf (Nottingham Playhouse/Leeds Playhouse). Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (National Theatre & Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Whatsonstage Award winner); Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre); Roxie Hart in Chicago (Adelphi Theatre); Miss Berta in Acorn Antiques (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia (Prince of Wales Theatre); Grizabella in Cats (New London Theatre); Rizzo in Grease (Dominion Theatre); Ruby Keeler in Jolson (Victoria Palace & Toronto); Young Phyllis in Follies (Shaftesbury Theatre); Chess (Original Cast, Prince Edward Theatre); Billie Dore in A Damsel in Distress (Chichester Festival Theatre); Judy/Liza in My Judy Garland Life (Nottingham Playhouse, UK Theatre Award Nomination); Diana in Next to Normal (Drama Centre Theatre, Singapore); Sue Snell in Carrie (Original Cast, RSC); Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (Liverpool Playhouse Theatre); Marge in Absent Friends (The Palace Theatre).

US Theatre Credits include: Kath Starr in Becoming Nancy (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta); Sue Snell in Carrie (NY, Original Cast); Peggy White in The Last Ship (Neil Simon Theatre NY/ Bank of America Theatre Chicago); Madame De Maurier in Finding Neverland (Lunt Fontanne Theatre, NY); Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street Theatre, Off Broadway); Mrs. Mister in The Cradle Will Rock (Classic Stage Company, NY); Catherine in Must (Theatre at St. Clement's);

Television Credits include: Eastenders; Doctors; The Bill; Down to Earth

Gavin Wilkinson (VLADIMIR PUTIN)

Gavin trained at Mountview. West End theatre includes original casts of The Lord of the Rings and Our House, Mamma Mia!, West Side Story, Inner Sanctum (Pet Shop Boys/Royal Opera House), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Let Him Have Justice (co-writer).

Other theatre includes Guys and Dolls (Paris), The Beggar's Opera (International tour), West Side Story (UK tour), The Wind in the Willows (Sevenoaks Playhouse), Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Royal Lincoln).

TV and film credits include Smart Alek (BFI/C4), Grange Hill (BBC), Call the Midwife (BBC), Our House (BBC3), Pet Shop Boys (Hyde Park/BBC), The Phantom of the Opera, Paddington 2 and the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White (Disney).

Matthew Woodyatt (ANTONIO)

Theatre includes: Half A Sixpence (Kilworth House Theatre);​ Piaf (Nottingham Playhouse and Leeds Playhouse); The Light in the Piazza (Royal Festival Hall, LA Opera & Lyric Opera Chicago), Doctor Zhivago (Cadogan Hall), The Assassination of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd), The Invisible Man (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), Fiddler On The Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), Moving Stories, Much Ado About Nothing and the original cast of War Horse (National Theatre); One Man, Two Guv'nors (Theatre Royal Haymarket, UK and International tour); Allegro and A Christmas Carol (Southwark Playhouse); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Sherman Cymru); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arts Theatre); Love Story and James and the Giant Peach (Octagon Theatre, Bolton); Silly Kings and The Passion (National Theatre Wales); The Importance of Being Earnest (New Wolsey Theatre); The Odyssey and Alice Through the Looking Glass (London Bubble); The Erpingham Camp (Hydrocracker & Brighton Festival); Privates on Parade (West Yorkshire Playhouse & Birmingham Rep); Hamlet (Stafford Festival); Animal Farm and The Nutcracker (Theatre Royal Bath); The Jungle Book and Arabian Nights (Watermill Theatre); Mack & Mabel (Criterion Theatre, UK tour and Watermill Theatre).

Television includes Grandpa in My Pocket, The Passion - It Has Begun, Arrows of Desire.

Films include A Serial Killer's Guide to Life, The Gospel of Us.

James Grieve (Director)

James is a freelance director. He was formerly Joint Artistic Director of Paines Plough, the UK's national theatre of new plays, alongside George Perrin. During their tenure Paines Plough produced 44 world premieres on tour to 291 places across the UK and internationally by playwrights ranging from debutants to Olivier, Tony and BAFTA winners, staged in historic proscenium arch playhouses and student union bars, at music festivals and The National Theatre, in village halls, Off-Broadway, on BBC Radio and televised on HBO.

In 2014 they launched Roundabout, the world's first pop-up plug-and-play theatre to tour new plays to underserved places. For Paines Plough James directed new plays by writers including Mike Bartlett, James Graham, Kae Tempest, Tom Wells, Penelope Skinner, Elinor Cook, Nick Payne, Anna Jordan, Brad Birch, Marie Jones and Sam Steiner.

As a freelance director James's credits include Fisherman's Friends The Musical currently on tour across the UK and in Toronto, a new production of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret for Gothenburg Opera in Sweden, the new musical The Assassination Of Katie Hopkins for Theatr Clwyd which won Best Musical Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2018, a new production of Les Misérables for Wermland Opera and Brian Friel's Translations for Sheffield Theatres, English Touring Theatre and The Rose Theatre Kingston won Best Production at The UK Theatre Awards 2014.

James was Associate Director at The Bush Theatre from 2008-2010 and previously founded and ran the new writing company nabokov which forged an international reputation for presenting theatre events everywhere from pubs to warehouses to music festivals to Off-Broadway. He was awarded an MBE in The Queen's New Year's Honours List 2020 for services to theatre.

Ricky Simmonds (Co-Writer)

Ricky Simmonds is a British songwriter, composer and electronic music recording artist. Simmonds began his career as a teen actor, playing Ant Jones in the BBC television series Grange Hill.

He achieved popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s as one half of the trance music act The Space Brothers. Releasing music under several aliases, Simmonds has charted in the UK top 40 with thirteen singles, and had songs featured on compilations with sales in excess of 18 million albums.

In the late 2010s, Simmonds re-teamed with former Grange Hill co-star, Simon Vaughan, writing and developing original stage musicals.

At the age of seven, he made his stage debut in a Central School Of Speech And Drama production of The Duchess Of Malfi at the Embassy Theatre. Simmonds began his professional acting career with the lead role in the 1984 British film Pop Pirates starring alongside Roger Daltrey as lead singer Michael Carpenter. The following year, he appeared at Leatherhead's Thorndike Theatre in a stage adaptation of the 1981 film On Golden Pond, playing the role of Billy Ray. He went on to understudy the titular role in the 1985 stage musical adaptation of Sue Townsend's novel The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole at London's Wyndham's Theatre. Six months later, Simmonds successfully auditioned for the long-running BBC series Grange Hill, appearing in its ninth and tenth series as Ant Jones.

In 1988, he played the titular role in Dick Whittington at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage and the following year appeared in the BBC sitcom Joint Account with Hannah Gordon and Peter Egan.

In his early twenties, Simmonds left acting to pursue a career in music, first joining the rock band Protocol, formed by elder brother Danny. With Protocol keyboard player Steve Jones, he formed The Space Brothers, charting in the UK top 30 with their first four singles. The duo created several other successful projects in the formative years of the British dance music explosion, including Lustral, Chakra, Ascension and Oxygen.

Simon Vaughan (Co-Writer)

Simon is the co-creator and lyricist of Berlusconi, which is the first musical to be produced as part of his writing partnership with his lifelong friend Ricky Simmonds. He is best known for his work producing British television drama.

Simon began his theatre career as a child actor at the age of ten, when he played Macduff's son in

Macbeth at the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead. He later played Peter in the original stage production of The Railway Children at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. As a busy child actor, he attended Italia Conti stage school whilst performing in a number of TV and stage productions, including playing Freddie Mainwaring in forty-four episodes of BBC's Grange Hill (where me met Ricky Simmonds).

Simon's first feature film as a writer Goodbye Christopher Robin, starring Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleason, was released by Fox Searchlight in 2017.

Simon has spent most of his career producing TV drama and is now the founder and co-chairman of The Story Collective, a US backed studio business focused on investing in UK scripted production companies and producing television drama. The company is currently partnered with Stephen Graham on the upcoming period boxing series A Thousand Blows written by Steve Knight for Disney+.

Rebecca Howell (Choreographer)

​​Current and forthcoming work includes: Moulin Rouge (Broadway/West End - Associate Choreographer); Aida (Royal Opera House); Lady in the Dark (Opera Zuid).

Theatre credits include: Cabaret (Goteborgs Operan); The Louder We Get (Theatre Calgary, Canada); The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (West End, Menier Chocolate Factory); The Man of La Mancha (ENO, London Coliseum); The Wizard of Oz (Pitlochry Festival Theatre); Ruthless (West End); Barnum; She Loves Me (Menier Chocolate Factory); City of Angels (Royal Conservatoire Scotland); Mamma Mia! (Municipal Theatre, Cyprus); The Country Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre); Spamalot; The Glass Menagerie (English Theatre Frankfurt); The Life of The Party (TheatreWorks, San Francisco); The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Waterloo East Theatre); Tommy: The Rock Opera (Blackpool Opera House); Blockbuster (UK Tour); The Taming of the Shrew; As You Like It (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Jest End (Jermyn Street, Players Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre).

Opera Credits include: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Salzburg Festival); Giulio Cesare (Teatro alla Scala); Die Tote Stadt (Komische Oper Berlin); The Beggars Opera (Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris & Tour); Falstaff (Royal Opera House)

As Associate Choreographer Theatre credits include: American Psycho (Almeida Theatre & Broadway); Funny Girl (West End & UK Tour); My Fair Lady (Chicago Lyric Opera, St Petersberg & Théâtre du Châtelet); A Little Night Music; Little Shop of Horrors (Menier Chocolate Factory & West End); Oh! What A Lovely War (Theatre Royal, Stratford East); Viva Forever (West End); We Will Rock You (Netherlands); Billy Elliot (Tap Tutor, West End); La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End, Broadway - Tap Consultant).

Film, Music & Commercial credits include: The Crown Season 4 (Left Bank)

As Associate: Burberry Festive Event & Burberry Shanghai Event (2014); Pet Shop Boys: Inner Sanctum Tour (2018); Pet Shop Boys: Electric Tour (2013); Pet Shop Boys: Pandemonium Tour (2010); Pet Shop Boys: Brit Awards 2009; Ellie Goulding: Starry Eyed (music video); Duffy: Well Well Well (music video); Fred Claus (Warner Bros).

Rebecca trained at the London Studio Centre.

Lucy Osborne (Set and Costume Designer)

Lucy is a scenic and costume designer whose work is regularly seen in major venues in London, New York and across the UK. Her work reaches extensively across disciplines with a focus on new work, installation design and theatre architecture.

Notable designs include the UK premieres of award-winning new musicals Fisherman's Friends The Musical (UK Tour/Canada); The Osmonds (UK Tour); The Famous Five: A New Musical (Theatr Clwyd/Chichester Festival Theatre) and The Assassination of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd).

Other recent credits include: Cabaret (Gothenburg Opera); The Famous Five: A New Musical (Theatr Clwyd/Chichester Festival Theatre);; Afterplay (Coronet Theatre); God's Dice (Soho Theatre); Rich Kids (Traverse/UK Tour); Rutherford and Son, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (Sheffield Crucible); Les Misérables (Wermland Opera); Uncle Vanya (Theatr Clwyd/Sheffield Theatres); Privacy (& Public Theatre, New York); Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse); A Pacifists Guide to War on Cancer (National Thatre & Complicité) which toured the UK and Australia.

Lucy is a co-designer of Roundabout, the world's first flat-pack theatre and winner of The Stage Award's 'Theatre Building of the Year'. Lucy's company studio three sixty advocate for resilient, inclusive and inspirational theatre buildings through a combination of design and consultancy.

Lucy is a Trustee of the Theatres Trust and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (2019 and 2023).

She was chosen as one of a handful of designers to represent Great Britain at the Prague Quadrennial of Theatre Design 2019 with her design for The Assassination of Katie Hopkins.

Paul Schofield (Musical Supervisor)

Paul works as a Musical Supervisor, Composer, Orchestrator and Arranger. He works with various artists as Musical Director (including Ruthie Henshall & Clarke Peters) and various productions in London and across the UK. He most recently acted as Musical Supervisor on "Hair - In Concert" at the London Palladium (Dir. Arlene Phillips) and "Oti Mabuse - I Am Here (UK Tour / London Coliseum).

He is a managing director of Three Pin Productions Ltd, which was established with Ruthie in 2012. The company have produced both national and international tours (inc. Australia Tour 2019 starting at Sydney Opera House), recorded studio albums, produced original book musicals for Cunard and amongst other projects, provide theatrical/musical consultancy for the broader entertainment industry. As of November 2022, he and Ruthie have announced the launch of CAST, a new higher education drama school focusing on Musical Theatre Industry Preparation (www.rhcast.co.uk) set to open its doors in September 2023.

Paul recently co-produced a new UK version of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion", which is premiered at The Hope Mill Manchester, in May 2022. Alongside this he is the Composer/Lyricist for Original British Musical "Worlds Apart" (@worldsapartuk), which he has created with his collaborator, Matthew Cavendish. "Worlds Apart" is set for workshop and UK premiere in 2023.

Jordan Li Smith (Musical Director)

Based in London and West Berkshire, Jordan is a writer & composer, as well as an award-winning musical director. In August 2023, he'll be making his debut as a writer and composer with his new musical, The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair, based on the novel by Lara Williamson.

He received critical acclaim for his musical direction of the actor-musician revival of Ragtime in 2016, which earned him his first Off West End Award for Best Musical Direction. Since then, Jordan has gone on to win another Offie award and a BroadwayWorld UK Award, as well as being at the musical forefront of many significant UK and world premieres. He made his West End conducting debut in 2020, conducting The Donmar Warehouse revival of City of Angels at the Garrick.

Training: Royal Academy of Music (PGDipRAM), Sir Elton John Scholarship & Help Musicians UK. Associate of the London College of Music (ALCM in Piano Performance). Alumni of the National Youth Music Theatre and The Hammond.

As writer/composer: The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair (world premiere in 2023 with National Youth Music Theatre); Jordan's song Better Day was featured as part of On Hope: A Digital Song Cycle. It was subsequently chosen as a winner of The Drama League's Anthems for the Future of Theater competition, and was performed by Broadway star Bonnie Milligan in Light the Lights! A Drama League Celebration in New York, in honour of Broadway actor, Wayne Brady.

As musical supervisor: The Lion (Southwark Playhouse); the original London cast recording of Queen of the Mist ( Jack Studio Theatre, transfer to Charing Cross - Musical Supervisor & Conductor).

As musical director: City of Angels (Garrick, Assistant Musical Director); the UK première of Michael John LaChuisa's Queen Of The Mist ( Jack Studio Theatre, transfer to Charing Cross - winner, Off West End Award for Best Musical Director); Ragtime (Charing Cross - winner, Off West End Award for Best Musical Direction & Best Musical Production); Merrily We Roll Along (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); A Little Night Music (Mountview); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Manchester Cathedral, NYMT); Les Misérables (Mountview, non-replica UK première); Chess (Leicester Curve, NYMT); the UK première of Amour (Charing Cross - nominated, Off West End Award for Best Musical Director); the UK première of Dave Malloy's Preludes (Southwark Playhouse & livestream); Starry (industry workshop); One Man, Two Guvnors (Octagon Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse, Theatre By The Lake); the world première of The Assassination Of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd - winner, BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Musical Direction); the UK première of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Theatre Royal, Stratford East); Our Man From Havana (industry workshop); Anything Goes (Other Palace); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (ArtsEd); Through The Mill (Southwark Playhouse); Amour (Royal Academy Of Music - nominated, BroadwayWorld Award for Best Fringe/Regional Musical Direction); Guest Conductor of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra; Next To Normal (Royal Academy Of Music); Sweet Charity (Urdang Academy); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Guildford School Of Acting); The Addams Family (Chichester University); Spring Awakening (Stockwell Playhouse); Bring It On (Bird College); Grand Hotel, Once On This Island (Momentum Performing Arts Academy, UK & Malta Tour); Curtain Up! Royal Academy of Music Musical Theatre 20th Anniversary Concert (Prince Edward, Assistant Musical Director); Musical Theatre Industry Showcase, Royal Academy of Music (Sir Jack Lyons Theatre, Assistant Musical Director).

As orchestrator/arranger: Amour; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin; Sweet Charity; Curtain Up! Royal Academy of Music Musical Theatre 20th Anniversary Concert (co-orchestrator); Musical Theatre Industry Showcase, Royal Academy of Music (co-orchestrator). Co-orchestrator for the London Musical Theatre Orchestra.

Film: Rocketman (Children's Casting MD/Featured Cameo)

Recordings: Original London cast recording of Queen of the Mist (Musical Supervisor/ Conductor); "Make Them Hear You" Charity video for StopWatch (Musical Director). Jordan made his cabaret debut as part of the My Myra Series at Bishopsgate Institute, with his cabaret My Myra: Songs I Wish I Had Written. Twitter & Instagram: @jordanli_smith.

Oliver Fenwick (Lighting Designer)

Oliver Fenwick's work in theatre includes: Kerry Jackson, Blues for an Alabama Sky, The Father and the Assassin, Tartuffe, The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Motherf*ucker with the Hat, The Holy Rosenbergs and Happy Now at The National Theatre; The Magician's Elephant, Love's Labour's Lost, Much Ado About Nothing, The Jew of Malta, Wendy and Peter Pan, The Winter's Tale, The Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar for the RSC; Girls and Boys (also New York), Lela and Co, Routes, The Witness and Disconnect at the Royal Court; Trouble in Butetown, Sweat, One Night in Miami, The Vote and Berenice at The Donmar Warehouse; My City and Ruined at the Almeida; The Invisible Hand, Holy Sh!t, White Teeth, Red Velvet (also at St Ann's, New York), Yeoman of the Guard for English National Opera; Paper Dolls, Handbagged (also West End) at the Kiln; The Sun, The Moon and the Stars at Theatre Royal Stratford East; Saved and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Lyric; To Kill a Mockingbird, Hobson's Choice and The Beggar's Opera at Regent's Park; Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George at Châtelet Paris; A Number and Travels with My Aunt at the Menier Chocolate Factory; Gloria, Occupational Hazards, Reasons to Be Happy, Private Lives, The Giant, Glass Eels and Comfort Me with Apples at Hampstead Theatre; Calendar Girls on UK Tour; Pride and Prejudice, Hamlet, The Caretaker, The Comedy of Errors and Iphgenia at Sheffield Crucible; Oleanna, King Lear, Di, Viv and Rose, the Importance of Being Earnest, Bakersfield Mist, The Madness of George III and Ghosts in the West End.

Dan Samson (Sound Designer)

Sound Design includes: The Famous Five(Theatr Clwyd and Chichester Festival Theatre), Fisherman's Friends The Musical (Hall for Cornwall, UK Tour and Canada), Passion (Hope Mill Theatre), The Cher Show(UK Tour),The Osmonds (UK Tour),Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket, UK Tour, and The Other Palace), Love Letters (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Berlin Berlin (German Tour), Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour), Cilla The Musical (UK Tour), Ghost (UK Tour, International Tour, Paris Mogador and Moscow MDM) Rain Man (UK Tour), Rough Crossing(UK Tour), Cabaret (UK Tour), La Cage aux Folles (UK Tour), Evita (Dominion, Phoenix, UK and International Tour), Hi Fidelity The Musical (Turbine Theatre), Eugenius (The Other Palace), This is Elvis (UK Tour), How the Other Half Loves (Theatre Royal Haymarket, Duke of York's and UK Tour), Save The Last Dance For Me (UK Tour), Dreamboats and Petticoats (UK Tour), The Cat and Canary (UK Tour), The Lady Vanishes (UK Tour), The Case of The Frightened Lady (UK Tour), The Outsider (3 Pin Productions Ltd, Cunard), Echoes in The Night (3 Pin Productions Ltd, P&O), A Judgement in Stone (UK Tour), Sideshow (Southwark Playhouse), The War of the Worlds(Dominion), Rehearsal For Murder (UK Tour), Sinatra On Stage (The London Palladium), The Glenn Miller Story (London Coliseum and UK Tour), The Sound of Music (UK Tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (UK Tour), 12 Angry Men (UK Tour), Blood Brothers (UK Tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Newcastle Arena and UK Tour), Dreamboats and Miniskirts (UK Tour), Ain't Misbehavin' (Colchester Mercury and Southwark Playhouse), Carrie (Southwark Playhouse), The Buddy Holly Story(Theatre Royal Windsor), Brief Encounter (Theatre Royal, Windsor), Mystery On Air (Theatre Royal, Windsor), Fame (UK Tour), The Shawshank Redemption (UK Tour), All Creatures Great and Small (UK Tour), The Small Hand (UK Tour), and Before The Party (UK Tour).

Stanley Orwin-Fraser for Duncan McLean Projection (Video Designer)

Based in London and New York, Duncan has worked in theatre, television and on major live events for the past 15 years. His work has taken him from London's West End and Broadway, to the Arctic and down to New Zealand.

Duncan was nominated for his work on both LABOUR OF LOVE and BIG FISH at the 2018 Whats On Stage Awards. And in 2017, was nominated for both an Outer Circle Critics Award and Lucille Lortel Award for his work on The Public Theater and Donmar Warehouse production of PRIVACY at The Public Theater in New York.

In April 2015, the Donmar's production of CITY OF ANGELS, directed by Josie Rourke and designed by Robert Jones, won two Olivier awards for Best Musical Revival and Best Lighting Design.

He has a fantastic team working alongside him that together form Duncan McLean Projection, which is made up of highly skilled video programmers, engineers, animators and film crew. Many of them are considered to be the best in the industry and Duncan is privileged to work with them all.

David White (Original Arrangements and Original Vocal Score)

Orchestration credits include:- Cabaret (Göteborgsoperan, Sweden); The Assassination of Katie Hopkins (Theatr Clwyd); A Celebration Of Richard Rodgers On Broadway: Act III (Wigmore Hall) for Nash Ensemble; Sunset Boulevard (English National Opera); Top Hat (Malmo Opera); From Here To Eternity (West End); Shrek, Crazy For You, & Candide (Wermland Opera, Sweden); Mulan (Singapore Repertory Theatre); Nutcracker; Something Rotten (Karlstad).

Musical Supervisor/Musical Director credits include:- Fisherman's Friends the Musical (and Arranger - Hall for Cornwall, UK Tour); The Famous Five (Theatr Clwyd, Chichester Festival Theatre); Cabaret (Göteborgsoperan, Sweden); West End: Showboat, Crucible, Sheffield and West End; The Lion King; Porgy and Bess; The Witches of Eastwick; Martin Guerre ; Sunset Boulevard; My Fair Lady;(National Theatre and West End); South Pacific (National Theatre); New Production of Les Miserables, Crazy For You & Sunset Boulevard (Wermland Opera and Gothenburg Opera).

Orchestral conducting credits include:- Tokyo Philharmonic (Budokan Arena); Stockholm Sinfonietta (Sweden, Norway and Finland); Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; London Concert Orchestra; Gothenburg Opera Orchestra; Nash Ensemble.

David was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music for 'contribution to the world of musical theatre'.

FRANCESCA MOODY PRODUCTIONS

Francesca Moody Productions commissions, develops and presents brave, entertaining and compelling new theatre. They work with the UK's leading playwrights and discover and nurture new talent to produce bold, award-winning shows with universal appeal and commercial potential.

Since launching in 2018 the company has been awarded an Olivier, four Scotsman Fringe First's and produced nine world-premieres across the West-End, London, New York, nationally on tour and at the Edinburgh Festival. FMP's production of Richard Gadd's BABY REINDEER was the Bush Theatre's fastest selling show in history and is now in production as a Netflix TV series. Current and upcoming productions include Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Berlusconi at the Southwark Playhouse.

FMP are also the creators of SHEDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL an online live-streamed festival of theatre, comedy and music created in lieu of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2020. Since its launch the festival has raised over £40,000 towards a fund to support the next generation of artists to make it to the Fringe.

FMP is led by Francesca Moody MBE who is best known as the original producer of the multi-award-winning FLEABAG by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, which she has produced globally on behalf on DryWrite, most recently at the Wyndhams Theatre, when it was also recorded and broadcast by NT Live, playing in cinemas throughout the world. In 2020 Francesca led and coordinated the Fleabag for Charity for campaign and later the Theatre Community Fund with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman, raising over £2million to support theatrical artists and professionals whose livelihoods and creative futures have been threatened in the wake of Covid-19.

www.francescamoody.com

THOMAS S. BARNES

Thomas S. Barnes is a producer and investor in stage and screen ventures. As the Chairman of Calibre One, he has specialised in the media and technology sector based in San Francisco and London for several decades. As a producer/investor he is currently enjoying success with the release of I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, the feature film biopic based on the life and music of Whitney Houston. He has backed Berlusconi since its first workshop in 2020 and is now investing in a slate of upcoming stage productions and ventures.

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