Finalists Announced for Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year 2022 Competition

The 12 finalists have been revealed for the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition - affectionately known as SSSSPOTY.

The gala final of this year's competition - the first since the passing of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim - will be held, fittingly, in the Sondheim Theatre, on 30 May, 2022.

SSSSPOTY was inaugurated in 2007, and in 2022 makes a return to the West End after a two-year COVID-enforced hiatus.

This year, The Stephen Sondheim Society (a charitable trust founded in 1993) elected to open the field up to every student of musical theatre, and asked for auditions to be made via video.

More than 300 submissions were received, and the final 12, plus 3 reserves, were selected by critic and broadcaster Edward Seckerson (Chair of the Judges) and Musical Director Nigel Lilley ('Follies', National Theatre; 'Fun Home', Young Vic).

The final will be hosted by Olivier-Award-winning Jenna Russell, whose own Sondheim credentials include playing Young Sally in the original London cast of 'Follies', Cinderella in 'Into The Woods' at The Donmar Warehouse, the Baker's Wife in 'Into The Woods' at Regent's Park and Dot in 'Sunday in the Park with George' at the Wyndham's Theatre (Olivier Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical) and in the Roundabout Theatre Company transfer to Studio 54 on Broadway (Tony Award nominee for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical).

The 12 finalists are:

Caitlyn Allen - Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd)
Rithvik Andugula - London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
Annabelle Aquino - Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Tommy Bell - Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Joe Boyle - Mountview
Desmonda Cathabel - Royal Academy of Music
Ed Cooke - East 15 Acting School
Cassius Hackforth - Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Izzy Mackie - Royal Academy of Music
Callum Martin - Bird College Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre
Jade Oswald - Royal Academy of Music
Ella Shepherd - Bird College Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre

Owing to the still-precarious situation with COVID-19, The Sondheim Society Trustees and judges also agreed to identify three reserves:

Mackenzie Larsen - London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
Izi Maxwell - Mountview
Tom Watson - Bird College Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre

The winner will receive a £1,000 first prize, and the chance to headline their own Sondheim-infused cabaret in London. This year, Edward Seckerson is also inviting the winner to be the subject of one of his Comparing Notes sessions - his series of intimate conversations and performances at the Crazy Coqs. The runner-up is also awarded £500.

The students will perform for a panel of highly respected judges drawn from West End performers, directors and MDs. Confirmed as a judge is award-winning composer, lyricist, orchestrator, arranger, musical supervisor and pianist Theo Jamieson, whose credits as Md include: 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' (Apollo, UK Tour, Australia), 'Funny Girl' (Savoy), 'High Society' (Old Vic), 'Putting it Together' (St James).

Each finalist will be required to sing one song by Stephen Sondheim, plus a new song chosen by them from the selection at NEW UK MUSICALS - the organisation founded by composer Darren Clark to showcase the UK's best new musical-theatre writing for the stage. It was the express wish of Mr Sondheim that for every one of his songs selected by the finalists, a new song is performed, in order to encourage and support the creation of new work.

The Society is also honoured to partner this year with the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT), and feature a performance by a chorus drawn from the current cohort of young performers.

The Prize Giving will be led by Julia McKenzie, a founding patron of The Stephen Sondheim Society and one of the most celebrated interpreters of Sondheim's work.

Jenna Russell returns as host, having previously anchored the Final in 2013. The Final will be directed by Hannah Chissick ('Marry Me A Little', 'Pack of Lies', 'Amour').

The competition has an impressive track record for identifying young talent. Previous finalists have included Cynthia Erivo, Oscar Conlon-Morrey and Shaq Taylor, and winners included Alex Young, Taron Egerton, Turlough Convery, Erin Doherty and, most recently, Stuart Thompson (Most Promising Newcomer, Critics Circle Theatre Awards, for 'Spring Awakening' at the Almeida), who will reprise his winning 'Franklin Shepard Inc.' at the 2022 Gala Final.

Craig Glenday, Chair of The Stephen Sondheim Society, said: "With the recent passing of our friend and patron, it's heartwarming to know that nailing a Sondheim song continues to be the ultimate musical-theatre touchstone - it's the mark of a great performer and will be for generations to come, I'm sure. It might sound like a cliche to say it but the quality of SSSSPOTY applications gets better and better each year. The judges faced a particularly demanding challenge this time around, and with more than 300 applications to listen to, it was something of a herculean task to whittle down the list. A huge thank you to Edward and Nigel for selecting our final 12 students, and guaranteeing us that we're going to have a wonderful event on May 30th. It's an honour for the Society to give these students a chance to sing in the Sondheim Theatre so thank you also to our patron Cameron Mackintosh for this opportunity. We're also thrilled to be using the event to showcase the talent of the NYMT students."

Darren Clark said "NEW UK MUSICALS was created to provide a platform for some of the best new writers of musical theatre in the UK, so that students and performers could easily discover a new generation of musical theatre makers and their incredible work. We want new musical theatre in the UK to grow and thrive and the future of MT in this country depends on our incredibly talented performers having access to the best of new writing. Stephen Sondheim was a huge champion of new writing and wanted to ensure that new musical theatre was a part of this competition. We are delighted that we will be able to assist the Society in their efforts to honour his wishes."

Kylie Vilcins, Associate Producer for National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT), said: "We are delighted to be partnering with The Sondheim Society for this very special performance at the culmination of the SSSSPOTY Awards this year. Our NYMT 2022 IN CONCERT company, made up of young participants aged 11-19, are thrilled to have been invited to perform at this prestigious event alongside the contestants at The Sondheim Theatre. NYMT exists to offer outstanding opportunities to young people around the UK and beyond, whether onstage as a performer, a musician or as part of our technical, stage management or wardrobe teams across our varied season of productions and workshops. Working with other charities and organisations like The Stephen Sondheim Society enables us to offer further invaluable as opportunities and experiences for our participants each year."

THE Stephen Sondheim SOCIETY

Registered Charity Number 1142092
Chair: Craig Glenday (craig.glenday@sondheim.org)
Press: Tina Foote (tina.foote@sondheim.org)
www.sondheim.org

The Stephen Sondheim Society is a registered Charity regulated by the Charity Commission
(Registered Number 1142092). Its charitable aims are stated as being: to promote the public knowledge and appreciation of the works of Stephen Sondheim by such means as are charitable; and to advance the public education in music, particularly but not exclusively, to young people by holding an annual music competition. The Society produces cabarets, educational events such as workshops and masterclasses, maintains the Sondheim Archive at Kingston University, and publishes Sondheim The Magazine. The jewel in the Society's crown, however, is SSSSPOTY, which gives students of musical theatre invaluable experience working with established Directors and Musical Directors, and provides them with a chance to perform on a West End stage.

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