CAST
KIRBY HUGHES - Tracy
Kirby was born in Sydney, Australia. In July 2009, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London with a post graduate diploma in Music Theatre. She received the BBC Performing Arts Bursary in 2008. Whilst training, credits included: Nickie in Sweet Charity, Hermione in The Winter's Tale and Miss Julie in After Miss Julie. Kirby recently performed as Irene in Crazy For You (London Palladium) and Babe in The Pajama Game (Ye Olde Rose and Crown). She performed with Elton John at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2009. Other roles include: Lead Singer in Big Band Beat (Tokyo Disney Sea); Slue Foot Sue in Diamond Horseshoe Show (Tokyo Disneyland; Female Host Dorothy the Dinosaur Show (The Wiggles); and Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Australian Tour). Kirby won the prestigious City of Sydney's Performing Arts Challenge Youth In Cabaret Award at age 17. In Sydney, Kirby played Bonnie Mae in Nick Enright’s Miracle City directed by Thriller Live's Musical Director, John Maher.
PETER KENWORTHY - Dexter

Peter trained at Bristol Old Vic. Most recently Peter played Tom in the tour of The Anniversary by Bill MacIlwraith for Creative Cow. For Lost Musicals he appeared in their production of Cole Porter’s Around The World. Strangely Peter’s first job out of drama school was called All the World’s a Stage for Time of our Lives Music Theatre, a company headed by Dympna who is playing Mother Lord in High Society. In Robin Hood & the Babes in the Wood Peter played Little John for Salisbury Playhouse. Peter played Hamlet in a workshop production of HAMLET! The Musical. He also played Alex in the short film Vegan Love. If you hear an out of tune trumpet slightly behind the beat that’ll be Peter (it’s the first time he’s played professionally).!!!
HAYLEY EMMA OTWAY - Liz

Hayley graduated with BA in Acting at Mountview and most recently played Polly Baker in Eyebrow Production's
Crazy for You at the London Palladium, where the entire show was put together in 48 hours! Before graduating in September, Hayley played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Violet in The Fix and Barbara in The York Realist at Mountview, where she was also selected to join the RSC in their workshop of The Tempest in Stratford. She has performed in several Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, including performances of Shakespeare for Breakfast and I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change! which transferred to the Canal Café Theatre. Hayley is the founder and principal of ‘HOT! Performing Arts’, and teacher for Stagecoach and The Sharpe Academy, where she loves teaching children of all ages. She is delighted to be performing at the Gatehouse this Christmas!
BRENDAN CULL - Mike

Brendan trained at the KCTS in Woking and the Arts Educational Schools, London where he received the Harmer-Smith Award for best all round performer. Theatre credits include: Action in 50th Anniversary production of West Side Story (UK Tour); understudying and playing Riff; original cast of Spamalot (Palace Theatre), understudying and playing Patsy and Herbert; Sammy in Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens (Brighton Fringe); created the role of Jim in The Railway Children (Sevenoaks Playhouse); a workshop production of Tim and Scrooge playing a grown-up Tim Cratchitt (Criterion). Other credits include: Broadway to West End (Charity concert Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Raindogs (Workshop); and It's a Wonderful Life (Workshop). Recordings: Heavens Above and The Railway Children (Original cast recordings). www.brendancull.com
DYMPNA LE RASLE - Mother Lord
In her youth Dympna was a folk singer and ran a folk club. After bringing up three children she graduated from Middlesex Poly and the Academy Drama School. In 1991 she founded Time of Our Lives Touring Music Theatre, performing and producing for seventeen years. Productions include Gilt and Gaslight’s Music Hall and the Retro’ Revues - Smiling Through on The Home Front, Two For the 1/9d’s, Playing the Halls, Millennium Memories, You’ve Never Had It So Good! England Swings, The Best of Times and the Worst of Times, Radio Days and TV Times, All The World’s a Stage and Cool Britannia. Other acting credits include Ma Clancy I’ll Tell Me Ma (London Irish Theatre); Bertha Hedda Gabler (Courtyard Theatre); Miss Prism The Importance of Being Earnest (Royal George Theatre); Harriet Willow Bless the Bride, Mrs. Durbyfield, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, One Touch of Venus and Mrs Allen, Dark Side of The Moon (all at the Kings Head). Film and TV includes Stage Beauty and The Other Man both directed by Richard Eyre and a commercial for IKEA.
TONY LEWIS - Seth Lord
After a successful business career Tony commenced his professional theatre training at Mountview. Theatre credits include: Lord Justice Clarke in The Marchioness Inquiry (Jacksons Lane); Doctor Bains & understudy for Mr March in Little Women - the Musical (Bloomsbury). TV includes: Mr Way in Fingersmith (BBC 1); Sir James Reid in Looking For Victoria (ITV); John Chute in Restoration (BBC); Gaston Maspero in The Screaming Man (Channel 4); Professor Anthony Risdon (Panorama / BBC Northern Ireland) and MacNaughton in Forensic Casebook (ITV3). Film includes: The Landlord in The Voice Of Wings; Stephen Miller in Aperture and Lord Palmerston in The Young Victoria. Tony has also worked on various commercials, corporate videos and photographic shoots including The Royal Bank Of Scotland, The Orient Express, Lane Crawford (Hong Kong) Calloway Golf, RAC/Jaguar, and Capital Radio. He is delighted to be playing Seth Lord in High Society for Ovation.
JESSICA BASTICK-VINES - Dinah

Jess has recently graduated from the Guildford School of Acting, gaining a BA Hons Degree in Musical Theatre. Prior to this, she trained at the Betty Wivell Academy of Performing Arts and The BRIT School. GSA credits include: Bianca Quartet in Kiss Me Kate, Baby Joan in Anyone Can Whistle, Peep Bo in The Hot Mikado and Old Min in The Matchgirls. Professional credits include: Mother Goose (Hackney Empire); Turandot (The Royal Albert Hall); Amy’s Wedding with Youth Music TheatreUK and Sharon Percy in the original London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical. Jess is thrilled to be part of Ovation’s High Society, and is thoroughly enjoying playing ‘the precocious’ brat! She would like to thank the rest of the company and production team for creating such a supportive atmosphere.
PETER LE BREUILLY - Uncle Willie

Peter began his career as an emotionally vulnerable bear touring schools followed by two seasons in summer season rep. A national tour of Hay Fever with the late Phylis Calvert, various roles in theatre and television, including a Dr Who series with Tom Baker, preceded Peter's West End debut as a neurotic curate in Murder at the Vicarage. The following years were shared with Education, when Peter worked as a headteacher, advisor and inspector. Radio and voice over work kept Peter in touch with his acting roots. Highlights included poetry broadcasts, a serialised reading of Gerald Durrel's, Animal Menagerie and playing Oscar Wilde in the radio play The Jersey Lily with John Nettles, all for the BBC. Most recently Peter has appeared in three feature films: Tormented, realised in early 2009; Enclosure, in post production and The African Project, an American TV movie. This show marks a welcome return to the stage and Peter is delighted to be a member of High Society.
ALEX WADHAM - George

Alex trained at Guildford School of Acting, after gaining a BA (Hons.) in Drama at Aberystwyth University. Recent credits: Sir Dexter, On The Rocks (Pentameters); Crazy For You (London Palladium); The Peddler,The Peddler's Tale - a new play by Liz Thaler for LAMDA; Angel Rust at Edinburgh Fringe 2009 for Total Theatre Award winning company, The River People. Credits at GSA include: Gangster 1 and understudy Fred, Kiss Me Kate; Husband and others, Machinal; and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Previous work includes: Leontes, A Winter's Tale; Sir Charles Sedley, Compleat Female Stage Beauty; Dentist, Little Shop of Horrors. More info at www.alexwadham.com
NICOLA MARTIN - Polly and Dance Captain

Nicola trained at The Northern Ballet School, Manchester and was most recently Associate Choreographer on Crazy for You at The London Palladium. During her training, she appeared as a soloist in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker & Coppelia (Manchester City Ballet) & Sing ‘n’ Swing (JazzGalore). Theatre credits include: Singderella with The London Gay Men’s Chorus (Cadogan Hall); My Gosh Marvellous-Live in Technicolour (The Dorchester, London); The Frankie Manning Show (Broadway, New York); Cinderella (Theatre Royal, Plymouth). TV & Film credits: Guest performer on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing and ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent with Swing Xtreme Dance Company; Portrait of a Dancer (BBC Documentary); Cold Comfort Farm (BBC). Nicola is really excited to be performing with such a lovely team Upstairs at the Gatehouse and wishes everyone a great run!
BRENDAN MATTHEW - Edmund
Brendan graduated from the Royal Academy of Music on the Musical Theatre course. Prior to this he trained at the Doreen Bird College of Dance and Theatre Performance and the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology. Theatre credits whilst training include: Sweet Charity; Florizel in A Winter's Tale; Little Me and Andy in The Star Spangled Girl (RAM). Other roles include: Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (tour); Lloyd Jackson in Russian in the Woods; Eddie in A Slice of Saturday Night; Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd - the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Jojo in The Life. Recent credits include: vocals for Elton John's Concert (Royal Albert Hall); creating the role of Mamma Galapagos in Sleazy Jet-the Musical and Dylan in a concept album for new musical 1916.As well as performing, he is a keen dance teacher and choreographer. Choreography credits include: Dick Whittington and his Cat; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Pippin and Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens. Brendan is thrilled to be working on Ovation's High Society.
YASMIN WAKEFIELD - Florence
Yasmin graduated with a BA Hons in Musical Theatre from Arts Educational School, London. Theatre credits include: Young Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen (ENO - London Coliseum) where she received a mention in The Times review, "Yasmin Wakefield as the Vixen Cub … singing words with as much care as notes and making the strongest possible case for opera in the language of the audience". Brigitta in The Sound of Music (Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth); Vocalist in Sondheim’s 75th Birthday Gala Children will Listen (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane); Original recording of Spittin' Distance (National Theatre Studio); Ensemble and understudied & played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (New Vic Theatre). Vocalist for the Future Dreams concert One Night Only (Savoy Theatre); Henrietta and understudied & played Ida and Queenie in Honk! (George One @ George Square - Edinburgh Fringe Festival);‘Emma Bovary in The Bovary Tale (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Assistant Vocal Coach for the Future Dreams’concert One More Time (Piccadilly Theatre); Dancer in Singderella with The London Gay Men’s Chorus (Cadogan Hall).
ADAM PRITCHARD - Arthur

Adam graduated from the University of Nottingham after achieving a BA in History in 2008 and went straight on to attend the Guildford School of Acting. He graduated from Guildford in September 2009 and whilst there his credits include: Danny in Baby; and Benjy Stone in My Favorite Year. Upon leaving GSA Adam went straight into Chat at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and The Great British Soap Opera that saw a sell out run in Edinburgh and transferred to the Jermyn Street Theatre.