LEE PROUD - Choreographer
Lee is currently the Resident choreographer of the London production of Billy Elliot The Musical, where he was the original dance captain. In this capacity he has also assisted Peter Darling on the multi Tony Award winning Broadway production and prior to that on the Sydney and Melbourne productions. Lee has also re-staged material from the show for the Olivier Awards, Blue Peter and Strictly Dance Fever. He is also currently involved in Billy Youth Theatre which is an exciting national educational project aimed at inspiring schools to produce a new version of Billy Elliot, especially re-written by Lee Hall. Other recent choreographic work includes, A Place Called Milan (Gulbenkian Studio), And The World Goes Round (Wyndhams Theatre), West End Eurovision (Picadilly Theatre) (co-choreographed with Anthony Whiteman) A Chorus Line, Hair, An Evening of Sondheim,West Side Story and Gypsy (for the foundation degree course at Newcastle College) and various cabarets. Lee wrote the foundation degree in Musical Theatre for Newcastle College and is proud to be an honorary course advisor. Lee is extremely honoured to be asked to be associated with Ovation's production of High Society and is particularly gratefull to Clare Everson and Anthony Whiteman who have been extraordinary in their commitment and enthusiasm. He also thanks Racky Plews for her faith in him!!

OLI JACKSON - Musical Supervisor
Oli graduated with honours from the London College of Music and won the Westminster Prize. Currently working as Associate MD on the West End show Chicago, Oli’s career has taken him all over the world, including brief stint on Broadway. Recent composing credits include a one act musical that was performed at LAMDA, a musical for the Albany Empire and a commission by the Arts Council to write a piece of music to accompany a short film that was exhibited all over the country including the Tate Modern. He was also composer and musical supervisor for Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall for the Bristol Old Vic and Chichester Theatre. It is currently touring and has been nominated for Best Regional Production in the What’s On Stage Awards. Oli is delighted to be returning to Upstairs at the Gatehouse, having started his career here a few years ago when he was the Musical Director for Ovation's Return to the Forbidden Planet.

TOM KELLY - Musical Director
Tom is currently the Assistant Musical Director for the revival of Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Previous projects include working on the additional orchestrations for The King and I (Royal Albert Hall); the national tour of The Witches of Eastwick starring Marti Pellow; the national tour of Sinatra; the arranger and orchestrator for the Barry Manilow musical Can’t Smile Without You; the co-orchestrator, co-arranger and AMD for the national tour of Dr Doolittle, and MD for the critically-acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe production of The Last Five Years. Tom graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2007 with a DipRAM, following initial studies at Durham University – during which he was awarded the Jocelyn Dickinson Prize. Whilst at the Academy he conducted and performed at the Roundhouse, the Royal Festival Hall and Wembley Stadium.

HOWARD HUDSON - Lighting Designer
Howard studied Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design. Credits for Upstairs at the Gatehouse: A Tale of Two Cities, Great Pretenders - the Musical, Into the Woods, The Young Ones, Forever Plaid and Victoria Wood's Talent (Ovation). Other credits: The Tender Land (Arcola, Upstairs at the Gatehouse and Cochrane); Twelfth Night (Creation, Oxford); Educating Rita (English Theatre Frankfurt); Much Ado About Nothing (Antic Disposition, St Stephens and French tour); Romeo and Juliet (Jermyn Street Theatre and Teatr Elblag, Poland); The Importance of Being Earnest (Jermyn St. Theatre); MA European Classical Acting Showcase (Drama Centre, Cochrane); The Shakespeare Revue (Bloomsbury, Theatre Royal Bury, Theatre Royal Margate, OFS Oxford and New End Theatre); Britten’s Curlew River (Hampstead and Highgate Festival, St. Stephens); The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Richard III, A Christmas Carol (Antic Disposition, St. Stephens); Obama on My Mind (Hen and Chickens); Casanova (Kings Head); Blink!, Bathhouse the Musical (Above the Stag); Histrionics (Underbelly); Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Cochrane and French Tour); The Bohemian Girl (with Roger Frith, Opera South); From the Pit of My Stomach (Etcetera Theatre). Assisting and associate credits with Mike Robertson include Du ska få en dag i mårå... (Det Norske Theatret, Oslo); Hair, Deathtrap, Five Guys Named Moe (English Theatre Frankfurt); and Jack and the Beanstalk (Towngate Theatre, Basildon). www.howardhudson.co.uk.

FI RUSSELL - Set Designer
lFi trained in Theatre Design at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after graduating with First Class Honours in Scenography and Drama from Aberystwyth University. Since graduating she has designed the set for Aladdin (Tickled Pink Productions); and was Set and Costume Designer for the 2009 LAMDA Directors Showcase productions, The Peddler's Tale, Hydriotaphia, Roberto Zucco and Little Eyolf. Credits whilst training: costume and set - The Blue Room, A Mad World, My Masters, New England and Strange Loop; set. Faultline, The Permanent Way and Days of Significance. Previous credits include: The Winter's Tale (set), Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (costume) and Compleat Female Stage Beauty (set).

GERI SPENCER - Costume Designer
Geri’s love of costume began in childhood, watching classic black and white films every Sunday on the telly. She’s delighted to be part of the High Society team, celebrating the tradition of the great Hollywood musical.
Recent work includes a large scale production of the musical Annie directed by John Payton (First Group Theatre, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai UAE); stylist for Choose Harveys television commercial directed by Phil Hawkins; and image consultant for Heart of London Business Alliance. Previous work includes costume design for the award-winning feature film The Butterfly Tattoo directed by Phil Hawkins; Ghostdancer music video directed by Nathan Theys, short film Jonah’s Quids directed by Adam Watkins; costume maker for the Australian feature film September directed by Peter Carstairs; wardrobe mistress for Dickens Unplugged directed by Adam Long (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); and personal dresser to the lovely Jane Horrocks on The Good Soul of Szechuan directed by Richard Jones (Young Vic).

ANTHONY WHITEMAN - Assistant Choreographer
Anthony trained as a scholarship student at Masters Performing Arts College, where he gained an Honors Diploma in Musical Theatre / Dance, under the direction of Wendy Headford. Theatre credits include: Resident Choreographer/ Swing in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK/ International Tour); Assistant Dance Captain / Swing in Cameron Mackintosh’s My Fair Lady (50th Anniversary UK Tour); Swing and Skimbleshanks in Cats (UK/ International Tour). Anthony is currently engaged as Children's Dance Captain/ Ensemble on Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre. Anthony is thrilled to be working alongside Lee Proud and to being involved in this production.

CLAIRE EVERSON - Assistant Choreographer
Claire trained at the London School of Musical Theatre. Theatre includes: Mrs McGlone in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Landor Theatre); Understudy Lottie/Dance Captain in Mack & Mabel (Broadway Theatre); Vocalist in Broadway at the Broadway (Broadway Theatre); Featured Ensemble/Dance Captain in Jus’ Like That (National Tour); Courtney/Dance Captain in RSVP ASAP (Cochrane Theatre); Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington (Spa Theatre, Scarborough); Vocalist in Forever in Blue Jeans (National Tour); Ensemble in Dick Whittington (Festival Theatre, Malvern) Film and television recording: Eleanor in Appetite for Murder; Some Girls music video (Rachel Stevens);Vocalist on Forever in Blue Jeans and Jump and Jive CD. Claire has also worked as a Dancer on board several cruise ships, taking her to all seven continents of the world!