4 Dec 2020 – 3 Jan 2021
I have never been more excited to put on a show in all my 30 years as a producer. The journey that we’ve all been on since the country entered its first lockdown in March has been a long one and I hope that we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel. As we progressed through various of levels of lockdown it became increasingly important to me to find a way to put on some form of pantomime this year. While we are dedicated to remaining safe, and doing our part to protect the health and well being of everyone, we understand the part that the theatre can play in enriching the lives of so many people. I am very grateful to Sam and Nick and all the cast for their efforts in bringing this show to life and giving us the opportunity to welcome you all back. The theatre’s staff have done a tremendous amount of work over the past nine months and have put great effort into creating the safest environment possible.
With support from the Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sports’ Culture Recovery Grant we’ve been able to put together an amazing event for you while still operating within strict social distancing guidelines and severely reduced capacities. We’ve added safety protocols throughout the building and ask that you please follow the advice of our staff so that you can sit back, relax, laugh and forget about the outside world world for the two hours that you’re with us. Thank you for being here, we truly hope you enjoy the performance and come back to join us in the season ahead.
Mark Goucher
Chief Executive, Everyman Theatre
Tweedy Sam Holmes Kane Verrall Kevin Brewis Casey Al-Shaqsy Tsemaye Bob-Egbe Ben Darcy
Writer and Co-Director Samuel Holmes Co-Director and Choreographer Nick Winston Musical Director/Arrangements Charlie Ingles Designers Phil R Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith Lighting Designer Michael Hall Sound Designer Steve Anderson
Line Producer Jenny Wicks Production Manager Oliver Hawker Technical Stage Manager Kieran Barker Company Stage Manager Suzanne Bourke Deputy Stage Manager Gareth Newcombe Assistant Stage Manager Alys Robinson Technicians Stage Howard Butcher Dorian Claridge Matt Earl Karim Hadhoum
Technicians Electrical Justin Claridge Jamie Long Martin Stewart Wardrobe Charmaine Gifford-James Hayley Pursey Additional Set/Props Construction & Painting Rhys Cowe Roger Hendry Greg Steele John Whitehead Lighting Programmer Shane Button Track Mixing & Mastering Zak Woodman
TWEEDY This will be Tweedy’s 9th pantomime at the Everyman Theatre. Bringing new acts to the shows each year, he is accomplished in most circus skills, is proficient at playing various musical instruments and regularly performs magic. Tweedy appears regularly at the Everyman Theatre and other theatres with his own shows, which have had sell out audiences, standing ovations and received critical acclaim. He has also appeared at the Everyman Theatre in acting roles, most recently as Estragon in Waiting for Godot and in 2014 in The Dock Brief.
Tweedy is best known in the UK for his role in Giffords Circus and appearances with Cirque Berserk, which included performances in London’s West End. Tweedy has won many comedy awards and his talents are in much demand in circus, theatre, TV and film, both at home and abroad. He has built up a cult following, that includes a number of celebrities. For two years, Tweedy was the featured clown on Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey shows in America, playing prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden. During lockdown Tweedy teamed up with The Barn Theatre; live streaming Tweedy’s Lost and Found Show every week met with enormous success and rave reviews in the national press. Each week a guest celebrity appeared on the show including Helen Bonham Carter and Hugh Bonneville. Tweedy will return to the Everyman Theatre to perform Tweedy’s Lost Property from the 14 – 17 February.
SAMUEL HOLMES Sam had his first dancing lesson at five and now at the age of thirty-three feels he is ready for his second! Despite some wonderful credits, Sam has long been unmemorable as an actor. He has trotted out an interminable number of glib performances in comedy wigs, ill-fitting costumes and even a penny farthing. None of these items helped… It is as a writer and Director that Sam should best be forgotten. Spending many years writing pantomimes and trying his best to overcome his problem of. Bad, grammar. Samuel enjoys G&S but not B&Q, Frasier and spending time at his home in Southend. Please laugh loudly at the jokes as he would like to write
for the Everyman’s next pantomime but please forget them as he’d like to re-use them next year! Sam’s actual credits include Monty Python Live; Curtains; Co-Director for Club Tropicana (UK tour); Spamalot; Shrek the Musical; John Cleese Presents on Radio Four; Kiss me Kate; Crazy for You; Privates on Parade; Round The Horne and Waterbabies. Samuel had the great honour of co-writing a speech with Michael Palin and collecting the Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy on behalf of Monty Python at The British Comedy Awards on Channel 4. @holmesjsamuel (if you’re really bored!)
KANE VERRALL Kane is delighted to be returning to Cheltenham and the gorgeous Everyman Theatre! He hopes you enjoy the show! Kane’s theatre credits include Dandini in Cinderella (Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham); Blaine in Club Tropicana (UK & Ireland Tour); Fanny in Fanny & Stella (Garden Theatre, Vauxhall); Will Scarlett in TWANG!! (New Union Theatre); Rolf Gruber & Dance Captain in The Sound of Music (UK Tour); Neil Kellerman in Dirty Dancing (UK Tour); Dandini in Cinderella (Civic Theatre, Chelmsford); Dick Whittington in Dick Whittington (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); Gregory in Free as Air (Finborough).
KEVIN BREWIS Kevin Brewis returns to the Everyman Theatre pantomime following his show stealing performance as an ugly sister in Cinderella. Kevin recently appeared in Benidorm Live, written and created by Derren Litten. Other Theatre credits include Sarah The Cook in Dick Whittington (Milton Keynes Theatre); Wonderful Town (Barbican); conducted by Sir Simon Rattle; Carousel (Opera North); Evita (Slovenia); Jesus Christ Superstar (Tour); National Theatre 50th Anniversary (National Theatre); Cinderella (Swan Theatre, High Wycombe); Kiss Me Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre/ The Old Vic); A Chorus Line (Tel Aviv); Cinderella (Theatre
Royal Plymouth); Oliver! (Cyprus Open Air Theatre); Cinderella for Qudos (Dartford); White Christmas for Michael Rose Ltd (Sunderland Empire); Hello Dolly! (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Stage (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Funny Girl (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Producers (UK Tour); Jack &The Beanstalk (Barbican); Me & My Girl (UK Tour); Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour & Ireland); Aladdin (Hackney Empire); Grease (Victoria Palace, Japan); Anything Goes (National Theatre); My One & Only (Piccadilly Theatre/ Chichester Festival Theatre); Singing in the Rain (National Theatre); Hot Stuff (Leicester Haymarket Theatre) and Hey Mr Producer (Norweigan Cruise Lines).
Casey Al-Shaqsy Casey is originally from Leicester and trained at Arts Educational Schools, London. Her theatre credits include Prince Of Egypt (Dominion Theatre); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium); Once on this Island (Arts Educational); Newsies (Arts Educational); On The Town (BBC Proms); West Side Story (BBC Proms); Olivier Awards 2018 (ITV).
Tsemaye Bob-Egbe Tsemaye trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD). Her theatre credits include Pippin (Garden Theatre); Tina Turner in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (West End); Ikette/ understudy Tina and Alline Bullock in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (West End); Janelle Woods/The Shirelles in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (West End); Mephisto in The Vaudevillians (Les Enfants Terribles, Edinburgh Fringe).
BEN DARCY Ben Darcy returns to the Everyman Theatre pantomime having previously played the title role in Aladdin. Following his training at Tiffany Theatre College, Ben has had roles in the West End Production of Pretty Woman (Piccadilly Theatre) and as Robbie in Soho Cinders (Charing Cross Theatre); Pilot, Ensemble u/s Ollie in Club Tropicana (UK Tour); Ensemble, u/s Corny Collins in Hairspray (UK Tour); Ensemble in Mamma Mia (Cyprus); Ensemble u/s Eugene and Theo in Eugenius (The Other Palace); Ensemble, u/s Pepper & Eddie in Mamma Mia (Novello Theatre); Jeremy in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour); Benny in Our Benny (Liverpool Empire); Fagin’s Gang and u/s Oliver in Oliver (UK Tour).
With grateful thanks to our Supporters and Sponsors Principal Partner
BOWDEN HALL
this brochure, call 01242 512515 x251.
O U R N E X T PA N T O M I M E ! FEATURING THE RETURN OF
AS TWEEDY TROTT
26 NOV 2021 - 9 JAN 2022
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