Stage Door Magazine

STAGE DOOR FEB 2020

ISSUE ONE

£4.99

Your access-all-areas backstage theatre magazine

Photo: Danny Kaan

THE TONY AWARD-WINNING

BEST MUSICAL

NOËL COWARD THEATRE A DELFONT MACKINTOSH THEATRE

WELCOME 12

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Professional photographer Danny Kaan gained a large social media following for his backstage shoots with West End stars.

Working 9 to 5 is not how Musical Director spends his days at the hit show.

14 Get the inside scoop for London’s hotspots, from days out to where to grab tickets.

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An evening with the composer and inspirations of the West End show, Everybody’s Talking about Jamie to discuss the show and portraying a real life.

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Behind the scenes with the Head of Wigs at Waitress the Musical.

Drama school isn’t the only option. We chat to Nicole who has beat the odds in the industry.

Blogging to social media, we talk with Sophie about her experience in the digital world.

A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR Hello and welcome to the first ever issue of Stage Door magazine, a new publication which opens up the theatre industry exploring the careers and topics which often go unrecognised. We have got some exciting content lined up for you in this issue. We have interviews with a whole host of talent from photographer Danny Kaan, to Head of Wigs at Waitress in the West End, Suzanne Harger. We also have an exciting feature for you after we spent an evening at the Victoria and Albert Museum with the composer and insprations of the hit West End musical Everybody’s Talking about Jamie. Take a read to find out the process of bringing a real life story to the stage and the battles and triumphs which they faced along the way. Our issues will keep you up to date with the latest events and hotspots which aren’t to be missed so be sure to check out our ‘What’s On’ and ‘Hotspots’ pages further into this issue.

We are so excited for you to see what we have been up to and hopefully excite and inspire the next generation of theatre lovers.

Lucy Gray.

THE WONDERS OF THE

W E S T END

OUR TOP SHOWS OF THE MONTH

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ondon’s West End is currently full of exciting and fun shows, it is so difficult to know what to see when there is so much choice! Each month we send our team to see some of the latest shows to decide for ourselves if it matches the level of hype surrounding them. From classic shows like Les Misérables which has been in the West End for nearly 35 years to brand new writing such as Everybody’s Talking about Jamie, there is so much variety that the West End has to offer. This month our team has chosen three shows which we think should be right at the top of your list of ‘must-see’. A musical with the score written by Sara Bareilles, to a family-favourite which has recently returned to the West End and finally a recent Broadway transfer which has everyone talking.

Here are our top three shows of this issue:

Photo: Waitress Musical

Waitress Currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre, Waitress follows the life of expert pie-baker, Jenna who finds herself unhappy in her marriage and longing for a fresh start.

Everything changes and life gets a little complicated when Jenna meets the new doctor in town, Dr Pomatter.

A truly heartwarming production of love, laughter and friendship. With the score written by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, you’ll leave the theatre singing the catchy songs and wanting to bake your very own pie.

Mary Poppins

This classic family-favourite has finally returned to the West End following a previous West End run and UK Tours. With the wonderful Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp leading the new cast, you can expect a magical night out at the theatre with dazzling choreography and all the well-known songs.

Residing at the Prince Edward Theatre, you really do not want to miss out on the chance to see this production - some may say it is practically perfect in every way.

Photo: Dear Evan Hansen

Photo: Mary Poppins the Musical

Dear Evan Hasen

A brand new musical which has recently transferred from Broadway, this story follows a 16-year-old boy who tells a lie, life and the way we live it in the age of social media.

Dear Evan Hansen opened at the Noel Coward Theatre in October 2019 and is currently one of the best selling shows in the West End. Playing the lead is Sam Tutty, who recently graduated from Italia Conti last summer.

An extremely raw performance, this is a show not to be missed - if you can manage to grab a ticket.

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ACROSS THE POND BROADWAY NEWS

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e are sure that our readers love of theatre does not just end at the West End. So each issue we like to dedicate a part to the theatre community from ‘across the pond’ over on Broadway. Whether this be celebrating achievements of actors, keeping you up to date with the latest news or looking forward to the exciting shows that are opening over there this season. We at Stage Door magazine, know how important it is to keep up to date with the industry around you, so we thought we would do our own little bit each issue to celebrate theatre everywhere. There has been so much going on recently within the theatre industry and more than ever, our West End and Broadway worlds appear to be colliding, as you will discover in some of our stories across this next double page.

‘BEETLEJUICE’ ANNOUNCES CLOSING DATE AFTER EVICTION NOTICE FROM ‘THE MUSIC MAN’.

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA ANNOUNCES HAMILTON CINEMA RELEASE

In December 2019, it was announced that the Broadway show, Beetlejuice was to close on the 6th June 2020 to make way for a revival of The Music Man which will star Hugh Jackman. A massive shock to many fans and even people working within the industry as Beetlejuice has broken box office records through rising ticket sales. While moving Beetlejuice to another theatre has been in-talks, it is estimated to cost around $4 million due to the complicated set. So, who knows what the future holds for Beetlejuice.

It has been announced by the musical’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, that Disney will produce the cinema release of the Original Broadway production of Hamilton, where Miranda himself played the lead role.

It will hit cinemas on the 15th October 2021. Disney apparently paid $75 million for the worldwide rights to the show of which was filmed two weeks before the original cast left Broadway. Another one of Miranda’s hit musicals, In The Heights, is also being released in cinemas on the 7th August 2020.

Photo: Beetlejuice The Musical

DESI OAKLEY SAVES THE DAY AT WAITRESS WEST END Waitress the hit musical which is currently running at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End, with Lucie Jones starring in the lead role of Jenna Hunterson. After a major bout of illness struck many of the cast members at the same time, Jones was taken ill as well as her two understudies Sarah O’Connor and Olivia Moore, forcing both performances on Saturday 11th January 2020 to be cancelled.

Unsure of how the show was going to go ahead for the following Monday nights’ performance, the producers of the show made the decision to fly out Broadway actress Desi Oakley, to perform in the role while the cast members were still out sick. Oakley was the original Jenna in the first US tour of the same production which began in October 2017 and also returned to the tour in 2019 after a year being away from the show to cover absence. Within 2 days, Oakley had received a call which put her on a plane from New York to London and following a few hours rehearsal made her West End debut in a role she hadn’t played for 5 months.

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Photo: Hamilton The Musical

SIX OPENS ON BROADWAY AND LUCY MOSS BECOMES YOUNGEST FEMALE DIRECTOR BROADWAY HISTORY Lucy Moss and co-writer Toby Marlow wrote Six while they were still at University, following a short-run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in early August 2018 and a UK Tour, the show has been selling-out the Arts Theatre in London’s West End since the 31st August 2018. Six is set to open on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for previews from Thursday 13th February 2020. It has been confirmed that Lucy Moss, who also directs the musical will now officially be the youngest female director working on a Broadway musical in history, at the age of 26. She takes the spot from Liz Swados, who directed Runaways in 1978 when she was just 27. In an interview discussing the record break, she said: “This means the world to me. I can barely get my head around it. It is extremely humbling and I hope it inspires and, more importantly, opens the door for many other young women to come and smash this record. It’s about time!”

RACHEL TUCKER TRANSFERS TO THE BROADWAY COMPANY OF COME FROM AWAY

HADESTOWN WINS A GRAMMY At this year’s 62nd annual Grammy Awards, Hadestown won the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. The show which is currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway, beat out nominated albums for musicals Ain’t Too Proud, Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and Oklahoma.

After playing the original West End Beverley Bass in Come From Away for nearly a year, Rachel Tucker is now crossing the pond to take over the same role with the Broadway production from the 3rd of March. Tucker has also played Elphaba in Wicked previously in both the West End and Broadway productions.

Photo: Danny Kaan

Photo: Hadestown

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED BROADWAY OPENINGS This year, there are many exciting new shows which are set to open on Broadway. We have picked out the four which we are most excited to see open their doors this year.

SIX

COMPANY

This 75-minute concert Following an incredibly style musical surrounds successful West End run Henry VIII’s six wives and is last year, Company will a modern retelling of their open at the Bernad B. stories through high energy Jacobs Theatre on the pop songs. Opening at the 2nd March starring Katrina Brooks Atkinson Theatre Lenk as Bobbie and Patti on the 13th February 2020.

LuPone as Joanne.

DIANA

MRS. DOUBTFIRE

Set to open on the 2nd March, this musical about the late Princess of Wales will play at the Longacre Theatre. The titular role of Diana is to be reprised by Jeanna De Waal, following the out-of-town run.

Opening at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on the 9th March, Mrs. Doubtfire is the musical adaptation of the 1994 hit-film starring Robin Williams. Taking the lead in the broadway show will be Rob McClure.

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BEHIND THE LENS DANNY KAAN

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anny is a 24-year-old creative who moved from the Netherlands to London in June 2018. With a degree in Creative Business Marketing, he spends three days a week working part-time as a Marketing Manager and then the rest of his week as a freelance photographer who specialises in live entertainment, particularly for concerts and musicals.

All photos: Danny Kaan

Well-known on Instagram as ‘Danny with a camera’, he has built up a following of over 35,000 followers to which he agrees has been extremely beneficial for him as he has been building up his portfolio. “A lot of people working in the musical theatre industry know who I am because of my Instagram account. Having a big following online has helped me get photoshoot opportunities and by doing all these shoots, I am getting better and gaining more experience because practicing always makes you better.”

Danny first got into photography through his love of theatre. “I’ve always been interested in watching the understudies in musical theatre and I always thought it was silly that they never had professional production shots like the full-time roles.” After quickly realising he couldn’t take photos during shows of the actors, he began to attend free events and bring his camera with him there. “Since moving to London, I have tried to attend almost every free event and networked with as many people as possible. This really helped me gain a ‘relevant’ following on social media.”

Since moving to London, Danny has photographed countless West End stars including the likes of Lucie Jones, Rachel Tucker and Carrie Hope Fletcher in shows, concerts and backstage.

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Marisha Wallace backstage at Waitress the Musical.

When reflecting over how much work he has put into his career as a photographer over the last few years, he said that some of his highlights have included taking photos of Jason Robert Brown at the London Palladium and was even given the opportunity to photograph Broadway star Jessica Vosk’s solo show at 54/Below while he was in New York City. Although he loves the exciting, large-scale shoots – Danny said that some of his favourite moments have been through doing the ‘small’ backstage shoots in dressing rooms where you get to chat to the actors in a chilled environment. “Everyone is so lovely and has such amazing stories about their careers and people they have met. Moments like that really make me realise how much I love what I do.”

When you are working freelance, one of the most important parts of your job is networking. Trying to turn your hobby into a career which you can make a living from is something which often goes unspoken about. Even Danny admits that he originally found it difficult and often awkward to ask for the work you are doing to be paid. “The problem was that when I first started out, I loved musical theatre so much that often I would offer my work for free just so that I was able to see the show through my lens. For a while now I’ve charged based off of who asked: If I reach out to someone, I would offer my work for free, but if they contact me, I’ll ask for a fee. However, now I have built up a larger portfolio and online following this is soon going to change as it is important to regularly reassess your work and value against your fees.”

Production: Fiver In July 2019, Danny was asked if he would be interested in taking the production photos for a new musical called Fiver, by Alex James Ellison and Tom Lees. The show was set to run for two and a half weeks at the Southwark Playhouse, an OffWest End theatre in London. “It was my first time ever doing the official production photos for a show. I knew how important it was for me to be able to capture the right moments within the show that truly represented the characters and their story.”

After the photos were released, Danny’s social media nearly crashed with how many messages he received from people sharing his work and praising his images. “I was so relieved as I was so nervous going into the shoot. I was so happy with the outcome and getting such positive feedback from the show’s creative team was incredible.”

Looking toward the future at what he would love to achieve in his career and people he would love to work with – the top of Danny’s bucket list is to be the photographer on a tour.

“I would love to go on a tour with someone, a band or whoever. I just want to capture every moment of a tour and its process because it is the same show every night but always a different atmosphere and I would love to experience that.” But for now Danny says he has got some exciting shoots lined up for 2020 and is particularly looking forward to West End Live in June as he usually gains press photographer access making the weekend extra special.

Go-to camera and lens?

“I mainly use a Canon 5D Mark III with three different lenses. The 24-70mm F/2.8, 50mm F/1.8 and the 70-200mm F/2.8. I always recommend the 50mm lens I mentioned if you are starting out as it’s a brilliant lens and definitely cheaper than the others!

Advice for someone interested in photography?

“Work on a portfolio, social media can really help you with that. Most importantly... create your own style. Network! Contact loads and loads of people - don’t be sad if you get a no, you’ll get lots in this industry, but instead see it as an opportunity to improve and try again next year. Work hard - its as simple as that really.”

Jason Robert Brown in Concert featuring Carrie Hope Fletcher.

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A HISTORY OF THE ADELPHI THEATRE

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he Adelphi Theatre is located on the Strand, near Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden in London.

As one of the larger West End theatres, The Adelphi has a capacity of about 1,500 across three tiers of seating. Ernest Schaufelberg was the architect who built the theatre which officially opened on the 3rd December 1930, so this year will mark the theatre’s 90th birthday.

Like many theatres in London, it was indeed a theatre that was on the site before the current building of The Adelphi Theatre. Previous to this, on the same site was the home of the Sans Pareil (meaning ‘Without Compare’) Theatre which opened in 1806 which changed to The Adelphi Theatre in 1819 and then soon after was renamed the Theatre Royal Adelphi in 1829. It remained this way for over 100 years until in 1940 the royal prefix was dropped, and the theatre became the name we know today. The building was in fact sold to Woolworths in 1955, however plans to turn it into a supermarket never came through, thankfully!

Currently the theatre is co-owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who bought Woolworths out in 1993 and gave the theatre a major ‘facelift’ ahead of the world premiere of his musical Sunset Boulevard, starring Patti LuPone.

This marked the first of many successful runs at his theatre including revivals of Evita in 2006, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2007, as well as the world premiere of Love Never Dies in 2010.

Of course, it wasn’t just Andrew Lloyd Webber’s own shows which ran at The Adelphi, the theatre has seen

many in its years including Chicago, One Man, Two Guvnors, Sweeney Todd, The Bodyguard, Made in Dagenham and most recently Kinky Boots.

The interior design is one of the most stand out features of the space, featuring Art Deco designs from windows to the decorative seating and a beautiful auditorium full of red velvet seats. Currently running at The Adelphi is the Broadway transfer of Waitress the Musical which opened on the 8th of February 2019 and will be departing the theatre on the 4th July 2020 to make way for Hello Dolly! which will star Imelda Staunton from August 2020 for a limited run. Why not pop over to The Adelphi to see it for yourself?

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WORKIN’ 9 TO 5 WITH MD, ANDREW HILTON

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hey are the person whose face you see poke out from the band pit every performance to conduct the show, but there are few people who actually know the full extent of what the role of Musical Director actually involves. So, we met up with Andrew Hilton, who is currently the Musical Director at ‘9 to 5’ the musical at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, to help us unpack what he gets up to day-to-day and how he got into the industry.

Andrew started learning the piano at the age of 7, and during his childhood played the organ for his local church while also getting involved in amateur theatre. It didn’t take long for him to realise that he wanted to be in the orchestra pit rather than performing on the stage. He eventually went on to train at the University of East Anglia.

Whilst studying there, Andrew gained his first professional credit by working on the pantomime at the Norwich Theatre Royal. Not long after graduating, he decided his best option would be to move to London, which he did at 22 and has lived there ever since.

His role as Musical Director, starts a lot earlier into the development process of a show than most people realise. “It starts very early on, usually before the show is even announced.” Andrew says how he attends all of the auditions as it helps him and his team to gain an overall feel for the company that is being put together and gives him an initial insight to the show.

Andrew’s area at his conductor’s spot in the orchestra pit.

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Photo: Andrew Hilton

Once the show has got a cast, Andrew goes into rehearsals where he teaches all the vocals prior to the choreographer coming in to stage the dances.

After he has prepped the cast, Andrew’s attention then turns to his band, who get a couple of days rehearsal prior to the Sitzprobe. A Sitzprobe is the day where the band and cast run the show together for the first time – no dancing, acting, moving etc, you just hear the entire show all pieced together. “This is my favourite day – and most actor’s favourite day too – it never sounds better than this!”

When the show is up and running in front of audiences, this allows an MD to gain more of a routine. Andrew explains that during the day he will exchange emails about who is and isn’t in that day, whether this be holidays or sickness. He gets to the theatre a couple of hours before the show for vocal and physical warm up – “Warmups are the chance to make sure everyone is on the same page, all together and focussed.” Around 7pm, Andrew checks round with his fellow band members and by 7.25pm is ready in the orchestra pit awaiting the signal from the stage management and sound teams to begin the show. During the show he is responsible for many different things including conducting the orchestra and cueing the cast, play the piano, fire sound effects and more.

Although he is the only person to do his role in the show, Andrew expresses how it really is a team effort and that he works extremely closely with all the other departments all to ensure the show runs smoothly.

“I work with the sound department to make sure the vocals and band are always sounding right, and the audience hear what I want them to hear. With the dance department, we rehearse the tempos and feel of the music and with stage management team we work to ensure that all scene changes happen in time and fit the music we have written for them.”

When reflecting on the qualities that you need to be an Musical Director, Andrew chuckled and said “It is more about day-care than it is about music, in all honesty” Explaining that while it is obviously important to be a great pianist, it is just as important (if not more) that you understand a far greater range of factors in order to successfully do your job. Understanding the voice, how the actors will need to use it and how to teach harmonies, sound programming, the importance of being a clear conductor so everyone understands you, but most of all being patient and understanding can be one of the most important things for him to be. “It is my job to inspire the group of actors and musicians in front of me every night, to help them give their best performance. To be there to help them if they go wrong, keep to time or to even encourage them if they are feeling fragile or insecure on a particular day.”

Andrew admits that he found getting his ‘foot in the door’ as an Musical Director in the West End extremely difficult, “I was a slow burner I think.” Although he says how extremely lucky he has been to have worked constantly throughout his career, something which a lot of people struggle to do in this industry. When starting out in his career, he worked a lot in Germany and touring with productions. He then worked for a while as an assistant Musical Director in the West End. It was at 41 when he got his first job as the head Musical Director in London.

As far as routes to becoming an Musical Director, Andrew says that nowadays there are many more routes you can take to train and enter the industry.

“When I started out, the only route was through a classical conducting course.” There are now MD courses at all the major drama schools. Some MD’s will learn as they go and rise up through the ranks – starting as a cover for a main player in the orchestra pit, move up to a full-time player, to 3rd assistant conductor, then assistant MD and finally MD. While others will be given chances through word-of-mouth after being spotted for their work and fringe theatres like Southwark Playhouse.

Andrew’s advice would be to never stop learning.

There is constantly new music and styles emerging in the industry so keeping yourself updated it key.

“Everyone has their own route to get to where they want to be. My best advice would be to learn to play all styles of music. Shows now are so different, you can’t compare Hamilton to Only Fools and Horses, so an MD must know about all genres.”

Andrew with the creative team (left to right): Andrew Hilton (MD), Lisa Stevens (Choreographer), Dolly Parton (Music and Lyrics) and Jeff Calhoun (Director) - Photo: Andrew Hilton

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HOTSPOTS PLACES TO GO

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ondon is the theatre capital of the UK, so of course there are many hidden gems for you theatre-lovers out there to enjoy. Over the coming issues, we are going to introduce you to some of our favourite hotspots from cafes to theatres to clubs. Here are our top picks for this issue.

PHOENIX ARTS CLUB

One of the last remaining independent venues in the West End, the Phoenix Arts Club which opened in 1988 resides underneath the Phoenix Theatre where the musical Come From Away is currently playing. An exclusive members-only venue which hosts events and performances such as ‘The Islanders’, the band from Come From Away who play here on Tuesday nights.

Photo: Phoenix Arts Club

THE THEATRE CAFE Now with two locations in London’s West End, one on Shaftesbury Avenue and the other on St Martins Lane, The Theatre Cafe hosts open-mic events, performances from West End stars as well as being able to get your coffee and a slice of cake, what more could you want?

The entire venue is full of stagey memorabilia such as signs from old shows, signed posters and even some props.

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NATIONAL THEATRE Open since 1976, The National Theatre has produced over 800 plays and remains to date as a trademark location for British theatre. There are constantly new shows premiering here so you will always be able to find a new and exciting show to come and see. You can also go on a backstage tour around the theatre to look behind the scenes at the costume, wigs and make-up departments.

WEST END MUSICAL BRUNCH

Photo: West End Musical Brunch

This is the ultimate experience for a musicals fan. At West End Musical Brunch you experience a five hour extravaganza of non-stop musical theatre hits, with special guest performances from West End stars as well as from the resident ‘West End Wendy’s dance troupe.. At this event you will receive a two course brunch, alongside one hour of bottomless drinks. Each brunch is hosted at one of their secret locations in the heart of the West End. Previous performers at West End Musical Brunch have included people from the shows Wicked, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Book of Mormon, Waitress, The Lion King and much more. As an audience member, you can also become part of the action yourself with the chance to belt out your favourite show tunes - more likely than you think after the one hour of bottomless drinks! Tickets for this all-star fun-filled day out are selling out months in advance and after incredible demand, they have now started opening on Sundays too, so grab your tickets while they are still going.

TKTS BOOTH

DONMAR WAREHOUSE

The Official London Theatre ticket booth can be found in the heart of Leicester Square. Here you can purchase tickets for nearly every show on the West End and often grab yourself an incredible bargain too. Many visitors to London choose to buy tickets to see a show on the day and often, this is where you will find your best deals.

From Matilda to Book of Mormon to Six, this is the place to get your last minute tickets. Top tip: Make sure you get there early, it opens at 10am every day and often there can be large queues for people hoping to secure the best deals, particularly on Saturdays, so make sure you are prepared so you don’t miss out!

The Donmar Warehouse is one of London’s ‘Off-WestEnd’ theatres, however it could be considered one of the most exciting venues for new theatre in London. A 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in the heart of Covent Garden, the Donmar is host to a wide variety of shows and events throughout the year from new work to revivals. In the 27 years it has been open, they have won more than 100 awards for their work both within theatre and through their school initiatives. It is often the starting home for many shows which develop and transfer to the West End such as the Olivier Awardwinning production of City of Angels.

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AN EVENING WITH DAN GILLESPIE SELLS AND JAMIE CAMPBELL

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verybody’s Talking about Jamie is a hit show which is currently in its second year running at the Apollo Theatre in the West End. It surrounds the life of 16-year old Jamie New who dreams of being a drag queen, however at the heart of the story is Jamie’s relationship with his mother, Margaret New and how she encourages him to live authentically and overcome prejudice.

Stage Door magazine were lucky enough to be able to spend an evening at the Victoria and Albert museum with the show’s composer, Dan Gillespie Sells, as well as the inspirations for the musical, Jamie and Margaret Campbell. With the evening hosted by William Connolly, former editor of Gay Times magazine, they unpacked the journey of the show and their process of portraying a real-life story on stage.

The musical is based off of a real-life story of motherson duo Jamie and Margaret Campbell. It all began in 2010 when Jamie decided he wanted to wear a dress to his Year 11 prom – worried with how the bullies might react, they began brainstorming ideas of what they could do to combat this. “We came up with the idea that if I had a film crew with me then nobody would want to beat me up.” Jamie chuckled, explaining that he then went on to come up with a pitch for a documentary which he sent to over 40 production companies. After a few months, Firecracker Films got in contact with Jamie saying that they were interested in making the documentary. Producer, Jenny Popplewell made it clear from the start that they didn’t want to turn it into a big comedy character thing like you see most gay characters portrayed as – she wanted to give Jamie a very real and accurate portrayal. The documentary aired on BBC Three in July 2011 and that is all Jamie and Margaret thought would ever come of it.

This was until lead-singer of ‘The Feeling’, Dan Gillespie Sells saw this documentary and it sparked the idea in his head that this story would make a great musical. Dan began by saying, “There were two things that made me want to tell this story. The relationship between Jamie and Margaret and the storytelling of a relationship between mother and son. But also the idea that I thought was quite radical was the idea of telling the story of an effeminate male who could be the hero of the story, which was something I hadn’t seen before - all the stories I had seen that had “campness” in them were usually embodied in the sidekick or for comedy.” With this idea in mind but not knowing where to start, as Dan had never written a musical before, he teamed up with Tom MacRae (Book & Lyrics) and Jonathan Butterell (Director) and started to brainstorm ideas.

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Jamie and Margaret Campbell. Photo: Pamela Raith

Jamie and Margaret New in Everybody’s Talking about Jamie.

They wanted to keep the musical’s development under wraps until they had a finished version. So, they contacted Jamie and Margaret through a thirdparty asking permission to adapt their story for the stage. Creating the show took far longer than they first anticipated, Dan explained how he would often see Jamie near to where he lives, walking through Broadway Market, and would regularly have to stop himself going over to introduce himself as the person adapting his life into a musical. The plan was that they weren’t supposed to meet until the piece was up on its feet. “There were two reasons for that – we wanted to create a story inspired by Jamie as oppose to being a literal telling, it allowed us creative license to open up the story. Equally, it also gave Jamie and Margaret Campbell the opportunity to disassociate themselves with the project if they wished, incase they didn’t like the way we told the story, so we adapted things like the location and last names to allow them the choice of involvement.”

Jamie explains how they were sent the script prior to seeing it and decided that they didn’t want to spoil it for themselves so the first time that Jamie and Margaret saw anything to do with the show was at its opening night at the Sheffield Crucible theatre in February 2017 where it was running for two weeks. “It was a surreal experience watching it for the first time. We cried a lot, but we also laughed so much. Definitely an emotional rollercoaster. It was so weird because it was like looking at me and mum on that stage and watching our lives unfold. The triumphs, the mistakes – at times during the show, I wanted to run down to the stage and stop Jamie (the character in the show) from doing certain things as I now knew what effect it would have!”

Margaret was nodding, agreeing with Jamie on how bizarre the whole experience was. “It was like watching our life on rewind!” It didn’t take long for the show to begin growing in popularity and grow a small fanbase – even during such a small run. Dan began to talk about how extraordinary the power of word-of-mouth was.

When the tickets for the show first went on sale, very few tickets were sold.

He believes that he has a lot to thank the Sheffield Crucible staff for, as during their rehearsal time before opening at the theatre, the staff seemed to have built up quite a lot of hype surrounding the show. The Crucible theatre give members of the public the opportunity to attend the open-dress rehearsal of a new show for £1 prior to its opening, usually shows would only fill a few rows for this, but it gave the creative team a good chance to gage the public’s reaction. When Dan turned up to the theatre on the day of the open-dress, he could not believe his eyes when he saw queues around the block, all waiting to see his show. The show continued to sell extremely well for the two-week run and even had audience members who came to see it multiple times. “I still believe to this day that without the staff at the Crucible and their excitement for our new musical, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

But that two-week run at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre was not the end of Everybody’s Talking about Jamie.

Dan, the whole creative team and cast would have loved for the show to be picked up by a producer but that was something that was simply out of their hands, they just had to hope that someone would see it and love it enough to take a chance on them. After years of development and workshops, it could have just ended with the run at Sheffield. It wasn’t until the penultimate performance at the Crucible Theatre that a producer from London called Nica Burns had heard about the show so decided to travel up to see it before it closed.

After the show Nica approached Dan and just said “I’ve got a theatre, I want to bring it to London.” From then, the rest is history. After a whirlwind few months while they prepared to move their show to the West End, Everybody’s Talking about Jamie opened at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in November 2017.

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Jamie New in Everybody’s Talking about Jamie.

Since opening in London over two years ago, Everybody’s Talking about Jamie has continued to grow in popularity. Most importantly the messages that the show promotes have expanded far beyond what any of the team could have hoped for. On the 5th July 2018, the original West End cast was recorded and broadcast live to over 500 cinemas across the UK and Ireland. Dan said the live broadcast was one of the most exciting things they had ever done and that the adrenaline in the building was so high.

In February 2020, the show will embark on its first UK Tour and will stop at 21 venues across the UK and Ireland as well as finishing with a two-week run in Amsterdam. Not only this, but on the 23rd October 2020, Everybody’s Talking about Jamie the moviemusical will be released worldwide in cinemas starring newcomer Max Harwood as Jamie New alongside star-studded cast including Sarah Lancashire as Margaret New and Richard E Grant as Hugo/Loco. The movie has been filmed in the show’s original home of Sheffield and in August 2019 they even invited the public to be involved in the filming of one of the final scenes. A final exciting development for the stage production is that it has been announced that Jamie will open in Australia, Korea and Japan (Dates TBA).

From left to right: William Connolly, Jamie Campbell, Margaret Campbell and Dan Gillespie Sells.

When discussing the journey of the production and how far the show has come from a two week run at the Sheffield Crucible, to multiple international productions, a UK tour and movie, Jamie and Margaret express how they cannot believe how far their story has taken them and also touched the lives of others. Jamie said “From being basically a ‘nobody’ living in little County Durham up north, to all of this, the shows, interviews and press etc, is just so surreal. I didn’t think I was doing anything particularly out of the ordinary, other than just being who I wanted to be and trying to be happy in my own life. Nowadays, I will often get stopped by fans of the show in the street and they ask me for photos with them and tell me how much of an inspiration they think I am. It all seemed so bizarre to me, because I didn’t really feel like I had done anything that any other person wouldn’t have if they wanted to. I just wanted to go to my prom in a dress, so I did.”

Looking towards the future potential of where the show could take them next, Dan smiles at Jamie and Margaret before saying “No matter how extravagant anything else gets - how big the show is, how many productions or famous faces we have associated with the production, our main priority will always be portraying the beautiful relationship between these two wonderful people, (Jamie and Margaret Campbell) they will always remain at the heart of our story.”

Cast Members Past and Present Jamie New - Noah Thomas (West End debut, currently in his 3rd year at Mountview Academy of the Arts) - Layton Williams (Credits include: Billy in Billy Elliot, Angel in RENT, Seaweed in Hairspray, Young Michael in Thriller Live) - John McCrea (Credits include: Friedrich in The Sound of Music, Angel in RENT, Sewer Kid in Chitty Chitty Bang Band) Margaret New - Melissa Jacques (Credits include: Trish in Kinky Boots, Midwife and Madame Morrible cover in Wicked, alternate Donna in Mamma Mia!) - Rebecca McKinnis (Credits includes: Heidi in Dear Evan Hansen, Tina in A Small Family Business, Teacher in We Will Rock You, Lauren in Viva Forever) - Josie Walker (Credits include: Mrs Wormwood in Matilda, Rose in War Horse, Mrs Purdy in Husbands and Sons)

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WHAT WE THINK DEAR EVAN HANSEN

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inally. After what seems like many years of waiting ‘For Forever’, Dear Evan Hansen has finally opened its doors in the West End. Originally, the new musical premiered on Broadway in November 2016, starring Ben Platt, and went on to win countless awards including six Tony awards and even a Grammy.

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical set in a modern context during the age of social media. The story, from writer Steven Levenson’s book, surrounds 17-year-old Evan who finds himself somewhat of an outsider, desperate to fit in. After a private letter he wrote is found in the wrong hands, Evan finds himself caught up in a web of lies which soon spiral beyond his control. Even though he finds himself living the life he always wanted, Evan battles between living a lie or doing what is right.

The beautiful score to this musical is written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a dynamic duo whose work also includes the music and lyrics for La La Land and The Greatest Showman. Unlike some musicals where there is one defining song that the show would be recognised for, with the stunning work of Pasek and Paul, you leave the theatre remembering and cherishing many. You Will Be Found, the show’s anthem number which closes out Act 1, for many has become the profound message for the entire show while Waving Through A Window perfectly captures the story of teenagers competing in the world of social media.

21-year-old Sam Tutty who is a recent graduate from Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. There is no doubt upon seeing his performance in the role as to why they chose him. Tutty’s performance is incredibly raw and takes the audience through a complete roller-coaster of emotions. He perfectly portrays the awkwardness and vulnerability of Evan’s character, all while managing to sing note-perfect, even during the emotional number ‘Words Fail’. Rebecca McKinnis who plays Heidi Hansen, Evan’s mum, is absolutely stunning in this role.

Her solo song towards the end of act two, ‘So Big / So Small’ was completely heart-wrenching and you could hear the audience all sniffling by the end of it.

Another notable mention is to Jack Loxton who plays Evan’s sarcastic ‘side-kick’, Jared. Loxton brings the perfect balance of humour and dorkiness to the role, particularly highlighted in the song ‘Sincerely, Me’.

A wonderful, contemporary musical for now. ‘Does Anybody Have a Map?’, so you can find your way to go and see this show! Dear Evan Hansen is currently running at the Noel Coward Theatre and is booking until 30th May 2020.

One of the most striking parts of this show is the set, designed by David Korins’, whose credits include Hamilton and Beetlejuice, which is made up of floor to ceiling sliding screens, which throughout the show play a pivotal role in consuming Evan’s thoughts with projections of endless social media pages, images and videos. This is beautifully contrasted at the end of the show as all the screens are removed and raised from underneath the stage are rows of freshly planted apple trees symbolising the Orchard, previously mentioned in the show, which represents a fresh start for young Evan.

With the show having such a high-level of anticipation before even arriving in the West End, there were many rumours about which famous faces or well-known musical theatre actors that the creative team might have lined-up for the cast. It was to many peoples surprise upon the press release of the casting announcement that a large majority of the cast were new talent or recent graduates. This decision proved to the public that the messages of the show and the reputation it has already built up, meant that they did not require ‘big names’ but that the relevant actors and high level of talent was the most important thing for them.

Leading the show in the title role of Evan Hansen, is

Original West End cast (from left to right): Doug Colling, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Rupert Young, Lucy Anderson, Sam Tutty, Rebecca McKinnis, Lauren Ward and Jack Loxton.

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WEST END WIGGIE SUZANNE HARGER

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ave you ever wondered what a ‘West End Wiggie’ (someone who works in the wig department) does, especially on a long-running show? Often it may seem that once the wigs are made for a show, that the wig department’s job is essentially done but this is certainly not the case. We were given the change to go backstage at Waitress the Musical which is currently running at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End and speak to the Head of Wigs, Suzanne Harger about her career and role throughout the run of Waitress.

Suzanne knew from a young age that she wanted a career in hair and makeup beginning her studies in Media Makeup at college. However, after this, she knew that University wouldn’t be the right fit for her, saying how she wanted to learn quickly so she could get out and work. Originally, Suzanne didn’t know that theatre was the direction that she wanted to take her career in. Knowing she wanted to work in hair and makeup, she thought that she might like to work in TV and Film, however the early hours were not a great fit for her at the time. At the very beginning of her career she lived in County Durham and admits that there were not a lot of work opportunities local to her. She approached the local small theatre, The Gala and asked if she could do the makeup and wigs for some of their productions, being given the opportunity she threw herself in at the deep end to learn as much as she could.

She then went on to study abroad in Los Angeles at the Cinema Makeup School by doing a five month long intensive course, learning everything from period to horror to beauty, hair and makeup. Upon her return, she moved to London in search of some real industry experience. A friend of hers was currently in the cast of the musical Wicked and they managed to help get her some work experience. She laughed saying “I must have made somewhat of a decent impression on the department as they offered me a job.” Suzanne continued at Wicked for two and a half years and has since work for many other shows from Elf to Dream Girls and many in-between.

A Wiggie’s main role is to maintain the wigs within a show – from daytime maintenance from the night before, to applying the wigs to the actors at the beginning of each show and the many changes throughout the show. The wig department of a show start their journey while the cast are in rehearsals, during this time they will be working with their supervisor to get head measurements from the cast members who will be wearing wigs as well as learning the

wig styles for the show. They will then properly join the company during the technical rehearsals where they begin to practice the wig changes with the costume department who are practicing the costume

changes. “It’s always a fairly stressful time as everyone is trying to learn the rhythm of each quick change as we change their wigs and costumes often at the same time so you have to learn to work in sync with the dressers so everyone can get their job done in time.”

Once the show is up and running, they begin to gain more of a routine.

“I “I usually get to the theatre in the afternoon, depending on how much work needs doing from the night before.

Myself and my deputy will get the wigs ready for that evening’s performance.”

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Photo: Danny Kaan

“Nothing beats working on something that’s live, it’s always so exciting to me!”

Working closely with all the other departments in the theatre in one of Suzanne’s favourite parts of her job. They work closest with the costume department, Suzanne describes their work together as a well-oiled machine – the quickest change they have in the show is a mere 9 seconds. Everything has to be done in a certain order or it could all go horribly wrong. “But thankfully it hasn’t yet!” Suzanne laughs and quickly says touch wood.

As head of her department, Suzanne has to generally manage the cast by giving haircuts to those who don’t wear wigs, supplying makeup, sorting time sheets, attending schedule meetings and fitting wigs for new cast members. At the half hour call before the show, Suzanne and her team will go around to all the cast members and apply their wigs. When places for the beginning of the show is announched, Suzanne will head down to the stage and will make all the final checks before the curtain goes up and the show begins. During the show they do a number of quick wig changes as well as restyling some of the wigs while they are still on the actors. After the show finishes, they collect all of the wigs and leave them in the wig room, ready for the next day.

Her favourite part about working backstage is the camaraderie between all the people she works with.

“We are quite lucky that this is a lovely chilled show, so we have plenty of time to catch up with everyone.”

One of the most exciting parts for Suzanne is when they welcome in new cast members and they get to watch them go on for the first time, getting to experience the excitement and nerves with the rest of the cast and crew makes those particular shows really special.

Although Suzanne says that getting into the theatre industry isn’t hard, she admits it does require having the right contacts. Her top trick is to learn quickly how to work with other departments, especially the cast members as you spend most of your day with the same people, you need to make sure you create a friendly, professional relationship with them. “The industry is very close, and word will soon get around if you end up having negative feedback from someone.”

She suggests that the best way to learn is on the job, learn from the bottom up and learn what you can from who you can. “Learn your craft well, from your other peers above you and if you don’t know how to do something, keep at it until it sticks!”

Photos: Danny Kaan

FINDING YOUR WAY DRAMA SCHOOL ISN’T THE ONLY OPTION

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career as an actor is one of the most soughtafter careers in the Performing Arts industry meaning that the competition is higher than ever. This means that not only are actors’ chances of securing auditions and job lower, but casting agents are becoming increasingly more demanding over who they would like to see and the level of experience that an actor should have. So, is there really one distinct route into a career as a performer that will increase your chances?

It seems nowadays that the ‘correct’ route into a musical theatre career is by attending a reputable drama school. However, with the average yearly fee for some of the top London drama schools ranging from the average £9,250 per year to a staggering £15,360 per year – it is not always a financially viable option for some people. After this hurdle has been tackled you then have the rounds of auditions to get through, most of which will cost you £40+ to even attend. So, what happens when you have dreamt about this career since you were a toddler only to apply for drama school and be rejected from all your auditions? Unfortunately, in this industry, this is likely to be your first of many in this career so learning how to deal with it, pick yourself back up and push forward is one of the most important things.

The truth is, many of our favourite actors didn’t attend drama school but have built themselves up with such a wealth of experience and a career to be desired that no one would ever question whether or not they were formally trained. Sir Ian McKellen to Carrie Hope Fletcher to Dame Judi Dench to begin with, all didn’t attend drama school yet have so many credits to their names that we would be here all day listing them.

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Nicole Raquel Dennis is a prime example of not letting rejection stop you from doing what you love. She knew from a very young age that she loved to sing and that this career was her dream. So, when she left school, she auditioned for multiple drama schools, from all of which did not offer her a place. Not letting this dampen her dream, she began attending open calls for shows that were auditioning, sang at gigs in London and even got a job as a waitress to help fund classes. For four years she continued to work hard and seek any opportunity that would come her way and finally in March 2016, after attending a Disney open call, she was cast as Rafiki in a brand-new show at Disneyland Paris called ‘Mickey & the Magician’.

From that point onwards, Nicole’s career has completely spiralled into something her younger self could have only dreamed of. She stayed at Disneyland Paris for 9 months before returning to London. Exactly one month later, Nicole made her West End debut in the ensemble of Book of Mormon in London. She performed in Book of Mormon from January 2017 until November 2017, but before even finishing her contract at Book of Mormon, Nicole was offered a role in the ensemble of her ultimate dream show, Dreamgirls, which was soon to open in the West End. Not only was she cast in the ensemble but would also be first cover for the lead role Effie White. “To be in Dreamgirls had been a dream of mine since I was a young girl, first discovering that Tony performance of Jennifer Holiday honestly changed my life. I just couldn’t put into words what that meant to me.” Her first performance in Dreamgirls was on the 20th November 2017 in which she performed her ensemble role and on the 21st February 2018, Nicole debuted as a West End leading lady performing the role of Effie White.

Photos: Nicole Dennis

Whilst loving her career as a musical theatre performer, Nicole had always wanted to pursue music and song writing also. In late 2018, she auditioned for the ITV talent show, The Voice, with her audition later airing on ITV on the 5th January 2019. Not only at this audition did Nicole get three judges who wanted her on their team, but she also ended up performing an impromptu duet with Jennifer Hudson (who played Effie White in the Dreamgirls movie), before choosing her as her coach for the competition. Nicole made it through to the Semi-Finals of The Voice.

During her time at The Voice, Nicole was also in rehearsals to join the original London cast of Waitress the Musical which opened in London for previews in February 2019. Nicole was in the ensemble of Waitress as well covering the comedic role of Nurse Norma.

She stayed at Waitress until September 2019 before announcing her current job which she is still in now.

Nicole was to join the original London cast of the highly anticipated Broadway transfer, Dear Evan Hansen playing high-school classmate Alana Beck. Dear Evan Hansen opened for previews in October 2019 and Nicole has been with the company ever since.

Photo: Nicole Dennis

Looking back, Nicole admits she wouldn’t change anything about her journey to what got her to where she was today. After taking the knockback of not being accepted into drama school, she didn’t let this stop her because she knew that this was her dream and what she wanted to achieve in her life. So she continued to work hard to get where she wanted to be and it has paid off.

The key to a successful career, not just in the Performing Arts industry but to every career is perseverance and not to let feeling disheartened ruin the chance of you moving forward. Carrie Hope Fletcher once spoke about the topic of drama school and auditions on Twitter and said to “take the rejection of an audition and use it as your drive to go away, improve and show the world how capable you are of the job. Regardless of whether you got it that time or not.”

Nicole’s advice to those who didn’t get accepted into a drama school, is that you should never stop hustling.

You should keep working, go to that class, do your research, network and get your name out there. Just because you get one no, it doesn’t mean you will never get into the industry. Reapply, or don’t. It is not the end of the world if you don’t go to one, just keep going.

So, the moral here is not letting one setback stop you from achieving and working towards what you want. Not only Nicole, but many more people who want to work in performing arts, and mostly all creative industries, will have to face rejection at some stage but picking yourself up and working even harder towards what you want, is what is going to set you apart.

Musical Theatre actors who didn’t go to drama school: - Sir Ian McKellen (Credits include: King Lear in King Lear, Spooner in No Man’s Land, Estragon in Waiting for Godot, Edgar in Dance of Death) - Carrie Hope Fletcher (Credits include: Fantine in Les Misérables, Veronica in Heathers, Wednesday in The Addams Family, Eponine in Les Misérables, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) - Lucie Jones (Jenna in Waitress, Cosette in Les Misérables, Maureen in RENT, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Holly in The Wedding Singer, Molly in Ghost) - Dame Judi Dench (Credits include: Alice in Peter and Alice, Filumena in Filumena, Countess of Rossillion in All’s Well That Ends Well) - Eva Noblezada (Eurydice in Hadestown, Eponine in Les Misérables, Kim in Miss Saigon)

Photo: Nicole Dennis

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SOCIAL MEDIA SOPHIE ROSS

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ocial media is one of the most important and effective marketing tools there is within pretty much any industry today. In London alone, there are always plenty of events and different things happening at any one time, but a lot of people only ever get to see the final outcome of what is being created. Whether this be going to see a West End show or concert, the work that goes on behind the scenes to curate content and market these events is one of the most crucial parts of the process in determining whether it will be a success.

Without social media, a vast majority of people wouldn’t even know about a show or event happening in the first place. We got the chance to speak to social media guru, Sophie Ross about her role within the industry and her many exciting projects.

Sophie started her career at the University of West London studying Broadcast Journalism where she graduated in 2017. She knew that she had always wanted to be a part of the industry in some way, “I’ve always loved performing. Unfortunately for me, I can’t sing, otherwise I would have loved to follow the route of being a performer.” Despite this, Sophie was still driven to be able to work within theatre. While working for a singer called Shoshana Bean at one of her gigs, Sophie met a guy called Matt who worked within the industry, who later offered her what would be her first job in social media, running the accounts for an Off-West End show. “It was such a great experience and learning curve for me.” Following this she moved to AKA, an arts and culture marketing agency to do an internship where she ran the accounts for West End shows such as Matilda and 42nd Street.

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Sophie interviewing Carrie Hope Fletcher

All photos: Sophie Ross

Running these accounts would involve creating content to post, meeting with clients and community management. After completing her internship, Sophie was unsure what direction she wanted to take next but was fortunate to land what she considered a dream job in TV Digital working on shows such as The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and The Greatest Dancer where she would create content for their social media while the shows were running.

All while working full-time in various social jobs, Sophie also runs a blog called The Theatre Hub which features interviews with performers, reviews and behind the scenes content which runs across a blog, Instagram and YouTube. Sophie expressed how she wanted to have some kind of voice within the industry and this would be a good way to do it through interviewing people. “It really has been a passion project for me and although I don’t get to spend as much time on it now as I used to, I still love it so much.”

Her favourite part about running The Theatre Hub, she admits is the people she has met along the way.

People that she truly admires have now become friends of hers and have helped support her in her career. Admittedly, Sophie explained how when life became busy, it was a struggle to keep up to date constantly however is now learning that balance is key for her. One of Sophie’s most memorable moments so far was interviewing Lucie Jones, who is currently starring as Jenna in Waitress in the West End, “I just felt so at ease doing the interview and the positive feedback was so overwhelming.”

Initially, Sophie found it difficult to gain contacts within the industry, especially those who would be willing to be interviewed. “It’s all about putting yourself out there and that can be super scary.” She explained how you will face people who will completely ignore you and any contact you try to make with them, but on the flip side you will get those people who are totally up for having a chat. Sometimes it is the people you least expect to respond who are the most generous with their time. Admittedly, it took quite a while for Sophie to build up her contacts within the industry, but now she feels as though she is very lucky with the people she gets to work with and those who have helped her along the way.

To-date, Sophie has worked with some of the biggest names currently in the West End for a variety of interviews, photoshoots and social media work including Shan Ako, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Rachel Tucker, Alice Fearn and Lucie Jones.

These past few months have been both very stressful yet very exciting for Sophie as she has just started a new venture with one of her good friends Danny Kaan (Danny_with_a_camera). At the start of this year, together they launched their own Digital Agency called ‘The Digi Creative’, which offers clients help in increasing their social media reach and engagement to grow either their own online platform or their businesses. They will provide services in content creation such as doing photoshoots, running social media accounts and creating branding and have already built up some clients within a short space of time. Creating her own business is something Sophie had always wanted to do and regularly friends and people she had worked with before had suggested that her and Danny team up, and after that the rest was history. Their most recent projects for this have included work for solo concerts of Sarah O’Connor, West End Sessions, Lucie Jones Live at The Adelphi, Collabro, The LMTO and many more.

Photos (left to right): Sophie on set of a music video with Shan Ako, The Digi Creative Launch, Sophie interviewing Lucie Jones

Her advice for someone who would be interested in working behind the scenes for the social media side to the industry, is that you need to be able to cope with rejection and that things will be ever changing. “This industry is tough!” No day will ever be the same, so learning to adapt in fast changing environments is key.

It is important to be unique, be creative and be nice to everyone. Know your strengths and work with that because there is room for everyone. Make sure you know what you are talking about, do your research and be prepared.

Looking towards the future at what she would like to achieve in her career, Sophie said that she would love to see her new business, (The Digi Creative) continue to grow, continue to be herself and simply stay growing within the industry in whichever capacity that may be, while doing what she loves. Sophie is incredibly driven and would love to inspire the next generation and maybe even one day become a mentor to someone in the future.

What is your favourite show of the moment and why?

“Probably Waitress. I feel like I have a special connection to the show. Maybe because I know people in it but it’s just such a beautiful show and the music just gets me every time I listen to it! Plus having Sara Bareilles in London right now is SO exciting!”

Follow Sophie on her accounts to keep up to date with all things theatre and her new business: thetheatrehub www.thetheatrehub.com thedigicreative www.thedigicreative.com

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WHAT’S ON UPCOMING THIS SEASON

THE OLIVIER AWARDS

ROLES WE’LL NEVER PLAY

The annual awards ceremony for all things theatre, the Olivier Awards is one of the most exciting nights of the year for the industry.

Held at the beautiful Royal Albert Hall, this years ceremony will take place on the 5th April 2020.

Created by Tom Deurn, this special intimate concert allows you to see some of your favourite performers sing songs that they would never be cast as.

The next concert will take place on the 15th March 2020.

Photo: Anna Stefani

WEST END LIVE West End Live is one of the most highly anticipated weekends of the year for theatre-lovers. A free event held in Trafalgar Square, the weekend sees performances from West End shows, performers and theatre schools. Last year saw performances from many musicals including Six, Come From Away and Wicked. This year it is being held on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June 2020.

Photo: Danny Kaan

Photo: Sister Act London

SISTER ACT

HAIRSPRAY

This summer at the Eventim Apollo, Whoopi Goldberg is returning to the West End to play the role of Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act, the role she originally played in the two hit films. Set to open in July, the show will also star Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior. On Thursday matinees, the role of Deloris will be played by West End star and Loose Women panellist Brenda Edwards. Set to be a sell-out, so grab your ticket while you can!

The smash-hit musical returns to London this summer for a limited 18-week run. Running at the London Coliseum it will star Michael Ball, Paul Merton and Lizzie Bea. Photo: Hairspray London

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Transferring from Broadway, Sunday in the Park with George will open at the Savoy Theatre in May with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford reprising their roles.

Photo: Sunday in the Park

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