The Cast & Creative Team

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance brings together top quality, experienced performers and musicians with a first class creative team.

Present Cast

Stephane Anelli

Stephane trained at Laine Theatre Arts. His theatre credits include; Jose in Never Forget original cast for the National Tour and Savoy Theatre, On the Town.

London Coliseum, Fiddler on the Roof Sheffield Crucible, Sinatra at the London Palladium original cast, The Little Mermaid (workshop) Broadway, Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever Apollo Victoria Theatre, UK tour and Germany.

Other credits include; SClub7 UK Arena Tour and European Album Promotion, original Pop Idol Finalists UK Arena Tour, Sophie Ellis Bextor worldwide album promotion.

 

Verity Bentham

Verity trained at Doreen Bird College.

West End Theatre Credits include: Ensemble, The Wizard of Oz (Royal Festival Hall); Mrs Potipher, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Adelphi Theatre); The Havana Girl in Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre); Chicago (Adelphi Theatre); My One and Only (Piccadilly Theatre); Peggy Sue Got Married (Shaftesbury Theatre).

UK Tours include: Footloose; Chicago (UK and Asia tours); 42ND Street (UK Tour and the Stadium Theatre Company on board P & O Aurora).

Television Credits include: GMTV, This Morning, The Frank Skinner Show, Dancing in the Streets and The All Star Talent Show.

Verity would like to thank her family for their continued support and would like to dedicate her performance to her dad.

 

Lucinda Lawrence

Lucinda graduated from Arts Ed with a BA Hons in Musical Theatre in 2007.

Parts played at college include Ruth in Pirates of Penzance, the Duchess in The Gondoliers and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

As a teenager Lucinda danced principle roles in Wayne Sleep’s Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel, and Captain Beaky for the National Youth Ballet (London Palladium, Birmingham Hippodrome, Saddler’s Wells, and the BBC)

Choreography credits include The Greatest Show on Earth (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Birmingham Hippodrome) and Punch and Judy (Saddler’s Wells, Sevenoaks Playhouse) for NYB.

Other theatre includes: Ensemble in Sondheim’s 75th Birthday Gala, Children Will Listen (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Follie Girl in Follies in Concert (London Palladium), Prince Charming in Cinderella, (Mansfield Palace) and for the National Theatre she has recorded Spittin’ Distance, a new musical written by Grant Olding and Toby Davies.

 

Carrie Sutton

Carrie most recently appeared in the original cast of Imagine This, directed by Tim Sheader at the New London Theatre where she understudied the role of Lola. She also features on the original cast recording.

She previously understudied the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre directed by Rufus Norris, and played the role of Tantomile and understudied and played Rumpleteaser, Jellylorum and Jemima in Cats (UK Tour).

Prior to this, she played the lead role of Jo March in a concert performance of Little Women at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. This followed her run in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, in which she understudied the role of Truly Scrumptous.

She trained at Laine Theatre Arts and with the National Youth Theatre, with whom she appeared in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (Bloomsbury Theatre). She graduated with a LAMDA Acting Diploma (Hons).

Other theatre credits include: Martha in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (UK Tour); Ellen in Oklahoma! (Perth Rep.); Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing (Northern Broadsides – West Yorkshire Playhouse, Stephen Joseph Scarborough, Everyman Liverpool); Clara in The Nutcracker and Jane in Peter Pan (Scottish Ballet) and numerous pantomimes including Jack and The Beanstalk playing opposite Toyah Wilcox (Richmond Theatre) and Wendy in Peter Pan (Bristol Hippodrome & Bournemouth Pavillion).

Film and television credits include: King Bastard for Rufus Norris, Buried Alive (Independent Film); As The Afternoon Settles (National Film School) and Children In Need (BBC).

 

Barnaby Thompson

Trained at Laine Theatre Arts.

Theatre credits include Potty Pierre in Beauty & Beast (Potters Barr), Gotta Sing Gotta Dance (UK Tour, Jordan Prods), Tommy Djilas in The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre), Lost Boy in Peter Pan (Birmingham Rep), understudy Amos/Mary Sunshine in Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), First Cover Nelius in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Pepper in Mamma Mia (International Tour), Sailor in Anything Goes (ACT Productions/Theatre Royal), Ensemble in We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Understudy Mary Sunshine in Chicago , Cover Doodi/Roger in Grease (Clear Channel UK tour) and Charlie Bates in Oliver (London Palladium)

Television and film credits include The IT Crowd, Beyond the Sea.

 

Ashley Jake Trow

Ashley trained at the Urdang Academy.

Credits include: Che in Evita, Soloist in Ballad of Little Joe. Papa Ge in Once on This Island, Once Upon a Time, Teddy in The Garden (all Urdang Academy), Featured Tap Dancer in ‘Breaking Convention Strike 2’ (Sadlers Wells), Featured Dancer Move It – Strike (London Olympia), Solo Vocalist in Radio Waves (Bloomsbury Theatre).

Ashley is delighted to be part of Gotta Sing Gotta Dance.

 

 

Previous cast members include:

Alison Dormer (Oliver!, We Will Rock You)
Robyn North (Phantom of the Opera, Thoroughly Modern Millie)
Barnaby Thompson (Chicago, Mary Poppins)
Pharic Scott (Starlight Express)
Sophie Byrne (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Anthony Kirwan (Cats)
Gemma Naylor (White Christmas)
Lara Denning (Carousel)
Alain Terzoli (Guys and Dolls)

Devised and Directed by Chris Jordan

Chris trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He has been Artistic Director of Eastbourne Theatres for nine years and during this time he has produced or directed over 25 shows many of which have embarked on national tours with two West-End transfers. Chris has also written and directed the last seven pantomimes at the Devonshire Park Theatre. Most recent directing credits include Andrew Lloyd Webbers By Jeeves (National Tour), Private Lives (National Tour) Beauty and Beast starring Sue Holderness (Eastbourne)

Musical Supervisor and Devised by Robert Cousins

Robert studied music at the University of Huddersfield specialising in Viola, Piano and Composition. After gaining his degree he completed a PGCE at Middlesex University.

Credits include: Mack and Mabel MD: West End, National Tour and Watermill Theatre, Calamity Jane MD: West End and National Tour, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat MD: National Tour, By Jeeves MD: National Tour, Dames at Sea MD: Devonshire Park Theatre and Tour, Nunsense MD: Devonshire Park Theatre and Theatre Royal Windsor, Barnum and Stepping Out MD: Eastbourne, Gotta Sing Gotta Dance Musical Supervision, National Tour.

Other work includes Musical Supervision for Jordan Productions, Eastbourne Theatres and Evolution, regular teaching and MD work at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, plus various work as an arranger including new arrangements of Windy City, Harry and the Overture for the West End production of Calamity Jane.

Choreographed by Nick Winston

Nick trained at the Royal Academy of Dance and Laine Theatre Arts. After many years as a successful West-End performer he is now one of the most sought after director/choreographers in the business. Recent productions include Follies, Alfie, Side-by-Side by Sondheim and The Wizard of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall.