The Butler Didn’t Do It Cast Biographies

Tickets now available

Abby StillMiss Mingle – Abby Still
The Butler Didn’t Do It marks Abby’s second KDC production and she is thoroughly enjoying the whole KDC experience.
Having spent her teenage years in Cornwall as a regular am dram player and winner of the Best New Comer Award for the South West, she then went on to study Theatre and Performance at University. Having had a rest from the stage whilst focusing on her day job as a Production Director in corporate events, she is excited to be playing Miss Mingle for her second KDC show.

Qaisar SiddiquiDr Harrison/Simon Stevens – Qaisar Siddiqui
Qaisar is brand new to KDC, having turned down a starring role in the latest season of House of Cards, adding, quote, “I needed to star in something that was strictly clothing optional, and Kev – that’s what we call Kevin Spacey – was unwilling to accommodate.” When not bounding across the stage in a desperate bid to attract sympathy and Whatsapp addresses, Qaisar works for a social and economic justice organisation, eats avocadoes, rides the Jubilee line for fun, re-arranges red lego bricks, and spends 22 hours a day in the British Museum. Qaisar insists he is single by choice.

Hayley CameronGeorgia/Magda Humphreys – Hayley Cameron
Hayley is a recent UCL grad who probably spent more time doing plays and musicals at university than her degree. At UCL, Hayley appeared in shows such as How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Since graduating, she has appeared in The Kitchen Sink with Tower Theatre Company. She’s very excited to be appearing in her first show with KDC Theatre.

Chris StookeProfessor Hudson/Roger Jones – Chris Stooke
Loved by young and old alike over a long career on the stage, Chris Stooke was last seen by KDC audiences in the chilling compendium piece, “What the Dickens”. A different side of Chris was more recently on show as Frank, the university lecturer, in “Educating Rita” at South London Theatre. “The Butler Didn’t Do It” gives Chris the chance to take on the role of another academic, the mysterious Professor Hudson.

Rebecca BergerVicar/Sandy Johnson – Rebecca Berger
This is Rebecca’s first show with the KDC. After graduating at the University of Cape Town, she went on to study and act in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, until finally settling for cold, rainy London. Always a fan of Agatha Christie books and cocktails bars, she knew she just couldn’t let this opportunity slide….

 

Ryan YengoEx-Commissioner Herbert Potts/David Palmer – Ryan Yengo
This is Ryan’s first play with KDC and his first play outside school. Ryan currently studies Performing Arts at City of Westminster College where he is looking to become a better stage actor. Whenever Ryan isn’t learning lines he’s in his local booth sharpening his disc jockey skills a fun hobby he picked up a year ago.

Jessica AndersonGloria Sampson (the actress)/Susan Wilson – Jessica Anderson
Jessica’s first acting experience was playing an abused child in a charity advert. Her return to a part which once again requires being slapped repeatedly has left her wondering what impression she tends to leave people with in auditions. This is her first production with KDC, and has greatly enjoyed watching Poirot as character research (though regrets the lack of a moustache to twiddle at dramatic moments).

Stephanie Okupniak-VaughanSister Augustine The Nun/Cheryl – Stephanie Okupniak-Vaughan
After intense study at the University of the Arts I regularly performed in Off Off Broad Street productions tackling challenging roles such as the mute, Kattrin, in Mother Courage. As my fame grew I broke under the media frenzy and spent four years travelling Essex.  I supported myself by  applying vagazzels to neon orange pseudo celebs and training sharks to sing. Playing Cheryl is my triumphant return to the stage after my brief hiatus. Being the lead is an expected honour and I’m thrilled to be on stage with my clothes on the whole time.

Chris ODeaThe Butler – Christopher O’Dea
Christopher O’Dea is in his second production for KDC with The Butler Didn’t Do It after performing in the 2013 Winter season’s production of Hamlet, bringing him that much closer to being a talentless nobody you’ve actually heard of. He studied English Literature with Drama and Theatre Studies at Aberystwyth University and tonight, he’ll be playing The Butler. He maintains his innocence.

Chris DavisDetective Morrison – Chris Davis
This is Chris’ first production with KDC and he is looking forward to being part of a fun ensemble. This is his first delve into the amateur dramatics world having directed and acted at University of Sussex in a number of productions including A Woman of No Importance, Educating Rita, Amadeus and his favourite role as Billy in The Goat where he got to kiss his father (not the real one!) on stage.

RSC Mechanicals Update

Some fantastic news! KDC Theatre have made it through to the second round of the RSC Mechanicals Auditions!

The Royal Shakespeare Company have taken actors from both groups to create an amalgamated set of Mechanicals, which means, unfortunately six of our members are no longer in the mix, but DOES mean that the remaining six can fly the flag for all of them in this fantastic opportunity.

So well done to our directors, Trina Hasthorpe and Kat Wootton, and congratulations to the 6 successful actors:

Rachel Nwokoro (Assistant Director on Hamlet)
Stephen Russell (Tony Blair in The War of the Waleses)
Valerie Antwi (The Bride in Blood Wedding)
Matt Tylianakis (El Fayoumi in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot)
Ava Pickett (Ophelia in Hamlet)
Melissa Bethune (representing the open nature of KDC as she is a brand new member!)

The next stage hits in May, this a a very exciting opportunity and we wish our team all the best!

Spring Season posters

Please download, print and display to support the KDC Spring Season:

These Shining Lives (pdf, 18Mb)
The Butler Didn’t Do It (pdf, 1.8Mb)
All In The Timing (pdf, 1.1Mb)

These Shining Lives Cast Biographies

Tickets now available

(in order of appearance)

Anna MarxAnna Marx – Catherine Wolfe Donohue
Anna is very excited to be in a KDC play after not doing anything for ages. In her spare time, she likes swimming and talking about herself in the third person. What she lacks in acting ability, she makes up for in punctuality and love of the semi-colon; to prepare for the part she watched three series of Dallas before realising the play is set in Illinois.

Darren EvansDarren Evans – Max ‘Goose’ Graves / Carlo / Dr Richard Winmore
Having studied with City Academy drama centre in 2010, this will be Darren’s third KDC production, completing the ‘Moore trilogy’, having starred in Blood Wedding directed by Kate Moore and, more recently, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot directed by Duncan Moore. Having performed a variety of roles over the years, this will be Darren’s first display of multiple roles within one production. He is looking forward to working with Kate again and performing with such a wonderful cast.

Mark EwinsMark Ewins – Oliver Albert Young (aka ‘The Twist’ or ‘Baby Face’) / Dr Leonard Rowntree / Radio announcer
Mark has performed with KDC since 2006, having had a variety of roles ranging from Shakespearian fools through to a terrified signal man. He is excited to be back at the Lion and Unicorn having previously performed in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Barons Court. Described as a collector of hobbies, Mark can be found eating and drinking to pay his rent whilst at night he retreats to the quiet life of community orchestras, swimming, ice skating and trout tickling (I made that one up). Enjoy the show!

Cathy AbbottCathy Abbott – Frances O’Connell
Cathy is delighted to be returning to the stage after a break of over five years. She joined KDC in 2000 and has lost count of the number of productions she has been involved in. Previous roles include: Viola in Twelfth Night, Andromache in both Troilus and Cressida and The Trojan Women, Simon in Lord of the Flies, Pope Joan in Top Girls. She has also played both Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor in separate productions of The Crucible (several years apart!).
In real life she is a children’s wear designer, who loves ice cream and is addicted to Instagram. If you want to know what Cathy had for breakfast, she will be more than happy to show you @CathyCatLondon.

Julia PagettJulia Pagett – Charlotte Purcell
Julia is a recent graduate from Drama Studio London and is currently represented by Inspiration Management. Before attending drama school, she attained a degree in French Studies from the University of Warwick. Julia’s upbringing in Africa, North America, France and the UK has helped mould her into the actress she is today.

Sarah HudsonSarah Hudson – Pearl Payne
Sarah is delighted to be acting with KDC again after an absence of six years; back in 2009 she played Elizabeth in Six Degrees of Separation. Since then, she’s moved to Brussels and back, and performed in productions on both sides of the Channel including The Threepenny Opera, Hello Dolly, All My Sons, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Autobahn.

James Barton-SteelJames Barton-Steel – Tom Donohue
James graduated from Mountview Academy of Performing Arts and is grateful for his first play with KDC. He took a rather unorthodox route after graduation, acting his way through a full-time job before having a lightbulb moment and returning to the stage; better prepared he hopes. James has appeared in, amongst others: An Ideal Husband (Sir Robert Chiltern/Criterion), The Accrington Pals (Ralph/The Pleasance), The Way of the World (Mirabell/The Gatehouse) and Greek (Eddie/Warwick Arts Centre). James is at home playing very English rakes and cads, so a Chicago steel welder is right in his comfort zone!

William BaltynWilliam Baltyn – Rufus Reed
William is a regular KDC actor, having most recently appeared in Manger A Trois in Summer 2014. Prior to this he played Prince Charles in The War of the Waleses in London, Stratford and at the Edinburgh Fringe.  Other roles have included Konstantin Levin in Anna Karenina and a surprising number of nameless parts such as Father, Interviewer, Priest, Narrator and Zookeeper.  He is relieved to have a name.

David DoyleDavid Doyle – Dr Walter Dalitsch
Since being cast as ‘sheep number three’ in his school nativity play (reviewers said his ‘Baa’ sent shivers down the spine), David has secretly suspected he would return to the stage. In his job as a journalist he has to pretend to be knowledgeable about a host of subjects, so he is hoping it will be a small step to pretending to have a medical degree as the honest Dr Dalitsch.

Lionel LaurentLionel Laurent – Leonard Grossman
French-born Lionel is making a return to theatre and London after several years in the Parisian wilderness. As a teenager he was always at home acting in modern American classics like Glengarry Glen Ross and The Crucible, so he’s excited that his first appearance with KDC is as a Chicago lawyer – even if his accent’s a little rusty!

All In The Timing Cast List

Congratulations to the cast of All In The Timing, on between 31 March and 4 April at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town:

Aoife Deane
Charishma Nanwani
Clara Rowe
Franki Georghiou
Frankie Wade
Katy Treble
Kaustubh Vaidya
Kim Morrison
Peter Cabrera
Henry Williams

These Shining Lives Cast List

17 – 21 March, Lion & Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town

Catherine – Anna Marx
Charlotte – Julia Pagett
Pearl – Sarah Hudson
Frances – Cathy Abbott
Tom – James Barton-Steel
Mr Reed – William Baltyn
Company doctor/Reporter 2 – Darren Evans
Dr Rowntree/Radio announcer/Reporter 1 – Mark Ewins
Dr Dalitsch – David Doyle
Leonard Grossman – Lionel Laurent

The Butler Didn’t Do It Cast List

24 – 28 March, Lion & Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town

Miss Mingle – Abby Still
Dr Harrison/Simon Stevens – Qaisar Siddiqui
Georgia/Magda Humphreys – Hayley Cameron
Professor Hudson/Roger Jones – Chris Stooke
Vicar/Sandy Johnson – Rebecca Berger
Ex-Commissioner Herbert Potts/David Palmer – Ryan Yengo
Gloria Sampson (the actress)/Susan Wilson – Jessica Anderson
Sister Augustine The Nun/Cheryl – Stephanie Okupniak-Vaughan
The Butler – Chris O’Dea
Detective Morrison – Chris Davis

New Writing Spring 2015

This season KDC will be running four roundtable readings at the Hoop and Grapes (80 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4BL, 3 mins from Blackfriars), where we’ll read out plays over a pint of beer (or glass of wine) and then discuss them. They are completely free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Thursday 29 January 7pm

MISTAKEN by Nick Mouton
Petty criminals Terry and Barry have decided to take their careers a step further and get involved in a kidnapping plot. However, things quickly spiral out of control.

TOLL HOUSE by Justin Hopper
Going ‘glamping’ with the obnoxious brother of his girlfriend was Jake’s first mistake. His second was deciding to investigate the haunted Toll House.

Thursday 5 February 7pm

TIED TO THE VICARAGE by Bob Eckhard
Vicar-and-wife team James and Karen are moving back to the Vicarage to hide the fact that they’ve been illicitly sub-letting it to their sister-in-law Julia. Sadly, Julia wasn’t quite honest about the type of business she’s been running.

THE TIME TRAVELLER’S MOTHER by Eddie Coleman
How would you feel if your daughter, who disappeared when she was thirteen, suddenly reappeared? And what if she told you that she had been travelling in time?

Thursday 12 February 7pm

AFTER THE BALL by Ian Grant
A play looking at how WWI affected one family over a 65 year period.

ROYAL PEAS by Matthew Partridge
Its 2035 and King George VIII is about to marry his fiancé. However, the law requires that all royal brides need to pass one little test.

Thursday 19 February 7pm

A GAME OF LOVE AND CHANCE by Matthew Partridge (after Marivaux)
Matchmaker Georgia thinks that she’s finally found a potential husband for spolit heiress Sylvia. However, Sylvia insists on swapping places with her maid Lisa in order to find out what he’s really like.

FOXGLOVES by Jonathan Whiteside
Nance and Serge are clearing out her late father’s farm in preparation for it being sold. Will an ugly family tradition thwart their plans?

Spring Season 2015 Newcomers

Date: Thursday 8 January 2015
Time: Join us from 7pm for a drink. The meeting will start at 7.30pm
Venue: The Red Herring, 49 Gresham St, EC2V 7EH

Each season we hold a Newcomers Meeting where the directors will tell you more about their plays and the audition process. It’s a great way to find out more about the season and of course you can quiz the directors and committee too. Whether you’ve been hanging out with KDC for years, or you’re completely new to us, come on down!

Spring Season 2015 Auditions

The Spring Season 2015 will consist of:

17 – 21 March 2015
These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich
Directed by Kate Moore

24 March – 28 March 2015
The Butler Didn’t Do It by Ryan Watson
Directed by Charlotte Vassell

31 March – 4 April 2015
All In The Timing by David Ives
Directed by Kat Wootton

Auditions Notices for These Shining Lives and The Butler Didn’t Do It
Date: 12, 13 and 14 January
Time: 7pm
Venue: Clean Break Studios, 2 Patshull Road, Kentish Town, NW5 2LB. The nearest tube is Kentish Town

You can audition for both shows on the same night though ultimately you can only be cast in one.

Auditions Notice for All In The Timing
Date: 20 and 21 January
Time: 7pm
Venue: Clean Break Studios, 2 Patshull Road, Kentish Town, NW5 2LB. The nearest tube is Kentish Town

Our auditions are free to attend. There’ll be committee members on hand to help every night so we promise you’ll be well looked after!

Please come along on whichever days suits you but do bear in mind that the last night is usually very busy so we’d advise you come on an earlier night if you can.

Recalls will be on the following Saturdays following the initial auditions, i.e. 17 and 24 January.