Hamlet Cast & Crew Biographies

Ami SawranAmi Sawran (Hamlet)
This is Ami’s first Shakespearean role, and her third role with KDC Theatre this year, after playing Steve in Stag Nation and the title role in Electra over the spring and summer seasons. When she’s not acting, Ami works as a vet and teaches at the Royal Veterinary College, and co-edits Reprobait magazine. You can follow her on Twitter @ayemiy.

Ava PickettAva Pickett (Ophelia)
This is Ava’s first production with KDC. She has previously been in productions of Judgment Day and Macbeth and will be appearing in a production of Titus Andronicus at Middlesex University, where she is currently in her second year studying theatre arts.  Ava hopes to complete a masters following her degree and to continue working in both professional and amateur theatre.

Elliott BornemannElliott Bornemann (Horatio)
This is Elliott’s first production with KDC theatre and he can find no better way to start. Elliott trained in the European Theatre Arts course at Rose Bruford College gaining a unique training looking into many modes of theatre practice from countries such as Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK. As part of his training he spent three months at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in which he received an intensive training in the practices of Konstatin Stanislavski and Michael Chekhov. After his training Elliott took straight to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with fellow graduates to perform an original show The Portrait Firm. Now back in London Elliott is keen to gain as much acting experience as possible.

Terry ScotchmerTerry Scotchmer (Laertes)
This is Terry’s first production with KDC. He started acting two years ago and in May of this year finished a 1 year acting programme at The Brian Timoney Actors Studio. Previous stage work includes John from After Miss Julie, Lyle Britton from A Blues For Mister Charlie and Brick Pollitt from Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. At the Transcend Festival in St Giles this summer he played Half Hanged Smith in a play called A Kind Bowl.

Martin ShawMartin Shaw (Claudius)
Martin studied Drama at Liverpool University and has since worked with several Theatre Companies around the country. Recent productions include KDC’s Summers Gone, Our Country’s Good with South London Theatre and David Copperfield at the Minack Theatre, Cornwall. This is his second Shakespearean performance of the year. He played Tranio in the Tower Theatre’s production of Taming of the Shrew which was performed both in London and on tour in Paris. He is looking forward to playing one of Shakespeare’s true villains as he is usually cast as the lovable rogue with a dodgy Northern accent.

Emily BarnesEmily Barnes (Gertrude)
This is Emily’s second appearance with KDC and she is really enjoying tackling the complex role of Gertrude. Previously she spent 6 years with East Finchley Youth theatre before heading off to study Theatre at university. Since then she has completed an intensive course on acting for film and television and been a longstanding member of The Actors Company in North London. Within that Company she has been cast in a variety of challenging roles such as Bride in Blood Wedding (Lorca), Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare), Mephistopheles in Dr Faustus (Marlow) and Romaine Patterson in The Laramie Project, as well as performing in various group devised productions. She has also performed as Mrs Peignoir in a production of Faulty Towers in Essex and appeared in various short films including a lead role for a film at The London Film School.

Duncan MooreDuncan Moore (Polonius)
Duncan has worked on a number of productions with KDC since 2000. His last onstage performance was in The Merchant of Venice in 2007. After The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Duncan is planning on taking another break from acting and will return to his other KDC roles that he loves.

 

Stephen RussellStephen Russell (Ghost/Player King)
Stephen has been a regular on the London stage for almost 20 years. He has played the leads in Don Juan in Soho, Breaking the Code (as Alan Turing) and Journey’s End, and has recently returned from an acclaimed run as John Major and Tony Blair in KDC and Asterion Theatre’s War of the Waleses at the Edinburgh Festival. He has appeared in several Shakespeare plays, including as multiple Oberons, Edmund the Bastard and a last-minute engagement as Laertes at the Edinburgh fringe in 2010, for which he squeezed in just one rehearsal and managed to break Hamlet’s sword in the duel. He is probably much safer as a ghost.

SONY DSCKate Moore (Marcellus/Player Queen)
Kate has been performing with KDC for nine years and comes to Hamlet fresh from performing in the summer season in Electra. Her previous roles include Beatrice-Joanna in The Changeling, Bartley in The Cripple of Inishmaan and Florrie in KDC’s inaugural Halloween production of Dracula. Shakespearean roles include Paulina in The Winter’s Tale, Trinculo in The Tempest, Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing and Macduff’s Child in the Scottish play. She hopes you manage to enjoy the show, despite the tragedy.

Peri Linklater-JonesPeri Linklater-Jones (Bernardo/Rosencrantz/First Gravedigger)
Peri studied Theatre and Fine Art at York St. John university before moving to London to train as an actress at London Drama School. During her time at London Drama School she performed in Don’t Stop Occupy a video short highlighting issues surrounding London’s Occupy movement, filmed on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral. In May 2013 she appeared in her first full length production, The Winter’s Tale and since has developed an appetite for Shakespeare. Hamlet is Peri’s first production with KDC.

Emma ChapmanEmma Chapman (Francisco/Guildenstern/Second Gravedigger)
Emma is making her KDC Theatre debut in Hamlet, and is enjoying bringing several different characters to life. Having recently completed her English Literature degree she wanted to take part in theatre outside of university and is pleased to have found such a friendly group of people to work with. She hopes to move to London in the near future in order to make the most of all the theatrical opportunities that are on offer.

Christopher ODeaChristopher O’Dea (Priest/Osric/Lucianus/Messenger/Gentleman)
This is Christopher’s first performance for KDC. His previous work includes some independent devised film, stage and audio drama productions. He also performed a variety of roles alongside the cast for the dramatist Howard Barker’s latest play The Forty, a series of short dramatic vignettes which premiered in 2012 in Aberystwyth, Wales. He studied at Aberystwyth University, where he gained a degree in English Literature with Drama and Theatre Studies before moving on to the London-based amateur dramatic circuit.

Kat WoottonKat Wootton (Director)
Kat Wootton is thrilled to be directing her favourite play, Hamlet. Her other work with KDC includes directing Stag Nation, a KDC production taken to the Camden Fringe, and she also directed the Christopher Durang comedy Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You. Her film work includes directing and performing in independent short films, most recently Rehearsal Space, and over the summer she filmed and performed in the youtube series Alternative Dating.

Rachel NwokoroRachel Nwokoro (Assistant Director)
This is Rachel’s first time working with KDC and couldn’t happier that she started off on the team of such an exciting and challenging production. Rachel has directed a number of successful productions in the past (The Duchess of Malfi, The Crucible and a self-written play Keep it Casual), though her first and true love lies in acting.  She has performed in several theatres in the West End and has appeared on a show on Nickelodeon. Rachel studied Natural Sciences at Durham University but left to pursue her passion in a career in the arts, and is currently applying to drama school.

Sara PalmieriSara Palmieri (Set Designer)
Sara Palmieri is proud to be the Set Designer of the play Hamlet, a KDC production Directed by Katherine Wootton. She studied Scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts in her hometown (Foggia, Italy) and now she based in London. She worked as Scenographer, Costume Designer, Makeup Designer, Puppet Maker, Actress and Singer for the short film Scie Written and Directed by Renato Lori. She designed and built the scenes for the 8th, 9th and 10th editions of the Independent Film Festival in Foggia. She was selected for the Premio Nazionale delle Arti at the Brera Academy in Milan, and for the respective exhibition with a work about A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her portfolio can be seen here: http://sarapalmieri.tumblr.com/

RocioRocio (Costume Design)
Rocio studied fine arts in Sevilla and Italy, where she discovered her passion for the theatre, doing her first costume design for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her work also includes design for Plauto’s The Twins, a roman comedy, and of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s The Magic Table. Rocio is now based in London and enjoying its many possibilities.

Lindsay RoyanLindsay Royan (Fight Coordinator)
Lindsay has directed fights for a number of Shakespeare’s plays, including ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Taming of the Shrew’, ‘As You Like It’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Macbeth’ and, of course, ‘Hamlet’. She has worked on other productions from a musical version of ‘Beowulf’ to modern plays such as ‘Her Naked Skin’ and ‘Brighton Beach Scumbags’. Depending on the production, she has worked with all sorts of weapons from swords and shields to fans, the latter being for an atmospheric open-air show on the ramparts of a Spanish castle.

Tiger at the Gates Cast & Crew Biographies

Charlie BaileyAbneos / Ajax – Charlie Bailey
Charlie has been training as an Undergrad for the past few months at the Pauline Quirke Academy. He feels very lucky to have had great training from Nancy Sullivan and David Thaxton from W1 Workshops and the professionals at the Pauline Quirke Academy who are responsible for the progress that he has made in the last few months.  Charlie is very grateful to have been able to work with Nick for his first stage production and has enjoyed the rehearsal and performing process with him and the rest of the cast.

Jessica ClementsAndromache – Jessica Clements
After nearly a 10-year hiatus, Jessica is excited to return to the stage in her first ever role with KDC. Originally from Canada, Jessica trained as an Actor at the University of British Columbia but, like most young artists, got a bit side tracked and ended up in a career having nothing to do with the fine arts. Although she has had to sew the zipper into the back of her dress for this performance (which she is not to be held responsible for in the event of a costume malfunction!), she is happy she isn’t required to eat an entire pumpkin pie on stage each night or do a strip tease while wearing lady bug granny pants. Her favourite roles to date include Emile (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), Geraldine (What the Butler Saw), Shirley (Criminal Genius) and Denise (Bonjour La! Bonjour!).

Kwesi DaviesBusiris / Minos / Topman – Kwesi Davies
Well, thank you for taking the time to come to the show if you have. I hope you really enjoy it. We all really enjoyed making it. For me, personally, this is my first involvement in such as organized amateur production and it has been great. Nick the ddirector has always been relaxed and friendly, but always asked more of us. He has created a really fun environment for us all t work in, and has always supported us to enjoy our work. This has made, as I mentioned earlier, for a really enjoyable rehearsal period. As for my other cast members, the word that springs to mind is ‘cool’. We just got along and got on with it. No prima donna’s, just nice people having a laugh and getting on with a show. So people, I hope you enjoy and God Bless.

Harriet BradleyCassandra – Harriet Bradley
This is Harriet’s first play with KDC, after a rather risqué London acting debut in Network Theatre’s ‘Love and Deceit’ simulating sex onstage, followed by a performance as the 13 year old Thomasina in an extract from ‘Arcadia’ for SEDOS. She is rather relieved to be playing a relatively less terrifying role in ‘Tiger at the Gates’! Previously Harriet directed and produced theatre while studying History at Oxford University; plays included ‘The Lion in Winter’ and her own adaptation of ‘The Canterbury Tales’ which ran at Magdalen College and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009. She is currently writing her first full-length play, and hoping to return to Edinburgh with her theatre company in 2014.

Simon HillDemokos – Simon Hill
This is Simon’s second show with KDC, having appeared in War of the Wales’s, as part of the RSC Open Stages project and in the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this year.  He has also has appeared at the Bridewell as Sepulchrave (Gormenghast) and Capulet (Romeo & Juliet). Outside London, he has appeared regularly at the Pendley Shakespeare Festival, the Aylesbury Limelight, and the Court Theatre, Tring.  Roles have included Macbeth, Macduff and Duncan (Macbeth), Oswald and Edmund (King Lear), Polonius (Hamlet, twice), Baptista (Taming of the Shrew, twice), Vincentio (Measure for Measure), Montague (Romeo & Juliet), Doctor Miranda (Death & the Maiden), the Ratcatcher (Kindertransport), Ludwig (Cabaret), Lord Illingworth (Woman of No Importance), Serebryakov (Uncle Vanya), both name parts in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and last year as Jeff in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell. A mystery to his employer whom he rarely visits, this City Gent and erstwhile blues singer finds pensions “exciting”.

Ric RentonHector – Ric Renton
In Ric’s first play with KDC he portrayed a Geordie cockalorum. His second KDC production sees him play a legendary, charming, handsome and perfectly proportioned moral warrior, which is a relief as, professionally speaking, the first play really took some acting.

 

Michelle-Louise WrightHecuba – Michelle-Louise Wright
Michelle-Louise trained as an actress through LAMDA, gaining her Gold Medal in 1995, and was a founder member of Basingstoke Youth Theatre. Notable appearances have included Rizzo in ‘Grease’, Alison in ‘Look Back in Anger’ and Ouisa in ‘Steel Magnolias’ at Oxford University. She works as a teacher of English and Drama, shamelessly indoctrinating her students into a love of Shakespeare. She hopes to found a South London Youth Shakespearean Society in 2014. Her passions include very loud rock music, real ale and visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, where she dreams of one day acting with Jamie Parker, David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. This is Michelle-Louise’s first production with KDC.

Katy TrebleHelen – Katy Treble
Katy is delighted to be losing her KDC virginity to the role of Helen. Being in London nearly two years now she decided it’s time to get her theatre boots back on. Between drinking wine in the bath and working in the city Katy enjoys a good read – namely, Vogue. Previous credits include: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Juliet), ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ (Adela), ‘A View from a Bridge’ (Catherine), ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Hermia) and ‘Of Mice and Men’ (Curley’s Wife).

Neil BallingerParis – Neil Ballinger
Neil Ballinger has been a member of KDC for three years, with previous credits including ‘Summers Gone’, ‘Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Ups and Downs’.

 

 

Simone MumfordPolyxene / Olpides – Simone Mumford
This is Simone’s first time acting with KDC, and she is very amused by the fact that most people in the production believe she is eighteen, when really she is thirteen! (Awkward) A man once thought that she worked in Superdrug! People tell her that she is rather odd (Some people never go crazy, what truly horrible lives they must live.) and is known to be quite the party animal. Literally. Apart from typical school plays, Simone has appeared in ‘Four Rooms of Refuge’ and would have been featured in a Toyota advert had she been wearing the dress with the slightly larger squares on them. Oh well, at least she still got paid for her time and in addition got free snacks…

Gordon FoggoPriam – Gordon Foggo
Since coming to London last year, I have been doing Shakespeare (no royalties) in South London and Shakespeare (no royalties) in Earls Court Square Garden. I first stepped onto a stage a long time ago in a bejewelled city far away (Glasgow) and its been a fairytale ever since. I keep telling myself. We have a really good assembly of people for this production and I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks. Having a great laugh at some of the rehearsal goings-on, what with slaps, spits, punches, tickles and time traveling Trojan telephones. I don’t get involved in all that, of course. I just walk about with a stick.

Steve MaherUlysses / Mathematician – Stephen Maher
Stephen Maher has recently moved to London from Dublin. He is eager to built on his theatre experiences which he has built from cities around the world as far away as Melbourne! Past theatre productions include:
An Inspector Calls, J.B. Priestly, (Gerald)
The Illusion, Pierre Corneille , (Pleribo/Theognees)
Hamlet, Shakespeare, (Hamlet)
The Lonesome West, Martin McDonagh, (Father Welsh)
Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare, (Proteus)
A Mid-Summer Nights Dream, Shakespeare, (Oberon)
Sexual Perversity in Chicago, David Mamet, (Bernie)
Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams, (Stanley)
Closer, Patrick Marber, (Larry)

Nick MoutonDirector – Nick Mouton
This production not only marks Nick’s tenth year with KDC and is his fourth directorial effort with the company, following ‘Junk’ (The Courtyard), ‘Noir’ (Hen & Chickens) and ‘Female Transport’ (The Landor), but it also completes his ‘Trojan Trilogy’ with KDC having played Ajax in ‘Troilus & Cressida’ and Odysseus in ‘Penelopiad’. Will there be a Quadrilogy? Watch this space. Other directing feats include his well-received first professional gig (three 4 star reviews!) ‘One Night Hire’ for So It Goes Theatre at Barons Court Theatre, and other pieces spanning Newcastle, Edinburgh and Crowthorne (it’s in Berkshire). Nick has also written a number of plays and comedy sketches that have been performed across London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Feel free to follow his ramblings @nickmouton

Simon ParisAssistant Director – Simon Paris
Simon Paris has been alive for 19 years now, successfully juggling his full time university course of Theatre Directing, assistant directing ‘Tiger at the Gates’, and working on other plays. When he is not spinning the plates of his career life, he is usually to be found out and about in the streets of London or visiting his family in Leicester. Simon didn’t always want to direct theatre, back in his youth his dream was to own an ice cream van and live between two hills so the ice cream van would not need petrol. Slowly, common sense clawed its way in and the ice cream dream bled out, but he hopes one day the dream will re surface and there will be free ice cream for all!

Tiger at the Gates Cast

Abneos/Ajax: Charlie Bailey
Andromache: Jessica Clements
Busiris/Topman/Minos: Kwesi Davies
Cassandra: Harriet Bradley
Demokos: Simon Hill
Helen: Katy Treble
Hector: Ric Renton
Hecuba: Michelle-Louise Wright
Paris: Neil Ballinger
Polyxene/Olpides: Simone Mumford
Priam: Gordon Foggo
Ulysses/Mathematician: Steve Maher

Hamlet Cast

Hamlet: Ami Sawran
Ophelia: Ava Pickett
Horatio: Eliott Bornemann
Claudius: Martin Shaw
Gertrude: Emily Barnes
Polonius: Duncan Moore
Laertes: Terry Scotchmer
Ghost/Player King: Stephen Russell
Marcellus/Player Queen: Kate Moore
Gravedigger 1/ Rosencrantz/ Bernardo: Peri Linklater-Johnson
Gravedigger 2/Guildenstern/Francisco: Emma Chapman
Osric/Lucianus/Priest/Messenger/Attendant: Christopher O’Dea