Who's Who
James Hedley | Sebastian
James began his career as a member of the National Youth Music Theatre and has appeared in their productions of Warchild, The Late Sleepers and Such Sweet Thunder.
Other theatre credits include: Peter Pan, Lyric Theatre, Lowry Centre Manchester; Merlin and the Winter King and the world premiere of Moonlanding, Derby Playhouse and Snow White, Gateshead, Metro.
Television credits include: Catherine Cookson's The Rag Nymph, Festival; Steel River Blues, Yorkshire TV and as a series regular in Byker Grove, Zenith Productions. He has also appeared in the short film, The Toothfairy and the Goldfish, Gemmavision and most recently filmed an episode of Hollyoaks, Lime Pictures.
Victor McGuire | Malvolio
Victor McGuire plays Ron, Gary Sparrow's best friend and the only person who knows about 's double life in Goodnight Sweetheart. He is probably best known for his portrayal of Jack Boswell in Carla Lane's hugely popular comedy series Bread on BBC 1, and of course Health & Efficiency, also for BBC 1 in which he played Dr. Brook.
His most recent television credits include: Sean's Show with Sean Hughes for Channel 4; the role of Crawford in SelecTV's Love Hurts for BBC 1; All Good Friends for Granada and 2point4 Children for BBC 1. Other credits include LWT's The Gibraltar Inquest, Mersey Television's Brookside and What Now, HTV's Robin Of Sherwood and Yorkshire Television's One Summer.
He spent a season at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre appearing in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Our Day Out and Great Expectations.
Other theatre credits include: Sun's Children at the Derby Playhouse, Ballboys and The Spectator at the Canal Cafe, The Taming Of The Shrew (as Grumio) at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and most recently Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops To Conquer at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.Giles New | Feste
Gile's theatre credits include: Improbable Fiction and The Girl Who Lost Her Voice at the Stephen Joseph Theatre; Follow The Leader at Hampstead Theatre and the Birmingham Rep; Big Macca in We Will Rock You, Dominion Theatre; Jake/Elwood in Tribute To The Blues Brothers, Comedy Theatre Tour of the UK Europe and Japan; Angus in Nevilles Island and Billy in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, Torch Theatre; Sicinius in Coriolanus, Sherman Theatre; John Lennon/Fred Foster in the UK Tour of Only The Lonely and Riff-Raff in The Rocky Horror Show.
His film credits include: Murtog in Pirates of The Caribbean 1,2 & 3 and Charlie in Doris the Builder.
Television credits include: EastEnders, The Robinsons, My Family, Hope and Glory and Mr Charity for BBC 1; People Like Us and Series one and two of 15 Storeys for BBC 2; In 2 minds, Richmond; Largo Winch, Dupius Films (Canada); Faith in the Future, LWT and The Bill, Thames Television.Jake Norton | Valentine & Priest
Jake has a degree in Drama from Liverpool John Moore's University, he then trained in physical theatre at Hope Street. Jake is a co-founder of Liverpool horror physical theatre group, Ullaloom Theatre Company (www.ullaloom.co.uk) and one half of comedy double act, The Schmidts (www.schmidts.co.uk).
Jake's theatre credits include: Hernia in Cinderella, Theatr Clwyd; Jay in Eight Miles High, Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool; the bell maker's son in The Bell, Periplum; Captain Gerald in The Dark Room for Ullaloom; Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, Liverpool Everyman; the lead in Arquiem, The Royal National Theatre; Alex in We Can Be Heroes, Company FZ; Aladdin in Aladdin, The Met Theatre; Francis in Caligari for Unity; Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Ophaboom and Hope Street; Mr Floppy in The Exhibitionists, Ridiculusmus.
His television credits include: Christian Schwartz in Emmerdale, Yorkshire TV; The Bill and The Royal Today for ITV; The Unknown Stuntman, Phil McIntyre Productions and Frank in Hollyoaks for Mersey Television.
Jake's short film credits include Fee in Blue for Mezzo Films and Joe in The Meeting.
This is Jake's first outing for Stafford Gatehouse Theatre an's delighted to be joining them for their Open Air Shakespeare production.Jenny Platt | Viola
Jenny trained at East 15. She is best known for her role of Violet Wilson in Coronation Street
Theatre credits include: Stevie in Chimps, at The New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice at the Bolton Octagon, Tracey in The Straits at Traverse 1 in Edinburgh and at Hampstead Theatre, Erin in the premiere of Catherine Johnson's play Little Baby Nothing at The Bush, Hannah in Hannah and Hanna for UK Arts, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Narrator in Maid Marrion for Whitehorse Theatre.
Other television credits include: Casualty, Foyles War, Where the Heart Is, Family Business and The Bill.Eric Potts | Sir Toby Belch
Eric trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Eric's theatre credits include: Danny in Brassed Off, Major Wyndham-Pitts in A Little Local Difficulty, Al in April in Paris, Oliver Hardy in Laurel & Hardy, Various in The Invisible Man, Mannie Bernard in Simply The Best, Dad in Me Mam Sez and Nurse Nora in Sleeping Beauty and Babes In The Wood all at the Coliseum Theatre, Oldham; Sir Lancelot Spratt in Doctor In The House, Stephen Spettigue in Charley's Aunt and Yvan in Art for Bruce James Productions - National Tours; Norman Bassett in Cash On Delivery, Alderman Helliwell in When We Are Married and Porter Millgrim in Deathtrap for Ian Dickens Productions - National Tour; Widow Twankey in Aladdin at Milton Keynes Theatre and King's Theatre, Glasgow; Mr Bumble in Oliver! At Central Theatre, Chatham; Mother Goose in Mother Goose at the Regent Theatre, Stoke; Joe Brundit in The Good Companions at the New Wolsey, Ipswich; Sarah The Cook in Dick Whittington at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Reg in The Norman Conquests at the Grand Theatre, Swansea; Colin in Absent Friends at the Opera House, Jersey; King Cuthbert in Jack And The Beanstalk at the Lyceum, Crewe; Babyface in Happy End at Theatr Clwyd; Mr Mushnick in Little Shop Of Horrors, Uncle Max in The Sound Of Music, Thomas Puttnam in The Crucible and Mr Bumble in Oliver! All at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast; Various in Cabaret and Doctor in Good at The Gateway Theatre, Chester; Andy in The Steamie at Nottingham Playhouse; Jack Strachey in Young Apollo at the Thorndyke Theatre, Leatherhead; Jack Hogg in The Slab Boys at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh and Tour; Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night at London Bubble Theatre.
His television and film credits include: The regular role of Diggory Compton in Coronation Street, Christmas Lights and Springhill all for ITV Granada; Get a Grip for ITV; My Spy Family for Kindle Entertainment; The Royal Today, Steel River Blues, The Royal, Heartbeat and Wilmot all for ITV Yorkshire; Still Game, Doctor Who and Last Of The Summer Wine all for the B.B.C.; Burn It for Red Productions; Kismet Rod for Rod Natkiel Associates; The regular role of Mr Moore in Brookside for Mersey Television; Julia's Banjo for Pulse Productions; The Jealous God and Between Two Women for North Country Pictures.
Eric's radio credits include: Confessions of an Opium Eater, Doctor Who: Nocturne and Another Part Of The Woods all for BBC Radio 4.
For more information visit www.ericpotts.co.uk.Michael Shaeffer | Orsino
Michael trained at Rose Bruford College.
His theatre credits include: All About My Mother, Old Vic; Hamlet, Northampton; The Threepenny Opera, NT Tour; Restoration, Headlong; Macbeth, Southwark Playhouse; Of Mice and Men, Colchester; The Beautiful Game, West End; Original Sin, Sheffield Crucible; Jesus Christ Superstar, National Tour and Oliver! in the West End.
Michael's TV credits include: MI High, EastEnders, World in Arms and Kings and Queens.
His film credits include: Breaking and Entering, Kingdom of Heaven, The Sea and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Claire Storey | Maria
Claire trained at Mountview Theatre School.
Her recent theatre credits include: Judith Bliss in Hayfever, Liz in September in the Rain, Sheila in Relatively Speaking and Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch and Queenie the Cat and Maureen the Moorhen in Honk! at the Watermill. Other recent credits include Muriel in Animal Farm for the Peter Hall Company and Carol in a National Tour of Girl's Night. She created the role of Lily the Nun in Blonde Bombshells of 1943 (which won the Manchester Evening News award in December for Best Production) at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Bolton Octagon and the Hampstead Theatre and has received much acclaim for the role of Luciana in The Comedy of Errors for Northern Broadsides.
Claire plays sax, guitar and piano and has performed in the West End and nationally. Her other theatre credits include: Dee Dee Butterfly in John Doyle's Pinafore Swing, Watermill and Tour; Jane the Clown in Sweet William, Northern Broadsides; Toots in Mother Goose, Liverpool Everyman; Miss Santiago in Musical, Piccadilly Theatre; Get it While You Can, London; Patsy Cline - The Musical, National Tour; Three Steps to Heaven, National Tour; Comedy Brothel, Etcetera Theatre; Peer Gynt, RSC; Red Riding Hood and Sticks and Stones, Salamander TIE Co.; Comedy of Errors, White Horse Theatre Company; Big Buddha Beach, Camden Studio Theatre and Guys and Dolls, Regina Theatre.
A prolific singer songwriter, Claire has a self-penned album, and as a comedy performer she has become an established name on the stand-up circuit with her alter ego, ‘Milly Sue The Singing Cowgirl'.
Her television credits include: Hollyoaks and Doctors and she can be seen regularly as Doctor Pamela Lucas on Emmerdale.
Claire played Viola in a school production of Twelfth Night when she was 17 years old and Lady Olivia last year at Hornchurch so she is delighted to finally have a crack at Maria.Kraig Thornber | Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Kraig was born in Leicester and trained at the East 15 Acting School.
West End credits include: Guys and Dolls,Oh! What a Lovely War, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Royal National Theatre; Return to the Forbidden Planet (original cast), Cambridge Theatre and Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show Duke of York's and National Tour.
Other theatre credits include: Mary Poppins, first National Tour; Country and Fagin in Oliver!, NewVicTheatre, Stoke; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To the Forum, A Family Affair and A Mad World My Masters, The New Wolsey, Ipswich; The Millennium Mysteries and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, Teatr Biuro Podrozy, Poland; The Front Page and A Ringing of Bells, Chichester Festival Theatre; The Truth About Lies, Imagineer Productions; The Emcee in Cabaret and Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Queens Theatre, Hornchurch; Façade, Pocket Opera Venice; The Threepenny Opera, Happy End and Sugar, Clwyd Theatr Cymru; Loot, Palace, Watford; The Gambler, Liverpool, Everyman; Return to the Forbidden Planet and Jack to A King, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Television credits include: A Thing Called Love, Tipping the Velvet and Crimewatch File, BBC; Dog Boy, Liquid TV; True Crimes, LWT and The Bill, ITV.
Film credits include: The Duchess (Saul Dibb); The Last Minute (Stephen Norrington); Robins Night Out (Stephen Carr), Sophie (Mike Manegold);and My God You Devil (Alan Jones).
Credits as a choreographer/musical stager include: Murderous Instincts, Norwich Theatre Royal and Savoy Theatre, West End; Sweeney Todd and Cinderella, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich; The Threepenny Opera and Cinderella, Clwyd Theatr Cymru; Keep on Running, Face, Pumpboys and Dinettes and Cabaret, Queens Theatre, Hornchurch; Phoenix and the Carpet and The Lost Dragon, Gateway Theatre, Chester; Three Minute Heroes, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.
Kraig is delighted be back in Stafford where he had enormous fun playing Dame Dolly in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Gatehouse.
Georgina White | Olivia
Georgina trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2008. She was also a member of the National Youth Theatre from 2005 to 2006 and the National Youth Music Theatre from 2003 to 2005.
Theatre credits include: Janet in Ursula, Aunt March in Little Women, Mimsie in Lethal Cocktails, Wilis 2 in Giselle, Eve in Tomorrow, Anna Zaharovna in Vassa Zheleznova, Raimunda in La Malquerida, Nurse/Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Kundelethrus in Gulliver's Travels, Livia in Women Beware Women, Lady Trombley/Valentine in The Cabinet Minister, Elmire in Tartuffe, Lisa in Girl Interrupted, Carole in Scrubbers and Creon in Blood Ties.
Since graduation Georgina has filmed M.I. High forKudos playing the role of Nadia and appeared as Rubella de Zees in Cinderella atTheatre Clwyd.Johnson Willis | Antonio & Captain
Before becoming an actor Johnson was a singer/songwriter, a stevedore, an art student, a shipping clerk and a captain's tiger - to name but a few.
As an actor his theatre credits includes: The Fool in King Lear; Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night; Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida; Yepikhodov in The Cherry Orchard at Theatre Clwyd, directed by Terry Hands; Silas Marner in Silas Marner with Tim Baker; Snout the Tinker in A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Phelim McDermott; Steiner in La Dolce Vita with the David Glass Ensemble; Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi at the Cheltenham Everyman, directed by John Durnin; Larry in Company; Senex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Osgood Fielding in Sugar at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich - all with director Pete Rowe - the National Tour of Return to the Forbidden Planet and, most recently, Far From the Madding Crowd with the English Touring Theatre.
With the Watermill Theatre Company and directed by John Doyle, Johnson has played The Officer in Carmen, which went on to play the Linbury Studio, Covent Garden; Kessel in Mack and Mabel which transferred to the West End and Benoit in Martin Guerre directed by Craig Revel Horwood. Most recently Johnson returned to the Watermill to play Joe in Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, directed by John Doyle.His film credits include: Sweeney Todd directed by Tim Burton; Willy in The West Wittering Affair with director David Scheinman and Derek and Joe, directed by David Hevey.
Music and song writing are as important to him today as they ever were, with his live music and original material featuring in many productions.