The Worst Witch
adapted from Jill Murphy's original books by Emma Reeves with music by Luke Potter
Directed by Ruth Sullivan
Wednesday 17 - Saturday 27 April, 2024
At the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington
Cast
Miss Cackle : Miranda Cheesman
Miss Hardbroom : Janet South
Miss Bat : Vyvian Shaw
Miss Drill : Rebecca Hill
Mildred : Laura Fleming
Ethel : Abi Cody
Enid : Millie Kee
Maud : Beth Punnett
Drusilla : Jiayin Guo
Fenella : Stephanie Thomson
Looking after Tabby : Trinidad Prieto
Tabby the cat
The Academy Band
Musical Directors : Tamara Douglas-Morris and Adam Pennington
Keyboard : Adam Pennington
Guitar : Richard Hague
Saxophone : Tom Olsen
Bass : Matthew Ibbotson
Percussion : Peter Werth
Production Team
Director : Ruth Sullivan
Set Design : Phillip Ley
Costume Design: Roxanne Ivy Roberts
Lighting Design: Nick Insley
Video Design: Miranda Cheesman
Sound Design: Ruth Sullivan and Laurence Tuerk
Stage Manager : Roanne Insley
Assistant Director : David East
Deputy Stage Manager : Mavis Cueready
Scenic Artist and Assistant Stage Manager : Olga Walkowska
Lighting Operator : Jonathan Ringshall
Puppets and Special Props : Isaac Insley, Angela Large
Snail Wrangler : Katie South
Assistant Costume Design : Angela Large
Wardrobe Assistants : Jackie Robinson, Lucy Francis White
Wigs : Jacqueline Knight
Set Construction, Scenic Painting and Get-In : John McSpadyen, Rob
Myer, Max Maxwell, Max Batty, Gary O'Keefe, Masi Nagdee, Faye A,
Alex Burton and members of the crew
Photography : Robert Piwko
Additional Photography : Marc Gascoigne, Laurence Tuerk
This is Miranda Cheesman's debut at the Tower; she comes from a comedy background having previously written and performed shows at fringe festivals around the UK and Australia. After studying drama when she was (a lot) younger, she’s slowly finding her theatrical feet again after playing Gill in Going Dutch with Garden Suburb Theatre. Outside of am-dram, she has worked in audio production having written and performed for Radio 4 and Audible. She currently organises body-positive events throughout the UK.
Janet South has been involved with the Tower for many years during which she has taken roles both on stage and off. Acting credits include Countess Charlotte (A Little Night Music), Jenny (Company), Anna (Closer), Mme Dubonnet (The Boy Friend), Mrs Gainsborough (Gainsborough's Girls), Mrs Turton (A Passage to India) and Lady Ashbrook (Coram Boy). She has also appeared as co-puppeteer for a baby orangutan in Kensuke's Kingdom and, most recently, as part of the ensemble of The Little Prince.
Vyvian Shaw joined the Tower in 1993 and has appeared in several musicals including The Wind in the Willows and The Producers, both taken to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Three years ago as the pandemic hit she was rehearsing 5 Women which has since been released as an audio play. Back in the theatre, she was in Escaped Alone, Coram Boy (in London and Cornwall), Ghost Stories, That Almost Unnameable Lust and, most recently, Under Milk Wood.
This is Rebecca Hill’s sixth production with the Tower, having previously played Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice and Mary in Our Country’s Good and recently appearing in Ain't I A Woman. Rebecca has taken flight before on stage as John Darling in Peter Pan and is looking forward to having the aid of a broomstick this time!
After moving over from Dublin in 2022, Laura Fleming joined the Tower and has appeared in London Wall and The Night Alive as well as performing with the Irish Cultural Centre. Back in Dublin, she was an active member of UCD’s drama and musical societies, starring in numerous productions such as Company, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Philadelphia, Here I Come! and UCD Dramsoc's ISDA nominated production of Radiant Vermin.
Abi Cody is ecstatic to be making her debut for the Tower Theatre company. Abi is a secondary school drama teacher stepping back onto the stage for herself. As a lover of Halloween and a fan of The Worst Witch since childhood she can’t wait to get stuck into the cruel bully that is Ethel Hallow. Abi moved to London from Solihull three years ago and spent her childhood and teenage years doing all things theatre. She studied Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull where she specialised in gothic theatre, international Shakespeare and period costume.
Millie Kee is delighted to be making her debut with the Tower Theatre in The Worst Witch. After an 11-year career as a primary school teacher, Millie recently embraced her long-standing passion for theatre by transitioning into acting. She is currently pursuing a Diploma in Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she continues to develop her craft. In addition to her studies, Millie teaches drama and prepares students for LAMDA exams, blending her love for education with the performing arts. Her recent stage credits include Shrek, Our House and Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. Millie is excited to bring her experience and energy to this production and is grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented cast and crew.
Beth Punnett is thrilled to be making her debut at the Tower after joining in July this year. Growing up in a small village near Chichester in West Sussex, Beth spent most of her spare time treading the boards at her local amateur theatre group. She graduated from the University of Surrey in 2020 with a degree in Theatre and Performance, having focused much of her studies on creative learning and inclusive practice. Since then she has dabbled in spoken word poetry and puppetry, and is now part of the team who run the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. Beth is delighted to be reigniting her love for acting by playing Maud in The Worst Witch, especially since she was a huge fan of Jill Murphy’s books and the original television series as a child.
This is Jiayin Guo’s first show with the Tower Theatre; she is playing Drusilla in The Worst Witch. She graduated from Warwick University studying Theatre and Performance Studies, and trained at Rose Bruford college from 2023-2024.
This is Stephanie Thomson's third production at the Tower Theatre. Her first role was Russia Sonia in Passing the Spoon was back in 2022. Then in 2023 she performed multiple roles such as Ugly Edith, the flying boy, the machine and the Charleston dancer in A Dream Play. Stephanie trained as a contemporary dancer at Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and she has always had a great passion for movement and theatre. In 2018 she achieved a Level 4 Diploma in personal training and has been running her own fitness business ever since. Stephanie is really looking forward to performing in her third production at the Tower Theatre as Fenella in The Worst Witch.
Trinidad Prieto Asensio is a Spanish actress, dancer, theatre maker and movement director who trained at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. She has participated in workshops with a number of different companies - La Fura dels Baus, Song of the Goat, Siobhan Davies, Babel Theatre, Cheek by Jowl as well as training at the National Centre for Circus Arts, London. She worked for eight years with Mimbre Acrobatic Company as a voluntary support teacher in the Youth Programme training, while being a full-time mother of two lovely girls. In 2018 she returned to performing, in the dance production Everything that Rises Must Dance (Complicité) and, in 2019, The Move Culture Mile Dance Project (Barbican). In 2022 she co-devised and performed in Passing the Spoon at the Tower. Last year she collaborated with artist Max Maxwell in the choreography and filming of the art-dance film project Prologue. More recently she has been Movement Director for A Dream Play and was Intimacy Co-Ordinator for Swipe, both at the Tower. At the moment she is rehearsing a dance piece with choreographer Blanc (Moxie Brawl) to be performed at the LifeSpan(ner) Festival in September.
Ruth Sullivan is an Emmy award-winning Foley artist, usually found in a dark studio making sounds for TV drama and film (as well as an occasional foray into radio), and regularly working with directors such as Katie Mitchell and Simon McBurney to create and perform live theatre sound. As a director, highlights include The Sea, The Last Five Years, Macbeth, The Maids, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, King Charles III, Air, Bouncers and Shakers, and, most recently, hang.
The Worst Witch
adapted from Jill Murphy's original books by Emma Reeves with music by Luke Potter
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Wednesday 17 - Saturday 27 April, 2024 |
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The Academy Band |
Production Team
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This is Miranda Cheesman's debut at the Tower; she comes from a comedy background having previously written and performed shows at fringe festivals around the UK and Australia. After studying drama when she was (a lot) younger, she’s slowly finding her theatrical feet again after playing Gill in Going Dutch with Garden Suburb Theatre. Outside of am-dram, she has worked in audio production having written and performed for Radio 4 and Audible. She currently organises body-positive events throughout the UK. |
Janet South has been involved with the Tower for many years during which she has taken roles both on stage and off. Acting credits include Countess Charlotte (A Little Night Music), Jenny (Company), Anna (Closer), Mme Dubonnet (The Boy Friend), Mrs Gainsborough (Gainsborough's Girls), Mrs Turton (A Passage to India) and Lady Ashbrook (Coram Boy). She has also appeared as co-puppeteer for a baby orangutan in Kensuke's Kingdom and, most recently, as part of the ensemble of The Little Prince. |
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Vyvian Shaw joined the Tower in 1993 and has appeared in several musicals including The Wind in the Willows and The Producers, both taken to the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Three years ago as the pandemic hit she was rehearsing 5 Women which has since been released as an audio play. Back in the theatre, she was in Escaped Alone, Coram Boy (in London and Cornwall), Ghost Stories, That Almost Unnameable Lust and, most recently, Under Milk Wood. |
This is Rebecca Hill’s sixth production with the Tower, having previously played Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice and Mary in Our Country’s Good and recently appearing in Ain't I A Woman. Rebecca has taken flight before on stage as John Darling in Peter Pan and is looking forward to having the aid of a broomstick this time! |
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After moving over from Dublin in 2022, Laura Fleming joined the Tower and has appeared in London Wall and The Night Alive as well as performing with the Irish Cultural Centre. Back in Dublin, she was an active member of UCD’s drama and musical societies, starring in numerous productions such as Company, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Philadelphia, Here I Come! and UCD Dramsoc's ISDA nominated production of Radiant Vermin. |
Abi Cody is ecstatic to be making her debut for the Tower Theatre company. Abi is a secondary school drama teacher stepping back onto the stage for herself. As a lover of Halloween and a fan of The Worst Witch since childhood she can’t wait to get stuck into the cruel bully that is Ethel Hallow. Abi moved to London from Solihull three years ago and spent her childhood and teenage years doing all things theatre. She studied Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull where she specialised in gothic theatre, international Shakespeare and period costume. |
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Millie Kee is delighted to be making her debut with the Tower Theatre in The Worst Witch. After an 11-year career as a primary school teacher, Millie recently embraced her long-standing passion for theatre by transitioning into acting. She is currently pursuing a Diploma in Acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she continues to develop her craft. In addition to her studies, Millie teaches drama and prepares students for LAMDA exams, blending her love for education with the performing arts. Her recent stage credits include Shrek, Our House and Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. Millie is excited to bring her experience and energy to this production and is grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented cast and crew. |
Beth Punnett is thrilled to be making her debut at the Tower after joining in July this year. Growing up in a small village near Chichester in West Sussex, Beth spent most of her spare time treading the boards at her local amateur theatre group. She graduated from the University of Surrey in 2020 with a degree in Theatre and Performance, having focused much of her studies on creative learning and inclusive practice. Since then she has dabbled in spoken word poetry and puppetry, and is now part of the team who run the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival. Beth is delighted to be reigniting her love for acting by playing Maud in The Worst Witch, especially since she was a huge fan of Jill Murphy’s books and the original television series as a child. |
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This is Jiayin Guo’s first show with the Tower Theatre; she is playing Drusilla in The Worst Witch. She graduated from Warwick University studying Theatre and Performance Studies, and trained at Rose Bruford college from 2023-2024. |
This is Stephanie Thomson's third production at the Tower Theatre. Her first role was Russia Sonia in Passing the Spoon was back in 2022. Then in 2023 she performed multiple roles such as Ugly Edith, the flying boy, the machine and the Charleston dancer in A Dream Play. Stephanie trained as a contemporary dancer at Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and she has always had a great passion for movement and theatre. In 2018 she achieved a Level 4 Diploma in personal training and has been running her own fitness business ever since. Stephanie is really looking forward to performing in her third production at the Tower Theatre as Fenella in The Worst Witch. |
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Trinidad Prieto Asensio is a Spanish actress, dancer, theatre maker and movement director who trained at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona. She has participated in workshops with a number of different companies - La Fura dels Baus, Song of the Goat, Siobhan Davies, Babel Theatre, Cheek by Jowl as well as training at the National Centre for Circus Arts, London. She worked for eight years with Mimbre Acrobatic Company as a voluntary support teacher in the Youth Programme training, while being a full-time mother of two lovely girls. In 2018 she returned to performing, in the dance production Everything that Rises Must Dance (Complicité) and, in 2019, The Move Culture Mile Dance Project (Barbican). In 2022 she co-devised and performed in Passing the Spoon at the Tower. Last year she collaborated with artist Max Maxwell in the choreography and filming of the art-dance film project Prologue. More recently she has been Movement Director for A Dream Play and was Intimacy Co-Ordinator for Swipe, both at the Tower. At the moment she is rehearsing a dance piece with choreographer Blanc (Moxie Brawl) to be performed at the LifeSpan(ner) Festival in September. |
Ruth Sullivan is an Emmy award-winning Foley artist, usually found in a dark studio making sounds for TV drama and film (as well as an occasional foray into radio), and regularly working with directors such as Katie Mitchell and Simon McBurney to create and perform live theatre sound. As a director, highlights include The Sea, The Last Five Years, Macbeth, The Maids, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, King Charles III, Air, Bouncers and Shakers, and, most recently, hang. |