Little Shop of Horrors

Matthew Ganley — Orin

Theatre credits include: The Nutcracker: A Christmas Fairytale, Alice in Wonderland, The Prince & The Pauper, The Snow Queen, Our Gracie (New Vic Theatre); Around The World In 80 Days (New Vic Theatre with Kenny Wax Ltd./UK tour/New York and Florida); The Great Gatsby, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Grosvenor Park, Chester Storyhouse); One Man Two Guvnors (Octagon Theatre Bolton/ Theatre By The Lake); The Wizard of Oz (Octagon Theatre Bolton); Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol (Storyhouse); Maggie May (Liverpool Royal Court); Bread & Roses, The Ladykillers, Our Gracie (Oldham Coliseum); Beryl (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Once – the Musical (The Phoenix Theatre, London); Blonde Bombshells of 1943 (TEG UK Tour); Much Ado About Nothing (Lancaster Castle); Aladdin, Jack & The Beanstalk (Everyman and Playhouse, Liverpool); The Winter’s Tale (Brindley Theatre, Runcorn); Word: Play tour (Box of Tricks Theatre); The Crypt Project, New Depths, Borderline Vultures (Happystorm Theatre); The Duchess of Malfi (Shakespeare’s Globe / Sam Wanamaker Festival); Once in a House on Fire (Monkeywood Theatre); The Play That Killed Me, The Lonely Clouds of Guernica, God Wept and the Devil Laughed (Come As You Arts – winner of the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Studio Performance); Macbeth (Pendley Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (Royal Armouries, Leeds); The Laramie Project (Hope Theatre Company).

Television credits include: Prey – series two (ITV); Accused – series two (RSJ Films); Emmerdale (ITV); Waterloo Road (BBC); Shameless, Hollyoaks (Channel 4); Bradford Riots (Channel 4).

Film credits include: The Violators (Red Union Films); Block and The Lane (Silent Productions).

Radio credits include: Peterloo: The Massacre That Changed Britain, Dreaming of Foxes (BBC); Rock (Dark Smile Productions).

Matthew Heywood — Audrey II Puppeteer/Derelict

Theatre credits include: The Book Thief, Peter Pan, Beryl, Seagulls, One Man Two Guvnors (Temporary Cover) (Octagon Theatre Bolton); CRAVE (HER Productions, 53TWO); Mr Burns (A Post-Electric Play) (Derby Theatre); Pornography (Red Brick Productions, 53TWO); Robin Hood (Exeter Northcott Theatre); ZORRO (Charing Cross Theatre, 2022); ZORRO (Hope Mill Theatre, 2019); FIB (Kimbo Theatre); The Hole (Birmingham Old Rep/NYT); Magda’s a Dancer (Manchester International Festival); The Break of Day, The Man of Mode, Twelfth Night (MST/HOME MCR).

Laura Jane Matthewson — Audrey

Theatre credits include: Romantics Anonymous (Bristol Old Vic); Orpheus Descending (Theatr Clwyd & Menier Chocolate Factory); Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse) for which she won the Emerging Talent Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards; Harriet Martineau Dreams of Dancing (Live Theatre); The World Goes ‘Round (Stephen Joseph Theatre); Beyond The Fence (Arts Theatre); Daisy Pulls It Off (Hever Festival Theatre).

Television credits include: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime); Grantchester (ITV); Press (BBC); Vera (ITV); Dark Angel (World Productions/ITV); Casualty (BBC); Doctors (BBC).

Voice work include: South On The Great North Road (BBC Radio 4), as well as various campaigns for brands such as Sky, McDonalds, Network Rail and Tesco.

Oliver Mawdsley — Seymour

Oliver trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Theatre credits include: Boys from the Blackstuff (Royal Court, Liverpool); The Comedy of Errors – More or Less (Shakespeare North Playhouse & SJT); Beauty and the Beast (SJT); Around the World in 80s Days (Blackpool Grand); Astley's Astounding Adventures, The Snow Queen, The 101 Dalmatians, A Christmas Carol (New Vic Theatre); Miss Nightingale (Hippodrome, West End); Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan (Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds); Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, The Cowardly Porter (Frinton Summer Theatre); Gatsby (Southwark Playhouse/Cadogan Hall: Live Stream); By Jeeves, Where is Peter Rabbit? (Old Laundry Theatre); The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Arts Theatre, West End); The Princess and the Pea (York Theatre Royal, UK and International Tour); Jack and the Beanstalk (South Mill Arts); Forever Oz, The Revellers’ Society (OSO Arts Centre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Red Rose Chain).

Film credits include: Mike Leigh's Peterloo, L'annonce (BFT); Crossing the Line (LFS & National Portrait Gallery); Chancery Lot (Haligonian Films).

Radio credits includes: GF Newman’s The Corrupted for BBC Radio 4.

Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos — Crystal

Zweyla trained in Musical Theatre at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Theatre credits include: The Hypochondriac (Sheffield Crucible); Alice in Wonderland (Liverpool Playhouse/Theatre Royal Plymouth); The Rhythmics (Southwark Playhouse); The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse (Aurora Orchestra); Once the Musical (Let Me In Presents); The Legend of Robin Hood (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds); Beauty and the Beast (CAST Theatre); Tanya: A New Musical (O'Neill & Savage/RCS).

Workshop credits include: Little Bits of Light (National Theatre); Red Book (IMCulture); The Light Princess (LAStheatre).

Janna May — Chiffon

Janna May is a proud Aussie of Filipino descent from Sydney. She is an actor-musician and songwriter, who previously trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with a foundation in Musical Theatre and later, graduated with a BA (Hons) in Actor-Musician at Guildford School of Acting in 2023.

Her professional credits include: Scandalgate (workshop for New Frame Productions at The Other Palace); The Museum of Marvellous Things (UK Tour); Dick Whittington and his Cat (New Wolsey Theatre).

Chardai Shaw — Ronnette

Chardai is from Birmingham and recently graduated from the University of Central Lancashire, where she studied Music Theatre. She is thrilled to be making her professional theatre debut as Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors. Whilst rehearsing for the show she also made her screen debut playing Kadie Kamara in Doctors on BBC1.

Aside from singing and playing guitar, Chardai loves travelling and recently returned from a long trip exploring South East Asia.

Anton Stephans — Audrey II

An actor, songwriter, poet, producer and narrator. Anton has sung with Tina Turner, George Michael, Sting, Oleta Adams, Mica Paris, Sir Cliff Richard & Elton John. He is delighted to be part of this wonderful cast of Little Shop of Horrors and dedicates each and every performance to his family & friends at the United Reform Church UK, who have loved and supported him throughout his life and career.

Theatre credits include: Anton's first West End Theatre credit came at the age of eight when he played Fizz in Bugsy Malone (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Monsieur Vernier in the world premiere of Conor Mitchell's Mathilde (Vaudeville Theatre); Lead Vocalist in Blues Brothers Meet Soul Sisters (Theatre Royal); Porgy in Porgy and Bess (Savoy Theatre); Poppa in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express (international, and UK tour); Musical Lead in Smokey Joe's Café (1st UK tour/Broadway and US tour); Lead Vocalist in Hey Mr. Producer for Cameron Mackintosh (Lyceum Theatre); Principal in Riverdance, (Broadway/West End/International tour); One man show, Crying for You...No More (Fortune Theatre); Musical Lead in Dancing and Singing The Blues (European Tour); Classique (Off Broadway/US tour); Songs of Broadway (Off Broadway/US Tour); An Evening with Anton (Congress Theatre, Eastbourne); Lead Singer in Riverdance (Europe tour); Company of Francesca Zambello's Show Boat (Royal Albert Hall); Father in Children of Eden (Prince of Wales Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival Theatre); Leadville in Fishermans Friends (International & UK tour); Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar (West End & International Tour); Tarantino Live (Riverside Studios).

Television credits include: Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Channel 4); presenter and lead vocalist in Tribute to Motown; Backing vocalist on Top of the Pops for George Michael, Sting, Chaka Khan and Elton John; George Michael concert (MTV); Presenter and lead vocalist for Ebony Magazine Show; A&E, A New Aria (BBC2 Shakespeare season).

Film credits include: The Double (A George Lucas short movie). Finalist on X Factor. Narrator of The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 2021). Earned a Best Narrator nomination on Audible Books. Narration of Winnie the Pooh (Disney, Summer 2022).

Radio credits include: Montano in Othello Blacking Iago (BBC Arts Intermission Theatre); BBC Radio London Resident Singer; Play For Today various roles; Alan Bennett monologues.

Other credits: Member of the London Shakespeare Workout.

Andrew Whitehead — Mr Mushnik

Andrew has worked extensively in theatre throughout his career.

Theatre credits include: The Book of Will (Queens Hornchurch/Octagon Theatre Bolton/Shakespeare North); the World Premiere of The Book Thief (Octagon Theatre Bolton); Say Yes to Tess (Leeds Playhouse/Camden People’s Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing, A Christmas Carol, Cyrano, The War Of The Roses, School For Scandal, The Bells, The Merchant Of Venice, Henry V, A Woman Killed With Kindness, Antigone, Poetry Or Bust, Oedipus, The Cracked Pot, The Merry Wives Of Windsor, King John, Alcestis, Romeo & Juliet, Samson Agonistes, The Passion, Antony And Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Trackers Of Oxyrinchus, Canterbury Tales, An August Bank Holiday Lark, She Stoops to Conquer, The Winter’s Tale, The Twelve Tales of Christmas (Northern Broadsides); Wind in The Willows, Witches Promise (Birmingham Rep); Dangerous Obsession (Esk Valley Theatre); Sleeping Beauty (Qdos - Beck Theatre); The Wife of Usher’s Well (Quondam Theatre); Rogue Herries, A Chorus of Disapproval, Summer Lightning, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Around The World In 80 Days, Under The Blue Sky, Rebecca (Keswick Theatre By The Lake); Unsung (Liverpool Playhouse); The Glee Club (Library Theatre Manchester); Cinderella (Harrogate Theatre); Richard II (Royal Exchange Manchester); The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (New Vic); A Christmas Carol, Toast (Hull Truck); The Wind In The Willows (Oldham Coliseum); The Grapes Of Wrath (American Drama Group Europe); The Cost Of Living (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Little Sure Shot (West Yorkshire Playhouse/The Egg, Bristol/Old Laundry Theatre).

Television and film credits include: Coronation Street, Brassic, The Runaways, Emmerdale and The Big Chance.

Radio credits include: Stone - ‘Dead Fishes’, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Alcestis, The Cracked Pot (BBC).

As a Musical Director, Andrew wrote and produced the music for the award winning Tongue Twister (24:7 Festival).

Olivia Barr — Casting Director

Theatre credits include: Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, Spring and Port Wine, An Adventure, Peter Pan, Kes, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Book of Will, Around the World in 80 Days (Octagon Theatre Bolton/Octagon Theatre Bolton co-productions); A Passionate Woman (Leeds Playhouse); A Christmas Carol (Hull Truck Theatre and Leeds Playhouse) Pinocchio, Pop Music, Mumsy, Ladies Unleashed, Teechers Leavers ’22, The Railway Children (Hull Truck).

Television credits include: as Casting Director; Casualty, Doctors. as Casting Assistant; EastEnders, The Sister Boniface Mysteries, Anfamol.

Gabrielle Ball — Musical Director

Gabrielle is a London based Musical Director and Actor-Musician.

Training: London College Of Music, Actor Musicianship

MD credits include: Peter Pan Pantomime (Kenneth More Theatre), Ordinary Days (Actor Musicianship, London College Of Music), Battersea Bardot: A New Musical (New Wimbledon Theatre), Stiles and Drewe’s Peter Pan (Alban Arena), Santa’s Magical Gift (UK Tour), Santa’s New Sleigh (Key Theatre Peterborough); Santa’s Elves and The Shoemaker (Capitol Theatre, Horsham).

Assistant MD credits include: Cabaret Havana (British Youth Music Theatre/The Mack, Mountview), F You Future Alice - workshop of A New Musical (Arts Depot Theatre, London).

Jack Clearwater — Assistant Director

Jack Clearwater is a queer director, writer and sound designer working across theatre, cabaret and ritual. He’s the current Resident Assistant Director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, prior to which he was Resident Assistant Director at RADA.

As a founding member of Clearwater Collective he has written and directed a number of productions for theatre, cabaret and visual arts spaces including Dark Suit and Lavender Shirt, Standing, a work about the life of Egon Schiele which was shown at the Chelsea Theatre and the Royal Academy of Arts.

He is a carer and works as an Access Support Worker for disabled and neurodivergent artists applying to Arts Council England.

James Cook — Sound Designer

James won 'Best Sound Design' at the Panto Awards in 2019 and was also nominated for the 2022 Awards. He has extensive experience with actor-musician based musicals and enjoys overcoming the challenges that arise with the complex format. James has also worked on plays with immersive soundscapes and a dash of modest composition, in many regional theatres including the New Wolsey Theatre, Yvonne Arnaud and Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch to name a few. He has also designed for many commercial national touring shows.

Along with the aural aspects of Sound Design, James enjoys creating the design of the system and technical aspects that combine to create the experience for the audience. Find out more at www.james-cook.me.

Nic Farman — Lighting Designer

Nic was nominated for 'Best Lighting Design' at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2022 and Broadway World Awards 2022 for The Book Thief (Octagon Theatre Bolton). He has been nominated five times for 'Best Lighting Design’ at the Off West End Awards, most recently for Allegiance at Charing Cross Theatre.

Musical credits include: The Book Thief (UK Tour & Octagon Theatre Bolton); Allegiance (Charing Cross Theatre); Rumi (London Coliseum); Gypsy, High Society, Top Hat (The Mill at Sonning); Broken Wings (Charing Cross Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket & Middle Eastern Tour); Lady Chatterley's Lover (Shaftesbury Theatre); Spring Awakening (Seoul, South Korea & Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester); Falsettos (The Other Palace); Umm Kulthum (London Palladium & Middle Eastern Tour); The View Upstairs (Soho Theatre); Billionaire Boy (Nuffield City, Southampton & UK Tour); The Toxic Avenger (Arts Theatre & Southwark Playhouse); A Little Princess (Royal Festival Hall); Liver Birds Flying Home (Liverpool Royal Court); Working (Southwark Playhouse); Rent, A Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, Catch Me If You Can, Spongebob The Musical, Bandstand, The Wedding Singer, Cats, Ragtime, Kipps, Freaky Friday, The Wild Party, Newsies (ArtsEd).

Theatre credits include: The Diary of a CEO Live (London Palladium & UK & Ireland Tour); The Rise & Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour); Much Ado About Nothing (Tobacco Factory & Wilton’s Music Hall); Valued Friends (The Rose Theatre, Kingston); The Night Watch (UK Tour); Night Of The Living Dead (Pleasance Theatre, London); Tonight: The Eighties (JACC Kuwait & Middle Eastern Tour); Kindertransport (Queens Theatre Hornchurch, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg & UK Tour); The Invisible Man (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch); A Guide For The Homesick, La Boheme, Coming Clean, 3 Women, Late Company (Trafalgar Studios); Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Snow White, Robin Hood, Jack And The Beanstalk (Salisbury Playhouse).

Michael Fowkes — Puppet Director/Maker

Michael is a puppetry specialist. Within puppetry, he designs, makes, performs and directs. He last collaborated with the Octagon Theatre Bolton on The BFG in 2015, making giants and tiny people amongst other things. He works frequently with the Little Angel Puppet Theatre, most recently performing in Wolves In The Walls. He also wrote, directed and designed Sleepyhead for the Little Angel Theatre.

He is also a frequent collaborator with Theatre-rites, most recently on Big Up!. He has also created work with the National Theatre, the RSC, the Young Vic, The Globe and Punchdrunk.

Television credits includes: Spitting Image, Harry Hill’s T.V Burp, The Mighty Boosh and Channel 4’s Comedy Lab.

Film credits include: Muppets Most Wanted.

TK Hay — Set & Costume Designer

TK is a theatre designer and carnivorous plant enthusiast based in the UK.

Recent credits include: Brenda's Got a Baby (Nouveau Riche); Mayflies (York Theatre Royal); Beginning (Royal Exchange Theatre); Constellations (Stephen Joseph Theatre); The Making of a Monster (Wales Millenium Centre); The Apology (New Earth Theatre). He was Best Designer at The Stage Debut Awards in 2022 and won the Linbury Prize in 2019. More can be found on his website: tkhay.design

Ania Levy — Assistant Designer

Ania Levy is a performance designer based in London. She won the Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 2023. Prior to that, she trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she was awarded the Ashley Family Foundation Award.

Anna Pool — Associate Director

Anna is a director and composer making musicals, opera and song projects which connect people to the places they live.

Directing includes: Lady in the Dark (Opera Zuid, winner of Place de l’Opera’s Opera of the Year 2022); Acis and Galatea (Opera North); These Wondering Stones (Barbican); Dust Child (English Touring Opera); Bastien und Bastien (Pop Up Opera, 2019 Off West End Award Finalist). She is the Associate Director of stage adaptation of New York Times bestseller, The Book Thief (DEM Productions/Octagon Theatre Bolton). As a composer and musical director, her work includes: Ghost Stories Volume II (HighTide/Shakespeare’s Globe); Return of the Unknown (Marlowe Canterbury); Medieval Miracles (Eastern Angles); We Are But Shadows (Spitalfields Festival).

When not directing or writing for theatre, Anna is part of folk jazz outfit, Wise Woman, and her work has been performed as far and wide as Radio 3, Secret Garden Party and Scotland’s legendary festival, Celtic Connections.

Sundeep Saini — Musical Staging & Choreography, Fight/Intimacy Direction

Sundeep is an Offie nominated movement director & choreographer.

Credits Include: Ladies Down Under (New Vic Theatre); Brief Encounter (Royal Exchange Theatre); Mind the Monsters (Oxford Playhouse); The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds); The Blonde Bombshells of 1943 (Octagon Theatre Bolton/Theatre by the Lake/SJT); The Trial of Josie K (Unicorn Theatre); Ladies Day (New Vic & Octagon Theatre Bolton); Richard II (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Jack Frost and the Search for Winter (UK Tour); Brown Girls Do It Too (Soho Theatre & UK Tour); The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Comedy of Errors (Roman Theatre of Verulamium); Passion (Hope Mill Theatre); The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Queens Theatre Hornchurch); Anthem (Wales Millennium Centre); The Princess & the Pea (UK Tour); Aladdin (The Capitol); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (The Maltings); Billy the Kid (NYMT); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (East London Shakespeare Festival); Dick Whittington, Dame Terry’s Very Merry Christmas (Watford Palace); Squad Goals (Dagenham & Redbridge FC); As You Like It (National Theatre Public Acts Production); Grandma Saves the Day, Goldilocks & the Three Bears (New Wolsey Theatre); Never Never, Robin Hood, Christmas Allsorts, Jack & the Beanstalk, Beauty and the Beast (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch). www.sundeepsaini.com

George Strickland — Music Supervisor

George is a musical director, vocal coach, session musician and orchestrator/arranger based in the United Kingdom. He studied at the RNCM and University of Leeds, and has performed around the country at venues including the London Palladium, Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Bridgewater Hall. He has also featured on CBBC with the West End Musical Choir.

Upcoming & Recent Projects: Little Shop of Horrors (UK Tour); Spot’s Birthday Party (UK/International Tour); Evita (Curve, Leicester); The Book Thief (Curve Leicester/Belgrade Coventry/Octagon Theatre Bolton); Tarantino Live (Riverside Studios); Into The Woods (Royal Northern College of Music); Allegiance (Charing Cross Theatre); Annie Get Your Gun (The London Palladium); Crossroads Pantomimes (MD Cover 2022-23, 2023-24); Soul Sisters (UK Tour); Good Fun (Kings Head Theatre); Lucie Jones at Christmas (Her Majesty’s Theatre).

For more information on George’s work please find him on Facebook (George Strickland Music), and Instagram (gstrickland91).

Lotte Wakeham — Director

Lotte is Artistic Director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, a finalist for The Stage’s ‘Theatre of the Year’ 2023.

Directing credits: world premiere of The Book Thief (nominated for ‘Best Musical Production’, UK Theatre Awards & ‘Best Regional Production’, Whatsonstage Awards); European premiere of The Book of Will (nominated for ‘Best Director’, Off West End Awards); Spring and Port Wine, One Man Two Guvnors, Peter Pan, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Seagulls, Shirley Valentine, One Night In Bolton, See You At The Octagon (Octagon Theatre Bolton); The Book Thief (Curve & Belgrade); Jess and Joe Forever, Di and Viv and Rose, The World Goes Round, Adventure Playground (Stephen Joseph Theatre); The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson, The Buskers Opera (Park Theatre); The Hound of the Baskervilles (English Theatre Frankfurt/Jermyn Street; nominated for ‘Best Director’, Off West End Awards); Twelfth Night (UK tour); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Sweet Charity (Leicester Curve); Danny the Champion of the World (UK tour); The Beautiful Game (Union); Upper Cut (Southwark Playhouse; Alfred Fagon Award nomination); Rumpelstiltskin (Theatre Royal Bath/MAC, Belfast); Lizzie Siddal (Arcola); Fair Trade (UK tour); The Kissing-Dance (Jermyn Street; nominated for ‘Best Director’, Off West End Awards); Austentatious (Landor).

Lotte trained at the National Theatre Studio and spent a decade as Associate Director of Matilda The Musical for the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford/West End/Broadway).

@LotteWakeham