With rehearsals starting today, the full cast has been announced for Aria Entertainment’s prestigious festival of new musical theatre, From Page To Stage (FPTS), which returns with gusto for a 6th successful year from September 2018 at London’s Southwark Playhouse. Jane Deitch has cast the 37-strong company, who will each star in one of the seven brand new musicals featured in the 2018 festival.
Leading the cast of The Astonishing Times Of Timothy Cratchit is Felix Mosse, Beverley Klein, Jessie May, Rebecca Bolton, Gavin James, Nicholas Mclean, Cornelius Clarke and Jake Small.
The full cast for Cult! includes: Genevieve Nicole, Ashley Samuels, Michael Storrs, Janet Kumah, Laura Mansell, Josie Kemp, Robbie Shepherd-White and Miles Western.
To Paint The Earth’s cast includes: Fred Haig, Natalie Dunne, Rose Shalloo, Michele Moran, Gary Tushaw, Lauren Lebowitz, Sam Peggs, Dale Rapley, Simon Oskarsson, Kai Spellman Lottie Johnson (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Ashley Knight (Frontier of Farce, Grand Hotel).
The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, with musical direction by Nathan Jarvis, Cult! directed by Amy Corcoran with musical direction by Phil Cornwell and To Paint The Earth directed by Michael Howcroft, with musical direction by Nick Barstow. All will be presented as rehearsed readings.
The remaining musicals, Villages, Benjamin Button, Smoke and Never Change, will be performed by a repertory cast as part of a showcase evening directed by Bronagh Lagan, with musical direction by Marcus Adams. The cast includes: Simbi Akande, Rosemary Ashe, David Bardsley, Will Carey, Adam Linstead, Emma Salvo, Lawrence Smith and Benjamin Stratton.
With over 150 entries from across the country and internationally, each new musical submitted the show title, lyricist/composer/book writer, a short synopsis and three record tracks and scenes from the show, which were then fully assessed by the From Page To Stage expert literary team who carefully selected the fantastic shows for the 2018 festival.
