Bob Tomson - Director/Co-adapter

Bob Tomson who has been resident and artistic director at Liverpool Everyman, Manchester Contact, theatr Powys and the Queens Theatre Company, Hornchurch, London is one of the UK’s most prolific directors. He has no fewer than 20 national tours and six West End productions. 
Notably his current, long running musical, “Blood Brothers” by Willy Russell (London’s West End and National Tours) has gained him Olivier and Tony award Nominations on Broadway, with productions in the UK, Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. His International hit musical adaptation from the film,“Scrooge” by Leslie Bricusse won him Best Director in Melbourne and in Tokyo. It has starred Anthony Newley (Dominion Theatre, London), Tommy Steele (London Palladium) Shane Ritchie (UK National Tour), Keith Michell (in Australia) and Richard Chamberlain (US Tour).

Current theatre projects include Richard Harris’s world premiere, “The Last Laugh” new adaptations of, “Half A Sixpence” and “Dr Doolittle”: while later on this year he will direct the world tour of Bricusse/Wild horn’s, “Cyrano” in the UK and USA. His TV credits include, “Hero to Zero” (BBC 6 part series, earning him a BAFTA Nomination as Best Director) “Brookside”, “Heartbeat”, “The Bill”, “Dream Team”, “Night and Day”.

Robert Johns trained as a Drama teacher and after graduating from Bristol University’s drama department spent several years as a college and university lecturer in theatre studies.
He has written several original plays for youth theatres in the U.K.; The Lord Of Misrule for the National Youth Theatre Of Great Britain: Snakes And Liver Birds for the Liverpool Everyman Youth Theatre; and Illuminations for the Ulster Youth Theatre. His professional plays include Presentiments for the Manchester Contact Theatre; Box for theEveryman Theatre, Liverpool; Quasimodo for the Theatr Powys and for the Queens Theatre Company, London. He has adapted Tressell’s, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist for the Manchester Contact Theatre; and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels for the Avon Touring Company and the Half Moon Theatre, London. He has written scripts for BBC’s, Z Cars and was storyline development producer for Sky One’s Dream Team series. He has  co-written the new musical Jeannie Skye, being produced next year by the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh with his collaborator.

Jonathon Goodwin - Associate Director

Jonathon has worked with West Sussex County Youth Theatre for 13 years directing many shows including, “Vinegar Tom” and, “The Beggars Rock Opera”. He runs courses for the county for performing arts students from 11 years to 19 years old.
His course on preparing students for Drama School Auditions has over the years been hugely successful in getting students a place in professional schools such as Central School of speech and Drama, Arts Ed, RADA and Rose Bruford. Jonathon is the Artistic Director at Central Sussex College where has been a driving force in the creation of a new Performing Arts centre, “The Hub” which opens in September this year at the college.    

Anne Fenton - Producer

Anne Fenton is currently “Advisor For Drama” in “West Sussex Children and Young Peoples’ Service”. She works with young people from 0-25 in schools. Anne is an actor, director, writer and producer; she is passionate about theatre, particularly theatre for and by young people.

Mathew Newbury - Lighting Designer

Mathews’ Lighting designs include, “Chicken Soup With Barley” at the Tricycle Theatre, London: “Mary Kelly’s Bed” (The Gilded Lilies Mutiplex) and, “Walk In The Shadow” for the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. “The Mikado” for York Opera and York Theatre Royal; “Confusions”, “The Sea” and, “Nicholas Nickleby” for  GSA Conservatoire, Guilford; “The Tempest” for the Playhouse Theatre, Norwich; “East” for the UEA, Norwich; and “Oedipus” and “Cabaret” for the St Mary’s Theatre, Canterbury.
Mathew also worked as assistant to Richard G. Jones, and recent work in this capacity has included, “Sweeney Todd” for the Watermill theatre, Newbury followed by it’s UK tour and transfer to the Trafalgar Studios and New Ambassador theatre, London; “Mack and Mabel” for the Watermill Theatre Newbury followed by it’s transfer to the Criterion Theatre, London and, “Steptoe and Son” at the Comedy Theatre, London.

Lotte Cousins – Stage Manager

Lottie finished her training in stage management and technical theatre at the Guilford School of Acting in December 2006. During here time there she worked on many productions including, “Titanic” the musical, “Lucky Stiff”, “Oklahoma!” and. “The World Goes ‘round”. Lottie worked as assistant stage manager for “Peter Pan” with WSCYT in 2005 and is now thrilled to be working with the company again as she begins her professional career.

Brian Spence Music and Lyrics

is Edinburgh born and bred and has collaborated with Robert Johns over the last few years on a number of musical projects and TV pilots.
He has written and produced songs for Dusty Springfield, Michael Ball, Rosetta Stones, Tremoloes and The Mood. He is a record producer in his own right right and also composes incidental music for the stage and television. He has written songs for the TV series Night And Day, for Hewland International puppet series, and for the UK national tour of Richard Harris's play, In Two Minds which premiered at the Theatre Royal, Windsor and Churchill Theatre, Bromley, London. His most recent composition for theatre is the World Premiere of Richard Harris’s, The Last Laugh which has just opened at the Theatre Royal, Windsor and is due to transfer to the West End shortly.
As a solo artist he has toured with Don Williams, Rita Coolidge and John Farnham. Released two solo albums Brothers and Reputation with Polydor and was signed to CBS Records in America with Colin Chisholm as Chisholm and Spence. He has co-written the new musical Jeannie Skye, being produced next year by the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh with Robert Johns..

Rose Ryan - Choreographer

Rose Ryan is a dance artist originally trained at the Laban Centre London, then won a scholarship to, “Dance Place” in Washington DC. Training continued by apprenticing to a Sensei in classical Japanese Dance. Rose has her own dance company, “First Contact”, which produces multi media performance work and is currently developing dance and film. Rose works for the National Theatre as a freelance artist, she was movement director/choreographer. She was movement director/choreographer for, “Twelfth Night”, “Perecles” and “Romeo and Juliet” and works extensively in their education department. Rose has recently choreographed, “The Snow Queen” for The Watermill, Newbury. Rose has enjoyed choreographing shows for the West Sussex Youth Theatre including “Beggars Rock Opera”, “Peter Pan” and “The Ofsted Inspector”. Other companies she has worked with include, Theatre Venue, DV8 and Blue Eyed Soul.. Rose teaches on vocational and “A Level” courses and is a fully trained Yoga teacher. Rose’s passion for bodies and movement drives her work..

Michael James - Musical Director

Michael teaches music at Brighton and Hove Sixth form college and recently he was the Musical director for the college’s production of “The Beggars Rock Opera”, a piece of music theatre he had originally helped to develop with, West Sussex Youth Theatre a few years back.
He has MD’d many theatrical works locally for adults and students, including “Cabaret”, “Into The Woods”, “Les Miserables”, “Die Fledermaus” and “Sarafina!”. As a composer and arranger he has written several musicals and the incidental music to a number of plays including, “Hamlet”, Much Ado About Nothing”, “Rosencrantz And Guildernstern Are Dead” and the Victorian gothic melodrama, “The Bells”.

Lieutske Visser - Costume Designer

Lieutske Visser graduated from the university of Utrecht, Holland, as a fashion designer, and received a MA for a fashion /textile design course, partially taken in Helsinki and finalized in Paris. She moved to London in 1999, where she worked for several years in High Fashion, but has now gradually moved over to theatre and film. Lieutske has worked on various shows including, “The Snowman”, at the Peacock Theatre, “Big Balloon” with Oily Cart, co designed the costumes for, “The Thought That Counts” with Theatre-Rites, and her solo design debut; “Gormenghast” with The David Glass Ensemble”. She has also designed for BMW and Ford commercials and has a small clothing/accessory label, mainly developed from recycled clothing and other materials.

Simon Higlett – Designer

Most recent designs; “Amys’ View” with Felicity Kandal (Garrick) and, “Hay Fever” with Judi Dench (Haymarket Theatre) both directed by Peter Hall; David Hares’ adaptation of, “Gorkys’ Enemies” (Almeida); “Best Of Friends” with Patricia Routledge; “Nicholas Nickleby” (Chichester Festival Theatre, where he is also Associate Designer); “To Kill A Mockingbird” (West Yorkshire Playhouse and tour) the opera, “Albert Herring” in Germany, and, “Anna Karenina” at the Gate Theatre, Dublin. Other recent designs include; “Glorious” with Maureen Lipman, (Duchess Theatre), “Thomas More” (RSC) in Stratford and London; “Shoot The Crow” with James Nesbit , (Trafalgar Studios); “Otherwise Engaged” with Richard E. Grant, (Criterion); “Blithe Spirit” with Penelope Keith, (Savoy Theatre); “Man and Boy” with David Suchet and “The Dresser” with Nicholas Lyndhurst and Julian Glover , (Duke of Yorks’ Theatre) also directed by Peter Hall.
Forthcoming designs include  “The Triumph of Love” at The Royal Exchange, Manchester, the opera, “The Barber of Seville” which will be directed by Sir Thomas Allen and, “The Bargain” a new play by Ian Curteis.
Simon has designed at all the leading regional theatres including the Manchester Royal Exchange, the Birmingham Repertoire Theatre and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. He is the recipient of two TMA Best Design Awards and was nominated again in 2005 for , “David Copperfield”. This year he won the Helen Hayes Award for “Lady Windermeres’ Fan” in Washington DC.