CAST
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Will Forester THE GHOSTWill Forester THE STRANGER / THE GHOST
TRAINING: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE Orsino in Twelfth Night Live (via Zoom for The Maltings Theatre), Dr Venning in Peace in Our Time (The Union Theatre), Sir Merrick Cockell in Dictating to the Estate (Playground Theatre), Leontes in The Winter’s Tale (Théâtre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare, Paris), Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (St Mary’s Barnes), Van Helsing in Dracula (The London Theatre), Mr Fogg in Sweeney Todd (The Ditch, Shoreditch) and Gonzalo in The Tempest (Etcetera Theatre). |
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Jack Donald LAERTESJack is a London based Actor, Writer and Singer.
He studied an English and Drama degree at Loughborough University before completing a Masters in Acting at Mountview Academy Of Theatre Arts. Recent Credits include: Tom Brown’s School Days (Union Theatre) Up The Bunty! (Lion and Unicorn Theatre) Singin' In the Rain (Showtime, Adelphi Theatre) Dawn of Silence (Tristan Bates) A Sticky Season (Drayton Arms/Tristan Bates) and The Lightning Road (The Actors Church). |
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Helen Potter OPHELIAHelen trained at East 15 Acting School and has since worked as an actor, writer, singer and musician.
Recent credits include: Devon Opera’s ‘Il Barbiere Di Siviglia’ at Exeter Barnfield Theatre, Phil Wilmott’s 'After Dark; Or A Drama Of London Life' at the Finborough Theatre, 'Stoned, Stupid and Stuck' at the Oregon Fringe Festival, California, Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and 'NewsRevue' at the Canal Cafe Theatre. She is currently in filming for new video game ‘Not For Broadcast’. Additionally, Helen co-produces and emcees for 'Aunt Flow's Fight Club', a feminist scratch-cabaret-comedy night at Vaulty Towers. |
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Virge Gilchrist GERTRUDEPreviously with Phil Willmott: Nora in Peace in Our Time (Union Theatre)
Other Theatre Credits Include: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Union), Blithe Spirit (Frinton), Little Women (Hope Mill), Brexit The Musical (Edinburgh), Whose Life is it Anyway (Frinton), Song of Lunch (Tour), Hamlet is Dead: No Gravity (Arcola), Merrie England (Finborough), Poilu and Tommy (Courtyard),Teething Troubles (Tour), Rumors (English Theatre Frankfurt), Hamlet The Musical (Edinburgh and Tour) Film and TV includes: Borley Rectory, Fedz, Making Sparks, Chucklevision, Chef, One Foot in the Grave, Brushstrokes, Not a Penny More, not a Penny Less, Paul O’Grady Show Radio: Daughters of Britannia, The Laxian Key and numerous Voiceovers and TV commercials. Virge is delighted to be working with Phil again and is very much looking forward to playing Gertrude |
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Christopher Laishley CLAUDIUSChristopher trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts after being awarded a full scholarship from The Stage.
While still in training he was cast in Round Pebble's production of The Two Noble Kinsmen, which performed at the Teatro Delle Muse (Rome). Since then he has regularly performed in Shakespeare's works, including in Phil Willmott's adaptation of King Lear at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Hamlet (Ilissos, The Cockpit); Henry IV: Part 1 and Part 2 (York Shakespeare Project); Love's Labour's Lost (Oxford Shakespeare Company, UK Tour); Much Ado About Nothing (OSC, UK Tour); The Tempest (UK & ROI Tour); and John Barton's adaptation of the Henry VI and Richard III tetralogy, The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre, Kingston). This year he was due to play Don John and Leonato in Illyria's UK tour of Much Ado About Nothing (now postponed until 2021). Christopher's other theatre credits include: Around the World in 80 Days (Vienna's English Theatre); The Cherry Orchard (Union Theatre); Equus (York Theatre Royal); Fear & Misery of the Third Reich (Union Theatre); Incident at Vichy (King's Head Theatre); The Secondary Victim (Park Theatre); Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs (Buxton Opera House); Spooked! (Vienna's English Theatre); The Wizard of Oz (Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton); and Wuthering Heights (Oxford Shakespeare Company, UK Tour). |
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Samuel Oakes HAMLETA graduate of Rose Bruford College, credits whilst training include: The Litter (Bargehouse), Anne Boleyn (Stratford Circus), Macbeth (Rose) and Reverend Hale in The Crucible (Rose).
Professional theatre work: Stephen Shattock in Peace in Our Time, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (Tabard), A State of Mind (Etcetera) and consecutive tours for Young Shakespeare Company including, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Prospero in Tempest and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. Samuel worked as a motion capture artist on Fungus the Bogeyman (Sky) and has since continued his training with the mo-cap academy. Alongside all this Samuel has been gaining distinctions in various stage combat disciplines in the hope of becoming an instructor, and exploring other creative work including: Photography, Film and Illustration. |
CREATIVE TEAM
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Phil Willmott ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF FREE THEATRE UKPhil Willmott is a multi-award winning director, artistic director, playwright, composer, librettist, teacher, dramaturg, arts journalist and actor.
Described by The Guardian as "One of the best, most versatile & prolific director's around" he has also been one of the most commissioned musical Theatre writer/composer in the UK and Britain’s foremost director of Ancient Greek drama. He has worked in theatres across the world on everything from the classics, musicals and family shows to cabaret and cutting edge new writing. He is the Founding Artistic Director of four successful theatre companies: 1. THE FINBOROUGH THEATRE, one of the most influential small theatres in the the world, producing an award winning repertoire of classics and new writing, under the direction of Neil McPherson. 2. THE PHIL WILLMOTT COMPANY, which presents ESSENTIAL CLASSICS; an annual season at the Union Theatre of productions in which great writers of the past have reflected on issues of the day. 3. GODS & MONSTERS, which presents the annual LONDON FREE THEATRE FESTIVAL, a summer season of out-door classical and family shows playing to an average annual audience of 30,000 at THE SCOOP amphitheatre, adjacent to City Hall on the South Bank of the Thames near Tower Bridge. 4. FREE THEATRE UK. Extending the reach of the Free Theatre concept beyond Central London. The company’s mission remains to engage people who feel excluded from attending conventional theatre for economic, social or other reasons with vibrant productions based on the great stories and children's literature of the world. He was an Associate Artist of London's acclaimed B.A.C (Battersea Arts Centre) for ten years. He is a former Associate Director of the YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE in Guildford and THE KING'S HEAD THEATRE, London's senior Off West End venue, He headed graduate writer/director training at London's ARTS EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL where he has also been co-director of the U.K’s leading degree course in Musical Theatre and its Head of Acting. Phil introduced the concept of a free, outdoor, summer theatre programme for London 17 years ago, inspired by Joe Papp’s work in Central Park, New York. Over the first 15 summers at the Scoop amphitheatre, adjacent to city hall, he mounted 25 free, multi-award winning productions of family shows and bold accessible revivals of world classics to an audience of over 350,000 people. In the last audience survey 34% did not identify themselves as White, 49% were under 35 years old, 72% were Londoners, 79% said that the price of theatre tickets prevented them from going more often, 11% had not been to the theatre in the previous year, 16% were experiencing their first visit to the theatre (approximately 2,500 people per season) and 99% said they thought the performance was 'Excellent' or Great'! His highly acclaimed productions for the project include: The Ancient Greek, TROJAN WAR TRILOGY, THE ORESTIEA for London’s Olympic year, HOMER’S ODYSEY, Brecht’s CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE and a new, commissioned version of THE MOTHER by Mark Ravenhill; a new version of Euripedes’ MEDEA by Stella Duffy, and Sir Thomas Mallory’s King Arthur chronicles, Le Morte D'Arthur; a new rock musical of CRIME AND PUNNISHMENT with Toyah Wilcox, a specially commissioned 4 part dramatisation of Wagner’s RING CYCLE librettos and the modern world premiere of Euripedes’ CHILDREN OF HERECLES; THE THEBAN PLAYS, BLOOD WEDING & DON JUAN. For families: Bernard Shaw’s ANDROCLES & THE LION, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, TOAD HALL, PRINCE OF THEBES, JUNGLE BOOK Willmott’s version of TREASURE ISLAND, which is constantly revived in Schools and across the world. He is a recipient of a TMA Award for outstanding direction of a musical, a Peter Brook Award for his out door classical productions and family shows, Whatsonstage award nominations for best regional and Off West End productions, a Broadwayworld nomination for Best Musical in the UK, a Brooks Atkinson/Royal Court award in New York for playwriting, numerous Off-West End Award nominations and four Spirit of Broadway awards. In 2012 he was made a fellow of Rose Bruford College where, as an actor, he gained a B.A.Hons in Theatre Arts in the late 1980's More details from his website |
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Beaux Harris ASSISTANT DIRECTORBeaux Harris is an award nominated Performer, Teacher and Creative.
She began her professional training as an Actor/Singer/Dancer at the prestigious Arts Educational School (ArtsEd), before continuing her training at Bird College, where she received her BA Hons Degree and was awarded the ‘Most Professional Student‘ and the ‘Most Outstanding Student’ in July, 2017. Beaux’s Theatre Credits include: Sue in A Slice of Saturday Night & Ms Fleming in Heathers (ArtsEd), Mrs Phagan in Parade (Bird College), Lead Vocalist in Cirque Enchantment (UK tour), Sally Slaton in Parade (Frogmore Paper Mill, Vivo D’Arte Theatre Company), Lou Ann/1st cover Tracy, Penny and Prudy in Hairspray (Royal Caribbean international) and most recently played Elsie/Dance Captain in Blitz (The Union Theatre), where she received an Off West End Theatre Award Nomination for ‘Best supporting performance in a musical’. Additionally, Beaux has performed in Giselle as a member of the English Youth Ballet, has sang/performed at multiple Cabaret’s and Co-operate events around the UK; opening for acts such as Diversity (BGT Winners 2009) and Charlotte Church. Beaux has performed in Parade (concert version) at Sidcup Fringe Festival in 2017, and has sang at Bally’s Hotel and Casino and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino In Las Vegas in 2018/19. Furthermore, Beaux is fully qualified at a DDE (ISTD Dance) level, has 10 years of professional teaching experience and has been asked to choreograph pieces for many of the UK’s leading vocational performing arts colleges. Beaux has also taught online classes for Capezio [via instagram live] over the last four months and is now running classes at BASE dance studios in London. Beaux directed a youth production of Annie for Create Theatre School in 2017, and took over as Head of Dance at USP College in October 2019, directing & choreographing their Christmas Pantomime: Jack and the Beanstalk. Beaux has ran Theatre and Movement workshops at St Christopher School over the last 9 years, in addition to taking part in the direction and/or choreography for a number of their seasonal Productions such as: Grease, West Side Story and A Mid Summer’s Night’s Dream. Beaux was also the founder of their Annual Dance Show, first performed in 2015. Beaux has choreographed for: Disney Land Paris (Perform In The Magic), All England Dance Festival, The London All Stars, for many independent Concept Films and has recently assisted on Set for The Queens (The greatest Dancer –BBC1). As a passionate humanitarian, Beaux has ran dance and drama workshops at Acorn Overseas Orphanage in Mae Sot, Thailand and has similarly volunteered as a performing arts representative at schools in Ladakh, India that have been badly affected by flooding over the last decade. Beaux has collaborated on and performed in a Cabaret evening in November 2017 to raise money for MIND charity, and by founding the St Christopher School Dance Show (2015) managed to raise a large sum of money for the Ovarian Cancer Action charity. Beaux is delighted to be assisting Phil on this beautiful and riveting new production of Hamlet on the Beach and to continue on her path, both as a performer and creative. You can follow Beaux on social media using: @beauxharris |