Featured Cast
Ainsley Melham
Pippin
Ainsley Melham
Pippin
Ainsley was most recently seen in Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2019 season playing the role of Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Prior to this, Ainsley starred in the title role of the Broadway production of Aladdin for Disney Theatrical Productions following his success in the Australian production of Aladdin playing at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane and Crown Theatre in Perth. He also played the title role in the Aladdin live capture at the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End and was due to head back to Broadway when theatres closed around the world.
Ainsley has appeared as Sonny Malone in Xanadu for Matthew Management at Hayes Theatre Co and performed in The Stonnington Classics series in Broadway S’Wonderful.
Ainsley was a cast member of Hi-5 from 2013 - 2016 appearing in its Australasian tours, the televised Hi-5 House Series and the documentary film Some Kind Of Wonderful. The iconic children’s pop group has been released on Netflix with Ainsley as one of the starring hosts.
Ainsley trained in musical theatre at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2012. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for the 2017 Helpmann Awards and Male Lead in a Musical for the 2018 and 2020 Green Room Awards.
Gabrielle McClinton
Leading Player
Gabrielle McClinton
Leading Player
Gabrielle is grateful to be reprising the role of the Leading Player after playing the role on Broadway and 1st US National and International Tours. She also appeared in the Broadway production of Chicago as Annie and understudied the role of Velma Kelly. Gabrielle was last seen at Berkeley Repertory Theatre originating the role of Angelina Baker in the world premiere of Paradise Square under the direction of Moisés Kaufmann and choreography by Bill T. Jones. Before that, Gabby originated the role of Anita in Francesca Zambello and Julio Monje’s West Side Story at Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Previously, she travelled the US in the 1st National Tour of Green Day’s American Idiot as Whatsername. Her other credits include the TV series The Mentalist and Evil, and feature films Fun Size and Won’t Back Down. Gabrielle holds an BFA from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley
Berthe
Kerri-Anne Kennerley
Berthe
Kerri-Anne Kennerley is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most iconic media personalities and a favourite of Australian television audiences for more than 50 years.
In 2017, she became the third woman to be inducted into the TV Week Logie Hall of Fame where she confessed “I didn’t realise it at first but this is now my 50th year in television and there hasn’t been a single year, between one thing and another, that I have not done something on television.”
A true ‘triple-threat’, Kerri-Anne toured Australia at the age of 19 as a cabaret singer before jet-setting to Jamaica and then New York where she later remained for five years working various jobs within the entertainment industry. Returning to Australia in 1981 at age 28, Kerri-Anne was immediately snapped back up by the Network Ten, landing her career changing spot as co-host of Good Morning Australia, where she stayed for over a decade.
During times when radio was very much a ‘man’s game’, Kerri-Anne stepped up as a fill-in at Radio 2UE in Sydney and then took over the breakfast shift at 2CH in 1994, where she also became Chief Executive Officer of the station.
It was not long before the television executives came calling again with KAK hosting her own show Midday with Kerri-Anne for the next 10 years, which became Australia’s most-watched daytime program, and earning her Gold Logie nominations in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Kerri-Anne’s autobiography, A Bold Life, was released in October 2017.
Kicking off the year In 2018, Kerri-Anne was honoured with Australia Post‘s Legends Award, which featured her face on an official stamp for 12 months alongside other TV royalty including Daryl Somers, Denise Drysdale, Bert Newton and Ray Martin.
More recently, Kerri-Anne made her long-awaited return to daytime TV as a panellist for Ten’s morning show, Studio 10 where she has been since 2018.
Away from the spotlight, Kerri-Anne is a successful businesswoman and tireless charity worker. She served on the Council for the Order of Australia where she was so proud to be able to honour great Australians, and since 2009, Kerri-Anne has been a Patron for Look Good Feel Better.
A long-time golfer, Kerri-Anne also sits on the prestigious board of Golf Australia. Kerri-Anne currently lives in Sydney with her beloved Golden Retriever, Digger.
Primary Cast
Simon Burke
Charles
Simon Burke
Charles
Simon Burke is one of Australia’s most accomplished and respected performers.
At age 13, he made his acting debut in the 1976 classic feature film The Devil’s Playground, winning the Australian Film Institute Best Actor award. Simon starred in Foxtel's six-part mini-series Devil's Playground, in which he reprised the role of ‘Tom Allen’, the character he played 40 years earlier in the original film. Simon was also Executive Producer of the project, which in 2015 won both the AACTA and Logie awards for Most Outstanding Telefeature or Mini Series.
Simon has appeared in over 130 stage productions in Australia, the UK and North America.
On London's West End he starred as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Raoul in Phantom of the Opera, Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music opposite Dame Judi Dench, Georges in La Cage Aux Folles opposite John Barrowman. Australian musical theatre highlights include as Mr. Banks in Disney's Mary Poppins, Marius in the original Australian cast of Les Miserables, and Billy in Anything Goes (Green Room Award Best Actor in a musical).
Simon’s other film credits include Passion, Pitch Black, Travelling Light and Super Awesome. Simon’s countless television credits include Deep water, Dead Lucky, Rake, Hustle, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Alice, Brides of Christ, Scales of Justice, Water Rats, South Pacific and Grass Roots, and for 25 years was one of ABC TV''s Play School's best-loved presenters.
In 2015 Simon was awarded an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) for distinguished service to the performing arts as an actor, singer and producer.
Lucy Maunder
Catherine
Lucy Maunder
Catherine
Since graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2006, Lucy has cemented her reputation as one of Australia’s musical theatre leading ladies touring the country and the world in many critically acclaimed productions. Credits include Mrs Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (GFO, Helpmann Nomination for Best Supporting Actress); Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Michael Cassel Group); Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical (Louise Withers/ RSC, Helpmann nom for Best Supporting Actress); Heather Chandler in Heathers: The Musical (ShowWork Productions), Patty in Tim Finn’s Ladies in Black (QTC, MTC) Rizzo in Grease (GFO, Helpmann, Glug and Sydney Theatre Award noms); Lara in the world première of Doctor Zhivago (GFO, Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award noms).
Other career highlights include Cinderella in Into the Woods (Victorian Opera); Georgia Hendricks in Curtains (The Production Company); Gertrude Lawrence in Noël and Gertie (CDP Theatre Producers, Glug Award for Best Actress in a Musical); Polly Peachum in The Threepenny Opera (STC, Malthouse, Victorian Opera); Janet in The Rocky Horror Show (TML Enterprises); Emma in Jekyll & Hyde (TML Enterprises) and Anne in A Little Night Music (Opera Australia). Lucy’s one-woman show Irving Berlin: Songs in the Key of Black toured Australia to rave reviews at venues such as the prestigious Spiegeltent, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, The Noosa Longweekend Festival, His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth and La Salon at Claire’s Kitchen. Her album featuring arrangements and musical direction by Daniel Edmonds is available on iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music.
Euan Doidge
Lewis
Euan Doidge
Lewis
Selected for his extraordinary dance skills, Euan Doidge took centre stage in 2019 playing Tony Manero in GFO’s Saturday Night Fever. This role followed his reprisal as Felicia in the 2018 Australian tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert which showcased his exceptional vocal skills.
Musical Theatre has been an intrinsic part of Euan’s background starting as a graduate of Patrick Studios Australia under the direction of Andrew Hallsworth. During this year of study, he was cast in his first musical Anything Goes (The Production Company). In 2012 Euan appeared in The Producers (The Production Company), then went on to play Paul San Marco in the Australian cast of A Chorus Line (TML Enterprises) for which he was the youngest ever nominee for the Helpmann Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. From 2012 Euan appeared as Nikos/Padamadan in the Australian tour of Legally Blonde (ATG/GFO/Farrelly Prods) and Grease (GFO) in which he understudied the roles of Kenickie and Vince Fontaine, as well as understudying and performing the role of Teen Angel. He was then cast in the dream role of Marius in the Australian tour of Les Misérables (Cameron Mackintosh/Michael Cassel).
During that time he also released his debut Album Let It Sing and in 2016 Euan had the great pleasure of playing the role of Felicia/Adam in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and was Lead Singer in Burn The Floor (Norwegian Cruise Lines). On returning to Australia he starred in the Australian tour of Kinky Boots (Michael Cassel) as one of the Angels and covered the role of Lola which he performed many times to great acclaim.
Leslie Bell
Fastrada
Leslie Bell
Fastrada
Originally from the USA, Leslie moved to Australia leaving behind an extensive performing career in Broadway musicals and Broadway national touring productions. She was last seen on Broadway playing Mona in the Tony Award winning musical Chicago. She also toured with Chicago playing Go To Hell Kitty alongside Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen and Ute Lemper in Las Vegas. Other Broadway credits include Ragtime, Victor/Victoria, My Fair Lady, State Fair, Steel Pier, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Ain’t Broadway Grand and My Favorite Year. She also toured the USA with Crazy For You, My Fair Lady, State Fair and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Her movie credits include Mao’s Last Dancer, Superman Returns and Anything But Love.
Leslie’s choreography credits include Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (STC), She Loves Me at the Hayes Theatre, Big River for Neglected Musicals and the Australian Dance Awards. In 2018 she returned to the stage in Funny Girl in Concert for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and in 2021 she will choreograph Home I’m Darling for STC. Leslie also teaches Musical Theatre at Sydney Dance Company and at ED5 International under the direction of her mentor and dear friend William Alexander Forsythe.
Leslie is grateful and thrilled to be a part of Pippin. She would like to thank her beloved husband Andrew and her children Daniel, Grace and Isabella for their endless love and support. Sincere thank you to T&E Management.
Children Cast
Andrew Alexander
Theo
Andrew Alexander
Theo
Andy is chuffed to be treading the boards in his first musical on home soil.
His early training with St Mary’s Cathedral Choir, sparked a love of languages and performing. At 9, Andy moved to Japan, to perform at Universal Studios in a musical entirely in Japanese. Other stage credits include foreign language roles in Parsifal and La Bohême (Opera Australia) so he is relieved (and excited) to perform in his first English speaking stage role, Pippin’s Theo! Television credits include commercials for NRMA, Nintendo, CBA, Woolworths and Leapfrog.
When not performing, Andy loves soccer, building custom scooters, and adding wasabi to everything.
Special thanks to T&E Management, Amelia Farrugia, and Elite Performance Studios; but mostly Mum, Dad & Audrey.
George Holahan-Cantwell
Theo
George Holahan-Cantwell
Theo
12-year-old George is thrilled for the opportunity to bring the role of Theo to life at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. George enjoys everything involving music and you will often find him singing, playing the piano and most recently, producing his own music. A talented performer with a passion for musical theatre, George has just completed the Sydney season of School of Rock playing the role of the keyboardist Lawrence, and before that the role of Benji in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. George’s many screen credits include short films Sherbert Rozencrantz, You're Beautiful, Sweet Tooth and the highly awarded Joy Boy. For his role in Inclusion Makes the World More Vibrant, he received a best actor award in the Focus of Ability Short Film Festival. George is proudly represented by Jenni Anderson Management.
Ryan Yeates
Theo
Ryan Yeates
Theo
Ryan returns to the stage after recently playing the lead role of Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the role of Noah in Caroline or Change for the Hayes Theatre Co. A junior overall scholarship student at the McDonald College of Performing Arts, he also trains in all forms of dance at the Halloran Dance School. Ryan has won many State and Australian titles in Irish Dancing and has also competed at the World Irish Dancing Championships. A regular performer with The Wiggles on TV and DVD, Ryan features as the Junior Purple Wiggle, as Lachy in the ABC series Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle as well performing in the Emma series. Other screen credits include the short film Zombie Bro, ABCMe and voicework for Peter Rabbit 2. Ryan is very excited to be playing the role Theo in Pippin.
William Wheeler
Theo
William Wheeler
Theo
William joined Sydney Children’s Choir at the age of six. Later accepted as a Chorister at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, he has sung in the Cathedral Choir since 2016. He performed in Opera Australia’s children’s chorus for La Bohème in 2019, and toured Europe with the St Andrew’s Cathedral Choir in Summer 2019/2020. William’s TV credits include Nickelodeon, ABC Kids and The Project.
Off the stage, William can be found perfecting tricks on his scooter, BMX and skateboard. A team player, he enjoys AFL, cricket, rugby, drama and theatresports, plus all forms of dance – from ballroom to tap. Hot chips, noodles and miso soup are his favourite foods, he’s a fan of 80s music and musical theatre, has an impressive Pokémon collection, is incredibly kind and adores his two rescue cats, Bella and Vulpix. Represented by T&E Management, William thanks Miss Lucy Bailes and his family for their ongoing support.
Ensemble Cast
Danik Abishev
Player
Danik Abishev
Player
Born into a traditional Russian circus family, Danik Abishev began performing at the age of four. As part of the Soviet Union state circuses, he toured China and received the title of Honoured Artists of Russia. His family relocated to Brisbane and Danik continued his worldwide domination of performance arts. He toured the country extensively as part of the influential Circus Royale. His revolutionary hand-balancing routines have been sought out by circus and non-circus productions alike, performing with hip-hop’s Tom Tom Crew in the Middle East and South America, and earning him a position among the finalists in 2009’s Australia’s Got Talent. This was followed by a season of La Perle, a new show created by Franco Dragone at Dubai’s Al Habtoor City. More recently, Danik has performed throughout Australia in the cabaret shows Limbo and Blanc de Blanc.
Olivia Carniato
Player
Olivia Carniato
Player
After graduating from Brent Street Performing Arts in 2015 with a Certificate IV in Performing Arts, Olivia has since worked both in Australia’s musical theatre and television industries. In 2016, Olivia was cast in Opera Australia’s Carmen, and made her musical theatre debut in the 2017 Australian premiere of The Bodyguard (GFO). Further credits include the 2018 Australian tour of Evita (Opera Australia/ GFO) as ensemble and Mistress understudy and the 2019 Australian, New Zealand and German tour of West Side Story (Opera Australia/ GWB/ BB promotions) as Consuleo as well as understudying both Anita and Rosalia. Most recently she played the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Velvet alongside Australian icon Marcia Hines. Olivia has performed on screen on Dancing with the Stars, The Voice and Australia’s Got Talent. She was also featured as a judge on Channel 7’s singing competition show All Together Now.
Angelique Cassimatis
Player/Swing
Angelique Cassimatis
Player/Swing
Angelique has an extensive list of Australian stage, live and theatre credits. Most recently she appeared as Cassie in A Chorus Line (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Jeanie in Hair (Peace Productions), Annette in Saturday Night Fever (Gordon Frost Organisation) and as a Diva in the 10th anniversary tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Angelique has played Mabel in Mack & Mabel (Working Mgmt/Hayes Theatre), Crystal in Little Shop of Horrors (Luckiest Productions/ Tinderbox Productions), Mimi in Rent (Highway Run Productions), Stephanie Shanks in Strictly Ballroom (Global Creatures)and Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show (GFO). Further theatre credits include Carmen (Handa Opera on the Harbour), The Production Company’s Jesus Christ Superstar and Guys and Dolls, King Kong Live on Stage (understudy Anne Darrow), Mary Poppins, High School Musical and Sydney Opera House - The Opera, The Eighth Wonder. Angelique has performed her one-woman show Guilty Pleasures to critical acclaim.
Bayley Edmends
Player
Bayley Edmends
Player
Trained in multiple aspects of the arts, Bayley completed his Certificate IV in Performing Arts at the prestigious Brent Street Studios in Sydney in 2015. Since graduating, Bayley has worked in many areas of the industry including corporate events for brands such as Mazda, Toyota and Optus, and performed with recording artists including Kelly Rowland, Samantha Jade and Elk Road. He has also taken to the seas as a dancer in shows for Norwegian Cruise Lines. On screen Bayley has appeared in the films Pacific Rim and Dance Academy – The Comeback as well as Channel Nine’s The Voice. Bayley made his musical theatre debut in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and is thrilled to be returning to the stage in Pippin. He would like to thank his family, close friends and mentors for all of their support throughout his career so far!
Joel Granger
Player/Swing
Joel Granger
Player/Swing
Joel Granger most recently appeared on stage in The Book of Mormon as Elder McKinley, for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award. His other theatre credits include the roles of Arpad in She Loves Me (Sydney Theatre Award nomination) and Baldwin in Cry-Baby for Hayes Theatre Co, Harry Beaton in The Production Company’s Brigadoon, Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd for NZ Opera, Warren in Ordinary Days for Pursued by Bear (Green Room Award nomination), Zacky Price in Big Fish The Musical, Tom in The Gathering for Vic Theatre Company, Harold Bride in Titanic The Musical for StageArt, and Bernstein in Dogfight for Doorstep Arts. Joel’s television credits include Jack in Channel Nine’s True Story with Hamish and Andy and Mark in Please Like Me for ABC/Pivot. Joel is a 2015 graduate of the WAAPA Music Theatre course and was a 2018 finalist for the Rob Guest Endowment.
Chaska Halliday
Player
Chaska Halliday
Player
Chaska began her singing, dancing and acting training at a young age at the Brent St Studios in Sydney and continued on to complete her Certificate IV in Performing Arts there. She introduced her vocal talent to Australia as a teenager on Channel 7’s X Factor as a part of singing group XOX who were featured in the top ten acts that season. Next Chaska appeared in the feature film The Sapphires before being cast in the world tour of the critically acclaimed, ARIA-nominated show Velvet, as a featured vocalist alongside Marcia Hines. In 2016 Chaska made her musical theatre debut in Disney’s Aladdin and was part of its hugely successful tour of Australia and Asia. Chaska performed in the hit show Pigalle for the Sydney Festival before securing the understudy role of Mama Morton in the GFO’s production of Chicago. Most recently, Chaska appeared as Val in the Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s production of A Chorus Line.
Matt Jenson
Player
Matt Jenson
Player
Matthew graduated from Brent Street in 2013, and soon after made his stage debut in the original cast of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom the Musical (Global Creatures). His other credits include Singin’ in the Rain’ (Dainty Group), Hello, Dolly! (TPC), the Asia Pacific tour of Disney’s Aladdin (Disney Theatrical Australia) where he was the Assistant Dance Captain/ Swing, following a successful run in the ensemble during the Australian tour. Most recently Matthew has been seen in West Side Story (OA/ GWB) where he understudied the roll of Bernardo. Matthew has also appeared as a dancer for X Factor directed by the Squared Division, and the art installation 13 Rooms for Sydney Dance Company.
Zoe Marshall
Player
Zoe Marshall
Player
Zoë Marshall is a captivating and multi-disciplinary performer. Growing up in Perth, she trained and competed in various sports including athletics, acrobatics, dance and gymnastics. In 2015 she was accepted into company Co3 for contemporary dance in Perth. Her creative flair and dedication to performing arts excelled as she completed elite training in the Bachelor program at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), graduating in 2018.
Zoë leaves audiences stunned with her Aerial Hair-Hanging as well as the rare Mouth-balancing act in Chinese Contortion/Carpet spinning. Her other specialties include Aerial Hoop, Group Acrobatics, Floor Tumbling, Handstands and Head-balance. In addition, she trains and has starred as a stunt-woman in filming, and was also scouted for Australia’s Got Talent. Her versatility and unique skills have landed Zoë contracts touring worldwide including Australia, UK and Colombia, in prestigious companies such as, Strut & Fret, The Box Soho, La Clique, Circus Oz and Bass Fam Creative at the Sydney Opera House.
Harley McLeish
Player
Harley McLeish
Player
Growing up in Brisbane, Harley began his circus journey at the age of ten with Flipside Youth Circus. Throughout the years those travels have taken him around the world, training in acrobatics and hand to hand, first in Beijing and later at the renowned Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Montreal. He went on to perform his craft and share his passion with major international companies including Cirque Du Soleil and Les 7 Doigts de la Main, in shows including Traces, Crystal, 1001 Nights: The Last Chapter for Sharjah’s World Book Capital in 2019, and opening performances for Florence and The Machine and Enrique Iglesias. He looks forward to continuing this journey for many years to come.
Will Meager
Player
Will Meager
Player
Bouncing around with unbridled energy as a youngster naturally led to the charismatic Will Meager running away with the circus and making a career out of it! Since then, Will has developed into a powerhouse performer. From partner work to power tumbling, with Teeterboard and Roue Cyr added to the mix it creates a powerful concoction that has taken him to all corners of the world. He has spent his career working across the globe, from performing in the Nan Jing project in the Melbourne Festival, to working with Cavalia in Nan Jing and across China. Will has also performed across Europe and the world with CIRCA, Casus, Club Swizzle, Circus Oz and lastly Gravity and other Myths (GOM) .
Joe Meldrum
Player/Swing
Joe Meldrum
Player/Swing
Graduating from WAAPA in 2015, Joe’s professional career was launched by following the footsteps of Fred Astaire as the leading man in A Fine Romance: The Magic of Fred Astaire (JTM Productions). Most recently, he toured with the Australian production of Chicago (GFO) and featured as Snowboy in Opera Australia’s West Side Story on Sydney Harbour.
His additional credits include Trick and ensemble in the 20th Anniversary production of The Boy From Oz (The Production Company), leading man in the premiere season of Just A Couple of Song and Dance Men (JTM), Oklahoma! and Curtains (TPC). On screen, Joe features in Dream Deep for Museums Victoria and the feature film Beautiful for KOJO Pictures. Joe is honoured to be part of this production of Pippin and thanks everyone who made it possible, especially his agents at Ian White Management.
Amy Nightingale-Olsen
Player
Amy Nightingale-Olsen
Player
Amy Nightingale-Olsen is a highly skilled acrobatic flyer with a wealth of additional skills. Her tiny size and training from a very young age in elite gymnastics has given her the ability to fly Icarian Games (human foot juggling) and high level Hand-to-Hand acrobatics. Amy has performed dance trapeze, foot juggling (prop manipulation) in both cabarets and children’s shows alike, club passing on and off cruise ships, and acoustic guitar in touring and local cabarets.
Amy graduated from NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts) in 2007 and has toured nationally and internationally ever since. She has had the pleasure to work with companies such as Circus Oz and Circa, as well as Melbourne based companies Dummies Corp. and Highwire Entertainment. Amy is a passionate performer; she enjoys working hard and training even harder.
Thomas Remaili
Player
Thomas Remaili
Player
Since completing his training in Sydney in 2011 at Ed5 International under the direction of William Forsythe, Tom has been charming audiences wherever he goes! He has toured Australia and Asia with The Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as performing on stage with artists such as Kylie Minogue and Geri Halliwell. Tom has appeared on screen for Channel 10’s So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Boss and The Masked Singer, Channel 7’s X Factor and ABC’s Dance Academy. He also had the opportunity to work under the direction of Baz Luhrmann on The Great Gatsby. In 2014, Tom made his musical debut in Thriller Live! for its Australian tour, and then joined the cast for its London/West End production. Since returning to Australia, Tom has expanded his skillset by training in circus arts, and has appeared as a regular cast member of Kermond Creative’s Spiegelesque Cabaret.
Gretel Scarlett
Player/Swing
Gretel Scarlett
Player/Swing
As one of Australia’s leading triple threats, Gretel Scarlett is best known for starring as Sandy in GFO's Grease and Kathy Seldenin TEG Dainty’s production of Singin’ in the Rain. Her past credits include understudying and performing the roles of Elphaba and Nessrose in GFO’s Wicked, Sophie, Ali and Lisa in the 10th Anniversary tour of Mamma Mia, as well as starring as Sal in Breast Wishes. A graduate of WAAPA, Gretel’s appearances include singing the National Anthem at the 2013 NRL State of Origin, the ACMF concert, Channel 7's Carols in the Domain, the Helpmann Awards, and performing alongside Tony Award™ winner Kristin Chenoweth at Melbourne's Hamer Hall. In 2017, Gretel was the only Australian female to complete a South bound solo hike of the 4600 km Pacific Crest Trail from Canada to Mexico. She has recently returned to Australia after studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles. Gretel’s album Hopelessly Devoted is available online.
Suzanne Steele
Player
Suzanne Steele
Player
Originally from Brisbane, Suzanne has enjoyed an extensive career in the Australian music theatre industry. Her most recent credits include the Witch and understudy to Princess Fiona in Shrek (GFO), Lucille in Thoroughly Modern Millie (TPC), She Loves Me (Hayes Theatre) and the world premiere of Dream Lover (GFO). Other credits include Nessarose understudy in the original Australian cast of Wicked (GFO), Janet, Magenta and Columbia understudy in The Rocky Horror Show (GFO), Hugh Jackman’s Broadway To Oz Arena Australian Tour (Dainty), Jesus Christ Superstar (TPC), Hello Dolly (TPC), Funny Girl (TPC), Scarlet in Good Omens (Squabbalogic), Barry Humphries’ 50th Anniversary Australian Tour Back With A Vengeance (Dainty), and both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Suzanne is thrilled to be returning to the stage with GFO this year and would like to thank her family for their ongoing support.
Andrew Sumner
Player
Andrew Sumner
Player
Dual National Circus artist, Andrew Sumner began his journey at age four representing Australia internationally with elite level artistic and trampoline gymnastics. After many years of competition, Andrew discovered his love for Circus, making his onstage debut as a guest artist in multiple Fringe World Festival cabaret shows. His most recent and notable theatrical credits include an international residency in Dubai with La Perle by Franco Dragone. Andrew spent 12 months as a member of the aquatic house troupe, in the show’s most memorable Banquine, tumbling and high diving acts. His other key roles include playing “magic carpet” in Disney Cruise Lines Aladdin and touring with Circus Joseph Ashton, where he created and developed his hand-balancing and hand-to-hand act for the touring show Infamous under the traditional big top.
Jessica Ward
Player
Jessica Ward
Player
Jessica was born in Melbourne and grew up Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, where from the age of three she trained in sports acrobatics, classical ballet, gymnastics, music and dance. After competing in two Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, she began her professional career as a Circus Artist. Jessica trained at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, graduating in 2009.
During her career Jessica has performed with companies and productions including Legs on The Wall, L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Steve Angelo, Pete Tong, Miley Cyrus, P&O Cruises, TV Week Logie Awards, PACHA, NIDA, Future Entertainment and Biscuit Film Works. In 2014, Jessica toured with Circa Contemporary Circus and Katie Noonan, in Love Song Circus. Later that year she relocated to Las Vegas, where she worked in several productions across the Las Vegas Strip. During her time in the USA, Jessica was cast in Cirque Du Soleil’s One Night for One Drop, and continued her work with the company as a part of the creation team and world touring cast of Toruk. Jessica has since performed in Franco Dragone's La Perle in Dubai, in which she was the shows aerial captain, contributed to the show’s aerial choreography, and created and performed the aerial silks solo act.