Alumni News Roundup - Autumn 2021

This roundup celebrates a selection of Central graduates’ news and successes, covering alumni award wins and nominations, and their numerous contributions in all areas of stage and digital theatre, television and film, as well as in the wider community.

If you’re a Central graduate and have some news that you’d like to share with us, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please email alumni@cssd.ac.uk, or complete our ‘Update Your Details’ webform. 

Awards & Nominations

Aretha Ayeh and Ingrid Mackinnon have both been nominated for 2021 Black British Theatre Awards for their work on Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet; Aretha in the category of Best Supporting Female Actor, and Ingrid in the category of Best Choreographer. 

Dame Judi Dench has been nominated for a BAFTA Cymru Award in the category of Best Actress for her performance in Six Minutes to Midnight.

Deelee Dube, an MA Voice graduate also known as Sitandile Dubé, has been nominated in five different categories at the 5th Annual Mzantsi Jazz Awards.

Martin Freeman has been nominated for a 2021 Gold Derby Television Award for starring in hit comedy series, Breeders.

Sonia Friedman’s production The Inheritance recently collected four Tony Awards, including Best New Play, at a ceremony celebrating the best productions of the 2019-20 season after last year’s ceremony was postponed. 

Tony Giroux filmed My Name Is, a five-part mini documentary series with lead investigator Dr Javeria K. Shah, looking at the experiences of individuals with non-western first names, its link to their identity and how it correlates to pressures of conforming to Westernized English norms. It has won the Award of Merit and the Award of Recognition at the Best Shorts Competition, Best Short Documentary at the Phoenix Shorts 2021, and will have its UK Premiere on 20 October. 

Rebecca Jade Hammond was shortlisted for the Papatango Writing Prize 2021 for her play, Hot Chicks. She’s also currently appearing in BBC’s BAFTA nominated comedy, The Tuckers.  

Shannon Harris directed Grist, which has been nominated for a Mott Haven Film Festival Award for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Narrative and Best Acting. 

Matthew Holt was art director and production designer for the music video for Peaches, by Justin Bieber, featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, which won Best Pop at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Elise Lamb’s ‘Proof of Concept’ script for the screen adaptation of her full-length play, The Australian Girl was named a Quarter-Finalist at the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, and Out Screen Play’s Shorts Competition. 

Harry Macqueen’s film Supernova, starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, has been included in the European Film Award’s 2021 selection, also selected is Swedish-Finnish film Tove, which included intimacy coordination from Pia Rickman.

Blacktress UK, co-founded by Cherrelle Skeete to provide support and opportunities for black and mixed race female-identifying actors, received the recognition award at this year’s Industry Minds Awards.

Stage & Digital Theatre

Opened in August

Eleanor Banasik is now as a dresser for Disney and Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s West End production of Mary Poppins, which includes puppetry consultancy from Toby Olié.

Selina Cadell starred in Chichester Festival Theatre’s The Flock, which included lighting design from Zoe Spurr, and ran from 6 to 28 August.

Richard Pryal stars in, and Lucy Carter provided lighting design, for 2:22 – A Ghost Story, running at Noël Coward Theatre from 3 August to 16 October.

Michael Grandage directed the stage adaptation of Disney’s Frozen, which reopened on the West End on 27 August, and includes video design from Finn Ross.

Hazel Holder was dialect coach on Rockets and Blue Lights, running at The National Theatre from 4 August to 11 September.

Emilio Ianucci performed in Around the World in 80 Days, which included movement direction from Asha Jennings-Grant, and ran at York Theatre Royal from 11 to 28 August.

Ben Jacobs provided lighting design, and Will Thompson sound design, for Southwark Playhouse’s production of Salomé, which included original lighting design from Hector Murray, and ran from 28 August to 25 September.

George Jones and Andy Sellers performed in new play, Swimming, running at The White Bear Theatre from 3 to 21 August.

Keziah Joseph performed in Mojisola Adebayo’s Family Tree, a new play about the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks which premiered at the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, and will later transfer to the Young Vic in 2022.

Coral Messam was movement director for Paradise, running at National Theatre from 4 August to 9 September, and including performance from Sutara Gayle (Webber Douglas), and casting from Amy Ball.

Daniel Rainford starred in Almeida Theatre’s production of Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia, which included sound design from David Gregory, and ran from 21 August to 18 September.

Ana Web Sanchez provided set design, and current student Mattis Larsen provided lighting design, for Tier Three Sisters, which ran at Hope Theatre from 9 to 15 August as part of Camden Fringe Festival.

Joel Trill was dialect coach on Statement After an Arrest Under the Immortality Act, running at Orange Tree Theatre from 28 August to 2 October.

The world’s largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, returned with a hybrid of both in person and online shows and events throughout August. Check out our Central at Edinburgh roundup to find out about the student, staff and alumni shows that were presented at the festival this year. 

Opened in September

​​​​Jack Boissieux is production manager for Finborough Theatre’s production How to Survive an Apocalypse, running from 28 September to 23 October. 

Anna Clock was composer and sound designer for The Beauty Queen of Leenane, running at Chichester Festival Theatre from 3 September to 2 October.

Lucy Cullingford was movement director, and Beth Duke was costume designer on Southwark Playhouse’s production of Anything is Possible if you Think About It Hard Enough, running from 22 September to 9 October.

Kate Duffy-Syedi is co-artistic director of Phosphoros Theatre, a company that makes socially engaged performance with, for, and by refugees and asylum seekers. Their new production, All the beds I have slept in (pictured), tours from 23 September to 16 November. Becca Prentice was stage manager for the production, and MA Scenography Karl Chaundy recently completed a placement with the company.

Rosie Elnile was set designer, and Seb Cannings was production manager, for Jasmine Lee-Jones’ one-woman show curious, running at Soho Theatre from 16 September to 16 October.

Rina Fatania performed in NW Trilogy at Kiln Theatre, a collection of three vivid stories, told over one performance, celebrating people who challenged the course of history. The production included assistant stage management (book cover) from Catriona McHugh, and assistant stage management (rehearsals) from Louise Quartermain, and ran from 6 September to 9 October.

Dino Fetscher, Luke Norris and Richard Cant star in National Theatre’s production of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart (pictured), running from 23 September to 6 November. It is the UK’s first revival of this ground-breaking play about love, anger and activism during the 1980s AIDS crisis since 1986. Join us for Creative Conversation: Robert Bowman and Dino Fetcher in conversation with Sinéad Rushe on 1 November. 

Erin Guan was costume designer on Southwark Playhouse’s production Tokyo Rose, running from 23 September to 16 October.

Ryan Heenan is part of the ensemble for the Back to the Future the Musical, which opened on the West End on 13 September, and includes video design from Finn Ross. 

Rachel-Leah Hosker is movement director for Camp Siegfried, running at Old Vic Theatre from 7 September to 30 October.

Chi-San Howard was movement director, and Beth Duke was sound designer, for Typical Girls, running at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, from 24 September to 16 October. Chi-San was also movement director for Glee and Me, running at Manchester’s Royal Exchange from 11 September to 30 October.

Cush Jumbo stars in the titular role of The Young Vic’s long-awaited production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (pictured), which also includes performance from Joseph Marcell in the role of Polonius, and sound design from Emma Laxton. The production opened on 25 September and runs until 13 November. 

Stephen Kemble provided voice and dialect coaching for Hampstead Theatre’s production of The Memory of Water, running from 3 September to 16 October. 

Ernest Kingsley Jnr made his professional theatre debut performing alongside Cecilia Noble in Royal Court’s Is God Is, running from 10 September to 23 October.

Catriona McFeely and Ruby Campbell both performed in The Lyric Theatre Belfast’s production Rough Girls, running from 9 to 25 September. 

Anna Morrissey was movement director for Royal Opera House’s production of Rigoletto, running from 13 to 29 September. 

Jonathan O’Boyle directed The Last Five Years, starring Molly Lynch, which originally opening at the Southwark Playhouse and then had a West End transfer, running at Garrick Theatre from 17 September to 17 October.

Peter Rice provided sound design for Almeida Theatre’s production of The Tragedy of Macbeth, running from 27 September to 20 November.

Jacob Seelochan, Angelina Chudi, Martins Imhangbe and Saskia Craft-Stanley all returned to perform, on various nights, in a revival of the critically acclaimed production, Dear Elizabeth, running from 7 to 17 September at Gate Theatre’s new theatre space, Theatro Technis, in Camden. 

Rajha Shakiry was set and costume designer for Royal Exchange Manchester’s production of The Mountaintop, running from 25 September to 27 October.

Grace Smart was set designer for Shakespeare’s Globe’s contemporary retelling of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This work was produced as part of their first writers-in-residence in four centuries, and is running from 30 September to 30 October.

Jennifer Saunders has returned to the role of eccentric clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit (pictured), running at Harold Pinter Theatre from 16 September to 6 November.

Anna Watson was lighting designer for Northern Ballet’s production of Merlin, which ran at Theatre Royal Nottingham from 25 September to 2 October.

Opening in October

27 Degrees, a theatre company founded by Chusi Amoros, Dajana Trtanj and Marie Klimis, presented Behind Closed Doors (pictured), a site-specific theatrical experience exploring how neighbourhood stories connect, and how strangers’ perceptions define us. The production ran from 5 to 9 October at Spitalfields, East London​. 

Esme Appleton co-founded 1927 Productions, and both directed and performed in their recent show Roots, running at Wilton Music Hall from 5 to 30 October.

Jamie Buller is the assistant director on Southwark Theatre’s production of Indecent Proposal, running from 21 October to 27 November.

Angela Gasparetto was movement director and intimacy co-ordinator for The Last Song, running at Chichester Festival Theatre between 1 and 23 October.

Paul Groothuis provided sound design for The Midnight Bell, which was produced by New Adventures, running at Sadler’s Wells from 4 to 9 October.

Asha Jennings-Grant was movement director, Bethany Gupwell was lighting designer, and Lex Kosanke was sound designer, for Orange Tree Theatre’s production of Rice, running from 9 October to 13 November.

Jack Knowles provided lighting design for the Olivier Award-winning musical Caroline, or Change, which opens on Broadway’s Studio 54 from 27 October.

Igor Memic wrote play, Old Bridge, which was produced by alumni theatre company, Papatango, and runs at Bush Theatre from 21 October to 20 November. The production also includes performance from Emilio Iannucci.

Ingrid Mackinnon was movement director, and Simon Kenny provided sound design, for Mercury Theatre Colchester’s production of Antigone, running from 1 to 16 October.

Faith Omole performs in The Bridge Theatre’s production of White Noise, which includes dialect and voice from Hazel Holder, set design from Lizzie Clachan, sound design from Donato Wharton, intimacy coordination from David Thackeray, and casting from Amy Ball. The production runs from 13 October to 13 November.

Hannah Sharkey is associate director for Mischief Theatre’s Magic Goes Wrong, which includes lighting design from David Howe, and reopens on the West End from 21 October.

Abigail Weinstock, a Class of 2020 graduate, made her professional debut in Cordelia Lynn’s new play Love and Other Acts of Violence, running at the Donmar Warehouse from 7 October to 27 November. 

Screen

Nonso Anozie plays Ola Obisanya in the new Apple TV+ comedy series, Ted Lasso, and also starred in Netflix’s Sweet Tooth earlier this year.

Miles Ascough is construction sculptor for Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, a new series currently in post-production and set for release on Netflix later this year, which will also include appearance from Valmike Rampersad.

Hugh Bonneville (Webber Douglas) played Roald Dahl in the recently released film To Olivia, a story about Roald’s tumultuous marriage with actress Patricia Neal, which was released earlier this year.

Nia Da Costa directed the reboot of the classic horror film, Candyman, which starred Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and was released in August. She also directs the hugely anticipated Captain Marvel 2, due for release in 2022.

Sarah Ferdinando was costume maker, and Polly Bennett was movement coach, on No Time to Die, the latest instalment in the James Bond franchise, which was released in September and included appearance from Lourdes Faberes. Sarah is also senior costume maker on Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated new series House of Gucci, which will be released on Netflix in November.

Charmian Gradwell was dialect coach for animation Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, produced by Sony Pictures and starring James Corden, Rose Byrne and Margot Robbie. 

Ben Hardy recently starred in Amazon Prime’s feature film, The Voyeurs.

Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman/Black Knight in Marvel’s Eternals, set for release on 5 November.

Alex Hassell stars as Vicious in a new live-action adaptation of the 1998 beloved anime, Cowboy Bebop (pictured), arriving on Netflix in November. 

Tracy Ifeachor plays Cleo Roberts in BBC’s Showtrial (pictured), an upcoming explosive new legal drama from the makers of Line of Duty and The Bodyguard, which explores how prejudice, politics and the media distort the legal process. The series will also include performance from James Frain. 

Jerry Iwu, a Class of 2020 graduate, plays new character Oba in season three of Netflix’s hit show, Sex Education (pictured), which also includes performance from Rebecca Root.  

Hannah John-Kamen stars in new feature film, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, set for release in November.

Anđela Jovanović starred in Serbian feature film, Bad Blood, playing Tashana, a revolutionary character in Serbian classical literature.

Nick Payne wrote feature film, The Last Letter From Your Lover, which included performance from Joe Alwyn and was released in July. Joe will next star in an adaptation of bestselling writer, Sally Rooney’s, Conversations with Friends, which will include intimacy coordination from Ita O’Brien, and he will also appear alongside Andrew Garfield in a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, both set for release in 2022.

Catherine Tate has been announced to write and star in a new mockumentary titled, Hard Cell, about life in a women’s prison, in which she’ll play multiple characters. 

Hannah Wescombe and Charlotte Bell worked with Baked Bean Company to produce documentary [Re]Focus: Exploring Unheard Voices, exploring how people with learning disabilities have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. This was presented at Wandsworth Arts Fringe in July.

In our Community

Daniel Balfour was sound designer, Matt Daw was lighting designer, Charlotte Hall provided stage management, and Class of 2020 graduate, Charles Douglas, was movement assistant for The Hatchling (pictured), a ground-breaking outdoor theatrical experience unfolding over a weekend of events over the coast of Plymouth (pictured).

Christopher Blois-Brooke, was a Producer of the 20th ASSITEJ World Congress and Festival on Theatre for Children and Young People taking place earlier this year. Uniting organisations and individuals who make theatre for children and young people, ASSITEJ is dedicated to the artistic, cultural and educational rights of children and young people across the globe and advocates on behalf of all children regardless of nationality, cultural identity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion.

Ross Bolwell-Williams is now a Senior Producer for Warts & All Theatre, a company delivering extraordinary theatre in unexpected places. They produce acting programmes for all ages in Northampton, Coventry and Wellingborough, support developing theatre producers, and work with schools, colleges and universities through an extensive Heritage and Learning programme.  

George Fanzio and Brendan Lucia, professional storytellers and drama and movement therapists, have formed The Storytelling Circle and are running a host of online storytelling events, Once Beside A Time: Tales From Our Collective Depths, from 8 October to 14 November. 

Nick Farr is a Creative Director at Lock In Films, writing, directing, performing and producing film.

Caroline Friedman founded Scenesaver, an award-winning, free, theatre streaming website launched to make theatre performances accessible to all, showcase talent, and support and incentivise creatives. They currently have over 400 performances available to watch, and thousands of users across the world.

Emily Little is now Children’s Programme Producer at London Bubble Theatre Company, which presents work that frees people’s creative voices to foster a more connected and equal society.

Maya Shimmin is currently part of the team at Brent Youth Theatre, who recently collaborated with Wembley Park and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Wemba’s Dream, a free, day-long festival using music, dance, spoken word and theatre to bring to life the hopes, ambitions and fantasies of the people of Brent. 

Amy Slater, a deputy stage manager, has launched Theatre Darlings, a podcast celebrating the hard working, passionate and talented people who work in all aspects and positions across the theatre industry.

Katherine Webb was Associate Producer on Pandemic in the City, a festival presented by Theatre Deli and Dark Yellow Dot, with support from The City of London, gathering ten artists of different disciplines and backgrounds together to create new pieces of work inspired by the effects of the pandemic and lockdown. 

Andrew Visnevski founded the Kalamata Drama International Summer School, now in its third year. He also contributed to the creation of the Theatre Directors’ Course at the Drama School of the Greek National Theatre in Athens, and runs Theatre Alive!, a charity that supports innovative projects in the performing arts. In addition to this, he has recently written a new stage adaptation of Thomas Mann’s Dr Faustus as a tale of our times.