Leon Sinden Awards

Jessica Brydges

Training: Guildford School of Acting.

Theatre includes: The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi (World premiere, Kenneth More Theatre), Peter Pan (Roman Theatre Open Air Festival), Robin Hood (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch), Me and the Girls (Regional Tour), The Merchant of Venice (Konstantin Velichkov, Bulgaria) and Europe’s largest Christmas show, the Thursford Christmas Spectacular.

Other work includes: Assistant Musical Director for a filmed stage production of the musical, Ordinary Days.

Nalân Burgess

Theatre credits include: Welcome To Iran (The National Theatre, & Theatre Royal Stratford East), Out of Sorts (Theatre503), Where We Are: The Mosque (The Arcola), Citizen (The Space Theatre), My Beautiful Laundrette (Above The Stag), Nine the Musical (Edinburgh Festival)

Television credits include: The Sandman (Warner Bros/DC Comics) – coming to Netflix this year, Rude Boys (BBC3)

Short-plays include: Who’s Mom & Who’s Mama? (Theatre503), Sexual Assault (The Pleasance, London), Rage Room (Lyric Hammersmith), A Tree Called Max (The King’s Head), Horizon of the Irreversible Night (The Arcola), Dutty Wine (The Bunker)

Film credits include: Taarof, Meeting, House of Salem, Essex Boys: Retribution, He Who Dares

Radio and voice work including: Welcome To Iran (BBC Radio), An Undersea Story – Yakamoz/Bir Denizaltı Hikâyesi (Netflix – dubbing), The Offensive (Fiction podcast series), Elite: Dangerous (Videogame), Jackie The Ripper (Fiction podcast series), Boom (Fiction podcast series)

Meg Chaplin

Meg is an actor-musician trained at East 15 Acting School (MA Acting). After graduating, she made her professional stage debut in the UK tour of David Walliams’ ‘The Midnight Gang’ (Heartbreak Productions). Since then, Meg has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in ‘Father Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall’ (Goblin Theatre), as Assistant Musical Director/Ensemble in ‘Woman of Flowers’ (Kara Tyler/East 15), and most recently as part of multimedia site-specific production ‘Arrival’ (imPOSSIBLE producing).

Meg is an experienced multi-instrumentalist and when she isn’t on-stage, also runs an educational Youtube channel, ‘Music With Meg’, with over 10,000 subscribers worldwide.

As a Cornish native, Meg is excited for a summer season in Pitlochry -about as far from her hometown as you can get by road -and although she’s looking forward to exploring Scotland, she still hopes she can find a pasty or two…

Richard Colvin

Richard is overjoyed to be returning to Pitlochry Festival Theatre for a 5th time having been part of the Christmas company in 2019 and the rep company in 2021, 2019 and 2014. Richard was born in Fife, studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and then the Royal Academy of Music.

His Other theatre productions include: The Wizard Of Oz (Storyhouse, Chester); Sunshine On Leith (West Yorkshire Playhouse); A Christmas Carol, Threepenny Opera and Singing In The Rain (Octagon, Bolton); The Borrowers (New Vic Theatre); Hamlet and A Government Inspector (Northern Broadsides); The Hired Man (off-Broadway), and Assassins (Crucible, Sheffield).

Richard regularly tours with the internationally renowned cabaret “Opera Boys“, and has also worked as a principal soloist for the London Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestras.

Deirdre Davis

Deirdre graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1991. She has worked for many theatre companies including the Tron Theatre, Perth Rep and 7:84 Theatre.

In recent years she has played Nora in Rona Munro’s Bold Girls at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. She has appeared in a few movies and television shows and spent 14 years playing Eileen Donachie in BBC Scotland’s River City.

Deirdre first worked at Pitlochry in 1999, when she appeared in The Summertime Is Come with Jimmy Logan and Edith McArthur. Since then, she’s returned to Pitlochry several times appearing in The Magistrate, Heartbreak House, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and The Monarch Of The Glen.

Deirdre has appeared in consecutive Pitlochry seasons, most recently as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, Emer in Heritageand Maria Hale in North and South in 2019. Deirdre was also a part of PFT’s Winter Ensemble 2021.

She’s thrilled to once more be back at PFT this year.

Amelia Donkor

Amelia trained at LAMDA.

She is on the board of trustees at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

Recent theatre credits include: DUENDE (The Faction @ WiltonsMusic Hall & SJT) Prince Charming’s Christmas Cracker (Hull Truck) The Taming of the Shrew/As You Like it (RSC) The 39 Steps (Stephen Joseph Theatre) The Culture (Hull Truck) What Shadows (Birmingham rep/Lyceum Edinburgh/The Park) Villette (West YorkshirePlayhouse) Vassa Zheleznova (Southwark Playhouse) Richard III, My Last Duchess (The Faction/New Diorama Theatre) The Fruit Trilogy (Southbank Centre/West Yorkshire Playhouse) Wanted! Robin Hood, Mother Courage, Manchester Lines (Library Theatre Company/The Lowry) I Have a Dream (Polka Theatre) Arabian Nights (New Vic Theatre)

Television credits include: Manhunt II, Emmerdale, Trial and Retribution, The Bill (ITV) Eastenders, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors, Wizards Vs Aliens (BBC), Guilt (ABC), In The Dock (RDF/Channel 4), Hollyoaks (Lime/Channel 4)

Rhiane Drummond

Training: BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre at Bird College.

Theatre includes: Cover Heather Duke in Heathers (Original UK Tour); Kathy, cover Judy Bernly in 9 to 5 the Musical (Savoy Theatre);Cover Deena Jones and Michelle Morris in Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre); Lead Singer/Dionne in Hair (West End LIVE); Ortisha, cover Clara and Louise in Ghost -the Musical (Asian tour); understudy Gary Coleman, Second Arm, Mrs T and Yellow Bear in Avenue Q (UK tour); Michelle in Sister Act(Gordon Craig Theatre) and Dynamite in Hairspray (Cork Opera House and Irish Tour).

Workshops include: Testimony in Oliva Tweest (Barbican Centre) and Narrator in Olivia Tweest (The Other Palace).

Television includes: The One Show (BBC) and This Morning (ITV).

Recordings include: Kathy in Original London Cast Recording of 9 to 5 The Musical.

Instagram: rhishape_

Twitter: @RhianeTweets

Anna Fordham

Anna trained in Actor Musicianship at Rose Bruford.

Theatre: The Brothers Grimm Present Cinderella (Barn Theatre), NewsRevue, I’m Eric Get Me Out of Here (New Vic Stoke), Women in Power (NST/Oxford Playhouse), The Borrowers (Watermill), Fantastic Mr Fox (Lyric Hammersmith/UK Tour)

TV: The Athena(Sky)

Other credits include: The Wild Party (Workshop), A Penny Dreadful (Workshop), We Progress (Short), Flood of Light (Rolo Tomassi), Blink (Midas Fall)

Anna is Non Binary and uses They, She, and He pronouns.

Connor Going

Connor trained at the University of Glasgow and Royal Academy of Music, London.

Theatre credits include: Chuck/Cover Ren in FOOTLOOSE (UK & International Tour), Piano Man in THE CHOIR OF MAN (USA Tour & Australia Tour), Otter in THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and Donald in DONALD & BENOIT (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Musical Director/The Busker in INDECENT PROPOSAL (Southwark Playhouse) & Band Leader/Ensemble in A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Barn Theatre Cirencester).

Concert Credits include: Soloist for THE BEATLES ORCHESTRATED (Abbey Road Studios), Backing Vocalist for U2 AT THE BBC (Abbey Road Studios) & Soloist for AN EVENING OF THE GREATEST MUSICALS (Pitlochry Festival Theatre).

Connor is delighted to be returning to Pitlochry Festival Theatre again this summer, after making his PFT debut in 2021. He is excited to play his part in continuing to embrace and celebrate the return of live theatre and performance in Scotland.

James Hudson

Training: Performance Preparation Academy (PPA).

Credits whilst training: Nick Hurley in Flashdance – The Musical, Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret and Danny in Baby.

Theatre credits include: Maurice Gibb in Saturday Night Fever (West End), Drummer in The Choir of Man (West End), Joker in The Choir of Man (Sydney Opera House, European, Australian & USA Tours) Alan-a-dale in Twang! (Union Theatre) Alternate Ray Davies/Understudy Dave & Pete in Sunny Afternoon (UK Tour) and Prince Charming in Cinderella (Stratford Arts House).

Twitter/Instagram: @JamesLeeHudson

Keith Jack

Keith Jack is best-known for BBC 1’s Any Dream Will Do where he came second.

Theatre credits include: The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour); Charlie in Only The Brave (Edinburgh Festival); Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour); Alistair in Sincerely, Mr Toad (Edinburgh/Greenwich); Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore (UK Tour) and Sparky in Forever Plaid (St James Theatre, London) and Nick Piazza in Fame (West End/UK Tour)

Keith’s pantomime credits include: The title role in Dick Whittington (Maidstone); The Prince in Sleeping Beauty (Ipswich Regent, Glasgow Kings); the title role in Peter Pan (His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen); Prince Charming in Cinderella (Whitley Bay/Horsham/Newark); the title role in Aladdin (King’s Theatre, Glasgow) and The Prince in Snow White (Stag Theatre, Sevenoaks and Gatehouse Theatre Stafford).

Concert appearances include: Performing for HM The Queen at the Parliament Picnic; performing for the Spanish Royal Family. The Great Scot Awards; Choices for Life 2008 & 2009; Lauder Live (Thirlestane Castle); BBC 2’s Friday Night is Music Night; Music, Music.

Music – John Barrowman’s album tour (Hammersmith Apollo); Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Birthday Concert (Hyde Park); BBC Songs of Praise. Keith also headlined Aberdeen’s Hogmanay Street Party in 2009 with Sandi Thom and Amy MacDonald. An Evening of Movies and Musicals with John Owen Jones and Ruthie Henshall (Cardiff/Edinburgh). He also performed alongside Ruthie Henshall during her solo tour. Keith appeared alongside Joe McElderry in Saturday Night at the Movies (UK Tour).

TV credits include: When Joseph Met Maria (BBC Christmas Special) and I’d Do Anything (guest appearance).

Recording credits: Keith can be heard on the soundtrack for the award- winning film, The Dreams of Kings and the radio play Unholiest Order. Keith’s first studio album, This Time, went straight into the Top 20. His second album, An Evening at the Musicals, and third album, A Little Bit More of Me, also hit the Top 30. He completed three sell-out UK Tours of these albums. Keith can also be heard on John Barrowman’s album, Music, Music, Music. He also features on the cast recordings of two new musicals, Sincerely, Mr Toad and Only The Brave.

Keith’s newly-released fourth album, Movie Nights, features classic songs from iconic movies.

For more information and to keep up to date with future projects, check out Officialkeithjack.co.uk or @keithjack on Twitter @keithjackofficial on Instagram.

Blythe Jandoo

Theatre credits include: Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (SEC Armadillo); Ensemble in Rumi: The Musical in Concert (The London Coliseum); Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 2020 Summer Ensemble; Pinky in Bend It Like Beckham (North American Premiere); Ensemble in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (The London Palladium); Ensemble/Cover Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin (The Prince Edward Theatre, London); Ensemble in The Wizard of Oz (The Sheffield Crucible); Cover Buffy/Ashley in Starlight Express (The Starlight Express Theatre, Bochum); Follies (The Royal Albert Hall); The Olivier Awards 2015 (Royal Opera House); Tinkerbell in Peter Pan (Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow).

Television, Film and Audio include: Return (GMAC Film); Be Like Elsie (Lothian Films); Aladdin (Walt Disney Pictures); Gold (Eros International); Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Pictures);The Great (Hulu); The Terrific Treevils (Watford Palace and Woodland Trust Production) Rumi (Original Cast Recording) The Shadow of Tay (The Scotsman Sessions) Letter To…(Stellar Quines and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)

Blythe trained at The Dance School of Scotland and subsequently The Arts Educational Schools, London.

Lanna Joffrey

Lanna Joffrey is an award-winning Iranian actor, spoken-word performer and writer working in the UK and US. She has enjoyed performing extensively in theatre, film, audio projects and her spoken word, which has been published in print and online. Her critically acclaimed verbatim docudrama, Valiant has toured throughout the UK/US and was published this year by NoPassport Press. She has been the narrator for Radio 4/BBC Book of the Week of MAID and Worn, the audiobook An Emotion of Great Delight and has recorded for numerous video games, commercials, audiodramas, animations & BBC Sounds/Darkfield Radio, DEADHOUSE. She also wrote/recorded for the podcast, Things I Am Not (Legal Aliens Theatre). thingsiamnot.com

She is company member of Barefoot Theatre Company (NYC/LA), The Factory (UK) and founder of the Hyphen Artist Collective (UK). She is also on the steering group of MENA Arts UK.

THEATRE: The Eyes of the Night (Cervantes Theatre), The Time of Our Lies (Park Theatre), Muse of Fire and Sonnet Walks (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Thousand Splendid Suns (A.C.T., Old Globe, Arena Stage & Seattle Rep), Troilus and Cressida and Timon of Athens (Willow Globe, The Factory), I Call My Brothers (Gate Theatre), Soulless Ones (Hammer House Live/Hoxton Hall) They Promised Her the Moon (Old Globe),The Profane (Playwrights Horizons), Nine Parts of Desire (Lyric Stage & The Kitchen), Valiant (Edinburgh Fringe, New York Fringe, WOW Festival, JW3, InterAct Theatre & Women & War Festival), 1001 (Denver Center).

FILM/TV: The First Circle, Druid Peak, Fishing Naked, Honk!, Security, Mad To Be Normal, Delocated and The New Americans.

AWARDS: NYFringe (Valiant), IRNE (Nine Parts of Desire) and Ovation Award (1001).

TRAINING: MA Acting(Distinction): Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, BFA Acting: Syracuse University

WEBSITE: lannajoffrey.com

Keith Macpherson

Keith trained at RSAMD and the École Jacques Lecoq.

Stage credits include: The Yellow Door (Lyceum/ Edinburgh International Book Festival), Selkie (A Play a Pie and a Pint), Rapunzel, Bauble Trouble, Museum of Dreams, Waiting for Godot, Desire Under the Elms, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz (Citizens Theatre), Yellow Moon, The Monster in the Hall (Citizens/NTS), Light Boxes (Gridiron), Decky Does a Bronco (Gridiron/Almeida), James and the Giant Peach (Dundee Rep), The Yes/No Plays (Traverse), Horizontal Collaboration (David Leddy/Fire Exit), Best Of The Village Pub Theatre (Village Pub Theatre), Henry V (Bard in the Botanics),Rogue Herries (Theatre by the Lake), Mother Courage, Clutter Keeps Company (Birds of Paradise), A Christmas Carol (Cumbernauld Theatre), Hamlet (MYT Theatre), This Time With Feeling, Timeless (Suspect Culture), Para Handy (Warehouse Theatre), Funny (Reeling and Writhing), 4.48 Psychosis (Sweetscar/ Cumbernauld Theatre/Tramway), Faust, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Arsenic and Old Lace (Edinburgh Lyceum), Trojan Women (Theatre Cryptic), Private Agenda, Factory Girls, the Trial(7:84), The Lost Child (Chichester Festival Theatre), Invisible Man (Vanishing Point), Brave (Communicado), The Canterbury Tales (Rejects’ Revenge), Making Room for Camille (Aware Haus), Rafferty’s Café (Quondam), Little Victories, Sunset Song (TAG), Macbeth (Chester Gateway), Media Star (Theatre Workshop), Bloodknot, Piaf, Twelfth Night (Brunton Theatre), The Country Doctor, I Love You Baby but I Gotta Run, The Ran Dan (Merry Mac).

Audio credits include: Donald and Benoit (Pitlochry Festival theatre), The Chronycle (BBC Radio Scotland).

Film credits include: Stan and Ollie.

TV credits include: Taggart, Silent Witness.

Rachael McAllister

Rachael trained on the BA Musical Theatre Course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, following her time at the Dance School of Scotland.

Rachael was part of the 2019 PFT Christmas company, performing in A Christmas Carol, and was lucky enough to be a member of the PFT2 020 Light Hope Joy Company online. She is delighted to be returning to the theatre in the hills in person this year.

Other Credits include: Brilliance (Farnham Maltings), Son of a Preacher Man (No.1 UK Tour), The Little Mermaid (Macrobert Arts Centre)

Musician Credits Include: Trombonist –Oklahoma (GSA), Urinetown (Edinburgh Fringe), 9 to 5 (Chichester)

Rachael is thrilled to be heading home to Scotland for the summer and would like to thank her family and friends for their never-ending support!

Alyson Orr

Alyson has performed with many theatre companies including: Perth Rep, Scottish Opera, Borderline, Byre Theatre, Theatre Workshop, Wildcat, Jersey Opera House and most recently the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre, appearing in numerous productions there. She played the role of Kate Fulton in the much loved show, ‘Rikki and Me’ alongside Gerard Kelly and Tony Roper.

She has also appeared in TV shows such as ‘River City’, ‘High Road’ and in the BAFTA award winning film, ‘One Life Stand’. She recently played the lead character in an Irn Bru commercial for the Euros.

Alyson is one third of the jazz vocal harmony group The Swingcats. She has appeared all over the world with them including shows in Dubai, Marrakech and Monte Carlo and they have performed with some of the UK’s top big bands, most notably the BBC Big Band and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The Swingcats have also appeared on ‘Friday Night Is Music Night’ and ‘Big Band Special’ on BBC Radio 2.

Alyson composed the music for the musical comedy, ‘The Wedding Planners’ and is currently working on a new musical called ‘The Coven’.

She has also produced shows for some of Scotland’s best-loved stars including Jimmy Logan, Jonathan Watson and Alex Norton.

Kit Orton

Training: Kit trained in opera at The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and in musical theatre at The Royal Academy of Music, London.

Theatre credits include: El Tejon in Zorro (Manchester 2020), Tom Jones in Tom (UK Tour 2016), Bill Sykes in Oliver (Watermill Theatre); Tom Jones in Tom (UK Tour 2014); Lancelot in Spamalot (West End & UK Tour); Jackson in The Hired Man (Mercury Theatre/Leicester Curve); Dickens Abridged (Arts Theatre, West End), Twelfth Night (Perth Rep); Hot Mikado (UK Tour); Spend Spend Spend (Watermill Newbury); Martin Guerre (Watermill Newbury).

Writing Credits: My Land’s Shore, Then, Now & Next, Grace Notes, The Gory Story of Edward Polidori, Dracula, This Time Next Week, B.o.a.t.s, The Road To Port of Barry, Elephant Juice, as well as numerous compositions for cabarets, comedy shows and podcasts. My Land’s Shore was nominated for Best New Musical in The Offies, 2018.

Christopher has also created and manages vocal groups, The FlyBoys, The New York FlyBoys and Miami Voice who have, between them, supported Cliff Richard on his 60th Anniversary Tour, performed for Bvlgari in Russia, toured with The Glenn Miller Orchestra in the USA and sailed the high seas on the best cruise liners in the world.

As a Welshman who is now a permanent resident in beautiful Scotland, Kit is thrilled to be performing with Pitlochry Theatre for the first time.

You can find Kit, My Land’s Shore and The FlyBoys on Twitter: @kitorton @mylandsshore @TheFlyBoys1

Tom Richardson

Tom trained at The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Tom lives in London, and has just returned this spring from touring the USA playing Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing with Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS).

Over the last couple of years Tom has been making work online, including playing Tweedledum & Tweedledee in Alice: A Virtual Theme Park(ONCOMM Best Digital Platform based production) for Creation Theatre/Big Telly.

Other theatre includes: Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Storyhouse, Chester); Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, She Stoops To Conquer (Guildford Shakespeare Company); The Prince & The Pauper (New Vic Theatre); Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Churchill Theatre Bromley & UK tour); Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, Sense & Sensibility, Single Spies, Dial ‘M’ For Murder, (The RivalsTheatre by the Lake, Keswick); Elton John’s Glasses (Watford Palace Theatre); A Christmas Carol,Snow White and Other Tales From The Brothers Grimm, Treasure Island, The Wind in The Willows (Creation Theatre); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo & Juliet, The Wind in The Willows, Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors (Chester Performs); Twelfth Night: A Gender Experiment (The Rose Playhouse); The White Carnation (The Finborough/Jermyn Street Theatre); Roots (Nottingham Playhouse/Hull Truck/New Vic); The Winter’s Tale, The Rivals, The Grapes of Wrath, Arsenic and Old Lace (The Mercury Theatre Colchester); The Mousetrap (SE Asia Tour and West End); Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes and Dad’s Army Marches On (UK No. 1 Tours).

@thorichardson

Marc Small

Marc Small has been an actor of stage and screen for over 20 years. He has appeared in beloved TV favourites such as Emmerdale, Holby City, Jonathan Creek and The IT Crowd.

Over his career Marc appeared in numerous stage productions such as Richard II (Almeida), Of Mice and Men (Octagon Bolton) Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury theatre) One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Theatre Clwyd) and To Kill a Mocking Bird for which he was nominated for an MTA.

Marc returns to Pitlochry after appearing in their productions of The Crucible, Heritage, Barefoot in the Park and North and South.

With his writing partner, Marc has written a number of produced feature films, and been co director on one of them.

He has also directed stage plays, Amongst them being, The Visit, The Life and Death of Almost Everybody, Romeo and Juliet and In Time (Dance). Most recently he has been an Assistant Director on Pitlochry Theatre’s Barefoot In The Park and directed their Christmas film, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

Richie Spencer

Richie was born in Hampshire and has recently graduated from the MA in Musical Theatre course at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Previous training includes a BMus in music performance and production from The London Centre of Contemporary music. Performing at Pitlochry Festival Theatre marks his professional debut.

Colleen Nicoll

Soprano Colleen Nicoll recently completed a Masters in Vocal Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with distinction and combines a successful career as a professional soprano, animateur and choral conductor. She has performed roles in numerous operatic productions including the title role in Handel’s Semele, Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Diana (Actéon), Yum Yum (The Mikado), Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), Lady Dunmow (A Dinner Engagement), Galatea (Acis and Galatea).

She sang the role of Tytania in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Minack Theatre, including a special performance for HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Colleen recently made two role debuts as Queen of the Night and Dido with the Scots Opera project in world premieres of new Scots Language translations of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Colleen has a busy concert diary working in the UK and abroad and has recently recorded an album of Scottish classical art song with pianist Andrew Johnston –Wi A Canny Lilt. Colleen has completed outreach and education training with The Royal Opera House and English National Opera and works as a workshop leader and performer with Scottish Opera. She also conducts Pitlochry and District Choral Society and works alongside the Birnam Arts providing outreach and educational projects in the Perthshire community.