CLAIRE RUTTER Minnie Fanciulla Born in South Shields, Claire Rutter began her career at Scottish Opera and elsewhere in the UK has appeared with ENO, Opera North and WNO, as well as establishing a close relationship with Grange Park Opera, where she has appeared in I Puritani, Norma, Madama Butterfly, Tosca and La Traviata. She made her US debut as Fiordiligi Così (Dallas Opera), being nominated for the Maria Callas Award, and her international engagements have included appearances at Opera Australia, Opera Flanders, Finnish National Opera, Opéra de Bordeaux, Opéra de Montpellier, Opéra de Rennes, Opéra national du Rhin, Norwegian Opera, Theater Basel, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera and Santa Fe Opera. Her performance as Lucrezia Borgia (ENO) was the first opera to be broadcast by Sky Arts, her recording of The Kingdom (Hallé) won a Gramophone Award and her Aïda (RAH) is now available on BBC DVD. STEFANO SECCO Carlos Don Carlo Born in Milan, he has sung many important roles worldwide, including: Rigoletto (Monte-Carlo), La Boheme (Munich, Turin, Rome), La Traviata (Seattle, Venice, Turin), Madama Butterfly (Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Hamburg, Toronto, Florence, Barcelona) Lucia di Lammermoor (Rome), Roberto Devereux (Marseille), Don Carlo (Oviedo), Macbeth (Milan, Madrid, Bilbao) and Simon Boccanegra (Bilbao and in Los Angeles with Placido Domingo in the title role). He has sung Verdi’s Requiem (Frankfurt and in Moscow with La Scala); Rossini’s Stabat Mater (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma) and Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette (Auditorium Parco della Musica). His voice was used in the 2010 film The Perfect Host by Nick Tomnay, singing Quando le sere al placido from Luisa Miller. GARETH SNOOK Mr Sowerberry Oliver! Most recent: Charlotte Casa Valentina (Southwark Playhouse; Off West End/Broadway World nominations for Best Male in a Play). West End appearances include Mr Buckton Made in Dagenham (Adelphi Theatre); Andre Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre/25th Anniversary DVD Universal Pictures); Lee Harvey Oswald Assassins and Peter Company (both directed by Sam Mendes at Donmar Warehouse/Noel Coward Theatre); Alex Aspects of Love (Prince of Wales); Harry My Fair Lady (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) and created the role of Artie Green Sunset Boulevard (Adelphi) all for Trevor Nunn; Dino The Rink (Cambridge); Grantaire/Bamatabois Les Miserables (Palace); Harry The Hired Man (Astoria); Skyrocket Guys and Dolls (RNT at Prince of Wales); Gus/Bustopher Jones Cats (New London); Girlfriends (Playhouse); Closer Than Ever (Jermyn Street/Criterion/Vaudeville); Pete Show Boat
(RAH). Recent TV: Law & Order: UK, Emmerdale and the new TV series Taboo. Film: Les Miserables. ALBERTO SOUSA Nick Fanciulla / Lerma Don Carlo born in Madeira, Portugal, and studied at GSMD Opera Course with Laura Sarti. As an alumnus of the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia he recorded a CD of Italian songs produced by Sir Richard Bonynge. Alberto is also the recipient of the Audience and Runner Up Prizes at the Fulham Opera Verdi Competition. Recent engagements include a tour of Bel Canto recitals in Japan; La Traviata (Barga Belcanto Festival); three European tours of Orlando Paladino (Purpur Opera); Mozart's Requiem (Gran Teatre del Liceu); a UK tour of Faust (Swansea City Opera) and La Boheme (Clapham Opera Festival). Future projects include Simon Boccanegra (Fulham Opera) and a new production of Orlando Paladino in Fribourg. ALEXANDRA SPENCER-JONES Associate Director Oliver! Credits: Director, Action to the Word’s production of Anthony Burgesss’ A Clockwork Orange (Soho Theatre & world tour); won WhatsOnStage Best Emerging Artist Award for co-writing/directing the musical Constance & Sinestra and the Cabinet of Screams (New Wimbledon/ Edinburgh Festival). Currently developing Dracula, which recently played The Arts Theatre West End. Plans include Gobsmacked (Southbank and Sydney) this summer, having played Asia in 2015; and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Latitude Festival 2016). Other directing credits: Our Lady of 121st Street (Stratford Circus); All Day Permanent Red (OSD); Cloud 9 (Birmingham Crescent); The Oresteia: Parts I, II & III (also translator – CPT); The Merchant of Venice and Busstopkisser (CPT). Associate/Movement Director credits include: Bend it Like Beckham and The Wizard of Oz (West End); Peter Grimes (Grange Park Opera); La Perichole (Garsington). DAVID STOUT Rodrigo Don Carlo Former Head Chorister of Westminster Abbey and studied Zoology at Durham University, sang with the choir of St John’s College, Cambridge and studied Opera at GSMD with Rudolf Piernay, where he was recipient of the Principal’s Prize. Highlights this season include Count Douglas Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff (Wexford Festival), title roles Le nozze di Figaro and Figaro Gets A Divorce (WNO). Recent highlights include the title role of Le nozze di Figaro and Fritz Kothner Die Meistersinger (ENO); Sandoval Le Duc d’Albe, Paolo Simon Boccanegra and title role Falstaff (Hallé, Sir Mark Elder); Sancho Panza Don Quichotte (Grange Park