Lennon programme

By kind permission of Yoko Ono Photograph by Iain McMillan Š Yoko Ono

SOUVENIR PROGRAMME royalcourtliverpool.com /royalcourtliverpool @royalcourtliv

WELCOME! Hi and welcome to this performance of Lennon.

I don’t say this lightly, but ‘Lennon’ in both 2010 and 2013 was one of the best pieces of theatre we have had the pleasure of producing at the Royal Court. It had, and still has, a wonderful mix of story, music and emotion. It is a story we all know or at least we know parts of it.

John Power is a great fit for the role of John Lennon. Like John Lennon he’s from Liverpool’s South End, he attended Dovedale Primary and Quarry Bank and he is a member of a successful Liverpool band. He is also a same age as the Lennon he is playing in the show. It almost feels as though it was meant to be.

After the rave reviews the show got last year we wanted to bring it back as soon as we could so here we are.

We are only able to present ‘Lennon’ here at the Court through the kind permission of Mrs Lennon and we are extremely grateful for her blessing.

We had a tremendous cast last time out and we were very lucky that most of them were available to come back this year. As well as the fantastic John Power, who took to acting like a duck to water last year, we are able to welcome back Tom Connor (the uncanny Paul McCartney), Kirsten Foster, Ross Higginson, Mark Newnham, Jonathan Markwood and Adam Keast. Nicky Swift is back with us having been in the cast of our 2010 production and Dan McIntyre is coming in as George Harrison having proven himself to be a great guitarist and actor in YNWA (sorry about the haircut Danny).

I believe this Liverpool-born show about one of our favourite sons could travel and tell his story outside of the city and my hope is that we can persuade Mrs Lennon how special this production is.

Bob Eaton, the Writer and Director and Howard Gray, our Musical Director, are back at the helm so we are expecting great things from this show, and you should too!

I am passionate about great theatre and I am passionate about Liverpool. ‘Lennon’ combines the two.

Enjoy the performance.

Kevin Fearon Chief Executive

A HARD DAY’S WRITE Director Bob Eaton on writing and directing Lennon for the fourth time

I was 15 in 1963, so the Beatles were the most significant cultural force in my teenage life, as they were for millions of other kids of my generation. They opened up social and artistic possibilities in a way that nobody else had done before. How? Why? They were just four lads from Liverpool. Granted, they were all extremely talented musically.

Paul McCartney in particular was and still is extraordinarily gifted as a musician, singer, and composer. And it was a McCartney song, “I Saw Her Standing There” that lifted me off the sofa and made me realise that something new and very exciting was happening in pop music. But it was Lennon, with his biting intelligence and humour, who let us know that something really very, very different was happening in our world.

Like many lads in the sixties I played guitar and sang Beatles songs in a beat group. My dad persuaded me to give it up and study for my A levels so I finished up doing a drama degree.

On leaving university in the early 70’s, my first job was as assistant to Peter Cheeseman, the Director of the extraordinary Victoria Theatre in Stoke On Trent.

The main reason I wanted to work for Peter was that he was pioneering a most original form of theatre, the local musical theatre documentary, which told real people’s stories in a fluid epic narrative and entertaining style. Peter’s chosen style of music was folk. Mine was, inevitably, rock n roll.

In 1981 I was invited to become Artistic Director of the Everyman Theatre here in Liverpool. I was sitting in a wine bar off

one night Brian Epstein’s brother, Clive, came along with a small rotund New Yorker, Sid Bernstein. Sid had been the original promoter who took the Beatles to America.

He loved the show and produced it off Broadway. A couple of years later it found its way to London where it played at The Astoria Theatre. When the show closed in 1986 it looked as though it had no future life. Michael Jackson had bought the rights to the Beatles’ songs and I was no longer able to use them.

Hardman street talking to the outgoing Director, Ken Campbell, about the sort of shows I wanted to do - entertaining, of local interest, using popular music, - and someone put on a record of John Lennon singing “Woman”. It was less than six months since John had been killed. Could I, in some way, put on a show about John, as a response to his terrible untimely death, as a kind of wake, a kind of community celebration of his life and music? The model of Peter’s theatre documentaries sprang almost immediately to mind. I interviewed many people who had known John, I plundered the many candid interviews he had given, and I looked for the autobiographical element in his songs. And I realised that there has probably never been a more autobiographical songwriter in the history of the world. So what I attempted to do was tell his life story through his songs.

Would I be able to use the songs? I sought approval from Yoko and she very graciously gave it.

The show opened in the autumn of 81, very soon after the riots in Liverpool 8. I was of course apprehensive that Liverpool would react negatively to my depiction of the man they had just discovered was their favourite son. I was relieved to find the reaction was massively positive. The show did record business at The Everyman and

And then almost twenty years later I got a phone call. Another show, also called “Lennon” was playing in San Francisco, headed for Broadway. They needed someone to work on the script, so I flew out there.

I finally got to meet Yoko and, rather marvelously, was able to arrange for her to come to Coventry Cathedral and plant two oak trees where she and John had planted two acorns in 1968. The acorns had been dug up and stolen. The trees are still there.

As John’s seventieth anniversary approached I contacted Yoko again and she was able to make it possible for me to put the show on again here at the Royal Court.

Thank you Yoko. Thank you Royal Court.

Thank you for coming to see it.

We hope you all enjoy the show.

Bob Eaton

An Introduction to Royal Court Liverpool Trust

Gillian Miller Chief Executive, Founder Royal Court Liverpool Trust

Royal Court Liverpool Trust Adopt a Seat The Royal Court Theatre Liverpool has an £11.9m plan to renovate the magnificent grade II listed theatre for future generations and

to improve access and comfort for current audiences. You can help us to renovate the theatre in Act 2 by adopting a seat in the Royal Court.

You may want to adopt a seat to:

When you adopt a seat, you will:

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• • • •

Acknowledge a special date or other occasion Dedicate in memoriam to a friend, colleague or family member Be a part of the renovation Raise awareness of your community group or business To leave a legacy

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Have your name and message on a seat for 10 years Be acknowledged on the Royal Court Trust website and plasma screens in the auditorium Receive priority booking opportunities for shows at the Royal Court

Thank you to those who have already adopted a seat!

Alan and Julia Bleasdale Andrew Beeston Anfield Infant School Archbishop Blanch C.E Voluntary Aided High School Bryan and Lillias Miller Dame Heather Beattie Denise Cosgrove Elaine Taylor Evertaut Seating Fred Lawless Geni-i Creations Gillian Miller & Kevin Fearon Graham Gavin Heather Hoy Her Honour Elizabeth Steel DL Heritage Lottery Fund Joanna Hargreaves

Elizabeth Kenworthy Ken & Fiona Miller Ken Dodd OBE & Anne Jones LIPA Liverpool Society of Chartered Accountants Lousie Ellman MP Mark Featherstone-Witty Martyn Best Medicash Modero Limited Mr J.D Mitchell Esq. Nicholas & Sheena Barber Nobles Construction Ltd Paul Day Raeanne Miller Rice Lane Infant & Nursery School Richard McCullagh

Robb Miller & Ryan Carey Robert Nadler Stacey Lavery & Eddie Smithwick Sue & Jurgen Fenney The Earl of Derby West Derby Boys School Sir Richard Stilgoe Dame Judi Dench CH, DBE Andrew Pearce Alison Steadman Ann Jones Elizabeth Kenworthy John Entwistle Sylvia Lewis Andrew Pearce

Royal Court Liverpool Youth Theatre

Royal Court Liverpool Trust Supporters We would like to thank the following for their continuing support:

The Zochonis Charitable Trust

Hemby Trust

Ravensdale Charitable Trust

CAST John Power John Lennon Tom Connor Paul McCartney, Boy, Policeman, Student Kirsten Foster Yoko Ono, Julia Lennon, Press Ross Higginson Pete Best, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson Adam Keast Vicar, Stuart Sutcliffe, Brian Epstein, Press, INS, Andy Peebles Jonathan Markwood Arthur Ballard, Bob Wooller, Larry Parnes, Herr Koschmider, Ed Sullivan, Ringmaster, George Martin, Elton John, Canon & Judge Daniel McIntyre George Harrison, Boy, Ivan, Pete Shotton Mark Newnham Young John Lennon, Roadie Nicky Swift Aunt Mimi, Cynthia Lennon, Press, Reporter, News Reader, Student, Waitress

COMPANY Bob Eaton Howard Gray Billy Meall Pete Bragg Kate Harvey Jamie Jenkin Helen Lainsbury Elizabeth O’Sullivan Dave Gordon Marie Jones James Haining Matt Weeks Mick Bawden

Director Musical Director Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer AV Designer Stage Manager Deputy Stage Manager Production Manager Costume Supervisor Chief LX / Sound & LX Op Sound & LX Op Workshop Manager

THANK YOU! Ian Silverberg The music store at the National Theatre

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

TOM CONNOR

Tom has worked as an actor and musician for the last 5 years. He Trained at Bournemouth Arts Institute as an actor but has been playing music from a young age. This is the first time Tom has worked in Liverpool and could not think of a greater part he could have been given.

Tom’s previous credits include: Vic in the UK premier tour of Carnaby Street; A Gulag Prisoner in the new Muppets movie Muppets Most Wanted; Rat Smallpox in Dick Whittington, Theatr Clwyd; Mugsy in Mods n Rox, New Wolsey Theatre; Cecil in Yesterday, Theatr Clwyd; Harold the Herald in Sleeping Beauty the Rock n Roll Panto’ Theatr Clwyd; Johnny Cash/ Jerry Alison in ‘Buddy vs The Killer’ Asian Tour; Various Impressions and Characters in ‘NewsRevue’ Edinburgh Fringe; Much the Millers Son in ‘Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood’ Theatr Clwyd.

Tom also plays drums and sings for an up and coming London based band called Penny For The Workhouse, which you can follow on Facebook and Twitter @the_workhouse.

KIRSTEN FOSTER

Kirsten trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Theatre credits include: Around the World in 80 days (New Vic), Macbeth (Redgrave Theatre), Hard Times (Tobacco Factory Theatre), What the Dickens! (Tobacco Factory Theatre), The Two Gentlemen of Verona ( Arnos Vale Cemetery) and Outside (The Brewery Theatre).

Television credits include: Lewis, Eastenders and Law and Order UK.

ROSS HIGGINSON

Ross Higginson is a Liverpool based session drummer who can offer a wide range of skills ranging from Composing/arranging to Beat Production. Having played drums since the age of 13 he has gained vast amounts of experience in a wide variety of bands/styles, closing in on 400 gigs he is constantly developing his musicality and technique to create a unique sound that accentuates the importance of a simple controlled approach.

Able to play in a wide variety of genres and styles to a competent professional level, Ross has vast experience in sight-reading through musical and big band work, as well as regular touring experience with various artists.

An adaptable laid-back musician whom is very comfortable with a click, he also plays piano and guitar to a strong standard and can offer compositional/arranging skills as well as deliver drums in a programmed fashion.

Ross also composes and can arrange for bands, he can deliver drums using multiple platforms and can integrate modern music software programmes into his playing.

He has Recently Completed a three year Music Performance Degree at The Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts where he gained a wide variety of playing experience.

ADAM KEAST

Stage Credits include: Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Good Golly Miss Molly (Royal Court Liverpool), Mother Goose, Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin (Liverpool Playhouse), Eight Miles High, Once Upon A Time In Wigan, Looking For Buddy (Octagon Bolton), Forbidden Planet, Jack To A King, Wake Up Little Suzie, Sweet Charity (Oldham Coliseum), Pump Boys and Dinettes (New Vic, Stoke), Three Steps To Heaven (Chester Gateway), Cinderella (Theatre Clwyd), Puss ‘n Boots (Theatre Royal, Windsor), Just Like That (Edinburgh).

On Tour: Elvis The Musical, Rave On, This Lonely Heart, Time Warp, Rock And Roll Heaven, How To Succeed in Business, Jack To A King, Granma’s Shoes, The Buddy Holly Story (London and Toronto) Television Credits include: Crimewatch, The Big Time, and The Queen‘s Nose plus various commercials and corporate work.

Adam also co-wrote the 80s musical Walking On Sunshine which enjoyed a successful UK tour.

JONATHAN MARKWOOD Jonathan originally hails from Southport and attended Mabel Fletcher Technical College in Liverpool.

After a stint in the National Youth Theatre as Troilus in ‘Troilus & Cressida’ he went on to train at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Since then his theatre roles have included: Cliff in In The Midnight Hour (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry & National Tour) , Lucentio in Taming Of The Shrew (Open Air Theatre, Regents Park), John Worthing in The Importance Of Being Earnest (Northampton Royal), Ariel in Return To The Forbidden Planet (New Vic Stoke) Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Ellyot

in Private Lives, Marty in Keep On Running, Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts & Coronets, Baron Scarheart in Dick Barton; Special Agent, Orsino in Twelfth Night, both twins Rupert and Evelyn Farrant in Corpse! (all at The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch) Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Antipholus Of Syracuse in Comedy Of Errors (both at Ludlow Festival) Martin in The Essence Of Love, a new play written and directed by Philip Ayckbourn (Tour), Sergeant Trotter in The Mousetrap (West End) and Vince Steel in Satin & Steel, Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Of The Baskervilles (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch).

At the Royal Court he has appeared as Frank Feller and Charley Chase in Laurel & Hardy: Sons Of The Desert and Lennon in both 2010 and 2013.

His TV appearances include: Hollyoaks, Fresh Meat, Merseybeat, Eastenders, Peak Practice, London’s Burning, Spatz and My Dad’s The Prime Minister.

On film his credits include Oscar and Lucinda (Fox Pictures) and the lead role of David Taylor in Francis Harriman’s film Go With God (Arrondissment Productions) officially selected for both the Dublin & Flathead Lake USA International Film Festivals.

Jonathan has directed new writing at The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and also writes and directs The Hoo-Hah Conspiracy...Secret Cabaret! which has been regularly performed in London. The show, a cross between The Rocky Horror Show and The Mighty Boosh, features his band Jonny Du Bois & The Hoo-Hah Conspiracy with whom he has released three self penned albums, two of which winning Best Album at the JPF Music Awards in the USA. He has just released his debut solo album Welcome To Planet Earth which is available now on iTunes.

DAN McINTYRE

Dan McIntyre is a graduate of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (originally founded by Paul McCartney) and winner of the 2012 Liverpool Jazz Award. Since achieving his BA (Hons) in music he has been working in London as a Session Guitarist. He has appeared at the Royal Court Liverpool in Reds And Blues: The Musical, A Nightmare On Lime Street and You’ll Never Walk Alone.

MARK NEWNHAM

Jamal in Moon and Genie, Underwater Boy in Scrub a Dub (Half Moon Theatre), Sebastian, Trinculo and Boatswain in Tiny Tempest (Mini Mall Theatre Company), Simple Simon in Jack and the Beanstalk, Les in Bouncers, Cookie in Return to the Forbidden Planet (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch). The Husband in A Respectable Wedding and Dr Rank in A Doll’s House for Ono Theatre Company.

Theatre credits while training include: Leo Frank in Parade (Unicorn), Baron Tuzenbach in Three Sisters and Malcolm in Macbeth (Rose Theatre, RBC).

Other work: Mark also composes and performs his own music, and has recently composed and recorded the scores for a series of short films. www.marknewnham.com Training: Mark recently graduated as an ActorMusician from Rose Bruford College.

JOHN POWER

John Power’ formed Cast in 1993, a band that played its part in the seismic Britpop boom of the mid-‘90s.

Following the original line-up of Cast playing shows to celebrate the 15th anniversary reissue of their classic All Change debut is the band’s first album in a decade. Worked up with original producer John Leckie, Troubled Times is as good as Cast have ever sounded, and puts Cast right back where they belong, in the great lineage of consciousness-rousing, acutely melodic and rhythmic rock’n’roll.

Cast Mark I ended in 2001 with the disillusionment that typifies any relationship that’s run its course.

After the All Change, Mother Nature Calls and Magic Hour albums, Power wanted a change and set about incorporating loops and samples into a fourth band album, Beetroot. “Some of the band didn’t like it and looking back, it should have been a solo album,” Power rues. “Frankly, we all had our own demons to deal with, and things just petered out. Sometimes you’ve just got to put things down, so I turned my back on the whole Cast vibe. I physically couldn’t play those songs for years, it grated so much.”

Between Casts I and II, Power was in solo, releasing three albums, Happening For Love (2003) and the acoustic roots of both Willow Weeps (2006) and Stormbreaker (2008). The last pair followed a 2005 La’s reunion with Lee Mavers (the duo played live but didn’t record) that Power admits was a direct influence on what followed.

In place of proper chats, Power simply wrote an album of the kind of conversations you would have, down the pub, across the kitchen table. There are a handful of love songs, from teenage dreams (‘See The Girl’, ‘A Boy Like Me’) to grown-up love (‘Silver And Gold’), but otherwise you don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind has been blowing – which explains the title Troubled Times. “A lot of the lyrics are trying to tap into the frustrations and injustices you feel and you see out your window every day. I’m not the only one lying awake at night, thinking. But I’m not trying to be corny and wave banners; it’s more about the politics of the soul and heart.”

NICKY SWIFT

Nicky graduated from Birmingham University with a BMus Hons and continued her studies at The Royal Academy of Music, receiving the Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award. She also worked extensively with the NYMT (Whistle Down The Wind, Charlie, Creation and Warchild. She appeared as a soloist alongside Judi Dench in An Enchanted Evening (Drury Lane) and charity galas at The Palace Theatre, The Royal Albert Hall and for HRH Prince Edward at St James’ Palace. In 2005 Nicky made her Off-Broadway debut in A Broadway Diva Christmas in New York.

Other credits include; Her Benny (Liverpool Empire), David Copperfield (UK Tour), Sixteen Gobs (Kings Head), Haebeas Corpus and City Of Angels (RAM), Fairy in Jack And The

Beanstalk, Mother Goose, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty (Liverpool Everyman), Jellylorum in Cats (UK Arena Tour), Vi Petty/Tenor Sax in The Buddy Holly Story (Upstairs At The Gatehouse). Nicky was a part of the QE Theatre Company on Cunard’s cruise liner the Queen Elizabeth, appearing as Olivia in Twelfth Night, Norma in Plaza Suite and Sue in A Slice Of Saturday Night. For the last two years Nicky has been in the musical Les Miserables in London’s West End (Queens Theatre), as ensemble and first cover Madame Thenardier. Nicky also works around London and the UK as a backing and session singer, appearing at many venues including London’s O2 arena and The Royal Albert Hall. She has supported names such as Tom Jones, Kaiser Chiefs, Peter Kay and Lesley Garrett. She is excited to be back on home turf in Liverpool and to return to the Royal Court to play Aunt Mimi/Cynthia in Lennon, a show she holds very close to her heart. This one is for you mum and dad.

COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES BOB EATON

DIRECTOR Bob’s first job was in 1971 as Assistant Director at the Victoria Theatre Stoke. During the mid 1970s he was a member of Alan Ayckbourn’s Scarborough company as actor, director and writer.

In the late 70s he was Associate Director of Contact Theatre Manchester and in 1981 became Artistic Director of the Liverpool Everyman. His productions here included Alan Bleasdale’s It’s A Madhouse, his own show, Lennon which subsequently transferred to The Astoria Theatre, London and the Entermedia Theater New York, winning the Sunday Times award for Best Musical of 1986, and the stage musical version of Our Day Out on which he collaborated with Willy Russell. In 1984 he became Artistic Director of the London Bubble Theatre and from 1996 to 2003 he was Director of The Belgrade Theatre Coventry. Bob has written many plays and musicals including Good Golly Miss Molly, Three Minute Heroes and the lyrics for Face. His many collaborations with Sayan Kent include The Good Companions, Limestone Cowboy and Silas Marner.

Last year he directed a new musical Soul Sister based on the life and times of Ike and Tina Turner, at the Hackney Empire, which transfered to the West End and is now on a national tour.

Bob is delighted to be back in Liverpool and working in the wonderful Royal Court where he has directed Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Lost Soul, Good Golly Miss Molly, Two, Stags and Hens – The Remix, On The Ledge, Council Depot Blues, Slappers And Slapheads, Merry Ding Dong, A Fistful Of Collars, Willy Russell’s Our Day Out - The Musical, the hugely

successful revival of his own show Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie and Reds & Blues: The Musical.

HOWARD GRAY

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

For the Royal Court, Howard has been the Musical Director of Our Day Out - The Musical, Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels for all five outings, as well as Council Depot Blues in which he also played the part of Norman, Eight Miles High, Cinderella, Merry Ding Dong, Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone Little Scouse On The Prairie and Reds And Blues The Musical.

He has been an associate artist at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton and was MD on Blonde Bombshells of 1943 which was a co-production with Hampstead Theatre and awarded the Manchester Evening News Best Production for 2006. It has toured nationally and internationally.

Other work for the Octagon includes Looking For Buddy, Once Upon A Time In Wigan, Danny, The Champion of the World, Oh, What a Lovely War (nominated for MEN Best Production 2008), Song of Singapore, Eight Miles High, and I Just Stopped By to See the Man. At the Coliseum Theatre in Oldham his work includes Up On The Roof, Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, Quartet, Dick Barton Special Agent (nominated for MEN Best Production 2008), Union Street, Women On the Verge Of HRT, Feed, Good Golly Miss Molly, Feels Like the First Time, Return to the Forbidden Planet, From A Jack To A King, Sweet Charity, Wake Up Little Susie, Brassed Off, Up On The Roof, The Road To Nab End, and a hatful of pantomimes. At Harrogate Theatre shows include

Tears of a Clown, Up on the Roof, Of Mice And Men, Uncle Vanya and yet more pantomimes. Other work includes Alice in Boogie Wonderland and Puss in Blue Suede Boots at the Liverpool Everyman, which he also co-wrote and A Taste of Honey at the New Vic, Stoke.

He is particularly proud of playing piano on the end of Dave Kirby’s film 15 Minutes That Shook The World!

BILLY MEALL

DESIGNER Billy is a Liverpudlian and began his career as a student designer at the Liverpool Playhouse. He went on to train as a scene painter at the English Stage Company.

Billy moved back to Liverpool to become Assistant Designer at The Playhouse where he designed Alan Bleasdale’s first two stage plays. In 1977 he became resident designer at the Liverpool Everyman, for 5 years, designing over 20 productions including the first production of Willy Russell’s Stags and Hens and The War With Newts which transferred to the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith. After Ken Campbell’s departure from the Everyman Billy went freelance, designing for many theatres including: The London Bubble; The Century; The Contact, Manchester; Chester Gateway; The Abbey, Dublin; The English Speaking Theatre of Hamburg and The Little Theatre, Bristol. It was in Bristol that he designed Raymond Briggs’ When The Wind Blows which transferred to the Whitehall Theatre, London.

After a spell teaching at RADA Billy returned to the Liverpool Playhouse as Head of Scene Painting and Props. He designed shows for Richard Williams including: Billy Liar, Cider With Rosie, I’m Marrying Robbie Fowler, Night Collar and finally becoming Resident Designer. It has been very exciting working at Royal Court Liverpool, Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Lost Soul, Good Golly Miss Molly, Two, On The Ledge, Council Depot Blues and Night Collar have all been a pleasure.

Lennon marks fifty years in theatre started at the Playhouse in August 1963.

PETE BRAGG

LIGHTING DESIGNER Pete trained at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute For The Performing Arts in Liverpool England. He studied Theatre & Performance Design. Although this covered scenic and costume design, Pete’s instinct was light. Following graduation he spent six exciting years in London, and just recently in January 2011 relocated to Manhattan New York City.

His design’s in the West End include F**king Men & Naked Boys Singing at the Arts Theatre, Leicester Square, directed by Phil Willmott.

As an associate in the West End Pete was assistant to Ken Posner and Paul Miller on Legally Blonde and as Nick Schlieper’s assistant on Priscilla Queen of The Desert.

As an associate on Broadway and in New York, he was the associate Lighting Designer on Cyrano De Bergerac starring Douglas Hodge for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He was also associate to Kevin Adams on the Off Broadway revival of Carrie, and also assistant to Kevin last season on The Roundabout’s production of Man & Boy starring Frank Langella.

Regionally in the U.K his designs included Ray Cooney’s Funny Money and Lennon (both for the Royal Court Theatre), and Robin Hood for the Castle Theater in Wellingborough, directed by James Bonas.

His designs for Cunard Line can be seen travelling the world on their latest luxury liner The ‘Queen Elizabeth’. He is also a regular designer for Norwegian Cruise Lines production shows, ranging from Vegas Style acrobatic adventures to Musicals of the 1970’s.

Earlier in his career Pete worked in lighting production for the prestigious Royal Court Theater, The Royal Albert Hall, English National Opera, The Barbican Center and Disney’s The Lion King Musical in London.

KATE HARVEY

SOUND DESIGN Kate was born in Blackpool and at the age of 15 went on work experience at Blackpool Opera House.

At 16 she was offered the job of lighting operator on Danny La Rue’s summer season show and has enjoyed a career in technical theatre ever since.

Shows worked there include Blood Brothers, Dr. Dolittle, Grease, Sunset Boulevard and Boogie Nights. She then spent two years at Stageworks Worldwide Productions designing and operating two pantomimes and working many corporate and conference events.

Six months at Butlins in sunny Skegness saw her sound engineer for famous acts such as Slade, Bad Manners, Chesney Hawkes, Sinitta, Right Said Fred and many more. A move to the ocean waves to work as a production technician for Island Cruises let her enjoy four months in Brazil and six months in the Mediterranean before securing a job as production manager for P&O cruises. Mixing sound to the stars all over the world including Jane McDonald, Brian Conley and Petula Clark she then felt it was time to come home.

In June 2008 dry land was calling and Kate is now delighted to be working at Royal Court Liverpool where she recently designed Night Collar, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out - The Musical, Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Reds And Blues - The Musical and Ladies Day.

JAMIE JENKIN

West Yorkshire Playhouse, Jimmy McGovern’s film Liam, Beyond Friendship for Mersey Television and the many pantomime dames who have appeared on the Everyman stage.

He has designed AV for the Royal Court’s original production of Lennon, A Fistful Of Collars, the second run of Willy Russell’s Our Day Out, Ladies Night, Nicky Allt’s You’ll Never Walk Alone, the Lodestar Theatre Company productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Nightmare On Lime Street, and Down Our Street, all at Royal Court Liverpool.

She has worked extensively at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and has recently been employed as full time Wardrobe Supervisor. Most recently Marie’s work at the Everyman and Playhouse has included: Much Ado About Nothing, The Electric Hills, The Flint Street Nativity, The Tempest, Unprotected, Billy Liar, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Urban Legend, Fly, Breezeblock Park, The Entertainer, Still Life And The Astonished Heart, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Anniversary, Dr Faustus, The May Queen, Cruel Sea and All My Sons.

AV DESIGNER Jamie was born in Hertfordshire and moved to Liverpool to study in 2001.

Other work includes promotional films for shows at the Royal Court Liverpool including Bouncers, Ladies Day, Macbeth and A Nightmare On Lime Street, and working with the Royal Court Liverpool Trust on various promotional materials. He is also a freelance graphic and motion designer working with many companies in Liverpool and the UK. His greatest claim to fame is having appeared as one of the balaclava’d Scouse troublemakers on the original artwork for Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels.

MARIE JONES

COSTUME SUPERVISOR Marie studied fashion and then moved on to theatre costume interpretation at Mabel Fletcher College.

Marie’s work as a freelance costumier has included costumes for Oldham Coliseum, The Royal Exchange,

Marie’s other credits include: Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, Lost Soul, Good Golly Miss Molly, Stags and Hens - The Remix, On The Ledge, Misery, Eight Miles High, Council Depot Blues, Night Collar, Dirty Dusting, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out - The Musical, The Salon, Funny Money, Merry Ding Dong, A Fistul Of Collars, Lucky Numbers, Lennon, Scouse Pacific, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Little Scouse on the Prairie, Reds And Blues - The Musical and Ladies Day for Royal Court Liverpool, Brouhaha International Street Festival, Working Class Hero on the recent Imagine DVD, Costume Supervisor for many shows at LIPA, The Splash Project at MYPT and Twopence To Cross The Mersey at the Liverpool Empire.

ROYAL COURT STAFF Kevin Fearon Ken Alexander Kevin Dunn Jess Bolger Iain Christie David Gordon Simon Collard Alison Ward Steve Smith Jamie Jenkin Louise Hurd Marie Jones Mick Bawden

Chief Executive Artistic Director Finance Director Assistant Producer Marketing Manager Technical Director Head Chef Finance Officer Front Of House Manager Sales Manager Box Office Manager Costume Supervisor Resident Stage Manager

Box Office Assistants Kira Cookson, Rachel Delaney, Danielle Goodfellow, Daniel Kearney, Isabelle Litwin, Sarah Randle, Angela Simms, Katy Skidmore, Rebecca Smith Front of House Stephen Briggs, Collette Burgess, Lewis Edwards, Peter Gornell, Kathy Hutson, Jake Jones, Emma Keig, Sven Key, Christopher Kidd, Ricci Kinsella, Charlene Lim, Melanie Lovett, Hazel Patterson, Siobahn Spear, Adam Thompson, Sophy Vicary, Christina Wiggins and Thomas Wright Stage Door Allan Dodd, John Evans Kitchen David Assall, Billie Chisam, Carl Chisam, Debbie Chisam, Libby Hind, Alicia Harris, Robert Hughes, Eileen Lawless, George Schott, Doreen Uber Cleaners Billie Chisam, Carl Chisam, Debbie Chisam, Gillian Stephenson, Doreen Uber And a big thank you to all of our security staff for their hard work throughout the year

“An amazing production ”

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What do you do when you’re fifteen and live on an estate where you get street cred for being in a gang?

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Merseyside Police And Crime Commissioner 2013

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