Clare Kerrigan
Clare Kerrigan
actor

Clare has had a diverse range of experiences as an actor. On stage she’s worked with companies such as Mind the Gap, Harrogate Theatre, Yorkshire Women Theatre & Barber Lunt Productions. The majority of Clare’s work has been in TV & Film. Credits include a recent appearance in Vera.

Previous work includes: Jimmy McGoverns Moving On, Paradox, Wired, Casualty, Conviction, No Angels, Clocking Off, The Cops & Heartbeat. Film work includes Summer, Yasmin & The Last Great Wilderness. 

Clare is experienced in Forum Theatre & Improvisation, she currently works an Actor/Facilitator for Interact & for Steps Drama, Learning & Development in the UK and abroad. She’s absolutely delighted to be collaborating with AZ2B Theatre Company

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Thomas Frere
Thomas Frere
assistant-director

Thomas has performed in numerous theatres throughout the land including seasons at Lancaster Dukes (everything from Shakespearean roles to Sleeping Beauty’s Dad); Bolton Octagon (Christmas Carol); West Yorkshire Playhouse (Wind in the Willows); York Theatre Royal (Tom Jones/Moll Flanders); Southampton Nuffield(The Seduction of Anne Boleyn); Ludlow Festival (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)and Liverpool Everyman (Candide). He has also done his fair share of touring the UK in shows such as Bittersweet,Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby, Grandpa’s Railway and the rock ‘n’ roll musical Return to the Forbidden Planet.  
 
He has worked extensively with Yorkshire based North Country Theatre, performing in many of their shows including The 39 Steps (Hannay), The Passion Plays (Jesus), Moll Flanders (Jem), The Man who would be King (Director/Co-writer) and, most recently, the Viking Saga, Egil Skallagrimsson Keeps his Head, The Rocking Horse Winner, A Month in the Country and Twelfth Night

On television Thomas has worked as an actor and presenter for the Discovery Channel, HTV and Nickelodeon, has appeared in The Royal for ITV and in the British horror film The Spell.

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Lisa Howard
Lisa Howard
Director | Actress

Lisa is an actor and singer, since training at East 15 she has worked extensively in theatre for companies such as Northern Broadsides, Slung Low, Pilot Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Red Ladder, The Dukes, Lancaster, Hull Truck, Oldham Coliseum, Blackeyed Theatre and Open Hand Theatre Company. She has toured nationally and internationally to New Zealand, Japan, India, Egypt & Norway. Lisa is currently touring with Northern Broadsides, playing Mrs Northrop in ‘When We Are Married’.

TV and Film credits include Red Riding 1983 for Channel 4, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The Royal, Heartbeat, Where the Heart Is, Two Pints of Lager and radio plays for BBC3 & BBC4 and Slung Low 15 Minute Live. 

Much of Lisa’s early work was with puppets, and she and John Barber have collaborated several times, forming Captain Mermaid Theatre Company, making musical puppet horror for adults. Their first show ‘Captain Murderer and the Morecambe Mermaid’ toured nationally twice and they look forward to following its success with their second show (“when we get 5 minutes!”) 

This is Lisa’s second show directing for AZ2B and she is excited to be involved in ‘What Do You See?’ from its creation.

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Michelle O’Reilly
Michelle O’Reilly
Actor

Michelle has recently graduated from Dartington College of Arts. She has created and performed site specific works, devised theatre and media incorporated performances, and used her experience of dance and movement to create many physical theatre works. Her performance journey began with Irish Dancing, broadened to different forms of dance and then developed into a passion for acting.

She played Puck in an RSC youth production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Lowry Theatre. Michelle has a holistic interest in theatre, working with a production company in Manchester over the summer and having concluded an internship with the Old Vic, London,last year.

Michelle is thrilled to be making her professional debut in Cornwall, where she has spent the last two years concluding her performance studies.

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John Barber
John Barber
actor | puppet designer

John Barber was joint Artistic Director of Open Hand Theatre Company for some fifteen years, producing high quality theatre for young people. In his subsequent career as a freelance artist, he has worked as a performer, puppet designer and animation director in many of the major regional Theatres and for many national touring companies as well as a four year international touring on the creative team of Green Ginger does Bambi.

He has taught puppet design at the Institut International de la Marionette at Charleville-Mezieres, and in 2009 he and Lisa Howard started a new company, Captain Mermaid, making dark musical comedies for adults. Recent projects include creating multiple puppet characters for Bish Bash Bosh’s The Beast of Bodmin, Hiccup Theatre’s The Owl and the Pussycat and Le Green Ginger’s Le Drame des Autres.

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Marcus Rapley
Marcus Rapley
lighting design & technician

Marcus has been involved in theatre production for over 25 years. Recently he has been Production Manager for Red Ladder Theatre Co and RJC Dance and is now Technical Manager for Seven Arts in Leeds, which he helped to design.

He has worked with Open Hand Theatre Company, Opera North, Major Road, Walk the Plank, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Strangeface, Chapeltown Carnival, Leeds City Varieties, Sakoba Dance, Yuva Dance, Interplay, Alison Andrews Co, Harrogate Theatre, Urban Angels Circus, Glastonbury Festival , Leeds City Council, the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and scores more.

MFR Theatre Services is his Leeds based Company.

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Johnny Tomlinson
Johnny Tomlinson
musical director

Johnny Tomlinson is a pianist, composer and musical director based in London, UK. He works in a variety of musical genres, and has performed around the world at venues such as Sydney Opera House; Alexandra Palace; Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Recent work includes worldwide touring as keyboardist with acclaimed music-maker Bonobo, as well as performances with Erykah Badu and Zigaboo Modeliste. Johnny has composed for large and small ensembles, and was founder member and band leader of UK based East Park Reggae Collective (First Word Records).

He also writes for theatre and dance productions; was Musical Director and organist at St Anselm’s Church, London; and is in demand as an accompanist having worked as a Company pianist for various dance companies including English National Ballet, Matthew Bourne, Pineapple Dance Studios.

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Victoria Cannell
Victoria Cannell
assistant-director

Tori
trained in mime and physical theatre and has since worked as an actor,
director, circus performer and puppeteer. Her work has included being
joint Artistic Director of Moving Hands Theatre and she continues to
work with them as a consulting director and on a project basis. The
company specialises in Theatre for children and family audiences, using
combined performance styles, puppetry, mime, music, masks and animation.

Touring
nationally and internationally, work has included tours of South
Africa, international festivals and commissions from The Lyric
Hammersmith, Birmingham Rep and Visions. Based in Cornwall she has
worked with many local companies including Cube, Hall for Cornwall, Jane
Pugh and Life Girl, Commissions from Godolphin House (NT), The Minack
Theatre and on various community theatre and art projects. She was also
the original director for Az2B’s Grandma Remember Me? which continues to
nationally every Autumn.

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Steve Jacobs
Steve Jacobs
Actor

Steve is a highly experienced actor, director, improviser, role player and facilitator. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has since built up an extensive CV playing an eclectic range of parts nationally and internationally. Living in Penzance, Steve has worked with many companies across Cornwall including Miracle Theatre, Kneehigh, Wildworks, The Minack Theatre Company, Bish Bash Bosh, Hall for Cornwall and Cube. Outside of Cornwall he has worked with the English Touring Opera playing King Lear, in Immortal with Nofitstate Circus, at the Lyric Hammersmith and with the RSC Stratford.

Internationally he has performed in Malta and Cypres with Kneehigh, across Europe in The School for Scandal playing Trip and playing a musician in Excuse me in Brazil. His TV credits include Poldark, Doc Martin, The Bill, Wycliffe, Inspector Wycliffe, The Frightened Lady, Grey’s Lot, Wild West and the film of Miracle’s production Tin.

Steve has previously worked with Az2B in a forum theatre project exploring the impact of dementia within communities and we are delighted he is joining us again bringing his youthful charm and comedic touch to the character of Timmy.

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Lucy Gaskell
Lucy Gaskell
lighting design & technician

Lucy is a highly experienced lighting designer and technician working nationally and internationally. She trained at Croydon College London and Falmouth Art College and is also qualified in Rope Access and rigging. She has designed lighting for an
eclectic range of companies with installations at Kensington Palace and Kew for Historic Royal Palaces, and Croome Court and Lacock Abbey for the National Trust.

Internationally Lucy worked with the Giant Puppet Project in Cambodia for 3 seasons and, sponsored by the British Council, with Kneehighs’ Red Shoes in Lebanon, Syria, Hungary, China, Denmark and Sweden. Well known in Cornwall she has also Project, Shallal Dance company and with the amazing Man Engine, from Goldentree Productions.

Outside of theatre she is an illustrator and also makes handmade silver jewellery. Other interests include hiking, body boarding, photography and discovering the worlds hottest chillies, tastiest curries and best chocolate!

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