Mountview Alumni News: Edinburgh Fringe Special 2023
It’s the Mountview Alumni News Edinburgh Fringe Special! Read on to see where you can catch our graduates’ work at this year’s Festival, alongside a roundup of their latest projects from July.
Are you an alum with a story to share? Get in touch at alumni@mountview.org.uk and tell us all about it! And, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up to our Alumni Network to receive termly newsletters, exclusive event invitations and discounted Mountview tickets (plus other perks!).
At the Edinburgh Fringe
Fit Ye Sayin’ Quine?, written, produced and performed by Ailsa Shepherd, will play from 4-26 August.
Alexandra Ricou will perform in new dark comedy I Killed My Ex from 4-19 August.
Meat Cute, directed and produced by Anastasia Bunce, with sound design by Flick Isaac Chilton and choreography by Gabriel Hampton Saint, will be showing from 2-27 August.
Audiences can catch Colm McCready‘s award-winning Scaredy Fat from 2-28 August.
The musical direction for Chopped Liver & Unions, Marie Lloyd Stole My Life, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Nightmare, Fabulett 1933 and Blodwen’s In Paris will be provided by Mountview alum James Hall.
Cerys McKenna will be providing musical direction for Now. Here. This. (21-25 August), with fellow alumni Imogen Denham and Finn Torkington playing in the band.
Four Felons and a Funeral and Actually, Love will be produced by Lowri Spear.
The Real William Shakespeare… as told by Christopher Marlowe, directed by Jen McGregor, will play from 4-19 August.
Alum Simon David‘s Dead Dad Show will be showing at the Fringe from 2-27 August.
Mountview’s Alistair Rowley and Kathryn Pridgeon will feature in new immersive comedy Burning Down the Horse (2-27 August).
Audiences can see Valery Reva’s one-woman show in|Secure from 2-10 August.
Ellana Gilbert will be performing in Hot as Hell and Teacher’s Pet.
Police Cops: The Musical (2-28 August) will feature alum Natassia Bustamante.
Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, with cast members Bronté Barbé and Imelda Warren-Green, Musical Director Caitlin Morgan and Stage Manager Rosie Bannister, will be showing from 2-27 August.
Darrel Bailey will be performing in Yippee Ki Yay (the Die Hard parody) from 3-27 August.
Mountview alum Virginia Sirolli will feature as part of the cast of Living with Skeletons (2-13 August).
The cast of Blueballs (21-26 August) will feature Jack Hyland.
When We Died, with Mountview alum Courtenay Johnson , will be playing from 2-27 August.
Bianca Fung will serve as Associate Musical Director on Bed: The Musical (2-28 August), and will be conducting the show from 16 August.
Andrew Ewart will be playing the role of Phil in Boys in the Buff (2-27 August).
Love is Blue, written by Mountview’s Don Cotter, will run from 2-27 August, and features fellow alum Andrew Ewart in the cast.
Georgia Rawlins composed the music for Jingle Street, playing from 4-27 August.
Michaela Murphy will be appearing in We’ll Have Nun of It from 10-27 August.
Alum Lily Roberts will be performing in Rosaline and Juliet (9-11 August).
A Manchester Anthem (2-27 August) will be produced by Rebecca Lyle.
Ben Newman and Ben Fleming will be co-directing Moderation (19 August).
Joe Feeney‘s show Edmonds will be showing from 2-28 August.
Elsewhere in Alumni News
It was announced that Denise Welch will be guest starring as The Queen in Diana: The Musical when it plays in London.
The Wanstead Fringe line-up was revealed, including the first public performance of Katherine Tripp and Ralph Warman‘s musical Dark Isle.
Rebecca McKinnis was cast as Margaret New in the tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Matthew Seadon-Young was cast as Raoul in the concert staging of Love Never Dies at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with fellow alum Bethany Jefferies as Assistant Stage Manager.
Josh Damer-Jennings was announced in the cast of Pretty Woman (UK and Ireland Tour).
Meanwhile, the full tour cast of The Full Monty was revealed, including Mountview alum Alice Schofield.
George Dyer was named as Musical Supervisor and Orchestrator on the upcoming tour of An Officer and a Gentleman.
A new full-scale production of 42 Balloons was announced, with alum Joe Beighton providing the orchestrations and arrangements.
Mountview’s Barnaby Hughes, Matthew McDonald, Chris Nevin and Jack North were all cast in Titanic: The Musical (2023 UK Tour) in the roles of Herbert Pitman/Henry Etches, Charles Clarke, Jim Farell and Charles Lightoller respectively.
It was announced that I Should Be So Lucky will be heading on tour, with Scott Paige in the role of Michael and George Dyer as Musical Director & Additional Orchestrations.
Fresh from the Mountview Directors’ Showcase 2023, Diary of a Gay Disaster headed north of the Thames for a run at the King’s Head Theatre. The creative and production team featured Tara Noonan as Dramaturg and Director, Hannah Jayne as Producer, Cerys McKenna as Musical Director & Additional Orchestrations, Billy Highfield as Lighting Designer and Lilli Fuller as Stage Manager.
Bones opened at Park Theatre, with alumni Samuel Hoult and Ainsley Fannen in the roles of Charlie and Will respectively, and Yusuf Niazi as Producer.
Jim Leaver was named as Production Manager on the upcoming production of King Lear at Wyndham’s Theatre.
David Kristopher-Brown joined the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera.
Mountview’s Leanne Jones and Myles Miller performed in Alice in Wonderland at Liverpool Playhouse.
Lee Ormsby was cast in the West End’s Back to the Future.
Alumni Hiba Elchikhe and Emma Kingston were confirmed in the line-up of Schwartz at 75.
It was revealed that Kane Oliver Parry will be joining the cast of Matilda:The Musical on the West End.
Amanda Minihan, Scott McClure and Melanie Bright were all cast in Rebecca at Charing Cross Theatre.
Meanwhile, Kelly Price was named in the cast of Flowers for Mrs Harris, with fellow alum Gwenan Bain joining the team as Assistant Stage Manager.
Joseph Langdon was cast in the National Theatre’s production of The Effect.
Critically-acclaimed Newsrevue returned for its 43rd year, with Mountview’s Fergus Murphy joining the cast.
The team of Bonnie & Clyde, including Jordan Luke Gage, Cleve September, Kit Esuruoso, Katy Richardson and Debbi Clarke, released the West End cast album.
Claudia Kariuki and Alice Fearn featured in Vergil! A Mythological Musical on Audible.
Meanwhile, it was announced that Rachel Bagshaw will direct the 2024 production of The Duchess of Malfi at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Lauren Soley performed in BAB’s Big Show at Museum of Comedy.
Nikita Lesler was confirmed in the cast of the upcoming tour of Noises Off.
Laura Checkley starred in Hope Has a Happy Meal at the Royal Court Theatre.
Alumni Manuel Pacific and Pablo Gómez Jones have been performing in In Dreams at Leeds Playhouse.
Unmasking the West End Producer!
After 11 years, the mysterious ‘West End Producer’ was unmasked as none other than Mountview alum Christian Edwards!