Staff A-Z

Educationally, Helen holds a PhD in Surveillance Performativity/ Immersive Performance from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, where she was a recipient of a Research Bursary under the tutelage of Professor Stephen Farrier. She holds an FHEA through Trinity Laban, an MA Performance Practices and Research, also from RCSSD, and a BA First Class (Hons) Acting from Bretton Hall.

Helen’s directing credits include Amour, The Beggars Opera, Company, Electra, The Dreaming, The Pirates of Penzance, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Anything Goes, Epsom Downs, Zombie Prom, many industry-showcases and various devised and research-related, personal works. As a guest director for The Dot Collective – a theatre company ‘[…] with access needs at its core, reducing isolation for those with additional needs and dementia’ – Helen has, most recently, collaborated in research and development for Project Portmanteau, in addition to co-directing the 2023 tour of Alice’s Adventures in Aerieland.

Helen has several practice-based research avenues, including, Meisner Technique for Neurodivergent Student-Actors, Immersive Performance, and Surveillance Performativity in Public Space, about which she has presented a number of papers at a variety of academic conferences.

Helen continues to work as an actor. Her theatre acting credits include, classical (mostly Shakespeare) and contemporary non-musical and Musical Theatre (the latter, including Les Misérables, Singin’ in the Rain and the UK premiere of Lippa’s John and Jen). Helen’s experience in television – much to the amusement of her students – includes roles in BBC’s BAFTA winning Trapped and the BBC-British Museums collaboration Relic: Guardians of the Museum (also BAFTA winning).

Research interests:

• Neurodivergence-inclusive Acting and Performance Practices
• Surveillance-Performativity/ Social Performance
• Flâneurie, historically and contemporarily, as surveillant practice
• Politics and Aesthetics of immersive theatre participatory practices

He now brings a wealth of experience as an educator, teaching singing to industry professionals, (many of whom are in current west-end, UK and International touring productions) drama school undergraduates and post-graduates. He has also directed award-winning choirs and musicals, workshops and summer schools alongside the esteemed UK vocal coach, Julie Gossage.

Together, they are proud to represent Vocal Balance UK, an exciting clutter-free vocal pedagogy which, according to their students’ testimonials, is ‘creating waves’ within the vocal arts industry. www.vocalbalance.co.uk

IG: @VocalBalance | Linkedin: Vocal Balance | FB: @VocalBalance

Mark has also worked as a choreographer and director since 2010. Credits include: Peter Pan for BYMT, The Last Five Years and Tin Pan Alley for Cosson’s Performing Arts, Cautionary Tales for Youth Music Theatre UK, Milk Milk Lemonade, for Ovalhouse, Stepping Out, and Legally Blonde for Reynolds Performing Arts, and Romeo and Juliet for Arch 468.

In 2011, Mark received a First Class BA (Hons) degree in Professional Practice: Musical Theatre Education, from Middlesex University as well as receiving his PTLLS and DTLLS teaching qualifications. He has taught Jazz Dance, Ballet, Musical Theatre, Physical Theatre and Clowning on a variety of vocational courses and helped establish Cosson’s Performing Arts, where he was Head of Dance for 3 years, creating and developing course content and pedagogy.

Since 2022, Mark has also been the Lead Producer for An Tobar and Mull Theatre on the Isle of Mull and has produced and co-produced a variety of productions for the organisation including Our Carnal Hearts, In the Weeds and Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid.

Theatre credits include: The Book of Mormon (UK/International Tour); Annie (UK Tour); Madagascar the Musical (UK Tour); Sunset Boulevard (UK Tour); Annie (Cork Opera House); Starlight Express (Germany); Saturday Night Fever (Frankfurt); Grease (UK Tour); An Evening of Dirty Dancing (UK Tour); Taimid Seanachai (Toronto, Canada); High School Rocks (UK Tour); Zombie Prom (Landor, UK Premier); Peter Pan (Derngate); Snow White (Hawth); Dick Whittington and Aladdin (Gala); and the Royal Masonic Variety Show (Prince Edward).
Film and Television credits include: Wicked: Part One; Axe Gold Commercial; Clive in Nickelodeon’s hit sitcom Genie In The House; and dancing for Tim Minchin’s Canvas Bags video. Darren is passionate about the voice. He is a qualified Vocal Health First Aider, has completed his Advanced Professional Diploma in teaching contemporary singing through The Voice College, and teaches at institutions including The Miskin Theatre and Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

www.darrenjohn.co.uk

CJ has starred in countless West End plays and musicals including 42ND STREET (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), SMALL ISLAND (Olivier, National Theatre), 101 DALMATIANS (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Royal Exchange), OLIVER (Cameron Mackintosh Tour), RENT (Duke of York’s), PIAF (Donmar/Vaudeville Theatre), WOMAN IN WHITE (Palace Theatre), THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Rose Theatre), CHESS (Oslo), THE KING AND I (tour), SINATRA WITH THE NELSON RIDDLE ORCHESTRA (UK tour and London Palladium), JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Frankfurt), ZIPP! (Duchess Theatre).

Workshops include HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, PINOCCHIO (NT), & JULIET, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE, THE BUTTERFLY LION, THE IRON WOMAN, THIS IS A LOVE STORY, HEEL, LITTLE BEASTS, THE PIED PIPER.

As a singer, CJ has toured globally as a soloist, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Macau, San Francisco, Paris, Dubai, Milan for clients such as Swarovski and David Beckham. She has appeared with opera band Amici Forever and Incognito Artists. She also sang for the QUEEN’S GOLDEN JUBILEE (Buckingham Palace).

Her TV and film credits include CALL THE MIDWIFE (BBC), THE MYSTERY OF MARILYN MONROE (NETFLIX), GALAVANT (ABC), SMALL ISLAND (NT LIVE), BEYOND THE FENCE (SKY ARTS). She starred in the short film MOUSIE (set in 1936 Berlin and starring as Katharina) winning several film festival awards including BEST ACTRESS at the SOCIAL FILM FESTIVAL ARTELESIA. She plays Stina in new award-winning comedy TV series THE PLAYERS. She appears in the RICHARD RODGERS CENTENARY GALA (BBC4/Theatre Royal Drury Lane).

As a recording artist, CJ appears on THE LIGHT PRINCESS Original Cast Recording (Universal/Tori Amos) and has recorded demos for BBC and SKY including OTHERWORLD and PSYCHOBITCHES. Her vocals were also used for THE HURLY BURLY SHOW (Garrick Theatre). As a voiceover artist, CJ has a list of credits including the voice

of ITV PLAYER, narrator for YOU ARE AWAKE (Channel 4) and playing characters for BILLIE AND THE GHOST (DISNEY).

She is also a qualified yoga and meditation teacher and loves to bring an essence of mindfulness to all of her teaching.

Training: ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC (PGDip), Winchester University (First Class BA (Hons) Drama, Theatre and TV); Estill Voice Method Levels 1&2 (Anne-Marie Speed); Meisner technique (Actor’s Centre, London); Yoga and Meditation instructor (200hr East & West RYS Yoga Alliance).

Since her time at RAM, Charlie-Jade has maintained both a steady performance career and a successful teaching career. She is currently the Associate Teacher of Singing at LAMDA, and teaches across the BA & MFA Professional Acting, MA Classical Acting and MA Musical Theatre programmes. She also teaches on the BA Musical Theatre programme at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and prior to these appointments taught on the BA Actor Musicianship programme at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and on the BA Musical Theatre programme at Laine Theatre Arts. She runs her private studio for professional voice users, The Practice by Charlie-Jade, teaching singing and supporting singers’ health. She adopts a person-centred approach to her teaching and continues her own professional development collaborating with specialist clinicians, including a voice specialist ENT, and observing them in clinic.

Her experiences as both a student, singer and teacher, alongside a keen interest in singers health and psychological perspectives on the voice inspired her to accept a place to study the MSc in Performance Science at the Royal College of Music from which she graduated with Distinction in 2023. Her MSc research investigated experiences and perceptions of health and wellbeing within a drama school context and the findings inspired her to pursue doctoral research. Supervised by Professor Aaron Williamon and Dr Anna Detari, Charlie-Jade’s PhD research will investigate health literacy in drama school students, staff, and graduates, before working with her own research findings, current literature, and clinical experts to develop a health intervention for this educational context.

He holds an MA Theatre and Performance and a BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance. Blair’s research interests include queer utopian performance, trauma and voice, Bourdieu’s theory of practice and education, disability in performance and rehearsal and has presented his research at the 10th Estill World Voice Symposium in 2021, the Voice Geek Conference 2019 and has published a chapter in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Popular Music Education: Perspectives and Practices. Blair is a performance artist and songwriter, releasing his first album in 2014, and writing and performing a solo stand-up experimental cabaret in 2018. He is currently working on combining live art with rock music in an experimental performance exploring queer magick and mythology. He has worked as a Vocal Director on a range of shows and is currently the Vocal Consultant on a number of fringe productions in London. Blair is passionate about working with and coaching queer, trans and non-binary performers and has extensive experience of facilitating a safe learning environment for clients and colleagues from the LGBTQIA+ community.

He both directed and co-wrote the book for “The Osmonds – a new musical” UK National Tour.  “The Osmonds – a new musical” was nominated for Best New Musical and Best Regional Production at the 2023 WhatsonStage Awards. Brian Conley in “A Christmas Carol” at The Dominion Theatre, London, Ken Ludwigs adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express” in the USA – Best Director of a Play: BroadwayWorld Awards – Boston, and ‘The Best of the West End at The Royal Albert Hall. ‘Imaginary- a new musical” (The Other Palace), “Kiss Me Kate” – BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall and BBC2), “My Fair Lady” – BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall), The Gershwins’ “Of Thee I Sing” (Royal Festival Hall) and “Super Alice Smith” (Trafalgar Studios).

In the USA : Broadway – “Les Miserables” – Associate Director and “Mary Poppins”- Resident Director. He re-directed from the original NT production, the 50th Anniversary US National Tour of “My Fair Lady”. US Regional work includes productions of: “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “The Witches of Eastwick”, “South Pacific”, “Sunset Boulevard” and new productions of “Les Miserables”, “Mary Poppins” and “My Fair Lady” In Sweden Shaun directed “Sunset Boulevard” (Gothenberg Opera) and both “Crazy For You” and “Shrek” (Karlstaad Opera).

In the UK Shaun has directed concert stagings of “Camelot” (London Palladium), “Mack and Mabel” (Hackney Empire), “Candide” (Cadogan Hall), “Honeymoon in Vegas” (London
Palladium) and A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre), all with LMTO. “Glory Ride” (The Other Palace), ‘South Pacific” (R.T.E. Dublin), “The Magic of Disney” (Hyde Park), “Dance Power” (Drury Lane), “Les Miserables – in Concert” Tokyo, Japanese Tour, Chelmsford Festival, Cardiff and Windsor Castle celebrating 100 years of the Entente Cordiale for Her Majesty the Queen. He also assisted on “Hey Mr Producer!” (Lyceum) and “Les Miserables in Concert” at the Royal AlbertHall.

Associate Director – West End: “My Fair Lady” (National Theatre, Drury Lane and UK Tour), “Martin Guerre” (Prince Edward), “The Lion King” (Lyceum), “Acorn Antiques” (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Peter Pan and The Pirates of Penzance (Savoy) and “Les Miserables” (Palace Theatre and UK Tour).

College Productions: “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” (Arts Educational). ‘Dear World”,“The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz”, “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Life” (G.S.A). ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood”, “Merrily We Roll Along” (RWCMD) and “Baby” at (Mountview).” No One in the World” and “The Drowsy Chaperone” at LSMT.
As an actor Shaun played the title role in Candide (Riverside Studios); Pirates of Penzance (London Palladium); Marry Me a Little (Water Rats); Chicago (Leicester Haymarket); Sweeney Todd (Oldham); Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tokyo); and Les Miserables (Palace Theatre London).

Performance credits include: 

Theatre: Songs from Sondheim (The Lowry, Manchester), Masterclass (English Theatre Frankfurt), Sweeney Todd (West End and Chichester Festival Theatre), Laugh and Be Happy (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), Coco (Sadlers Wells), The Vaudevillains (Charing Cross Theatre and The Lowry), State Fair (Finborough and Trafalgar Studios), First Lady Suite (Union Theatre), Me and My Girl (London Palladium), Back to Broadway (UK and Mexico tour), Dust (Tricycle Theatre), Tiny Shows (The Copenhagen Interpretation), The Dots (Touring Cabaret). 

Opera: La Rondine, Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Holland Park), The Clothesburger (Southbank Centre), Dancing on Armistice Day (UK/France tour), Hear Them Roar, Walk Out of Yourself (The Voicings Collective for Opera Harmony-final shortlist) 

Film/Television: Hope and Glory (BBC), Interference (Short Film) 

Workshops: The Hills of California, Hallowed Ground, The Miller’s Wife, The Ruby Necklace, The Man in the Room. 

Voice artist work: Tubby and Enid (BBC), Sweeney Todd (West End Cast Recording), Cool Rider (West End Cast Recording), Singleton Whiskey (Advert), Ronseal (Advert) 

Current Projects: Season 10 of BBC1’s Garden Rescue (Narrator) and Kate in Mamma Mia The Party!
Theatre includes: Rhonda and assistant director in Cool Rider (Palladium/Duchess Theatre), Miss Sherman in Fame (Christmas Theatre, Athens), Standby Connie/Cassie in The Taxidermist’s Daughter (World premiere, Chichester Festival Theatre), Violet Newstead/Roz Keith/Margaret in 9 to 5 (Korea/UK Tour/The Savoy), Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray (UK Tour), Young Beryl in Liverbirds Flying Home (Royal Court, Liverpool), Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), On The Town (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Cherry Sundae in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Rhoda in White Christmas (Dominion Theatre), Mimi, understudy

Adelaide in Guys & Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre), Vodka in Drunk! (Leicester Curve & Bridewell Theatre), understudy Roxie and assistant choreographer in Chicago (Leicester Curve), Kiss Me Kate (Old Vic), Wonderful Town (Original UK Tour), understudy Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street (Leicester Curve, Chichester Festival Theatre), Soho Cinders (Queen’s Theatre), Love Never Dies (Adelphi Theatre) and Mary Poppins (UK Tour).

Workshops include: Judy (feature film), Doctor Who (BBC1), Hugo (Dominion Theatre), Spittin’ Distance (NT Studio) and Pippin (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Recordings include: 9 to 5 and Cool Rider.

Film and tv includes: Narrator of Garden Rescue (BBC1), Wonka! (Warner Bros), Matilda the Musical (Netflix) and The Final Bow (short, Kutay Kollectiv).

Creative work includes: Choreographer of Stranger Sings! (Southwark Playhouse), Choreographer of Claus: The Musical (World Premiere, The Lowry) and Lucinda is currently working as a dramaturg on 2 new musicals in development.