Cast Biographies
LOUIS HILYER
Inspector Goole
Theatre credits: The White Devil (The Chocolate Factory), The Lady from the Sea
(Birmingham Repertory), Cyrano de Bergerac (Bristol Old Vic), Bad Jazz (Plymouth
Theatre Royal), Richard II (Old Vic), the title role in Poor Beck (RSC), Kent in King Lear
(RSC), Banquo on Macbeth (RSC), Caliban in The Tempest (Sheffield Crucible / Old
Vic), Love in a Wood (RSC), A Russian in the Woods (RSC), Tranio in Taming of the
Shrew (RSC), Flight (National Theatre), The Country Wife (UK Tour), Hector in Troilus &
Cressida (RSC), The Changing Room (Royal Court), French without Tears (Palace
Theatre, Watford), Gerald in An Inspector Calls (PW Productions’ Australian Tour), The
Beaux Strategm (English Touring Co), Gerald in An Inspector Calls (National
Theatre/West End), Bad Blood (Gate Theatre), The Great Pretenders (Gate Theatre),
Beggars Opera (Belgrade Coventry), Strictly Business (Nuffield Southampton), Les
Liaisons Dangereuses (Ambassadors West End), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (St
Georges Theatre), The Sensualist (Pentameters Co), title role in Hamlet (ATC), Loot
(Bristol Old Vic), The Alchemist (Manchester Royal Exchange), Edward II (Manchester
Royal Exchange), Hotel Paradiso, The Servant to Two Masters, The Comedy of Errors,
The Rocky Horror Show, Of Mice and Men, The Adventure of Toad, Mozart in Amadeus
(Swan Theatre Worcester).
Television credits: CATHERINE TATE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, AVOIDING
ARMAGEDDON, THE VERDICT, LEWIS, AFTERLIFE, NOSTRADAMUS, THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS, PASSERS-BY, ARMADILLO, HARBOUR LIGHTS, THE BILL,
ABSOLUTLEY FABULOUS, DEGAS AND PISSARO FALL OUT (WITHOUT WALLS),
BETWEEN THE LINES,
ZORRO, PRESS GANG, MINDER, ALAS SMITH AND JONES, THE FREE
FRENCHMAN, THE LATE SHOW
BROOKSIDE. Film credits: TROY, MODIGLIANI, WORLD OF TOMORROW.
SANDRA DUNCAN
Mrs Birling
Sandra trained at RADA.
Recent theatre credits include: Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Anne in Under
the Blue Sky (Theatre By The Lake, Keswick), Mari Hoff in The Rise and Fall of Little
Voice, Jennifer in Bones for Mama Quillo Productions at the Leicester Haymarket Studio
(dir: Kay Adshead), Mrs Birling in Stephen Daldry’s production of An Inspector Calls (dir:
Julian Webber), Flora Humble in Humble Boy and Kate Keller in All My Sons (Northcott,
Exeter; directors: Kate Saxon & Ben Crocker, respectively), Beatrice in Rebecca for the
English Speaking Theatre in Vienna, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mrs
Dearth in Dear Brutus (Nottingham Playhouse; director: Richard Baron), Donna Lucia
D’Alvadorez in Charley’s Aunt (Sheffield Crucible; director: Deborah Paige), The House
of Bemarda Alba (Shared Experience, director Polly Teale, tour and Young Vic), Lady
Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (director: Clive Perry), Judith Bliss in Hay
Fever (director: Clive Perry), Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (director:
Richard Baron) (all 1998 season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre).
Other theatre credits include: Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, Dangerous Liaisons,
The Wizard of Oz, Piaf (Dundee Rep), A Chorus of Disapproval, Cause Celebre,
Building Blocks (Pitlochry Theatre), Abelard and Heloise (Wyndham’s), The Secretary
Bird (Savoy), Sign of the Times (Vaudeville), Mary Stuart (RNT), The Seagull (tour and
Donmar Warehouse), Private Lives, The Norman Conquests, Macbeth, Hamlet,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Rose, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Night of
the Iguana, Agnes of God, Lilian and Persona (one woman shows), Virginia, Bodies and
Otherwise Engaged.
Sandra’s television credits include: Doctors, Midsomer Murders, Coronation Street, The
Contenders, The Main Chance, Parkin’s Patch, Reluctant Heroes, A Perfect State, and
for SATV, Westgate 1, 2 and 3.
Radio: Extensive plays, serials, voice-overs including Persona for the BBC World
Service.
CHRISTOPHER SAUL
Mr Birling
Theatre includes: Waiting for Godot (Young Vic); Night Songs (Royal Court); Servant to
Two Masters (RSC and West End); Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II, Comedy of Errors,
Columbus, Theban Plays, Breaking the Silence, Merry Wives, Richard III, Hamlet (RSC);
Twelfth Night (Acter); More Grimm Tales (Young Vic and New York); As I Lay Dying,
Twlefth Night, The Ancient Mariner, Start Right (Young Vic); Romeo and Juliet, Comedy
of Errors (English Shakespeare Company); A Variety of Death Defying Acts (Orange
Tree).
Television includes: Coronation Street, Sharman, London’s Burning, Grange Hill,
Castles, 99-1, Between the Lines, Rides, The Chief, Waterfront Beat, Never Come Back,
Chain, One Foot in the Grave, Small Zones, Poirot, Casualty, Watching, Brookside,
Game Set & Match, The Bill, Simon and the Witch, Triangle.
Film includes: Wilt, Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy.
ALISDAIR SIMPSON
Gerald Croft
Alisdair trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
His theatre credits include Ed/Lou in The Lost Highway for ENO at The Young Vic, Roy
in Neville's Island at the Watermill, Newbury, Achilles in Troilus and Cressida at The
Tobacco Factory, Jack in Elizabeth Rex, Birmingham Rep. King of France in King Lear
UK and Tokyo (RSC/Ninagawa) Captain Horster in An Enemy of the People London and
Los Angeles (RNT).Marcello in The White Devil, Three Hours after Marriage and Troilus
and Cressida (RSC) Lord Dumaine in All's Well that End's Well Nuffield Southampton
and Valere in Tartuffe at The Royal Exchange Manchester.
TV includes: Hotel Babylon (3), Whistleblowers, Sea of Souls, Waking the Dead, Rough
Crossings, Dreamteam, Broken News, The Worst Week of my Life, Spooks, The Bill
(Live), Doctors, Casualty, Eastenders, Hidden City, Jack and the Beanstalk, Men
Behaving Badly, Soldier, Soldier, No Bananas.
Alisdair has narrated many documentaries including for the BBC and others including:
Pompeii-The Last Day, Ancient Rome, Pacific Abyss, Expedition Borneo & Genghis
Khan.
MARIANNE OLDHAM
Sheila Birling
Sheila graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in July 2003.
Theatre credits include:
Mimi And The Stalker (Theatre 503); Trolius And Cressida
(Cheek by Jowl);
The Changeling (English Touring Theatre); Anya in The Cherry Orchard (Southwark
Playhouse); Present Laughter (No. 1 Tour); Finally The Girl (The Old Red Lion); The
Gentlemen From Olmedo (The Watermill Theatre); The Venetian Twins (Watermill
Theatre); We Happy Few (Malvern Theatre); Ariel in The Tempest (Pendley
Shakespeare); The Country Pancake (Edinburgh Festival); When The Lights Went Out
(Bristol Old Vic Tour);
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Festival); Much Ado About Nothing
(Shakespeare Festival); Getting There (National Youth Theatre); Guys And Dolls
(Downe Theatre Co.).
Television: The World Of The Impressionists (BBC).
ROBIN WHITING
Eric Birling
A 2007 RADA graduate, Robin recently played Greg in the Theatre Royal Bath’s national
tour of Relatively Speaking which followed Plague Over England at the Finborough
Theatre, London.
Productions at RADA include Today, Rabbit, Cathy And Heathcliff, The Double Dealer,
The Ash Girl, An Ideal Husband, Odysseus, Philaster, Through The Shadows With
O’Henry,
Twelfth
Night
and
The
Good
Doctor.
Previous theatre roles include Algernon Moncrief in The Importance Of Being Earnest
(Tremor Cordis), Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H, Stanhope in Journey’s End, Billy Bibbitt in
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Alan Strang in Equus, Martin in Brimstone & Treacle
and the title role in Nicholas Nickleby, all with the Chelmsford Theatre Workshop.
DIANA PAYNE MYERS
Edna
Diana Payne Myers is an actress and dancer – originally Rambert, Mercury Theatre,
Notting Hill Gate, 1949.
Diana’s recent credits include An Inspector Calls at the Garrick Theatre, an appearance
at the Sydney Olympics 2002 Arts Festival with DV8 Physical Theatre Company; Can
We Afford This? The Cost of Living at the Everest Theatre, Sydney, which then came to
London and on to Hong Kong. Other work with the DV8 Company includes a production
of Strange Fish which did a European tour and has also been made into a film for the
BBC and Bound to Please which also toured Europe, 1999-2000.
Her other credits include: L’Avenir est a la Tendresse, created for the Maison du
Spectacle la Bellone, Bruxelles; artistic director of Contre-Coeur, Bert van Garp; The
Dancer and the Magic Piano for Arthur Pitta (Jackson Lane and the Place, London); The
Triumph of Neptune for Matthew Hawkins and, with Hawkins as choreographer, guested
with Martha (Richard Move). Previously with Hawkins, Diana has performed in Percy
Circus, fresh dances to Purcell and Blow and Matthew and Diana on Manoeuvres
(Hackney Empire and tour). She can also be seen on Channel 4 this Christmas in
Dancing Under the Dust Cover, a Gillian Lacey film for Apt Films.
Creative Biographies
STEPHEN DALDRY
Director
Theatre: Billy Elliot the Musical currently playing in London, Broadway and Melbourne.
For the Royal Court Theatre – A Number by Caryl Churchill; Far Away by Caryl Churchill
(also at the Albery Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop); Via Dolorosa by David
Hare (also at the Duchess Theatre and on Broadway); Rat in the Skull by Ron
Hutchinson (Royal Court Classic Season); Body Talk; The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker;
The Editing Process by Meredith Oakes; Search and Destroy by Howard Korder. For the
National Theatre – An Inspector Calls (also West End, Broadway and worldwide);
Machinal. For the Gate Theatre – Damned for Despair; The Fleisser Plays(with Annie
Castledine); Figaro Gets Divorced.
Many productions at Sheffield Crucible Theatre, where he started his career under the
late Clare Venables. Productions at Manchester Library Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse,
Stratford East, Oxford Stage, Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Stephen was
Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 1992–98 where he headed the £26
million re-development; the Gate Theatre (1989–92) and the Metro Theatre Company
(1984–86). He is on the Board of the Young and Old Vic Theatres and remains an
Associate Director of the Royal Court. Stephen was the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting
Professor of Contemporary Theatre for 2002 at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. He has
won many awards for his theatrical work both in the UK and the USA.
Film and TV: Stephen recently finished filming The Reader starring Kate Winslet and
Ralph Fiennes. Stephen has produced two Omnibus programmes for BBC2. His first
feature film Billy Elliot won over 40 awards worldwide and received 3 Oscar nominations,
including Best Director. His second feature The Hours also won innumerable
international awards including Best Picture at the Golden Globes and received nine
Oscar and eleven BAFTA nominations. #
IAN MacNEIL
Designer
Theatre credits include: Far Away (also New York Theatre Workshop), Via Dolorosa
(also Broadway and Duchess Theatre, West End), This is a Chair, Body Talk, The
Editing Process, Death and the Maiden (also National Tour), Plasticine and A
Number all for the Royal Court; Peribanez, Afore Night Come (Young Vic, Evening
Standard Award Nomination 2001); Albert Speer, Machinal (RNT); An Inspector Calls
(RNT, West End, Broadway, International); The Ingolstadt Plays, Figaro Gets
Divorced, Jerker (Gate); The Picture of Dorian Gray (Lyric, Hammersmith); Enter
Achilles, Bound to Please (DV8), Festen (Almeida and West End – Oliver Award
Nomination for Best Design, New York) and most recently Billy Elliot The Musical
(West End – Olivier Award Nomination for Best Set Design, also in Australia and opened
on Broadway in November 2008), Tintin (Young Vic at the Barbican and The Playhouse
Theatre) and Vernon God Little (Young Vic)
Opera includes: Medea (Opera North); Tristan and Isolde, Der Freischutz (ENO);
Ariodante (ENO, WNO, Houston Grand Opera); La Traviata (Paris Opera); Il Ritorno
d’Ulisse in Patria (Munich Opera), Festen (UK Tour), Ulysses revival (Welsh National
Opera)
Film and Television include: Winterreise (Channel 4); Eight (Working Title).
Since 1999, Ian has designed costumes, environments and sets for several Pet Shop
Boys world tours.
Ian was an Associate Producer on the film The Hours (Paramount)
Awards: Olivier Award for Best Opera (Tristan and Isolde); Critics Circle Award (for
Machinal and for An Inspector Calls), Olivier Award for Design (An Inspector Calls).
Tony Nomination for Best Design (An Inspector Calls, Broadway); 2002 Evening
Standard Award for Best Designer (Plasticine and A Number), 2004 Evening Standard
Award for Best Designer (Festen), 2005 Olivier Award Nomination for Best Set Design
(Festen), 2006 Olivier Award Nomination for Best Set Design (Billy Elliot The Musical).
RICK FISHER
Lighting Designer
Rick is Chairman of the British Association of Lighting Designers. He is originally from
Philadelphia, but has been living and working in Britain for more than 25 years.
For his lighting of AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Royal National Theatre Rick was
nominated for an Olivier award; for the production at the Royale on Broadway, he won
both Tony and Drama Desk awards, and in Los Angeles, Ovation and Drama Critics
Circle awards. He has also lit the production for tours of the UK, America, Australia, and
in Tokyo.
Recent theatre work includes: THE FAMILY REUNION (Donmar); BILLY ELLIOT the
musical (Victoria Palace, London; Broadway, Sydney & Melbourne).
Other theatre includes: SWEENEY TODD (Gate, Dublin); LANDSCAPE WITH
WEAPON (National Theatre); RESURRECTION BLUES (Old Vic); TIN TIN
(Barbican); BETRAYAL, THE PHILANTHROPIST, OLD TIMES, LOBBY HERO, A
BOSTON MARRIAGE (Donmar); JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA (National Theatre &
West End); HONOUR (National Theatre); FAR AWAY (New York), A NUMBER (Royal
Court); BLUE / ORANGE (National Theatre/ West End); Disney's THE HUNCHBACK
OF NOTRE DAME in Berlin; and VIA DOLOROSA (Royal Court / New York).
Winner of two Olivier Awards for Best UK Lighting Design.
Recent opera includes: BETROTHAL IN A MONASTERY (Glyndebourne and
Valencia); BILLY BUDD, RADAMISTO, LA BOHEME, DAPHNE, TEA, PETER
GRIMES (Santa Fe); FIERY ANGEL, TURANDOT (Bolshoi, Moscow); A
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (La Fenice); THE LITTLE PRINCE (Houston Grand
Opera); WOZZEK (Royal Opera House); GLORIANA and LA BOHEME (Opera North).
Dance includes Matthew Bourne's award-winning SWAN LAKE (London, Los Angeles,
Broadway
and
world
tour);
and
CINDERELLA
(London
and
Los
Angeles).
STEPHEN WARBECK
Music
Stephen has written extensively for theatre – most recently “SWIMMING WITH
SHARKS” at the Vaudeville Theatre, “CLOUD NINE” at the Almeida and “IN
CELEBRATION” at the Duke of York’s. He has written scores for the acclaimed
production of “THE SEAGULL” at the Royal Court Theatre and Broadway, “DYING FOR
IT” at the Almeida and “PROOF” at the Donmar Warehouse, as well as “HOTHOUSE”,
“AN INSPECTOR CALLS”; “MACHINAL”; “ROOTS”; “MAGIC OLYMPICAL GAMES” and
“AT OUR TABLE” for the National Theatre. At the RSC: “ALICE IN WONDERLAND”,
“THE TEMPEST”, “ROMEO AND JULIET”, “THE WHITE DEVIL”, “THE TAMING OF
THE SHREW”, “THE CHERRY ORCHARD” and “CYMBELINE”. At the Royal Court
Theatre: “THE NIGHT HERON”, “BOY GETS GIRL”, “MOUTH TO MOUTH” (West End
transfer), “DUBLIN CAROL”, “THE GLORY OF LIVING”, “THE LIGHTS”, “HARRY AND
ME”, “PALE HORSE”, “RAT IN THE SKULL”, “MOJO”, “SIMPATICO”, “THE EDITING
PROCESS”, “THE KITCHEN”, “BLOOD”, “GREENLAND”, “BLOODY POETRY”, “A LIE
OF THE MIND”, “BUILT ON SAND”, and at the Globe: OTHELLO, PERICLES, PRINCE
OF TYRE; JEAN LA CHANCE at Theatre des Treize Vents, as well as music for many
other plays. Stephen completed his first ballet score in 2005, “PETER PAN”, for Northern
Ballet, choreographed by David Nixon.
Stephen Warbeck’s film scores include “THE OTHER MAN”, “PRINCESS KA’IULANI”,
“FREAKDOG”, “MACHAN”, “FRENCH FILM”, “THE HESSEN AFFAIR”, “THE BOX
COLLECTOR”, “GOAL 2”, “FLAWLESS”, “MIGUEL & WILLIAM” “CARGO”,”FEAST OF
THE GOAT”, “ALPHA MALE”, “TRAVAUX”, “ON A CLEAR DAY”, “MICKYBO & ME”,
“POUR LE PLAISIR”, “TWO BROTHERS”, “OYSTER FARMER”, “PROOF”, “THE
ALZHEIMER CASE”, “POUR LE PLAISIR”, “LOVE’S BROTHER”, “BLACKBALL”,
“MYSTICS”, “SECRET PASSAGE”, “DESIRE”, “CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN” ),
“BIRTHDAY GIRL” , “GABRIEL AND ME”, “BILLY ELLIOTe), “QUILLS”, “ VERY ANNIE
MARY”, “MYSTERY MEN”, “FANNY AND ELVIS, “SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (Academy
Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score), “HEART”, “MRS BROWN”, “MY
SON THE FANATIC” , “DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS” (BBC/X Pictures/Great Guns),
“BROTHERS IN TROUBLE”, “O MARY THIS LONDON” and “SISTER MY SISTER” .
In recent years he has written scores for more than forty television plays or films,
including all the various “PRIME SUSPECT” dramas (for which he was nominated for a
BAFTA award). He also writes music for his band the hKippers.
JULIAN WEBBER
Associate Director
Julian adapted and directed The Three Musketeers at the Young Vic Theatre, which was
nominated for a Barclay's Theatre Award in 2002; more recently, the West-End revival of
The Shape of Things by Neil Labute, and the Barber of Seville at the Bristol Old Vic in a
new adaptation by Lee Hall. For eight years Julian was Artistic Director of Soho Rep,
New York and is currently Associate Director for Billy Elliot the Musical for which he won
a Helpmann Award for the recent production in Sydney, Australia.