THE CAST:

THE AUSSIES

Glenn Butcher

Glenn’s varied career has included presenting Playschool; regular appearances on hit Australian comedy series Kath and Kim and Full Frontal; and theatre work including Follies, The Venetian Twins and Singin’ in the Rain. He was a founder member of comedy musical cabaret collective The Castanet Club.

Amelia Cormack

Amelia was a member of the award-winning ensemble of the recent stage show Priscilla Queen of the Desert. She performed in Shopping Centre Santa at Kabarett Voltaire, and appears in the Working Title film Gone. Roles at the Western Australia Academy of the Performing Arts included Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Peter Cousens

Peter played the lead role in The Phantom of the Opera in London's West End for a year, and is one of Australia's finest musical theatre performers. He has appeared in Miss Saigon, Aspects of Love, Les Miserables, and as Tony in West Side Story. He is the artistic director of Kookaburra - a major new musical theatre company.

Juan Jackson

Juan’s musical theatre appearances include John in Miss Saigon; Old Deutoronomy in Cats; and Tony in West Side Story. He has appeared in Porgy and Bess for Houston Grand Opera, and has also sung roles for South Georgia Opera and Florida State Opera.

Ali McGregor

Ali has performed many major opera roles as a principal soloist for Opera Australia, having studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She’s no stranger to the role of Polly Peachum, having played her in Jonathan Millar’s production of The Beggar’s Opera for Broomhill Opera at Wilton Music Hall. Ali starred in the hit show La Clique – a Sideshow burlesque and her own show The Opera Burlesque - both in The Famous Spiegeltent at Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.

THE CAST:

THE BRITS

Thomas Eyre

Actor and accordionist Thomas has just graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His recent credits include Robin in Spiders (Soho Theatre) and Phillips in Single Spies (UK Tour). At Bristol he performed in another Beggar’s Opera reworking: The Threepenny Opera, as well as a lead role in the brand new Musical Revue Crackers & Spice.

Karina Fernandez

Karina was recently seen as the fantastically intense flamenco teacher in Mike Leigh’s film Happy Go Lucky. Previous Out of Joint appearances include Shopping and F***ing and Blue Heart. Other theatre includes Macbeth at Bristol Old Vic, Wedding Day at the Cro-Magnons (Soho Theatre) and Ophelia in Hamlet for Wild Thyme. As well as acting and singing, Karina will be tinkling the ivories in The Convict’s Opera.

Nicholas Goode

Nicholas brings both his acting and violin playing skills to The Convict’s Opera, having previously combined both talents in Oliver Twist (Lyric Hammersmith) The Tempest (Oddsocks Productions) and (naturally) Fiddler On The Roof (Aberystwyth Arts Centre). Other theatre work includes Tom’s Midnight Garden (Nottingham Playhouse), several shows at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick and the UK tour of A Christmas Carol. He even has a pantomime dame role under his belt.

Brian Protheroe

Brian most recently played Saruman in the West End spectacle The Lord of the Rings. He has performed with the RSC and other prestigious companies. He also enjoyed pop success with several pop albums. His began his career with roles at the Salisbury Playhouse, including Paris in Romeo and Juliet.

Catherine Russell

Catherine appeared in Out of Joint’s Talking to Terrorists (which also required a spot of singing), as well as in Three Sisters and The Break of Day, and has performed at theatres including the National and the Almeida. On television Catherine is known for the title role in Chandler and Co, and regular series roles in Inspector Lynley, Single, The Cazalets and Always and Everyone. Films include Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Clockwork Mice.