Kerry Ellis & Louise Dearman complete cast of THE FOSSE FOREST BALLET

Kerry Ellis & Louise Dearman complete the cast of Philip Joel’s “The Fosse Forest Ballet” 

Written by David Muscat and directed by Racky Plews produced by Emerge Production House the full cast are Philip Joel, Kerry Ellis, Louise Dearman, Oliver Savile, Zoë Birkett, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, David Muscat, Amy Bailey & Nuwan Hugh Perera. 

Kerry Ellis and Louise Dearman are best known for their roles in Wicked; Ellis was the first British Elphaba and also the first Brit to transfer over to the Broadway production. She has also appeared in shows such as Les Miserables, We Wil Rock You, Oliver, Miss Saigon, Cats and Wonderland. Louise Dearman was the first actor to have portrayed both Elphaba and Glinda in the production, other shows she has appeared in include Evita, Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me, Kate and Side Show.

The team behind “The Fosse Forest Ballet” aim to raise £10,000 for Theatres Trust and Acting For Others.

Acting for Others provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need through the 14 member charities.

The Corona Diaries: Tosh Wanogho-Maud

These recent times have been some of the hardest challenges we've faced and as a community, it hit us pretty hard. However during these difficult times, here at Pocket Size Theatre, we wanted to spread a little positivity and share some peoples experiences because we are all in this together. Each day we'll be speaking to our friends in the industry to share their experiences with you all so take a read and see how people are getting through these hard times.

Let's stick together, share the love and get through this as a community!

*Some information mentioned in this article may be out of date due to the progress of the current situation. Please keep that in mind when reading* 

Tosh Wanogho-Maud was most recently seen playing Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre. His other credits include ensemble & cover Jimmy in Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre); Joe in Showboat (New London Theatre); Willie in Showboat (Sheffield Crucible); Ensemble and understudy Mufala and General in The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre); Cabaret Singer in Sweet Smell of Success (Arcola Theatre); Rufus & cover Curtis in Save the Last Dance (UK Tour); Ensemble and cover Host in Respect La Diva (Garrick Theatre) and Four-Eyed Moe in Five Guys Named Moe (Theatre at the Mill, Newtown Abbey). 

On Monday 16th March 2020, The Society of London Theatre announced the closure of all Theatres in London. This followed suit with regional venues. Where were you when you found out and what was your initial reaction? 

I was sitting in my lounge with family in Cheshire and I immediately thought about all of my friends in shows and just thought of the sheer magnitude of the situation. It felt like something shifted. 

Can you tell us anything productive you’ve been doing? 

I've actually been writing a book. It's something I have been brainstorming for a while. Very geektastic and science-fantasy, just the way I like it.

Whenever you log onto social media there is so much negativity circulating. How have you been trying to keep a positive mental attitude during these times? 

Thankfully the majority of the people on my social media accounts are all friends and so the majority of what I'm exposed to is positive. However, I think the world of social media is something we should all take with a pinch of salt.

FIRST LOOK: New cast of Dreamgirls join the show at the Savoy Theatre

American star Moya Angela joins the London cast of Dreamgirls as Effie White with Karen Mav and Marisha Wallace, who already star in the London production alongside original London Effie, Amber Riley. They alternate the role during the week. 

Asmeret Ghebremichael continues to play Lorrell Robinson, with Joe Aaron Reid continuing in the role of Curtis Taylor Jr, Brennyn Lark as Deena Jones, Tosh Wanogho-Maud as Jimmy Early, Durone Stokes as C.C. White, Delroy Brown as Marty and Kimmy Edwards as Michelle Morris.

The cast of Dreamgirls also includes Michael Afemaré, Callum Aylott, Georgia Bradshaw, Jabari Braham, Ashford Campbell, Sanchia Amber Clarke, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Nicole Deon, Rhiane Drummond, Ashlee Irish, Emma Louise Jones, Ashley Luke Lloyd, Samira Mighty, Jayde Nelson, Aston New, Sean Parkins, Kirk Patterson, Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton, Ryan Reid, Rohan Richards and Joshua Robinson.