Artist Avenue Podcast

Matt Powell

Matt (they/he) is a director, producer, video designer/editor & queer artist working predominantly in Musical & Queer Theatre.

Over the past seven years, Matt has created & produced an array of film & theatrical experiences through digital performances, community projects and youth productions. Their practice combines cinematic, scenographic styles with embodied movement & music to create visual spectacles. They are passionate about reimagining classics and amplifying new musicals.

 

Matt is a 2020 graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, with a first class honours degree in Theatre Practice: Performance Arts. During their studies, they became the first student to work for MA Music Theatre as Assistant Director supporting the public productions of the 2019 & 2020 cohort. They have also regularly assisted Adam Lenson on various new musicals.

 

Matt produces a variety of theatrical experiences through MPTheatricals. As Creative Producer, Matt supports and creates innovative new musicals & LGBTQ+ driven work both onstage and online in a variety of media forms.

 

Alongside directing and producing, Matt is a video designer and editor. Highly skilled in the Adobe suite, they have designed engaging overlays for live performances, edited full length digital performances & bespoke projects & designed projected sets & visuals for various shows. Recent designs include PUBLIC DOMAIN & SHIFT+ALT+RIGHT.

 

As a queer identifying practitioner, Matt has a passionate interest and commitment to developing LGBTQ work. They have directed and produced a majority queer portfolio of productions and projects & frequently support queer writers and artists. In addition to their work in theatre, they are an emerging queer artist. Performing as Anatomy, they use drag to explore their genderqueer identity in a colourful array of characters.

 

Matt's artistic mission is to create excellent music driven entertainment, support artists, amplify LGBTQ+ voices and celebrate all aspects of their own & others identities. 

 

Connect with Matt on Instagram @mattpowellicus https://www.instagram.com/mattpowellicus/

Website: http://www.matt-powell.co.uk/

George Ure

George trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London. 

He made his debut in the London company of WICKED (Apollo Victoria) in the role of Boq, later reprising his role as part of the Original UK/Ireland Tour, spending a total of four years with the show. 

Credits include: Tobias in SWEENEY TODD (Welsh National Opera & UK Tour), HAIR (European Arena Tour), the title role in PETER PAN (Milton Keynes Theatre ) alongside Bradley Walsh, and Zaki in the Original London Cast of BIG FISH (The Other Palace) with Kelsey Grammer.  

He was a series finalist in BRITANNIA HIGH (ITV) and performed alongside Rod Stewart and Michael Bublé as part of ROD STEWARTS CHRISTMAS (ITV).

In 2017 George took on the lead role of Rusty in the London Redevelopment Workshop of STARLIGHT EXPRESS (The Other Palace) directed by Arlene Phillips, and was invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to record  "I Am The Starlight" (duetting with Mica Paris) for his latest album, UNMASKED: THE PLATINUM COLLECTION.

George is an accomplished Vocal & Performance coach, and has worked with clients including Zoë Wanamaker, Jessica Wright, Jorgie Porter and BGT’s Sarah Ikumu. He has also spent the past 11 years teaching at some of the UK's leading conservatoires including Mountview Academy, Italia Conti and LAMDA.

He has been a core member of the Musical Theatre faculty at The Urdang Academy since 2015, and his credits as a Director include SPRING AWAKENING, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, INTO THE WOODS, A NEW BRAIN, BAT BOY and BAD GIRLS. 

Most recently George was invited by the BBC to join four other industry experts and sit on the professional jury representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.

Connect with George on Instagram @george_ure

https://www.instagram.com/george_ure/?hl=en 

 

Thijs Hogenboom

Thijs Hogenboom is an actor and dancer living in New York.

Born in the Netherlands, Thijs grew up dancing and went to several schools to train as a professional.

After graduating he worked as a professional dancer for several years and had the opportunity to work with several big and well-known dance companies before engaging in a dance project with acting, where he discovered his love for acting.

In 2018 he moved to NY to start his education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he graduated in 2020.

Since then he has been part of several commercials, shorts and productions. 

 

Connect with Thijs on:

Instagram @thijshogenboom 

 

 

Charlie -Jade Jones

Soprano, Actress & Singing Teacher Charlie-Jade Jones graduated with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music and has since been awarded the title Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in Singing Teaching for Musical Theatre, also with Distinction.

Charlie-Jade made her professional stage debut as a Soprano & Soloist in the Thursford Christmas Spectacular and has since worked as a crossover artist on stage and in the recording studio. Her performance work has encompassed Musical Theatre, Concert, Opera & Recording.

 

Charlie-Jade holds singing teaching positions at Italia Conti Academy and Emil Dale Academy where she teaches students on the BA Hons Degree and Diploma in Musical Theatre courses and is also the Founder of Scenaria Studios.

 

She is a Vocal Health First Aider and as well as specific voice related CPD she has also trained in Mindfulness which she fuses in her work as a singing teacher. 

 

As an artist, she has performed at venues including Cadogan Hall, Prince Edward Theatre and The Other Palace as well as recording for the BBC, Wembley Arena & for albums at Angel Studios. Her theatrical performances have included; Jason Robert Brown’s Parade, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair and her one-woman show The Soprano Behind The Screen which she co-devised with musical director Connor Fogel. This opened in 2020 and will be returning to London Fringe Theatre later this year. 

 

Connect with Charlie on Instagram

@charliejadejones + @scenaria.studios

Web: www.charlie-jadejones.com

 

 

Quanna Luo Masterson

Quanna Luo Masterson is a British Chinese Actress.

 

She has been working as an actress since the age of eight both in China and the UK for TV, film, and theatre.

 

She first appeared in Channel 4 drama series Chimerica, the four-part thriller based on a stage play by Lucy Kirkwood.

Her recent credit includes Brave New World and The Dumping Ground (BBC).

 

Connect with Quanna on Instagram @quanna_l

 

Here's Quanna's most recent short film, it would mean a lot if you could like and share the page :) Thank you in advance!

https://www.facebook.com/The-Trap-110538717786505/?modal=followers¬if_id=1616353575988968¬if_t=page_follow&ref=notif

Sofie Kaern

Sofie is a Danish performer based in London. She moved to the UK to pursue her passion for musical theatre and recently graduated from the MA Music Theatre course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

 

Since then she appeared in the panto 'Alice in Streamingland' which had to close because of lockdown.

 

Now Sofie is working on creating new opportunities for emerging artist in the theatre industry. She has co-founded The COW Community, an initiative focused on supporting new writing in the UK, and she hopes to produce many exciting new projects. 

 

Connect with Sofie on

Instagram and Twitter: @sofiekaern  

 

Website: https://sofiekaern.com/

Leeroy Boone

Born in France, Leeroy started his dance education at the regional conservatoire in Toulouse before furthering his education through the VM Danse Studio and later joining the Paris Opera Ballet School from which he graduated in 2013. He went on to finalize his professional training at the Ballettschule des Hamburgballett from which he graduated two years later in 2015.

 

During his dance training, Leeroy participated in several performances at the Palais Garnier and as a guest dancer with the Bundesjugendballett as well as the Gala Jia Ruskaja at the Bolshoi Academy. Upon graduation he joined the Hamburgballet - John Neumeier in which he remained for five years, gaining high level professional experience through ensemble as well as soloist roles and taking part in the company's acclaimed world tours.

 

Leeroy has choreographed short ballets for the Ballettschule des Haburgballett's Creativity Workshops and for the Hamburg Ballet's Young Choreographer's programs. He was also joint-artistic supervisor of the Metamorphosen Ensemble for which he choreographed a number of pieces.

 

In the midst of his professional ballet career, Leeroy furthered his artistic education through summer intensives : at NYU - Steinhardt for Vocal Performance but also at L'ARIA for Acting ; and through singing classes with private teachers, culminating in his joining the MA for Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London at the start of this academic year. 

 

Connect with Leeroy on 

Instagram: @leeroyboone

Twitter: @BooneLeeroy

Vilma Kitula

Vilma Kitula is an actor, theatre maker and a creative.

She grew up in Finland where she started her theatre journey in a local youth theatre and circus school at a young age.

Vilma graduated from the East 15 Acting School in 2020, during the midst of the pandemic – an experience that in all its downfalls gave her even more determination and also new tools to create theatre online. She has a passion for intercultural stage, devising and physical theatre.

Her latest work includes ‘Gyrus & The Forest’ by Naked Frank Theatre, a theatre on film production for mental health support.

She is also a co-founder and a director of Sisu theatre, a female led multicultural theatre company based in the UK. 

Connect with Vilma on Instagram:  @minivilma and @sisutheatreco

 

 

Katharina Kastening

Katharina Kastening is a freelance stage director and works as a staff director at Oper Frankfurt.

She staged, among others, Offenbach's Daphnis et Chloë at the Opera Northern Ireland and Rodrigo for children at the Göttingen International Händel Festival. Further engagements led her to the Grange Festival in Hampshire and the Abu Dhabi Festival in the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

As a staff director, she was involved in the new productions of Menotti's The Medium (director: Hans Walter Richter), Faurés Pénélope and Rossini's Otello (director: Damiano Michieletto) in Frankfurt. She has assisted Keith Warner several times, including at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London (The Ring of the Nibelung), at the Semperoper Dresden (La Forza del Destino), at the Theater an der Wien (Egmont, Der Besuch der alten Dame, Elegie für junge Liebende) and at the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte Montepulciano (Passion).

Born in London, she completed a Bachelor's degree in theatre studies at Royal Holloway University of London, followed by a Master's degree in Text and Performance (specializing in directing) at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Connect with Katharina on

Instagram: @katharinaek

Website: katharinakastening.com

 

Eryn Street

Eryn is a performer and singing-teacher-in-training from Wellington, New Zealand. Her favourite roles to date have been Carrie in the NZ premiere of Carrie the Musical, and Mary Robert in the Australasian premiere of Sister Act the Musical. Eryn has just launched Eryn Street Vocal Studio, and is offering singing lessons, as well as acting through song, masterclasses, and workshops with other industry professionals. 

Connect with Eryn on

Instagram:@erynstreetnz @erynstreetvocalstudio 

Website: www.erynrosestreet.com