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Park Theatre and Hope Mill Theatre present

ANIMAL

By Jon Bradfield from a story by Jon Bradfield and Josh Hepple

Jon Bradfield

Jon co-wrote and composed the songs for Above The Stag Theatre’s popular and critically acclaimed 12-year run of queer adult pantomimes. His other collaborations with Martin Hooper include Ghosted: Another F***ing Christmas Carol (The Other Palace Theatre); the musical He Shoots, He Scores!; and the play A Hard Rain, which was also produced in New York. Their new company, He’s Behind You!, will present its first show Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick from November 2023 at the Charing Cross Theatre. Jon’s play Animal, developed with disability activist and equality trainer Josh Hepple, won the inaugural Through The Mill Prize, was shortlisted for the Papatango Prize, and will be produced in spring 2023 by the Park Theatre, London and Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester. Jon wrote Missing Alice for BBC4 and the Old Vic, part of Mark Gatiss’ Queers series, with Rebecca Front as Alice; and the forthcoming TV movie Romantic Friction, to be distributed internationally in 2023.

Josh Hepple

Josh has cerebral palsy. He has a law degree, has been a theatre reviewer, and is an activist, equality trainer and a writer-journalist contributing to news media including The Guardian and Huffington Post. 

https://www.joshhepple.com/

Bronagh Lagan

Originally from Northern Ireland, Bronagh is passionate about directing new writing particular from underrepresented communities.

Bronagh’s Olivier nominated production of Cruise by Jack Holden was the first new play to open the West End after the pandemic. Cruise returned to the West End last year for a sold out run at The Apollo Theatre. She also directed a film version of the show in Shoreditch Town Hall's Ditch which won an ONCOMM award for Best Recorded Show

She has directed a number of productions at both the Park Theatre and Hope Mill Theatre, Bronagh’s production of Rags, the musical by Charles Strouse and Stephen Schwartz at The Park Theatre received nine Off West End Award nominations, including: Best Director and Best Production. Bronagh worked closely with Stephen Schwartz in reimagining the script for an actor-musician production and curated a cast album; She also directed the European premier of Little Women, the musical at The Park Theatre which is available on Broadway HD

Bronagh recently directed the Uk Regional Touring Production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice starring Christina Bianco, the award nominated Broken Wings, musical and Rumi, the musical at The London Coliseum starring Rami Karimloo.

West End Credits:

Cruise (The Apollo Theatre); RUMI (London Coliseum); Cruise (Duchess Theatre); Umm Kulthum, the Golden Era (London Palladium); Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket & Charing Cross Theatre); Rags, in concert (Lyric Theatre)

Other directing credits:

The Rise And Fall of Little Voice (UK Regional Tour); A-Typical Rainbow (Turbine); Little Women; Rags, The Musical (The Park Theatre & Hope Mill Theatre); Putting It Together (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester); A Christmas Carol (Ivy Studio); A Winter’s Tale (Rose Theatre, Kingston) Brexit, the Musical (C Venues, Edinburgh); tick, tick... BOOM! (Park Theatre); Promises, Promises (Southwark Playhouse); As You Like It (Jackson’s Lane); James and The Giant Peach (UK & International Tour); Portia Coughlan (The Old Red Lion Theatre); Girlfriends (Union Theatre); Blood Wedding (Courtyard Theatre); Henry VI Part1 (Rose Theatre); Julius Caesar (The Scoop)

www.bronaghlagan.com

@bronaghlagan

Jane Deitch

Jane was Head of Casting for BBC Drama Series for 10 years. She was responsible for a team of 20 and for an out-put in excess of 500 hours of drama per year. As a department head, Jane also sat on the Drama Series Development Board, collaborating in the development and subsequent production of many new series and casting and negotiating contracts for all regular characters. Jane implemented a ground-breaking Diversity strategy for on-screen talent which had a major impact on the industry as a whole and led to her being invited to sit on the BBC’s Diversity Committee and to represent the corporation at the highest level. She now runs her own business and casts for a wide variety of productions including theatre, musical theatre and films. Jane regularly teaches professional practice and audition technique for Drama Schools including Arts Ed., Royal Central, Italia Conti and Guildford and is a visiting lecturer at Norwich University Film School and Birkbeck University on the Directors’ Course.

Films:

Unhallowed Ground (Best Horror Film, LIFF / 2 Supporting Actor awards, BIFAwards), Locked In, New Year’s Day (Jury Prize: Raindance/Best Film: Sapporo FF), Welcome To Leathermill (short), BAFTA-winning Shoot the Messenger and Magnificent 7 

TV (includes):

EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors, Waking The Dead (Emmy award), Judge John Deed, In Deep, Dalziel and Pascoe, A Respectable Trade (BAFTA nominated), Drovers’ Gold, The Mrs Bradley Mysteries, Walter’s War.

Theatre:

Shirley Valentine, The Blue Room (Lichfield Garrick), Othello (Riverside Studios) Flowers Of The Forest, The Green Bay Tree, The Autumn Garden, I Loved Lucy, The First Man, The Last Ones  (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Exonerated (Hope Mill Theatre), Night Of The Living Dead Live (Pleasance), Ladies Of Letters (Yvonne Arnaud), The Throne (Charing Cross). A-Typical Rainbow (Turbine)

West End:

Lend Me A Tenor: The Musical, I Loved Lucy, The Toxic Avenger, Bumblescratch Gala Concert, Cruise (stand-by casting) – Duchess and Apollo Theatres, The Last Five Years

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