The Artistic Team

Vernon Mound is the artistic director of the musical theatre department at Gothenburg University in Sweden, the only education of its kind in Scandinavia, training the leading artists of the future.

He has had a lifelong career in directing professional opera and musicals worldwide, and youth theatre and students at the leading academies of the UK, Europe and Scandinavia. Previously he has held Artistic Directorships for the National Youth Music Theatre and the Royal College of Music.

He is also an active director working from the USA to Russia and all over Europe. He started his directing career in Australia with the King and I, and has since then directed a total of some 185 productions.

Stuart trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. As a director Stuart has worked all over the country.

Credits include Annie, Oliver! Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific and West Side Story. For the past 3 years Stuart has been an associate director for YMT:UK where he has developed new musicals on subjects such as John Steinbeck's The Pearl and Feral Children.

He is the Artistic Director of Flaming Youth Theatre Company who specialise in classical training for young people.

Conor trained at the Guildford School of Acting receiving the Redgrave Scholarship for achievements in drama.

Theatre credits include: The Lost Christmas (Trafalgar Studios London), Dr. Dolittle (UK Tour), Male Soloist – Riverdance (Japan/Taiwan), Dance Hall Days (Riverside Studios Hammersmith), plus numerous readings and workshops. His work for television includes Howard Goodhaul's 20th Century Greats for Channel 4 which earned a BAFTA nomination.

Syd Ralph’s productions have featured at the Savoy Theatre, the Royal Opera House and on a BBC2 documentary filmed inside Wandsworth Prison.

Amongst her professional credits as a director are the following productions: West Side Story (Pimlico Opera), Goodnight Mr Tom (Buxton Opera House), Guys and Dolls (Pimlico Opera), Under Milkwood (Orpheus Theatre), Sirens (Sounds New Festival, Canterbury), Noyes Fludde ( Covent Garden Festival), Dahl Stew (Britten Sinfonia), One Two (English National Opera), Dido and Aeneas and The Ephesian Matron (Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury), Sweet Charity (Gulbenkian Theatre), Barnum (Epsom Playhouse),The Pirates of Penzance (Leatherhead Theatre), A Chorus Line and Sweeney Todd (Sevenoaks Playhouse), Murderous Instincts (Savoy Theatre, London), Annie (Leatherhead Theatre) and the premiere of the opera, Promised Land, (Marlowe Theatre) for the Canterbury Festival.

Syd has worked as a freelance director for the National Youth Music Theatre, for Music Theatre 4 Youth and was a founding Artistic Associate of Youth Music Theatre:UK.

Last year she directed the YMT Belfast production of The Chosen Room, written by award-winning playwright, Marie Jones and Riverdance MD, Mark Dougherty. She also directed a production of Orpheus-the Mythical, written by Richard Stilgoe and performed at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House. She returns to direct this production when it is remounted at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford later this year.

Lotte has recently returned from New York, having been invited to work as a guest director for Philip Seymour Hoffman’s LAByrinth Theatre Company.

Directing credits include Killing Swans and Bottoms Up (LAByrinth, NY), Austentatious (Landor), The ‘Language of Love’ Shakespeare Festival (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Something Stupid (Camden Fringe), Dido, Queen of Carthage (Little Hawks Theatre Company), The Threepenny Opera (Oxford Playhouse), Into the Woods (Oxford Playhouse) and Play on Words (winner of the Cameron Mackintosh New Writing Festival 2007).

As assistant director she has worked on pieces such as Speaking in Tongues (Duke of York’s, West End) The King and I (Royal Albert Hall), The 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic), Rita (Royal Opera House), Fiddler on the Roof (UK tour), The Dreaming (NYMT) and text and language assistant on Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe).

Claires’ Theatre credits include directing work with the British Shakespeare Company, The Battersea Arts Centre, Greenwich Playhouse Theatre, Cambridge Shakespeare and the Hampstead Garden Opera.

She has extensive experience working in youth theatre such as work with the Young Vic, The National Youth Music Theatre, Scottish Youth Theatre and Youth Music Theatre UK and has taught at Mountview Academy and Stella Mann College.She was associate director with the Perth Theatre Company and the C Theatre Company in Scotland.

Claire was the winner of the BBC/Sunday Times Director’s Award, The National Student Drama Festival for The Bald Prima Donna and “Merseyside Arts Trainee of the Year”.

From an early age she appeared in commercials and various theatre productions, but Clare’s big break came when she landed the part of Natasha Stevens in the BBC children's drama Grange Hill.

Directly after this, Clare earned herself the role of Jenny Porter in the popular sitcom 2 point 4 children. Since then she has appeared in numerous TV and theatre productions such as Summer Holiday (UK Tour), Puss in Boots (Connaught Theatre) and Essex Girls (Theatre Technis). Clare came second place in the BBC’s Dancing on Ice and took part in the 2008 Dancing on Ice tour.

She is currently starring in the UK tour of Little Shop of Horrors.

Tim is one of the most versatile musicians in the UK, working as composer, conductor, director, performer and teacher.

His recent work includes conducting a new production of Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd in Sweden, judging BBC Radio 3’s Choir of the Year, Chorus Master for Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall, and composer for dance work Thought Latching to Thought (nominated for the place Prize 2006).

Tim has also worked as Chorus Master for the BBC Prom and has composed scores for performances in the Edinburgh festival. He is Associate Conductor of Voice Chamber Choir and Director of Children’s Classical Chorus.

Paul’s London shows include Godspell, Stop the World I Want to Get Off, Oklahoma!, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at the National Theatre and Paint Your Wagon, The Tempest and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in Regents Park.

Paul was musical director for Howard Goodall's new musical Days of Hope and for Danny La Rue, Ronnie Corbet and Anthony Newly on stage and on television. He was resident MD at the Players Theatre for a number of years and is a guest conductor for the British Festival Concert Orchestra for their classical and contemporary concerts.

Paul is a vocal coach at Arts Ed London and tutor of theatre repertoire at London College of Music and Media.

Jan is a regular keyboard player in West End Shows, currently working with Billy Elliot, Wicked, Jersey Boys and La Cage aux Folles, and previously with Mary Poppins, Spamalot, My One And Only, and The Royal Hunt Of The Sun (National Theatre, dir. Trevor Nunn).

She was Musical Director for The Spotted Cow and the Pianoforte (Wilton’s Music Hall), Mort (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford), Yikes! (Unicorn Theatre), and Assistant Musical Director for Coram Boy (National Theatre) and in Sweden for Mozart! (Värmlandsoperan,) and Hello Again (Gothenburg University).

Jan’s education and community work includes projects for the Royal Opera, English National Opera Baylis Programme, and the London Symphony Orchestra as well as community productions.

Helen Washington was trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. She has been working on the West End playing in such shows as Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre), Sister Act (Palladium), Jersey Boys (Prince Edwards) and has recently performed on the tour of West Side Story.

Helen has also played on Lord of the Rings, Sound of Music and Guys and Dolls as well as performing in productions in the National Theatre, Saddlers Wells and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Helen has worked as a Musical Director for productions with Mountview Theatre School, Guildford School of Acting, Peter Field Youth Theatre and many other productions.

Toby studied Musical Direction and Coaching at the Royal Academy of Music, which awarded him an additional diploma for an exceptional final recital.

Having originally studied at Trinity College of Music, gaining his degree in orchestral percussion, his engagements have included appearances for the BBC, The Sherman Brothers and the English National Ballet. As a musical director he has worked on many shows including Crazy for You, Cabaret, and 42nd Street. Pantomime credits include Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Toby’s recent engagements have included the UK tour of Tracy Beaker Gets Real, Assistant Musical Director for Mamma Mia! International tour, and Musical Director for the UK Tour of Little Shop of Horrors.

Andrew has working as musical director on productions such as Cinderella: The Musical Pantomime (Mayflower Theatre, Southampton), Godspell (Musical Youth Manchester) and Starting Here, Starting Now (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).

As assistant/associate musical director: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour & Esplanade Theatre, Singapore) and Our House (UK Tour) and as children’s musical director: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour).

As pianist and keyboard player shows include: Jerry Springer: The Opera (UK Tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tours), Scrooge (UK Tours & London Palladium), West Side Story (UK Tour) and Whistle Down the Wind (Palace Theatre, London).

Michael was the Director of Music at The Academy Of Live And Recorded Arts 1993-1997 and Deputy Head of Musical Theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre arts from 1997-2004.

West End credits include Sunset Boulevard (Adelphi Theatre) 1995-1996, Blood Brothers (Phoenix Theatre) 1995, Blood Brothers (National Tour) 1995, and Mamma Mia (Prince Edward Theatre) 1999.

He was a BBC Audition Adjudicator and Associate Chorus Master for the feature film of “The Little Prince”. He was also Musical Supervisor of The Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre opening Gala Concert in October 2006 and an adjudicator for BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year Competition. In 2007 he was an adjudicator for BBC “Young Musician of the Year” and the BBC Fame Academy Bursary.

Oliver is an established pianist and musician working in the West End on productions such as Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre.

Recently he supervised a touring Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand tour. Oliver has also worked as children's MD on the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tour and has worked at most of the major London theatre schools.

Stuart has a dual career as a freelance Singing Coach & Musical Director working in the West End, TV and in education. He is President of the British Voice Association (09-10).

As a singing coach, he runs a busy private teaching studio and coaches at the Royal Academy of Music and taught at the Actors' Centre for 10 years. He has worked extensively for the BBC, with programmes such as R2's Voice of Musical Theatre Competition and BBC Talent's Be A Musical Theatre Performer competition, and the children's TV opera The Little Prince. He adjudicates and mentors for the BBC Performing Arts Fund’s Musical Theatre Bursaries, which gives £150k in funding annually to musical theatre students, and is National Selection Judge again this year for Choir of the Year.

He has musically-directed, assisted, supervised and/or orchestrated over 20 shows in the West End and internationally, including productions of Blood Brothers, Rent, The Rat Pack, Passion, Jesus Christ Superstar, La Cava, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever and Zipp! 100 Musicals in 100 minutes. His work as a concert conductor spans a similarly diverse field, including bringing the music of Broadway to the Ekaterinburg Philharmonic in Russia, and bringing Symphonic Abba to Sweden amongst much else. Last year he was Musical Director for Dame Shirley Bassey’s TV performances on The Graham Norton Show, Paul O’Grady Show and Strictly Come Dancing. He is also MD for with the veteran classic actor John Standing’s Nöel Coward cabaret, which has just completed runs at the National Theatre and the Carlyle Cafe, New York.

As current President of the British Voice Association, he heads an organisation dedicated to furthering knowledge of vocal health and research, and that brings together the country’s top singing teachers, speech therapists and larynx surgeons. Stuart regularly writes and presents on vocal health, notably for Sing Up.

Gareth’s work as Musical Director/Assistant MD includes: Much Ado About Nothing and King John (RSC), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Fame (Shaftesbury), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (New Wimbledon), Jerry Springer – The Opera, The King and I, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK tours), Tin Pan Ali (National Youth Music Theatre), Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Jubilee (International Festival of Musical Theatre, Cardiff).

Gareth has played piano/keyboards on many West End productions, including: Spamalot, The Producers, Avenue Q, Les Miserables, Evita, Scrooge, Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

TV work as Musical Director and Vocal Consultant includes Songs of Praise (BBC), Large and High Hopes (BBC Wales). He is a founder director of Focus Theatre Company.

Information coming soon

Anthoula Papadakis is active worldwide as a choreographer. Her background is as a professional dancer and photographic model trained at The Royal Ballet School, London Contemporary Dance School and Arts Educational.

For some years she was closely associated with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her productions of musicals and opera range from Russia to Europe, Scandinavia and the UK. These include major professional productions and also many youth theatre and university projects.

Next year’s work includes productions for Color Line Cruises, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg and Sunset Boulevard for the Gothenburg Opera, Fiddler on The Roof, Hair and La Cage aux Folles in Germany.

Ryan trained at Bird College gaining a National Diploma in dance and theatre performance. He was most recently the assistant director for the new musical Too close to the sun, Comedy Theatre in the West End, and has just choreographed a new musical called Bloodbath by Tony McHale which is currently making is world premiere in Edinburgh.

As a choreographer he has worked as assistant to Michael Flatley and Molly Molloy on the Celtic Tiger stadium tour, Ripper directed by Vernon Mound, Anthology for Conor Mitchell and Memories of the Musicals charity gala.

He has worked as assistant choreographer for Music Theatre 4 Youth (Ireland) for two years and for Stella Mann at Bird College. Ryan has performed in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake world tour and Arlene Philip’s Grease UK and European tour. He has also performed in various West End musicals such as Wicked (original London cast at the Victoria Apollo), Kismet for the London Coliseum, and as Rudy in Cabaret (Lyric theatre).

Ryan’s Film and Television work includes Andrew Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera directed by Joel Schumacher and adverts for T-Mobile, Sanex and UEFA cup.

Camilo trained at the Swedish Ballet academy in Gothenburg. After graduating he worked as a musical artist in Sweden and Norway in productions such as Hair, A chorus Line, Fame, My Fair Lady, Kiss me Kate and The Rocky Horror Show.

Camilo trained at the Swedish Ballet academy in Gothenburg. After graduating he worked as a musical artist in Sweden and Norway in productions such as Hair, A chorus Line, Fame, My Fair Lady, Kiss me Kate and The Rocky Horror Show. Camilo has been working as a choreographer for music theatre productions such as Little Voice and children’s theatre such as Pippi Long Stocking and Annie.

Isse is a professional dancer and choreographer touring his native Sweden with high profile artists such as Dr. Alban, Carola H, Starpilots, Charlotte Perelli, Wyclef Sean, Mary J Blidge and Lutricia McNeal.

Isse is a co founder of The Voice Streetdance School teaching styles such as locking, popping, new school street dance and house.

Johanna trained at The Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm, and at Ballet de National de Cuba. She then went on to become a soloist in both companies. She then worked as a classical dancer at the Royal Opera, Stockholm. In 1994 Johanna began working in musicals. She has been seen on major stages both in Sweden and Denmark. Today Johanna divides her time between being an active dancer, choreographer’s assistant and choreographing her own work. She has assisted on many productions which include Manon Lescaut, La Traviata, Nine, West Side Story, Miss Saigon, Banankontakt, Zorba and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Karim started out dancing on squares and sidewalks in Stockholm at an early age. During the nineties he was one of the founders of the dance company known as BouncE, which has toured and performed both in Sweden and abroad.

Since then he has participated in dance acts as well as musicals and Operas such as West side Story, Carmen, Zorba and much more

Paul trained at bush Davies & the Hammond. He has worked as a performer in West End musicals, in the opera ballet at the Royal Opera House, in touring jazz dance companies.

He has directed/choreographed a number of musicals including Guys & Dolls, Cabaret, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Alice in Wonderland, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Annie and Peter Pan.

His choreographic credits include Oliver, Poppy, the Mystery of Edwin Drood, Tom Thumb and West Side Story. He has also choreographed London Calling & Jack Spratt VC both for BBC2, TV commercials and Fashion Shows.

Paul trained at bush Davies & the Hammond. He has worked as a performer in West End musicals, in the opera ballet at the Royal Opera House, in touring jazz dance companies.

He has directed/choreographed a number of musicals including Guys & Dolls, Cabaret, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Alice in Wonderland, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Annie and Peter Pan.

His choreographic credits include Oliver, Poppy, the Mystery of Edwin Drood, Tom Thumb and West Side Story. He has also choreographed London Calling & Jack Spratt VC both for BBC2, TV commercials and Fashion Shows.

Tim Stanley is the Assistant Choreographer of Mamma Mia! the Movie and Associate Choreographer of both the International Tour and the London productions.

Tim choreography credits include The Marriage of Figaro (Wilton's Music Hall and Tour of Provence), La Boheme (Tour to Palestine); Saturday Night (Arts Theatre, West End; Jermyn Street Theatre and Theatre Royal, Windsor), Into The Woods and The Threepenny Opera (both Oxford Playhouse), Kiss Me, Kate (O'Reilly Theatre), As You Like It (Said Amphitheatre) and West Side Story (Pembroke, Oxford).

As a performer his credits include Sam in Crazy For You (London Palladium), Artie Green/Swing in Sunset Boulevard (Comedy Theatre, West End), Snout/Wall in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Thelma Holt/Cam. Mac. Japan Tour). Tim also works as an MD/Arranger, recent credits include Kean (Apollo, West End - dir. Adrian Noble), The Boatswain’s Mate and Ordinary Days (both at the Finborough Theatre).

He is musically directing performances for the Lord Mayor's Show at St. Paul's Cathedral in November.

Pippa is a West End Casting Director who has cast over 100 productions for West End, UK, US and Europe.  She was Resident Associate Director and cast three seasons of 15 EuropeanClassics for Jonathan Miller at The Old Vic between 1987 and 1991

West End / London includes: Into The Woods (Regent’s Park), Love Story (Chichester), All The Fun Of The Fair, Legally Blonde, Jack and the Beanstalk(Lyric Hammersmith), Peter Pan (O2) The Importance of Being Earnest (Regent’s Park), Been So Long (Young Vic), Spring Awakening, Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Lion King, We Will Rock You, Marguerite, Chess In Concert, The Drowsy Chaperone, Porgy & Bess, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Generations, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Blue Man Group, Follow My Leader, Enchanted Pig, Acorn Antiques, Tonight's The Night, Simply Heavenly, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Japes, Wit, Rent, The Magistrate, Hair, Into the Woods.

Current Europe: The Fairy Queen (New York & Glyndebourne 2009), Tarzan, High School Musical, We Will Rock You, Blue Man Group.

UK Tours include: Quadrophenia, We Will Rock You, Riverdance, JerrySpringer, Acorn Antiques, Slamdunk, Five Guys Named Moe, Tonight’s the Night.

Per Eltvik trained at the Ballet Academy’s Musical Theatre Program in Gothenburg, Sweden and graduated 2001. After graduating he worked as a musical theatre performer in productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar, A Slice of Saturday Night, Miss Saigon and the Gothenburg Opera’s production of Romeo and Juliet. 

Directing credits include Broadway Bound, the European premiere of Spring Awakening, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Lippa’s The Wild Party.

As assistant director he has worked on pieces such as Weill’s The Silverlake: a Winter’s Fairy Tale, See What I Wanna See, Footloose and Company. He lectures Musical Theatre History at the Academy of Music & Drama, University of Gothenburg.

Oliver originally trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Upon graduating he worked briefly as an actor before embarking on a career as an agent. Olly has an extensive knowledge of the industry having worked at the Dominion Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, Live Nation Theatrical and David Ian Associates. He began his agenting career at BBA, and now works at Cole Kitchenn Personal Management managing a select list of leading actors and creatives