Bridesmaids of Britain 2023 UK Tour
Cast and Creatives Biographies
Cast
Kathryn Rutherford – Sarah
Kathryn trained at Guildford School of Acting (BA Hons Musical Theatre).
Her credits include Sarah in Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland, (GOH Belfast and NI tour), Emily Beattie in Our Jimmy: Past and Present (NI Tour), Aladdin – The Adult Panto, Cinder in Cinder on Tinder (GBL Productions) Sophia in Rapunzel (Gordon Craig Theatre and UK Tour), White Feather (Union Theatre), Sophie in Departure Lounge (GOH Belfast), Ida in Honk! (Tabard Theatre), Pirates of Penzance, Nicki in Shakers & The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods. Panto experience includes Jill in Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, playing the title role (Millennium Forum) and Evil Wanda in Rapunzel (Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.)
Kathryn is the first recipient of The London Theatre Runway bursary (2023) and has received the prestigious Laurence Olivier Bursary Award and the Ian Fleming Award (2010)
Kathryn is an accomplished vocalist and has worked for Commedia of Errors in Plays Aloud at Home at Christmas and provided backing vocals for Britain’s got Talent.
Kathryn has originated various roles on cast recordings including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (Steven Luke Walker) Band Camp the musical, Dance with a Stranger (Adam Lenson and James Moriarty) and workshops include Am Dram the Musical (Katie Lam and Alex Parker).
Kathryn is a Mum of two boys and can most recently be seen on CBeebies The Toddler Club (3 arrows media) with her eldest son, Peter.
Kathryn is thrilled to be marching down the aisle in Bridesmaids, working with an incredible all female cast. Kathryn would like to thank her husband Martin, her Mum, family and friends for all their support and making it possible for her to tour and her two little boys, Peter and Charlie for being little legends!
Rebecca Tebbett – Becky
Rebecca graduated from LAMDA in 2017 and was awarded the Laurence Olivier Bursary whilst training.
She played the recurring role of ‘Pupil Midwife Alison Hopkiss’ in Call the Midwife and recently toured with the John Godber Company in Shakers: Under New Management as Mel. TV credits include Call the Midwife (BBC), Murder Maps (UKTV).
Theatre credits include Shakers: Under New Management (John Godber Company); Nutcracker Re-Miced (Durham Gala); Hound of The Baskervilles (Northern Stage); Jane Eyre (The Watermill); Fragment (Battersea Arts Centre). Rebecca is over the moon to be joining the cast of Bridesmaids.
Rebecca Jayne-Davies – Tiffany
Rebecca is a graduate of Arts Educational School London.
Her theatre credits include Hairspray (UK tour); Singin’ in the Rain (The Mill at Sonning); Daddy Long Legs (Barn Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sheffield Crucible); Pinocchio (National Theatre); Half a Sixpence (West End); Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve Theatre); Kiss Me, Kate (Théâtre du Châtelet); Anything Goes (UK tour); Edges (Chiswick Playhouse); The Water Babies (Curve Theatre); Jersey Boys (West End); West Side Story (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Film credits include Kipps (Sky Arts); Kensaltown (Edit6 Ltd); That’s English (Cicada Bellwether).
She has also taken part in the following workshops: Undisclosed Musical (Old Vic); Anthony and Cleopatra (National Theatre Studio); Ostalgie (National Theatre).
Charlotte Duffy – Cover and Resident Director
Charlotte is a graduate of the Oxford School of Drama.
Her previous theatre credits include STRIKE! (Southwark Playhouse), The Comedy About a Bank Robbery (West End and UK and Irish Tour), Ironmistress (The Albany), Spent (Soho Theatre), Peep (Arcola and Smock Alley Dublin), Christopher and His Kind (The Space).
Charlotte was also a theatre maker for the Dublin based company, Come as Soon as You Hear, and has toured with some of their most successful works to date: Pop and Spurt.
Creatives
Robert C Kelly – Producer
2023 is Robert’s fortieth year as a Producer of plays, pantomimes, musicals, and concerts. He has presented many artistes including Elaine Paige, Jane McDonald, Joe Longthorne, Elkie Brooks and Lena Martell. Robert produced and directed many variety shows with such stars as Brian Conley, Danny La Rue, Bobby Davro, Dean Park, Andy Stewart, Keith Harris and Orville, Gary Wilmot and The Nolans. Robert’s shows have starred such actors as Bernie, Linda and Maureen Nolan, Beverly Callard (Coronation Street), Blythe Duff (Taggart), Patsy Palmer (EastEnders), Cheryl Fergison (EastEnders) and Jenny Éclair (Grumpy Old Women).
He has given stage acting “breaks” to singers including Carol Decker (T’Pau), Lorraine McIntosh (Deacon Blue) and Brianna Corrigan (Beautiful South). In 2010, with RTÉ Television, Robert co-produced and appeared as head judge in the 10-week RTÉ1 reality television series to find the male and female leads for Fame the Musical, which Robert then toured across Ireland throughout the autumn of that year.
Robert has produced and co-produced many plays and musicals including nine UK and Irish tours of Menopause The Musical, Olivier Award Winning Defending the Caveman, two tours of The Dolls Abroad, and subsequent “Dolls’” shows The Dolls Dragged Up and The Dolls a Rerr Terr Variety Show. Also 51 Shades of Maggie, Whingeing Women, Girls Night the Musical, Dirty Dusting (UK, Ireland Australia and New Zealand), Pam Gem’s Piaf, eleven productions (including a West End run) of the comedy Mum’s the Word, also Mum’s the Word 2 – from Toddlers to Teenagers in the UK and Germany, Prunella Scales in Too Far to Walk (London), the musical comedy Always Patsy Cline (UK and Australia), It’s Wine O’Clock and many more lost in the mists of time and alcohol.
Across his long career, Robert has produced over 30 pantomimes. Pantomime season 2022/23 saw Robert return to University Concert Hall, Limerick with Peter Pan. In 2023 Robert will tour across the UK and Ireland with the hilarious Menopause the Musical 2: Cruising Through Menopause, brand new shows The Dolls Back wi’ a Bang and Bridesmaids of Britain, as well as bringing Sleeping Beauty to University Concert Hall, Limerick.
GBL – Producers
Founded in Belfast over 15 years ago by leading Northern Ireland playwright, Martin Lynch, GBL Productions is a theatre company that produces shows for tour in Ireland and the UK.
Based in the busy Cathedral Quarter area of Belfast, GBL aims to produce shows that give audiences ‘a great night out.’ While primarily producing Irish work, GBL has successfully toured its shows all over Ireland and the UK.
Having since worked for most of the major theatres in Ireland, north and south, Martin decided it was time to produce his own work and that of others including fellow Belfast playwright, Marie Jones (Stones in His Pockets). Enjoying a long association with Marie, going back to the early 1980s, Martin went on to produce A Night in November (Jones) starring comedian Patrick Kielty at the Belfast Grand Opera House. In 2011 GBL Productions began producing the annual Christmas pantomime at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast and soon after began producing the annual pantomime with Market Place Theatre, Armagh and have successfully delivered numerous sell-out runs at both venues.
Producing credits include: The Interrogation Of Ambrose Fogarty, Lay Up Your Ends, Women On The Verge Of HRT, Dancing Shoes – The George Best Story, A Night With George, 51 Shades Of Maggie, Fly Me To The Moon, The Miami Showband Story, Crazy, In The Name of The Son – The Gerry Conlon Story, History of The Troubles (accordin’ to my Da), History of The Peace (accordin’ to my Ma) and Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland.
Gerard McCabe – Director
Gerard has been a professional actor for 25 years. He has worked in a wide variety of styles with almost all of Northern Ireland’s theatre companies and leading directors.
He was artistic director and founder of regularly funded theatre company Pintsized Productions for ten years (2008-2018) and now runs Sodabread Theatre company.
He started directing at the age of eighteen when he was the youngest ever director at the Belfast Fringe Festival directing John Godber’s Teechers.
He has also previously directed Lockdown DLA by Stephen Large, Girls and Dolls by Lisa McGee(Gaiety Theatre), Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland and Legally Blonde (Grand Opera House/Ulster Operatic), The Girl’s Guide to Saving the World by Elinor Cook (CQAF 2019), Aladdin/Baltic/Cinder on Tinder(Adult Panto-Waterfront Hall).
As Artistic Director for Pintsized Productions, he produced and directed: Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine, The Proposal by Anton Chekov, Bar and Ger by Geraldine Arons and A Cock & Bull Story by Richard Crowe and Richard Zajdlic.
As both Director and Writer, he also created short plays such as Poverty for Queens University Social Science Department, Fat Smelly Ugly for Class Acts Theatre Company (UK TIE Tour) and Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Who Shot Johnny Lightning? for Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts.
Diona Doherty – Writer
As a comedian, actress, writer, and voice over artist, Diona Doherty is making waves in the entertainment world from all angles.
Diona’s debut play Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland, which she also starred in, sold out 26 dates in theatres around N.I including a week at the Grand Opera House Belfast. The UK adaption Bridesmaids of Britain will tour UK and Ireland this year.
As a comedian, Diona is the first ever permanent female panellist on BBC panel show The Blame Game on BBC One N.I. She has now appeared on four seasons. Diona was also shortlisted to the N.I final of The BBC New Comedy Awards 2021 and has guested on Radio 4’s The News Quiz and BBC Radio Scotland’s Breaking The News. Diona also hosts a very popular podcast called ‘Remember When..? With Diona Doherty.’
She guest led an episode of Derry Girls for Ch4/Netflix as KATYA, played one of the leads in three series of BBC improvised comedy Soft Border Patrol and is a reoccurring character Grainne in BBC’s Give My Head Peace. Diona also played the lead in BBC Sounds series What Happens In Ulster, lead cast in 8 seasons of radio series A Perforated Ulster as well as appearing in Penance for Ch5 and comedy pilot Dry Your Eyes for BBC.
Diona’s first stand-up comedy show will tour N.I in Summer 2024.
Tracey Lindsay – Costume and Set Design
Hailing from Derry N.Ireland, Tracey trained at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth receiving a BA Honours in Drama and Scenography.
Design credits include, Set Design Hume- Beyond Belief- The Life and Mission of John and Pat Hume (Playhouse, Derry); Set and Costume Design Silent Trade (Kabosh Theatre Company); Set Design The Trumpet & The King (Terra Nova Productions); Set and Costume Design Big Man (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Set Design Birds Of Passage In The Half Light (Tinderbox Theatre Company); Set and Costume Design Iron Annie (Luke Cassidy); Costume Design X’ntigone (Prime Cut Productions and MAC, Belfast); Set and Costume Design In The Name Of The Son -The Gerry Conlon Story (Green Shoot Productions); Costume Design and Associate Set Design Distortion (MAC, Belfast); Set and Costume Design The Shedding Of Skin (Kabosh Theatre Company); Set and Costume Design Billy Boy (EastSide Arts); Design Associate Abomination: A DUP Opera (The Belfast Ensemble and Outburst Arts) Winner of ‘Best Operatic Production’ at The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.
Tracey was Associate Designer for Prime Cut Productions. Credits including The Border Game (Co-Production, Lyric Theatre) and Father, The Father (Co-Production, MAC Theatre)
Previous designs include, Set and Costume Design ‘Is Iomaí Rud a Tharla / The Story of the Irish Houses’ (Aisling Ghear); Assistant Designer in the London immersive production of The Wolf of Wall Street (Hartshorn-Hook Productions); Set Design Assembly Required (Headrush, Ireland); Set and Costume Design We Like It Here (Headrush, Ireland); Set and Lighting Design All For Honor (Tara Studio, London).
Design Assistant to Ciaran Bagnall Design. Assisting credits include, The Whip (Royal Shakespeare Company); Peter Pan (Hull Truck); A Christmas Carol (The Gate, Dublin); The Merchant of Venice (Shanghai Grand Theatre, RSC); Lady Magma (Atelier Paris, Prime Cut Productions); The Magic Flute (Irish National Opera); A Streetcar Named Desire (Lyric Theatre, Belfast).
Duncan Gillies – Lighting Designer
Duncan’s credits include Friends! The Musical Parody (UK and Ireland Tour) Menopause the Musical 2 Cruising Through Menopause (UK and Ireland Tour). Snow White (Gardyne Theatre), Defending the Caveman (Robert C Kelly), Snow White (Angus Alive), Rapunzel (Angus Alive) Sunset Boulevard (BFAOS), Sister Act The Musical (BFAOS), Kipps The Musical (Dundee Youth Music Theatre) Summer Holiday The Musical (Dundee Youth Music Theatre) Frozen Jr (ST Pauls RC Academy), Angus Council and Angus Alive’s Light Night.
Duncan’s highlights in previous years have been: The 2018 Karate World Championships Opening Ceremony (Dundee ICE Arena), Back to the 80’s (Rising Young Stars Theatre Group), Legally Blonde (ST Pauls RC Academy), Dundee and Angus College Fashion Show (Space Theatre) and UK and Irish tours of the original Menopause the Musical.
Duncan is delighted to be designing the lighting for Bridesmaids of Britain (UK and Ireland Tour), The Dolls Back Wi’ A Bang (Scottish Tour) and Sleeping Beauty (University Concert Hall, Limerick).
Matthew Reeve – Sound Designer
Matthew read music at King’s College London and works as a musical director, orchestrator and composer.
Musical Direction credits include Showtime (Qatar Foundation & Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra), Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland (Grand Opera House, Belfast & Irish Tour), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Buxton Opera House), Grease (Trondheim Spektrum; DNB Arena, Stavanger; & Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway), The Wizard Of Oz, Flashdance (Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway), Den Hvite Dame (Fredriksten Festning, Halden, Norway), The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole (Aged 13¾), The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (The MAC, Belfast & Irish Tour), Annie Get Your Gun, Tinseltown, Hunchback The Musical (Theatre At The Mill, Newtownabbey), Molly Wobbly (Lyric Theatre, Belfast; Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh; Leicester Square Theatre and The Phoenix Artist Club), Jack Frost’s Frozen Christmas, Santa Claus The Musical (Pavilion Theatre, Worthing), Cabaret, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Sweet Charity (The MAC, Belfast), Hansel and Grettel (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (The Black Box, Belfast).
Composing credits include RSC Snapshots (The Dell Gardens, Stratford-Upon-Avon), Romeo and Juliet (Roman Theatre of Verulamium, St. Albans and Minack Theatre), The Importance Of Being Earnest (The MAC, Belfast), The 39 Steps, The Colleen Bawn (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Playhouse Creatures, The Nose, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Lady Windermere’s Fan (The MAC, Belfast and Irish Tour), The Tempest, Twelfth Night (Minack Theatre).
Forthcoming credits include Measure for Measure (Minack Theatre), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Irish Tour), Grease (Oslo Spektrum, Norway), Cinderella (Towngate Theatre, Basildon).