Clare has been dancing since the age of three and has been a member of City Theatre Company
and its parent company, BHOS, since she was five.
She has performed, predominantly as a dancer, with the adult section for over 14 years. Clare is
extremely excited to be part of Closer to Heaven and has thoroughly enjoyed being part of this
production, even the gruelling warm ups! Clare would like to wish all her fellow cast members the
best of luck and hopes that you enjoy the show!
After graduating from The Academy theatre school, Sherryn went on to teach singing and street dance
at Starstruck Stage school for serveral years between professional contracts with P&O cruise lines,
Thompson Gold, Solomons Productions, Live Business, Matthew Jones Orchestra, ITV, Volupté Burlesque
and various other cabaret venues.
Previous choreography credits include the Chart Tribute Show (National Tour), Get Down Tonight
(National Tour), Mermory Lane (Regional Tour) and icandi street dance troup.
After playing Ronnette in City Theatre Company’s previous production of Little Shop of Horrors, Sherryn
is thrilled to be working on this very exciting production and would like to thank all “Billie’s Babes” for enduring such
high energy rehearsals with smiling faces!
Jaki has been performing from an early age and has been a member of City Theatre
Company and its parent company BHOS for over 20 years. She is really looking forward
to performing with them again in this brilliant production of Closer to Heaven.
She has undertaken numerous roles including: Nancy (Oliver), Angie (Summer Holiday),
Patsy (Crazy For You), Val (A Chorus Line), Estelle (The Full Monty), Lily St Regis (Annie),
Erma (Anything Goes). Other favourite shows she has performed in include 42nd Street,
La Cage Aux Folles, Pirates of Penzance, Copacabana, Hello Dolly, the list goes on!
She hopes everyone enjoys the show as much as she has.
Jo Pickersgil
Joanne is making her British theatrical debut in Closer to Heaven.
Previously she took part in a number of amateur musicals in Germany,
including ‘Bad Girls’ and ‘Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat’.
She has a degree in Anthropology and Development Studies, currently works
with Deaf members of the community and is training to become a Sign
Language Interpreter.
Lea’s love of performing started at the tender age of three where she appeared in her first dance show. Since then she has performed in numerous musicals including: South Pacific, West Side Story, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Tommy, Witches of Eastwick, Jekyll & Hyde and as Carmen Diaz (Fame), Bridget (A Slice of Saturday Night) and Georgie Bukatinsky (The Full Monty), Hildy (On The Town).
Alongside musical theatre, Lea studied Music Performance at Northbrook College, which resulted in her becoming lead vocalist for soul/funk band Perfect Scoundrels for 4 years. Also during her time at Northbrook she performed live for Children in Need on BBC 1.
Lea is trained in Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Street Jazz, Latin American& Ballroom dancing and has been a teacher and choreographer. Having most recently assisted the choreographer on My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Brighton.
Nikki Leach
Nikki began performing at an early age, training locally in Eastbourne.
In 2003 she completed an HND in Musical Theatre in Blackpool and since
graduating has been teaching performing arts across the south coast,
mainly
for The Park School of Dancing and Stagecoach Theatre Arts.
She has appeared in several summer seasons at The Royal Hippodrome
Theatre, Eastbourne and was one of the three Ryan Sisters in 'Danny and Me',
starring Ted Rodgers, at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London. Nikki has been involved in numerous productions in Eastbourne and now Brighton
such as 'Crazy For You', 'Mack and Mabel' and Me and My Girl' as well as many
pantomimes and charity concerts. Past roles include: Louise in 'Gypsy', Mimsie
in 'Summer Holiday', Hattie in 'Kiss Me Kate', Maria in 'West Side Story' and most
recently Ivy in 'On The Town'. She can also be heard on the original studio recording
of 'Chance' - a musical based on the board game - 'Monopoly'!
As well as performing, Nikki is becoming a noted choreographer. Her choreographic credits include: 'On The Town' -
with Nathan Potter, 'Little Shop of Horrors', 'A Night at the Musicals' - again with Nathan, 'A Slice of Saturday Night'
as well as numerous charity shows, gala performances and competitions, including choreographing a troupe to perform at Her Majesties Theatre, London.
Nikki is very pleased to be assisting choreographer, Sherryn, on this amazing show and hopes you enjoy it as much as we have been enjoying rehearsals!
As a professionally trained figure skater, Laura has spent the last 7 years of her life touring internationally appearing on the frozen stage. As a
member of ‘Holiday On Ice’ she has been in two main productions ‘Celebration’ and ‘Fantasy’ both which under went a 3 year touring period
travelling to places as far flung as the deserts in Qatar to the depths of the Amazon basin in South America.
Last Christmas she was privileged to be chosen to skate amongst the celebrities in ‘Sterren Dansen Opt Het Ijs’ which is the dutch equivalent to
the UK hit TV series Dancing on Ice.
Having now moved back to her roots in Brighton and as a new member of CTC she is very excited to make her second stage performance in ‘Closer to Heaven’.
Kyle has been performimg in amateur and professional productions since childhood.
Theatre Credits include: Guys And Dolls, Grease, The Petticoat Rebellion, The Long And Winding Road, FAME The Musical and most recently took part in Bill Kenwrights Touring production of Evita. I have also performed in various operatic and Ballet productions round the UK these include: Swan Lake, Carmen Opera,Aida and Turandot Opera with “Ellen Kent Opera and Ballet Company”.
Television Advertisements Credits include: Jetix Max Advertisement, Virgin Atlantic Airlines and Disney XD. I am also a Vocalist and have trained in several styles of dance.
Samuel's theatre credits include: Joe Vegas, Fame the Musical, Troy Bolton, Songtime London tour, High School Musical on stage, Evita, Billl Kenwright Productions Congress Theatre Eastbourne, Carmen, Theatre Royal Brighton, Swan Lake, Swansea Kings Theatre, AIDA the Opera, Theatre Royal Brighton, Sky Masterson, Guys and Dolls, Roger, Rent the musical, Max Bialystock, The Producers. Samuel has also taken part in theatrical concerts and Events such as West End Live, Her Majestys Theatre London (Singer), Joogleberry concert (singer) , Swing night concert (Singer) Dome Winners concert (Singer/Performer), the Dome Theatre Brighton, Oscarettes musical theatre awards. Samuel has professional representation for both musical theatre and television. He is Represented by Impact international London and Mark Jermin Management. TV Credits include: Aunt Bessies yorkshire pudding advert 2008/9, Jetix advert 2008, NSPCC Advert 2008, MTV Music video 2008, Sainsburys Advert with Jamie Oliver 2009, Hanrohan investigates detective series channel 5, "Out of your hands" Brighton Film Company, Ps3 Advert 2008. Samuel was recently talent scouted at a show he was taking part in by Mary Hammond and Carole Todd. He was put up and approached by Sony BMG and also has an audition later this year for the lead part in a UK tour.
Aside From theatre and tv Samuel also does regular voiceover work for voiceover artistes international in Italy.
Samuel Trains with The Theatre Workshop Brighton. Sam is hoping to attend Arts Educational Schools London Next year.
Daveed studied dancing in France from the tender age of nine, attending every classes available, hoping to,one day fulfil his dream of becoming a performing artist. From the age of seventeen, having fled the parental nest, he started auditioning in the capital. He hooked up with a few street dancers who gathered daily in various locations auch as shopping centres, car parks or anywhere they could lay flat some cardboard boxes and practise different styles. As Daveed moved to England years later, he danced for several club on the Brighton seafront, mixing all genres and can admit to have done particularly thorough research for this particular piece.