In the 'House Seats'
This podcast brings you interviews with people working in the entertainment industry discussing about all aspects of onstage performing or backstage production. Ideas as a prospective performer through to what an adjudicator, choreographer or casting director might look for when you are delivering your performance piece.
Hosted by Craig Bartley who is a performer and choreographer, who has appeared in West End and Broadway productions ranging from 42nd Street (Original cast at Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Me & My Girl (Adelphi Theatre), La Cage Aux Follies (Palladium Theatre), Mack And Mabel in concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Man of La Mancha (Peacock Theatre) of which he recorded the cast albums for both ‘Mack And Mabel’ and ‘Man of La Mancha’. He also spent more than two and a half years playing the part of ‘Doody’ in the hit musical ‘Grease’ where he received the Golden Quiff Award for best performance, which was presented by the late Victoria Wood.
He also appeared in two Royal Variety Performances at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for the BBC and ITV and 'A Royal Performance' at the Adelphi Theatre.
Craig’s experience has enabled him to travel the globe extensively whilst being involved in performing, choreographing, directing and producing for the inaugural production set up for most of the World’s leading cruise lines. As well as performing, Craig has taught specialist classes at Mountview, Millenium, Urdang, Elmhurst and Red Roofs Theatre School. He was also the full-time Course Director and co-Principal of his own successful Starquest Performers College.
He still runs and teaches at Starquest Performing Arts encouraging children from two and a half to 18 to act, sing and dance.
He hopes this podcast will help and inspire existing and especially newly graduated creatives just what challenges lie in store and what the highs and lows are for people within the performing arts industry. If you like this podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on iTunes podcasts.
In the 'House Seats'
Ep27: Summer Strallen, West End lead, film and TV actress.
Summer has been involved in the West End productions of Cats, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls and The Boy Friend (for which she was nominated for the 2007 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Role in a Musical). During the Christmas season of 2006 she played the title role in the pantomime Dick Whittington and His Cat. She starred in The Drowsy Chaperone (for which she was nominated for the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), alongside Elaine Paige.
In 2008, Strallen took over the role of 'Maria' from Connie Fisher in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End revival of The Sound of Music and as part of a publicity campaign, she was cast in the soap opera Hollyoaks as character Summer Shaw. The character's storyline eventually involved her auditioning for, and being awarded, the role of Maria in The Sound of Music. Her character left Hollyoaks as she debuted in the actual stage production at the London Palladium on 26 February 2008. For this role she was nominated for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role. She remained with the production until its closure on 21 February 2009.
In December 2008, Strallen competed on a special West End edition of The Weakest Link and finished in second place.
Strallen starred as Meg Giry in the sequel to Phantom of the Opera called Love Never Dies, from February 2010 to March 2011 in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre. For this role Strallen won the Broadwayworld.com UK Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and was also nominated for the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. She also received another nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for this role.
She created the Ginger Rogers role of Dale Tremont in the musical, Top Hat, which began a UK tour in August 2011. The production began at the West End's Aldwych Theatre on 19 April 2012 and opened on 9 May 2012. Interview with Summer Strallen (Dale Tremont in Top Hat). For this role she earned her fourth Olivier Award nomination. She also went on tour with Strictly Come Dancingprofessional Anton Du Beke, performing both songs and dances to audiences around Britain.
On 30 May 2015, she began playing the role of Maud Marshmoreton, in a musical adaption of the novel A Damsel in Distress at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Strallen portrayed Inga in the London production of Young Frankenstein, which premiered at Theatre Royal, Newcastle in August 2017 and then transferred the following month to the Garrick Theatre.
Summer has just launched thestrallencollective.com which creates online classes from world leading professionals in performance and wellness.