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'
Ep 62: Steve Elias, professional performer, choreographer and director
Steve is an ex rugby playing welsh tenor, with a BA (Hons) Performance Art Degree specialising in choreography from Middlesex University. Most recently Director of Musical Theatre at Birmingham Ormiston Academy.
Performing highlights Mr Braithwaite in the original cast of Billy Elliot, Frank Shultz in Show Boat at the Royal Albert Hall and The Beadle in Sweeney Todd at the Royal Festival Hall. As the presenter and choreographer of the BBC 2 award winning documentary Our Dancing Town, he saw four towns in Yorkshire, coming to together, celebrating the power of community through dance.
Choreographic credits includes The Beggar’s Opera (Royal Opera House), Ariadne auf Naxos (Garsington Opera Festival and Den Norske Opera, Oslo), Orpheus in the Underworld (Royal Academy of Music), La Rondine (Opera Holland Park) and The Mikado (Scottish Opera).
Teaching and choreographic credits include MA Music Theatre at Royal Central School of Speech, Mountview Academy of the Arts, Music Theatre Academy, National Youth Music Theatre, Youth Music Theatre UK, Chichester Festival Theatre Youth Company and Belfast based Music Theatre 4 Youth.
Steve is the patron of Dance Syndrome and The London Ballet Company and the recipient of the ‘Acting for Others’ bursary from Dancer Career Development
Recent credits include: Choreographer for ‘Save the Cinema’ Film starring Samatha Morton, Johnathon Price, Choreographer La Traviata and Un Ballo In Maschera: Opera Holland Park Dancer: Paddington Bear 2.
Directing credits include: The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women (BOA), The Famous Farter (Welsh Millennium Centre), Something Old, Something New, (The Musical Academy, London) Whistle Down the Wind (Taylor and Labey), The Addams Family and Evita, Carmarthen Youth Opera. *Cuckoo’s Nest (Lost Theatre), Oliver!, The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe, Peter Pan, (Chichester Festival Theatre), God of Carnage (Manchester), Diary of a Nobody (Jerwood Space), Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore Carl Rosa Opera (Australia and US Tour) Mind the Gap (Canal Cafe), Nine and Pajama Game (Arts Educational).
Choreographic credits include: The Mikado, Scottish Opera,*Silly Kings, National Theatre of Wales, *Pirates of Penzance, Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte, Gioielli della Madonna (Holland Park), Yeoman of the Guard, Iolanthe (BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall), Ariadne auf Naxos and Mirandolina (Garsington Opera), Ariadne auf Naxos (Den Norske Opera, Oslo), The Beggar’s Opera (Royal Opera House,Linbury Theatre), Carl Rosas’ Gilbert and Sullivan season 2007 at the Gielgud Theatre, The Amazing Chinese Conjuror (Almeida Opera), The Merry Widow (UK/South Africa), Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore Carl Rosa ( UK/USA), Dr Faustus (Chichester Festival Theatre), SwanSong (National Theatre Studio), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds), Nunsense (Bridewell Theatre), Into the Woods, Dearly Beloved, The Rose and the Ring (Rose Bruford University), Sing Sherman Sing (Soho Theatre), La Bond (The Talk of London).
Awards:
* Our Dancing Town, Winner RTS Best Reality Document
* Cuckoo’s Nest, Winner of New Musical Festival at the Lost Theatre.
*Silly Kings, Welsh Theatre Critic Awards for Best Young People Production
*Pirates of Penzance, Manchester Theatre Critic Awards Nomination for Best Touring Production.