Musical Presentation
The Coloured Valentino
Book By Beverly Andrews
“A generation of artists, who thought the sky, was the limit. Only to find out there was very much a glass ceiling”
The Coloured Valentino tells the little known story of the early African-American film industry, in the
1920’s and 1930’s and two of its biggest stars, film director and producer, the legendary Oscar
Micheaux and one of his biggest stars, Lorenzo Tucker. Nicknamed, the Coloured Valentino because
of his resemblance to the matinee idol.
Read The Bio's of the Team
Beverly Andrews
Beverly Andrews is an actor, director, playwright and documentary director. This year’s recipient of a scholarship to Sundance Collab for film directors. She was also the recipient as a playwright of the 2017 Roland Rees Award Bursary, given by the Alfred Fagon award committee. In 2021 she produced and wrote the film/theatre hybrid Sophia, which looks at the life of Asian suffragette Sophia Duleep Singh, the film is currently in contention for the 2022 Tribeca film festival. The play version of Sophia was recently produced in Bhutan as part of the celebration of Bhutan’s Royal Thimpu College’s ten-year anniversary and an audio recording of Sophia is part of The Forgotten Women podcasts currently available on Spotify. Her play Annawon’s Song was shortlisted for the Sundance Theatre lab and was runner up for the most anticipated show at the 2021 Vault Festival. The Coloured Valentino was originally a play for which Beverly, received Talawa Theatre’s Black Female playwright award bursary to write, the dramaturge on the project was the late Elyse Dodgson of the Royal Court Theatre.
Jo Newman
Jo Newman is a theatre director based in the South West. Newman was the Associate Director at Wiltshire Creative; Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury International Arts Festival (2016-2020) and Recipient of Regional Theatre Young Director’s Scheme (RTYDS) 18 Month Placement at Salisbury Playhouse (2015-16). Previously the Co-Artistic Director of Tin Box Theatre (2011-16), a Theatre Maker on the Birmingham Rep’s Foundry Project (2013), part of New Diorama’s Emerging Theatre Companies Scheme, and part of the team managing PILOT Nights, Birmingham.
Penny Black
Penny Black is a playwright, dramaturg and translator. She originally studied drama at Schauspielschule Krauss in Vienna, before returning to the UK. As a dramaturg, Penny’s projects include working with Simon McBurney on his MAGIC FLUTE for the Dutch National Opera/English National Opera, on Julia Leigh’s one person show AVALANCHE starring Maxine Peake for the Barbican/ Sydney Theatre , on ODE TO MY SISTERS, a play based on interviews with Muslim women for a UK tour, on an adaptation of TOSCA’S KISS by Kenneth Jupp for Annette Niemtzow and White Dog Productions, New York, and on LIPSTICK, A Fairytale of Iran for Critical Mass.
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Noam Galperin
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Noam trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Noam works as an Arranger / Orchestrator / Producer / Musical Director and Pianist, rehearsing and performing with various shows and cabarets, working with recording artists as well as regularly working as audition pianist for West End shows.
Anjali Perin
Anjali Perin is a composer, arranger, producer, vocalist, pianist and songwriter, specialising in jazz, funk, soul. She has been working as a full time musician and composer since graduating from the Jazz Masters programme at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after leaving her previous career as a corporate lawyer to pursue her musical path. Her first jazz album was signed to Jazzizit records and featured some of the best jazz musicians in the UK. Anjali’s performing highlights performing with her own bands at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Jazz Club (Dean Street), the Spice of Life, Smollensky’s on the Strand and both the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre as part of their jazz events programme. She has also performed at the Love Supreme festival and for Quincy Jones at The Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland. She is currently completing an EP of her original songs, recorded with her band at Eastcote studios in December 2019 and arranged and produced herself.
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Malcolm Connell
Malcolm Connell is a London based actor, singer and songwriter. Writing music for many international artists including Tina Turner and Cher. His song Falling was recorded by Tina Turner for her album! Twenty-Four Seven which went double platinum.
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Lily Howkins
Lily Howkins is a choreographer and movement director who’s most recent work includes ‘Sophia’ filmed at The Arcola Theatre, ‘Welcome to Thebes’ for Fourth Monkey, a feature film production of ‘Peter Pan - Live!’ and The Roses Theatre’s 2021 pantomime ‘King Arthur’. During lockdown she choreographed the movement for Soho Poly’s online production of ‘Dance’ and a live production of ‘Cinderella’ which was filmed entirely on green screen. Prior to that she was working on an R&D of ‘Alcina’ at Glyndebourne, and the Canadian production of ‘Soldier On’ (Canadian Stage Toronto, The Other Palace London and UK tour) as well as developing the movement for Sheer Drop Theatre’s R&D of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’
Her previous movement direction and choreography includes: ‘Shakespeare In Remembrance’ (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), ‘West Side Story; (Immersive production at The Savoy Hotel), ‘Honk!’ (UK Tour and The Union Theatre) ‘Caste’, ‘Our American Cousin’ (The Finborough Theatre), ‘Ecstasies Within’ (Southbank Centre and Latitude Festival), ‘Bed Seven’, ‘Murder In Whitechapel’ (The Tristan Bates Theatre),‘The Tinderbox’ (Charing Cross Theatre), ‘By My Strength’ (R&D with Brickdust Theatre) and ‘The Blues Brothers Xmas Special’ (The Arts Theatre).
For screen her choreography also includes the short film ‘The Railway Woman.
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Ashford Campbell
West End Credits include: Dwayne in 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL (Savoy Theatre); Little Albert & 1st Cover/played CC White in DREAMGIRLS (Savoy Theatre); Drifter & Assistant Dance Captain for BEAUTIFUL (The Aldwych Theatre)
Other Theatre credits include: Dwayne in 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL (UK Tour), Seaweed in HAIRSPRAY (The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevanage); Lead Vocalist for PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS (Carnival Cruise Lines); Ash in SOME WORDS - Workshop (Sadlers Wells).
Television Credits: My Parents Are Aliens, A&E, Don't Stop Believing & The X Factor 2011.
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Johnnie Fiori
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Johnnie’s voice has been heard in song and spoken form in films, commercials and video games
including Coca-Cola and American Airlines campaigns, the Power Rangers’ theme, Disney’s Hercules
Soundtrack as the Three Muses and in a number of children’s cartoon series including Teletubbies,
Tinga Tinga Tales and Chuggington.
Johnnie made her West End debut in 125th Street followed by other West End musical appearances
in Thoroughly Modern Millie and originated the London role of Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray.
She has appeared in a number of plays in the West End, Off West End and Regional Theatres
including Vanara at the Hackney Empire, Chicago at Ljubljana Festival, Collective Rage at Southwark
Playhouse. The Sunshine Boys alongside Danny DeVito at the Savoy Theatre, Vernon God Little
directed by Rufus Norris at the Young Vic, The Exonerated at Riverside Studios, Ma Rainey's Black
Bottom at The Royal Exchange Theatre and has worked on various Mark Rylance performance
projects with London’s Globe Theatre.
Johnnie made her operatic debut in Loren Maazel’s 1984 at the Royal Opera House and her
cinematic debut in Powder Room produced by Damian Jones and appeared in Woody Harrelson's
film Lost in London.
Lemuel Knights
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"Training:
Guildford School of Acting.
Lem is very proud to be the first person of colour to play Dewey Finn in ALW’s School of Rock (International Tour).
Other theatre credits include:
Big Mickey in What’s New Pussycat (World premiere, The Rep); Barman in Choir of Man (Mimi Ohio Theatre, USA); Alan in HouseFire (Metta Theatre); Bob in Billionaire Boy (Nuffield Southampton Theatre/UK Tour); Miss Understanding/Jimmy in Pricilla Queen of the Desert (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch); Lucky in The Hundred and One Dalmatians (The Rep); Boxed (The Vaults); One Love: The Bob Marley Musical (The Rep); Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre).
Stephan Boyce
Trainer: Urdang Academy and LAMDA
ALADDIN - Abigail Graham - Lyric Hammersmith
Captain Flinn - Hal Chambers - UK Tour
Three Musketeers - Paul-Ryan Carberry - Iris Theatre
Macbeth - Dan Winder - Iris Theatre
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Vanessa Caswill - Film
Dead Island 2 - Conor Doyle - Video Game
Eastenders - Jamie Arnet
Various voice overs for animated Netflix series's
I have a passion for comedy and using my skills for stand up and teaching.
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Frances McNamee
Trained at East 15 Acting School and was the recipient of the Laurence Olivier Bursary in 2008.
She was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award for A Lady of Little Sense( Theatre Royal Bath /Ustinov Studio/Arcola) and a UK Theatre Award for her performance as Meg Dawson in Sting’s The Last Ship-U.K. tour/ Toronto/ US Tour.
Her other credits include work for BBC Radio4, Live with Sting at I heart Radio LA, The Old Vic (A Christmas Carol) Big Fish The musical (The Other Palace) and several seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Frances is excited to be a part of developing The Coloured Valentino and looks forward to seeing it flourish.
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Nardia Ruth
Training: The Royal Academy of Music, MA Musical Theatre (Disney Theatrical Productions Scholar ; Ian Fleming Musical
Theatre Award recipient)
Theatre Includes: Nefertari in The Prince of Egypt Musical (Dominion Theatre) Film Includes: Nefertari in The Prince of Egypt Musical Movie (NBC-Universal) Theatre Whilst Training Includes: Phyllis / Clara / Soloist in Tell ‘Em Things They Don’t Know: Sondheim at 90 (Susie Sainsbury Theatre) ; Hope Cladwell / Swing 2 in Urinetown The Musical (Susie Sainsbury Theatre).
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Joseph Black
After 10 productions with the National Youth Theatre, Joseph went on to train at Bristol Old Vic. His Theatre Credits Include: “Sessions” UK Tour & Soho Theatre, “Othello” International tour with TNT, “Jungle Book” Greenwich Theatre, “Romeo & Juliet” Orange Tree Theatre, “A Streetcar named Desire” Rapture Theatre, “Winters Tale” Cheek by Jowl, “The Hobbit” Dukes Theatre, “Twelfth Night” & “Much Ado” GB Theatre, “Beauty & The Beast” Salisbury Theatre. He has also worked as a Fight Director for “Rabbits” and the Site Specific work “Eternity” having previously been a fight Captain on many of the above shows.
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Greg Miller Burns
TV and Film Credits include Thomas Hepburn in Mary Queen of Scots (dir. Josie Rourke), Christian in Lovesick (Netflix), Patient in Ill Behaviour (BBC), Lucas Anderson in Signal Dark (dir. Alex Murray), Chez in Stockpile (dir. George Norgate)
Stage work includes: Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory) Carrie (Southwark Playhouse) Legally Blonde (Kilworth House) Wicked (West End) Orpheus Descending (Stockwell Playhouse) Tick, Tick…Boom (Etcetera Theatre Camden)
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Kelly Nicholas
Tariro Kelly Nicholas is a Zimbabwean born actor/singer. This is her debut stage performance for over a year.
She most recently appeared in Baghdad Othello, written by Beverly Andrews and directed by Abigail Pickard Price (online 2020).
She has her roots in theatre and last performed live at the White Bear theatre pub in Tom Ford's, Tis Pity she's a white directed by Nick Mouton.
Her previous credits include My Cape is invisible (2019) at the Pleasance written and directed by Sabrina Richmond; excerpts from The coloured Valentino (Ellie) written and directed by Beverly Andrews (2019)
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Valerie Isaiah Sadoh
Valerie Isaiah Sadoh is a producer and founder of She’s Diverse a company dedicated to creating high quality womxn-centric work, also working as a playwright, actor and theatre-maker.
Valerie has a passion for community work and is currently at the Bush Theatre as community coordinator. Previously holding similar positions at The Gate and The Almeida.
As a playwright, Valerie graduated from UAL Dramatic Writing in 2021 and has one published play ‘Pussy Liberty’ 2017, that won the Bread and Rose Company Award.
As an actor Valerie has performed at VAULT Festival 2020, Bloomsbury Theatre, Dominon Theatre and more