Cruise the Play

Jack trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He then went straight on to play the lead role of Albert in the National Theatre’s internationally award-winning production of WAR HORSE. Since then, Jack has worked at theatres across the country including Leicester Curve, Theatre Royal Bath, Bristol Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nottingham Playhouse, The Yard, the Almeida and in the West End.

Jack can currently be seen as perky assistant Kevin in Amazon Prime Video’s TEN PERCENT. This Autumn he will star alongside Sean Bean and Nicola Walker in Stefan Golazsewski’s MARRIAGE for BBC One. Jack has also appeared in British independent films THE LEVELLING and JOURNEY’S END, and in various shows for BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
​
Jack took part in the Royal Court Young Writers Programme in 2013. He is currently developing several new shows, including THE ISLE, a musical play for Aria Entertainment. For screen, Jack is under commission to Emanata Studios and is also co-lead writer on a new drama series commissioned by Fremantle.

CRUISE marked Jack’s debut as a writer. The show opened to rave reviews – ‘A tour de force, the toast of the town.’ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Telegraph – at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End in May 2021. A feature film of CRUISE is currently in development. The play text is published by Methuen Drama.

John is an award-winning composer, music producer and songwriter for film and theatre.

He composed and performed the live electronic score for Jack Holden’s Olivier-nominated play CRUISE which reopened London’s West End at the Duchess Theatre in summer 2021. 

Other recent theatre work includes composing the original music for National Youth Theatre’s adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm (★★★★★ “Extraordinary” – The Stage) which opened at the Royal & Derngate and toured the UK in 2021.

John was the recipient of the Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award in 2017 for boundary-pushing music creators, judged by a panel of music industry professionals including Gilles Peterson, Four Tet and Floating Points. He won Best Composer at the International Phoenix Short Film Festival 2022.

He has released several acclaimed albums and toured the UK and Europe extensively with his alt-folk/electronic band The Little Unsaid (“Bold and different…stretches boundaries” – The Guardian).

This year has so far seen the release of two new feature films John has scored: Three Moons of Biyangdo and Wild Isles (official selection for the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival currently touring the USA).

As well as collaborating again with Jack Holden on new musical play THE ISLE, John is currently composing new solo work after being awarded the Do It Differently Fund from Help Musicians UK. He is also producing a new album by The Little Unsaid, with whom he’ll perform at festivals including Glastonbury this summer before an extensive UK tour in October. 

www.johnpatrickelliott.com

West End credits include: Umm Kulthum, the Golden Era (London Palladium); Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket); The Adventures of Pinocchio (Ambassadors Theatre); The Break (Workshop – Arts Theatre) and Rags in Concert (Lyric Theatre).

Other Directing credits include: Broken Wings (Doha Opera House & Beiteddine Festival); Rags – The Musical, Putting It Together and Little Women (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester); Children of Eden (Mackintosh Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Ivy Studio); Girlfriends – In Concert (Bishopsgate Institute); A Winter’s Tale (Rose Theatre, Kingston); Brexit! – The Musical (C Venues, Edinburgh); tick, tick… BOOM! (Park Theatre); Promises, Promises (Southwark Playhouse); As You Like It (Jackson’s Lane); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Chipping Norton Theatre); The Pajama Game (Pleasence Theatre); Heart of Winter (Tristan Bates); James and The Giant Peach (UK & International Tour); A Man of No Importance (Pleasance Theatre); The Stationmaster (Tristan Bates); Rags – The Musical (Lyric Theatre); Portia Coughlan (The Old Red Lion Theatre); Girlfriends (Union Theatre); A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg (Greenwich Theatre); The Mistress Cycle (Landor Theatre); Expectations (Arcola Theatre); Blood Wedding (Courtyard Theatre); NewsRevue (Canal Café Theatre); Henry VI Part1 (Rose Theatre); Erris (Theatre 503); Julius Caesar (The Scoop) and The Madness of Sweeney (Lyric Theatre, Belfast).

Associate Director credits include: C-O-N-T-A-C-T (London); Pippin (Southwark Playhouse); Becoming Shades (The Vaults); The History Boys (UK Tour) and Nothing Left to Lose (Purcell Rooms).

Recent projects include: Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Other Palace, Dubai Opera House, Doha Opera House); Lonely Planet (Trafalgar Studios); The Adventures of Pinocchio (Ambassadors & Greenwich Theatre); Some Lovers and Forever Plaid (The Other Palace); Blue Stockings, Welcome to Thebes, Days of Significance, A Clockwork Orange, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Dying for It, Animal Farm and Love & Information (All at the Royal & Derngate); Dying for it (Teatro Odeon Romania); Mamma Mia (Pattheo Limassol Municipal Theatre Cyprus); No Sound Ever Dies (Brooklands); Company and Cabaret (ACT Aberdeen); Little Women (Hope Mill); Concrete Jungle Book (Edinburgh Festival); Tick, Tick, Boom (Park Theatre), Legally Blonde and Bad Girls The Musical (Pleasance Theatre); Battery Life and The Things People Do (Lyric Hammersmith); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Greenwich Theatre and Theatre Chipping Norton); The Who’s Tommy (Greenwich Theatre); Standby for Tape Backup (Soho Theatre and Shoreditch Town Hall); Amneasis (RSC Weekend Festival and Bush Theatre Workshop); Stationmaster (Tristan Bates); The Mercy Seat (Pleasance); Fear and Misery of the Third Reich, Whistle Down the Wind, Times Square Angel, Girlfriends (Union Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Taming of The Shrew Richard III, Much Ado about Nothing, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Handlebards UK and International Tours).

Stufish Entertainment Architects, founded by the late and legendary Mark Fisher, is the recognised world leader in entertainment architecture. Their award winning portfolio includes permanent and semi-permanent buildings, live productions, touring shows, exhibitions, immersive experiences, masterplanning and more.

Examples of high profile concert tours include designs for for The Rolling Stones, U2, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Madonna, Lady Gaga, AC/DC, Metallica, One Direction, Take That, Michael Bublé, Mumford & Sons, Hugh Jackman, Robbie Williams, Beyoncé + Jay-Z and Queen + Adam Lambert.

Exhibition design includes the acclaimed music exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains.

Examples of bespoke permanent building designs are the Han Show Theatre and Dai Show Theatre in China. The Dai Show Theatre included the architectural design of the building as well as the interior, set and stage design for the acrobatic water show. Other buildings include the KÀ Theatre at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the stadium for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, Wanda Movie Park, and the Chimelong Theatre in Zhuhai.

Stufish also designed the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics 2008, the Asian Games 2010, UAE 40th Anniversary Show 2011, The Mother of the Nation 2016 and the 5th AIMAG Opening Ceremony in Ashgabat 2017, Beyoncé at Coachella 2018, and many sets for TV and award shows including MTV VMAs 2017, the NTAs 2018-20 and The Fashion Awards 2017-19.

Theatrical designs include, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Monty Python Live – One Down Five To Go’, Jeff Wayne’s ‘The War of the Worlds’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Arena Tour, Dynamo ‘Seeing is Believing’, ‘Giudizio Universale’ in Rome as well as, ‘KÀ’, ‘Believe’ & ‘Viva Elvis’ for Cirque du Soleil and Sinatra ‘The Man & His Music’.

Stufish is excited to be involved with this World Premiere, West End production of ‘Cruise’ bringing their experience of gig design and fusing it with theatre.

Prema is Founder of Stage Sight (www.stagesight.org).  She is a Trustee of the Unicorn Theatre and an Artistic Associate at the Young Vic.

Theatre credits include: Cruise, Mad House, The Comeback, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (West End); Last Days (Royal Opera House); The Winter’s Tale (Royal Shakespeare Company); Hymn (Almeida Theatre); What If If Only, A History of Water in the Middle East, Superhoe (Royal Court); The Dumb Waiter (Old Vic); Swive (Elizabeth), Bartholomew Fair, Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe. Candle Consultant); The Taxidermist’s Daughter (Chichester Festival Theatre); Things of Dry Hours (Young Vic); Studio Créole (Manchester International Festival); Of Kith & Kin (Sheffield Crucible/Bush Theatre); Fame (UK Tour/Peacock Theatre); East is East (Northern Stage/Nottingham Playhouse); Talking Heads (Leeds Playhouse); Chicken Soup (Sheffield Crucible); Holes, Hercules (Nottingham Playhouse); Mighty Atoms (Hull Truck); A Passage to India (Royal and Derngate/UK Tour); A Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz (Storyhouse); The York Suffragettes, Murder, Margaret & Me (York Theatre Royal); Love Lies & Taxidermy, Growth, I Got Superpowers for My Birthday (Paines Plough); The Effect (English Theatre of Frankfurt); The Electric Hills (Liverpool Everyman); The Great Extension (Theatre Royal Stratford East); The Canterville Ghost, Huddle (Unicorn); Wipers (UK Tour).

Extended and Virtual Reality credits include: Museum of Austerity (BFI London Film Festival), Adult Children (Donmar Warehouse).

Dance credits include: Bells (Mayor of London 2012); Spill (Düsseldorf); Sufi Zen (Royal Festival Hall); Dhamaka (O2 Arena) and Maaya (Westminster Hall).

Event credits include: A-List Party Area (Madame Tussauds, London).

premamehta.com

Streaming and Hybrid productions include: Sunnymead Court, 15 Heroines, The Haunting of Alice Bowles, Barnes’ People, Cruise, Assembly.

Theatre credits include: The Night of the Iguana (West End); Macbeth (Chichester Festival Theatre); Crooked Dances (RSC); The Way of the World (Donmar); One Night in Miami (Nottingham Playhouse); The Ridiculous Darkness (Gate); One For Sorrow (Royal Court); The Children (Royal Court/Broadway); Dry Powder, Sex with Strangers, Labyrinth (Hampstead); Ophelias Zimmer (Schaubühne, Berlin/Royal Court); Beckett Triple Bill (Jermyn Street Theatre); Amsterdam, The Lottery of Love, Blue/Heart, Little Light, The Distance (Orange Tree, Richmond); The Gaul (Hull Truck); Loot (Park Theatre/Watermill); Toast (Park Theatre/59E59 Theaters, New York); Jane Wenham (Out of Joint); Waiting for Godot (Sheffield Crucible); My Eyes Went Dark (Traverse, Edinburgh/59E59); Cargo (Arcola); CommonWealth (Almeida); Creve Coeur (Print Room); A Kettle of Fish (Yard); Cuzco, Wink (Theatre503); My Cousin Rachel, The Night Watch, The Habit of Art, Fabric, Invincible, Johnny Got His Gun (National Tours); Switzerland, Spamalot, The Glass Menagerie, Strangers On A Train (English Theatre, Frankfurt); The Hotel Plays (Langham Hotel); New Jibla (59 Productions, Kuwait).

Associate Designer credits include: The Island (Young Vic); Fleabag (Soho Theatre). Associate Artist of The Faction, and of Silent Opera.

(MA) Transitions Dance Company ; BA (Hons) Laban Dance Theatre

Choreography/Movement credits include: Co-founder and director of S A Y Dance; The Intro (Balletboyz); Blood and Belief (U.Mi-1 London Fashion Week ‘21); The Conversations With X (Trinity Laban); Primetime (Royal Court Theatre); TRANSIT-20 (Dance Film); The Album (S A Y) and Becoming Shades (Chivaree Circus).

Sarah regularly delivers professional and company class for NDC Wales, Balletboyz, Lîla Dance, StopGap and is a resident lecturer at Miskin Theatre.

Chris joined Aria Entertainment in February 2017 as General Manager and Assistant Producer.

Since then, he has multiple overseen productions including:

Off-West End credits include: Jewish Hollywood (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Little Women – The Musical (Park Theatre); Zorro, Broken Wings and Yank! (Charing Cross Theatre); Hair – The Musical (Vaults, London); tick, tick…BOOM! (Park Theatre); Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse); The Toxic Avenger (Arts Theatre); It’s Only Life (Union Theatre); Unexpected Joy (Southwark Playhouse); Night Of The Living Dead! – LIVE! (Pleasance Theatre); Rags – The Musical (Park Theatre); Zorro (Hope Mill Theatre); A Killer Party (Online) and The Last Five Years (Southwark Playhouse).

For Hope Aria at Hope Mill Theatre: Aspects of Love, Rags – The Musical, Putting It Together, The Return of the Soldier and Mame.

West End and UK Tour credits include: Cruise (Duchess Theatre – Olivier Award nomination

for Best New Play); The Last Five Years (Garrick Theatre) and Hair – The Musical (UK Tour and Germany).

Current projects include: Cruise (Apollo Theatre); A-Typical Rainbow (Turbine Theatre) and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour).

Lambert Jackson was founded by Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson in 2018. Recently nominated for an Olivier for Best Play for their production of Cruise at the Duchess Theatre, they are arguably one of the most exciting theatrical production companies in the UK at the present time.

Having been put on the map by their production of the UK Premiere of Doctor Zhivago the musical, they entered the global pandemic with vigour and determination, creating one of the largest online concert series the UK has ever seen, Leave a Light On. This series featured over 80 shows during the multiple lockdowns in the United Kingdom, seeing performers from all over the country perform shows from their homes, enabling them to earn from their craft during a time when it was impossible to do so otherwise, and providing entertainment to over 80,000 people.

Their subsequent filmed versions of Songs for a New World, The Last Five Years, First Date, Title of Show, BKLYN – The Musical and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change garnered significant critical acclaim and brought theatre to tens of thousands of households across the world throughout the pandemic. Since then, they have reopened the West End of London twice, firstly with their hugely popular production of Songs for a New World at the London Palladium, and then with the five star tour de force play Cruise at the Duchess Theatre in co-production with Aria Entertainment.

Their work during the pandemic earned them a spot in the Stage 100 power list 2021. 2022 and 2023 are shaping up to busy for Lambert Jackson, with multiple large-scale concert musicals at the London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, The Secret Garden in Concert, the Carrie Hope Fletcher Open Book Tour, Joe McElderry’s Freedom Tour, Collabro’s This Is Christmas Tour and workshopping the major rewrite of Jekyll and Hyde the musical.

Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by Producer Katy Lipson. In 10 years, she has produced over 70 productions in the West End, Off-West End and across the UK.  She most recently produced Broken Wings (Charing Cross Theatre), the West End transfer of The Last Five Years (Garrick Theatre) and the World Première of Jack Holden’s Cruise (Duchess Theatre) which has just been nominated for an Oliver Award for the Best New Play.

In 2017, Lipson was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and in 2019 was nominated for International Producer of the Year by the League of Professional Theatre Women in New York. She is a recipient of the Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award and works as a mentor on their Bursary and Bridge the Gap programmes. In 2018 she was included in “The Stage 100” list and in 2019 and 2020 for her work at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and again in 2021 for her work as a solo producer.

She produced the UK Premiere Tour of The Addams Family in 2017, which is currently on a second major tour and the 50th anniversary touring production of Hair in 2019, which previously ran for 15 weeks in an acclaimed version at The Vaults, London in 2017.

Katy was the Producing Artistic Director for all 13 in-house musicals at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre from 2016 – 2019 producing and general managing shows such as Parade, Hair, Yank!, Pippin, Aspects of Love, Mame, Putting It Together, Rags and Little Women amongst others and producing all London transfers of Hair (The Vaults); Yank! (Charing Cross Theatre); Pippin and Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse) and Rags (Park Theatre). She was extremely proud to have worked with Stephen Schwartz on a revised version of Rags, for which an original cast recording was also made.

Hair won the award for Best Off-West End Production at the 2018 WhatsOnStage Award. Spring Awakening won the Best Regional Production award at the 2019 WhatsOnStage Awards. The Southwark Playhouse production of The Last Five Years won both the Best Production and Best Direction Award for Jonathan O’Boyle at the Off-West End Awards.

In 2012, Katy produced a revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood  at the Arts Theatre for the bi-centenary year of Charles Dickens and in 2017 The Toxic Avenger ran at the Arts Theatre following runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Pleasance Theatre earlier that year, and the Southwark Playhouse in 2016.

Lipson set up the From Page to Stage festival to support new musicals at all difference stages of development. In 6 years, From Page to Stage has given a platform to over 100 new musicals; many of which have gone on to have full productions and be licensed worldwide. In 2017 the festival ran at The Other Palace and was supported by The Really Useful Group. She recently set up a new chamber musical award with Adam Lenson Productions to support and commission one new British chamber musical a year and she also runs a full-time literary department for new musicals.

Current projects include: The Addams Family, The Osmonds, The Cher Show and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tours); A-Typical Rainbow (Turbine Theatre) and Claus – The Musical (The Lowry, Salford).

Twitter: @ariaents

www.aria-entertainment.com