15 Rising stars from Blantyre and surrounding areas [Aimee Lennox, Andrew Waddell, Anna Miller-McMillan, Beth Anderson, Elsa Tinney, Millie Lennox, Molly Paterson, Olivia Gillespie, Rory Cunningham, Elle Di Mascio, Eva Galloway, Mya Miller, Hannah Goedkoop, Lexi Phoenix, Niamh Bishop] are part of a group of talented teenagers preparing to make their London stage debut as Scottish theatre company Movies To Musicals heads to the capital.
The 15 Blantyre and Hamilton young performers will be part of a 60-strong teenage cast from all over Scotland who will head south on Easter weekend to perform at the Cadogan Hall on April 5.
The holiday weekend run will see the young cast perform numbers from hit shows including Tina, Back To The Future, A Chorus Line and Dear Evan Hansen, with the backing of a live orchestra and with solo slots from well-known West End stars Jenna Innes, Jacob Fowler and Dom Simpson.
[Beth Anderson] said: “We’ve been rehearsing for months and now that the London shows are only a few weeks away, we’re all getting really excited.
[Rory Cunningham] added: “Being part of Movies To Musicals is so fun because I’ve met so many people from all over Scotland who love performing as much as I do. I’ve made great friends and I’m learning all the time.”
[Millie Lennox] said: “To get to take our show to London this year and to perform alongside such talented West End stars is just a dream come true.”
[Happy to add any information you would like from all the children. Let us know what else you would like]
The London run is a first for the theatre group – part of West of Scotland-based charity Glasgow Philharmonia. Founder and Producer Ross Gunning has been staging shows for young people across Central Scotland for 12 years, giving budding stars access to first-class dance, acting and singing direction as well as the chance to sing with live musicians and established musical theatre stars.
It’s their latest show, a varied showcase of iconic high-energy numbers and touching ballads, that will be staged in London. The company put on a similar showcase every Spring in Glasgow – and this year’s two-show run was a massive success at the City Halls in March.
Each Autumn, the group also stage a full-length musical. Last year’s production of Grease at the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling won rave reviews and the young performers will start working on their 2026 production – yet to be announced – at the end of this summer.
Every Movies To Musicals show gets the full West End treatment. Musical direction this year is from Luke Sprague, leading a 16-piece orchestra, and dance choreography is brought to life by Lynsey Kelly, Aimee Main and Memphis Mulholland. Wardrobe is a family affair with producer Ross’s talented sister Laura Gunning pulling together all the vibrant costumes.
Ross added: “It’s a really ambitious move to take the whole company to London but we are continually blown away by the calibre of performance from the young people in Movies To Musicals and I know they’re up to the challenge.
“We couldn’t do without the dedication of everyone involved, from the young people to the behind-the-scenes crew, to the parents who give up their time to help and fundraise.
“Everyone worked so hard to make the Glasgow shows a huge success and now we’re giving it one final push so we can show audiences in London what we’re made of.”
West End stars Ryan Kopel (Dear Evan Hansen) and Jenna Innes joined the teenagers on stage for their City Halls shows. Jenna, best known for Heathers, will again star in the London run and be joined by Jacob Fowler (also a star of Heathers, and the Addams Family) and Dom Simpson, who’s featured in Moulin Rouge and the Book of Mormon.
Tickets for the show at Cadogan Halls – at 6.30pm on Sunday April 5 – are available here.
Photo credit: Caitlyn McDonald
