Julian Chenery (Writer, Producer, Director)

JC is the creative force behind the world-acclaimed Shakespeare 4 Kidz Theatre Company which he co-founded in 1996. His musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays (which he co-writes with composer Matt Gimblett) have been performed in every English-speaking country in the world. For S4K, he has produced and directed sixteen major UK theatre tours, three international tours, two Edinburgh Fringe productions and a run of Macbeth and The Tempest in London’s West End. For S4K he has directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Tempest and Hamlet. Non-S4K credits include Just So (Minack Theatre, Cornwall). He directed the film versions of S4K’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (co-production with Tangent TV) and Macbeth, and is preparing to direct a new movie version of S4K’s The Tempest, which is currently in pre-production. A professional writing associate of Mercury Musical Development, he is a prolific writer of musical theatre shows, songs and pantomimes and has written and directed Snow White, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Robinson Crusoe and Sleeping Beauty. In 2005 he was honoured by the readers of Encore, the theatre industry magazine, who voted him Producer of the Year for his work with Shakespeare 4 Kidz.

Colin Warnock (Writer, Musical Supervisor)

Colin has been a member of the teaching staff at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom for almost 25 years, where he helps train the musical theatre stars of tomorrow. He has been writing pantomimes and songs with JC for what seems about the same length of time and was the co-writer of this production of Peter Pan which first saw the light of day in 2003.

Phil Hornsey (Musical Director)

Phil was Musical Director for Snow White at the King's Theatre, Southsea last Christmas and is currently MD for the UK tour of S4K's Romeo and Juliet - The Musical and S4K's The Tempest. He is a graduate of the University of Exeter and when not touring, works as a Music and Drama teacher. His MD credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet (all S4K), The Sound of Music, Bat Boy and Back to the 80s. He has written a modern Christmas oratorio for gospel choir, which is to premier in Kent this December; and he also forms part of the Kent-based singing ensemble LyricSounds.

Leyla Pellegrini (Choreographer)

Leyla was born in Kent and trained at the Dance Consortium and Laine Theatre Arts. She has just completed the UK tour of Our House and before that was the Associate Choreographer for Starlight Express. Theatre credits include: Dinah, Buffy, Ashley and Hip-Hopper 2 in Starlight Express (UK tour); Demeter in Cats (UK and international tour); Amber in Instant Celebrity…Just Add Water (London); Angie in Summer Holiday (UK tour); Anita in West Side Story (Leicester Haymarket); Roxie and Mona in Chicago (UK tour); Paradise Moscow for Opera North (Sadler’s Wells and tour); Dinah in Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria, London); Rhythms Of The Celts (Belfast); Shehallion (Glasgow) and Robin Hood And The Babes In The Wood (Wimbledon). Film and television credits include: Aisha in Genie In The House, Blue Peter, My Kind Of Music, a Microsoft commercial and the film Julie And The Cadillacs. Leyla choreographed for Dance X on BBC 1 and was choreographer and Assistant Director for the 2005/06 Shakespeare 4 Kidz production of Romeo And Juliet.