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Principal
Mary Breen FISTD, ARAD, Cert Ed (Performing Arts) PC
Mary trained initially at Laine Theatre Arts and then went to Stella Mann College for a further two years, and graduated at this College. After graduating, she became a full-time teacher at the College and became Co-principal with Jean Nuckey from 1985 to 1989. Since 1989 Mary has been sole Principal. Mary teaches Ballet and has a keen interest in the performance side of the College.
Deputy Principal
Janet Devenish ISTD CDE Ballet, Tap and Modern, ARAD, Cert Ed (Performing Arts) PC
Janet trained at Bush Davies for 7 years and enjoyed a diverse performing career. She was originally in a ballet company and went on to appear in many musicals, including 42nd St, Lust, The Baker's Wife and Phantom of the Opera in the West End. She created the role of Meg Giry in Phantom and can be heard on the cast albums of Phantom and The Baker's Wife. Janet co-choreographed Chicago for the English Theatre Frankfurt, created the role of Drusilla in the Worst Witch number 1 tour and played Cissie Blitzstein in Blitz in Newcastle.
She has worked with Trevor Nunn, Gillian Lynne, Hal Prince, Gillian Gregory, and as a performer for and assistant to David Toguri, Kenn Oldfield, and Irving Davies, amongst many others. Prior to joining the college full-time, Janet toured the world with Vanessa-Mae as a backing vocalist and dancer having taught Vanessa to dance when she was 15. Choreography work includes 7 musicals for the Rugby Youth project, 2 for Chatham Youth Theatre, tap numbers for 2 pantomimes in which she also appeared in Bromley and a tap trio for Ronnie Corbett and Friends at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon. Currently Janet teaches Musical Theatre, Tap, I.P.S. (Integrated Professional Skills) and Ballet at the College where she has worked since 1996.
She also runs the Stella Mann College Agency and is very involved with the performances at the college.
Pauline Bowers
Pauline Bowers joined Stella Mann College as Course Administrator in June 2004. Pauline worked at 10 Linden Road before, as an administrator for London College of Dance (since February 1990) and continued when it became Middlesex University in September 1994. After Middlesex University closed the course in July 2003 and the building was sold, Pauline worked at Bedford College until joining Stella Mann.
Rebecca Farnhill AISTD Ballet, Tap, Modern, RAD registered teacher, ARAD
Rebecca trained for three years at Stella Mann College and achieved advanced exams in all forms of dance and four teaching qualifications. After teaching at the College for two years after her graduation, Rebecca took a year's sabbatical in order to focus on jazz dance. She returned to the College in 2000 and she now specialises in teaching jazz.
Laura Gibson B.A. Hons
Laura Trained at Liverpool John Moores University and completed a BA Honours Degree in Dance in 2000. Laura has since established herself as a performer, dance teacher and choreographer and is currently working with the Richard Alston Dance Company, touring workshops of the company’s past and recent repertoire throughout the country. In April 2004 Laura was a dancer for VORTEX a film directed by Gareth Risdale and has recently joined Two Thirds Sky under directorship of Lisa Spackman. The company are about to embark on a choreographic commission by Kerry Nicholls (KNDC). This work will be touring Autumn 05 & Spring 06. Laura has also been rehearsal director on various youth dance projects including Arc Dance Company and The Dance Movement. Other performance credits include ‘Chance to Dance’ Dance Company and Dance etc… Laura teaches Contemporary Technique at the Stella Mann College working mainly in Cunningham and Release Techniques.
Caroline Hogan PGCE
Caroline has worked in the professional theatre since she was a young teenager, and has been an actor, dancer and singer for over twenty years. She started in repertory theatre in Liverpool for ‘Stage Door’ and Merseyside Young Peoples’ Theatre and then toured the U.K.
She has worked in film and television, with film credits including: The Hunger (choreographer - Arlene Phillips) starring David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as a lead dancer, Eat The Rich with the comic strip team lead by director Peter Richardson starring a host of celebrities including Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde, and Victor Victoria with Julie Andrews, again as a leading dancer in Paris. She has also appeared in director David Lean’s Passage To India based on the novel. Her television credits include: Princess Daisy with Rupert Everett and Birds of a Feather. She has sung at the Capital Jazz Festival with James Cameron.
Caroline has directed for Salford Playhouse, in Manchester, Shakespeare In The Park in New York, and for Zambian and Singapore Television.
She has taught drama therapy with Dr. Sue Jennings and has managed adults on drama courses in further and vocational training. Caroline has more than 15 years experience in drama teaching, in the UK and abroad. Caroline teachers Acting at Stella Mann College.
Ryan Jenkins
Ryan started dancing at 14 and trained professionally at Bird College, gaining a diploma in dance and theatre performance. His dance knowledge and ability is spread across the board having worked in many genres. Professional work includes Matthew Bourne’s all male 'Swan Lake' World tour, 'Grease' musical as assistant Dance Captain, assistant to molly Molloy and Michael Flatley on the pre-tour workshop of 'Celtic Tiger', and featured dancer in the movie 'The Phantom of the Opera' directed by Joel Schumacher. Ryan has just completed filming 2 Bollywood movies in India. He has choreographed and taught for Bird College, and many local dance schools and theatres around the UK. Ryan recently appeared in ENO's 'Kismet' at the London Coliseum and is currently in 'Cabaret' in the West End. Ryan teaches jazz and partner work for Stella Mann College.
Keith John FRCO, GRSM, ARCM.
Keith studied piano, organ and composition at the Royal College of Music. As a pianist, he accompanies dance, particularly ballet, as well as working with instrumentalists and singers. He was principal pianist and Music Tutor at the London College of Dance and Drama from the time of its move to Bedford and during its years under the auspices of Middlesex University. He is an exam and course accompanist for the ISTD. As an organist, he gives solo recitals and has made many CDs for the Priory label, and also Hyperion, on instruments throughout Europe and beyond. As an occasional composer and transcriber, his work has been published on a number of occasions. Keith has been working for Stella Mann College since their move to Bedford.
Erna Kuenen LRAD, ARAD, LISTD (BB) AISTD (MB, NB) B.Phil (Hons), PGCE (Performing Arts) PC Graded examiner of the RAD
Erna is a graduate of both the Royal Academy of Dancing and Stella Mann College. She began her career as a professional dancer - appearing with the Bach Ballet Group, Atmozphier Dance Co, and the Night and Day Ballet. She has danced and choreographed for the Judy Delme Dancers for television and was Co-Director of the Youth Dance Theatre for three years. In 1990, Erna qualified as a Children's Examiner for the RAD. In addition to her teaching work at the College, Erna travels extensively examining for the RAD. Erna teaches Ballet for Stella Mann College.
Heidi O'Brien ARAD
Heidi trained at the Central School of Ballet. She most recently played the role of Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera in the West End. This is a show she has had strong connections with for many years having also appeared in productions in Edinburgh, Hamburg and in the UK National Tour. Heidi’s other credits include Northern Ballet Theatre’s Cinderella at Sadlers Wells, Northern Ballet Theatre’s Gala in Huddersfield and the role of Snow White in Walt Disneys film premiere of Hercules in Rome. She also appeared with the Bolshoi Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty at the London Coliseum.
As well as being a performer Heidi has taught in many colleges and been involved in many musical theatre workshops. She regularly teaches Ballet at Sylvia Young Theatre School, and has worked for the educational department for English National Ballet. She was a workshop coordinator for the touring company Ballet Central and was a teacher for the Northern Ballet Theatre Summer School.
Heidi teaches Ballet for Stella Mann.
Greg Pichery AISTD Tap and Modern
Greg trained at Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts graduating in 1989. He has spent the last 15 years working extensively in Musical Theatre.
He has performed in London's West End, National UK Tours and Repertory Theatre, of which his credits include "On Your Toes", Oliver!", "Singin' in the Rain", "West Side Story", "The Wizard of Oz", "Guys and Dolls", "The Sound of Music", "Calamity Jane", "Peter Pan - A Musical Adventure", "La Cage Aux Folles", "Divorce me, Darling!", 42nd Street", "My One and Only in Concert". Greg can also be heard on TER recordings of "West Side Story" & "Divorce Me, Darling!"
Greg's most recent work has seen him as Assistant Choreographer on Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" (Royal Festival Hall), "Garbo the Musical" (Stockholm, Sweden) and as Associate Choreographer on "On Your Toes" (Royal Festival Hall, Leicester Haymarket Theatre & 2004 Japanese Tour), the latter two projects with former Royal Ballet star Adam Cooper. Greg teaches musical theatre and tap at Stella Mann College.
Jonathan Rees MA, PG, DipRCM
Having conducted local and school choirs, orchestras and a dance band, Jonathan was made Musical Director of his college's choirs and orchestra while taking a degree in music at Durham University. Moving to the Royal College of Music, he recently gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Performance in Repetiteur Studies, and was awarded the Ricordi Prize for conducting. As musical director, Jonathan has worked on Kiss Me Kate, Godspell, and A Slice of Saturday Night, and as repetiteur on Don Giovanni, with British Youth Opera, Cosi fan Tutte, Debussy's L'Enfant Prodigue and Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. Jonathan has worked as the repetiteur for Cameron Mackintosh's Saigon School and has been teaching Singing at the College since 1996. He also teaches Musical Theatre.
Craig Scott
Craig was born in Lincoln and started his dance training at the Janet Ashton School of Dance. He went on to further his training at the Performers College under the tutelage of Brian Rogers. Upon graduating Craig was offered a contract with ‘Starlight Express’ in the West End playing the role of Ruhrgold. Other theatre credits include ‘Cinderella’ (Lincoln Theatre Royal), ‘42nd Street’ (UK Tour) as understudy to the role of Bert Barrie, ‘Chicago’ as a Baby Boy (Adelphi Theatre), ‘Mikado’ (English National Opera) as a roller-skating waiter and the original cast of ‘Beautiful and Damned’ when it had it’s world premiere at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. He has visited several countries as a part of the cast of Dein Perry’s ‘Tap Dogs’ and has also appeared in ‘On the Town’ at the London Coliseum for Jude Kelly and Stephen Mear, and appeared as the featured tap soloist in ‘Sinatra’ at the London Palladium. Craig is currrently playing Zebulun and the Apache Dancer in the West End production of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'. Craig teaches street jazz and jazz at Stella Mann College.
Madeleine Shea DipLCDD, FISTD (Modern), RAD Teaching Certificate, AISTD
Madeleine is a graduate of London College, and for many years ran her own dance school for children. She has also worked as a freelance teacher for various leading dance schools and is an accomplished choreographer - working with Youth Theatre Groups, and most notably, Ernest Maxin who devised the famous dance routines for Morecambe and Wise. Madeleine is also a qualified festival adjudicator and an examiner for the ISTD. Madeleine has taught for Stella Mann College since 1982 and she currently teaches the ISTD FDI in Tap and Modern.
Drew Varley
Drew trained at Bridget Espinosa’s London Studio Centre. His West End theatre credits include: ‘West Side Story’, ‘Dr Doolittle’. ‘Cats’, ‘Mack and Mabel’, ‘Crazy for You’, ‘She Loves Me’, ‘Peter Pan – the musical’ and ‘Aladdin’. His regional theatre credits include: ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Peter Pan – the musical’, ‘West Side Story’ and Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’. In addition Drew played Mungojerrie in the New Zealand Tour of ‘Cats’ which also played the Festival Theatre, Adelaide. He can also be seen as Mungojerrie in the film of ‘Cats’ and was also in the film version of ‘Joseph’. Drew was Local Cast Director for the Scandinavian Tour and Beijing premiere of ‘Cats’. Drew teaches jazz for Stella Mann College.
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