About the R&D Team & Cast (2021)

Kate McStraw - Artist & Lead Creator

Kate McStraw is a Creative Producer and Designer, and is the lead artist on ‘Off the Scales’. She has worked in the cultural sector for over 10 years creating theatre, dance, cabaret, spoken word, puppetry and circus. Kate works with a range of companies and artists including Extraordinary Bodies, Viv Gordon Company, Anna Berry and Green Ginger. Previous companies she has collaborated with include Strike A Light, Inside Out Dorset festival, The RSC and Cohan Collective.

Kate’s experience and greatest passions lie within working with real life stories, artists and communities who are undervalued or under-represented, and often outside of traditional theatre spaces.

She is delighted to be sharing the early ideas of the new musical Off the Scales having been forming this concept for the last 18 months - inspired from experiencing communities coming together to support one another in a safe space.

Aileen Gonsalves - R&D Director & Dramaturg

Aileen Gonsalves is a Director, Dramaturg, Writer, Performer and educator.

She has worked professionally in film, theatre, television and radio for over 25 years. Aileen has worked extensively at the RSC as an actor, writer, director and education practitioner and has been in BBC hit shows like Doctors and Holby City.

She is the founder and Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre Company, where she specialises in site responsive,

immersive productions in extraordinary locations such as caves. Aileen has developed her own

unique method of acting - the Gonsalves Method - which is about getting the audience to feel something real and creating a real connection between performers and audiences. She is also a Directing Associate at Kali Theatre, where she supports South Asian women writers to find their voice.

Aileen is enjoying working empathetically with real stories of weight loss and bringing her experience of empowering others to 'Off the Scales'.

Lorna Rees - R&D Music & Lyrics

Lorna Rees trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and is Artistic Director of Gobbledegook Theatre, a multidisciplinary arts practice who make innovative national and international touring work for the outdoors. She collaborates with a variety of talented artists, musicians and scientists with work frequently inspired by Earth Sciences. Lorna’s new major project Geophonic has been co- commissioned by Jerwood Arts and Inside Out Dorset and premiers in September 2021.

She is a political, environmental and community activist, making interventions under the title of ‘Disruption and Joy’. Lorna is also an occasional songwriter and musician. In the May of 2020 she won the Coronavision song contest and over a year of Lockdown created digital music content with her family which was watched over 100,000 times on social media.

Lorna usually makes work only for the outdoors or in the public realm and is a board member of Outdoor Arts UK. www.gobbledegooktheatre.com

Sammy Gillingham - R&D Project Manager

Sammy Gillingham is a Creative Collaborator, Project Manager and Dance Artist. Born in Dorset, she swapped the sea for the city and attended Middlesex University where she gain a First Class degree in Dance Studies, whilst gathering experience with organisations such as Dance Umbrella and Chisenhale Dance Space. After a subsequent move back to her home county, Sammy began working for Activate Performing Arts in 2015 as Projects and Promotions Assistant, as part of the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries scheme, and has held a variety of roles in the organisation since. Over the last 6 years, she has worked in many roles, including as an Assistant Producer, Project Manager, Executive Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator and Dance Artist, including leading dance classes for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. Sammy is also a member of the South West Dance Artist Network and is a Trustee of Lyme Regis based youth music charity B Sharp.

Molly Scarborough - Interviewer & R&D Devising Actor

I’m Molly Scarborough and I’m a performer, producer and sometimes clown.

As a performer I create intimate autobiographical works that confront and question the limitations of my body - addressing and interrogating the taboo subject which is my body, inviting audience and community members to discuss the fat female form. I think this is why I'm involved in this amazing project!

In this initial stage I have been lucky enough to be a listener (hosting interviews with the weight- loss community), a collaborator with Kate & the team, AND a performer.

Caroline Colomei - R&D Devising Actor

Caroline has kept busy during lockdown by co-directing, co-writing and performing in several shows. She co- directed and performed in an open-air Midsummer Night's Dream on London farms last Summer, then co-wrote an open-air panto (oh, no she didn't!) performed over lockdown in Puzzlewood. This year, with Butterfly Theatre, Caroline co-wrote and performed in an online Valentine's show, To Date or Not To Date. Previously, in her former life of live theatre, Caroline performed in the immersive show, The

Wolf of Wall Street, with Hartshorn-Hook Productions, and with McLeod What on Earth Productions Ltd, in the premier of Absolutely Everything, an immersive show based on the fabulous children's book. Before that, she completed a tour of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter with TNT Theatre. Preceding that Caroline toured Europe and Japan TNT’s Romeo and Juliet, playing the Nurse and Lily in Half Broke Horses. Other credits include Diana Nichols in California Suite at the St James Theatre and Lady Macbeth in Butterfly Theatre’s Germany tour of Macbeth.

Hayley Cusick - R&D Devising Actor

Hayley is an Actor, director, writer and producer. Over the last ten years her focus and love has been producing and directing site-specific and immersive events.

She is an Associate Director with Butterfly Theatre Company and this work has taken her to caves, castles, woods, farms and even the odd brewery (which she appreciated greatly.)

As an actor, she most recently appeared as ‘Cherry’ in Coronation Street. Her acting work has taken her all over the world, from performing ‘Dracula’ in Amerikahaus in Munich with ADG Europe to a scare event at the PNE in Vancouver. She also worked two fantastic seasons with Forum Theatre Company in Spain.

As a spoken word artist, her latest work can be found in the book ‘SLAMinutes does mental health through the pandemic.’

A proud moment was co-writing and producing an outdoor, socially distanced panto in the winter of 2020.

Ivy Davies - R&D Devising Actor

Ivy Davies is an actor, singer, songwriter, performance poet and playwright.

Her first play ‘PLAY GROUND’ - a solo venture as a performance poet and singer debuted at WILTONS MUSIC HALL. It was also part of BRIGHTON FRINGE FESTIVAL and Stronger Than Fear Festival at THEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EAST. “A comic yet poignant story” - A Pint And A Play.

She played the lead role of Musician in the award winning play ‘TESTAMENT’ by Tristan Bernays at London’s VAULT Festival. “Intriguing, gripping

stuff...★★★★★” - LondonTheatre1

Ivy has written and performed ‘BLACK CHRISTMAS OR CHRISTMAS WITHOUT SNOW’ for the

BLACK BRITISH CLASSICAL FOUNDATION and filmed a guest role of a Vicar in EASTENDERS.

In Summer 2020 Ivy was The Married Woman in THE BLUE ROOM; The Duchess of Gloucester in RICHARD II; and Kim in ‘UNSCRIPTED’ a live improvised play by Sam Brady.

Represented by Paling and Jenkins. www.ivydavies.com

Ed Hartland - R&D Devising Actor

Ed is an actor and writer who trained at ArtsEd.

As an actor he has worked with companies like Netflix, Pentabus Theatre and Butterfly Theatre. His debut feature film, When the Screaming Starts, is currently in post- production and due for release later this year.

He is currently working with PH Heidelberg in Germany on an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray and has plays published with Elizabeth Samuels Drama School (Alice in Wonderland andPeter Pan- available on Amazon).

Jordan Whyte - R&D Devising Actor

Recent theatre includes: Lila in Beige (MAGNA), Duncan in Macbeth (Rabble), Performer in Never Better (Strike A Light), Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Rabble); Grandmama in the award-winning Little Mermaid (Pins and Needles and The Egg, Bath Theatre Royal); Claire in Falling (Theatre Alibi); Memory Points (Platform 4) which was part of the Secret Southbank season, The Mysterious Vanishment of Pobby and Dingan (Travelling Light), and The Queen's Knickers (The Egg).

Other recent credits include: Pam Murphy in The Dragon Man (Radio 4); Avril in Three Girls (BBC1); Sarah in

Unspeakable (Channel 4); The Interrogation of Tony Martin and The Cure (Channel 4).

Other theatre includes: Goucher’s War, The Ministry of Fear, The Crowstarver, Spies, Why the Whales Came, and many more (Theatre Alibi); Othello, Glorious Death, Pericles, Canterbury Tales, The Three Muskateers (The Common Players); Kassandra,The Arabian Nights, Sleeping Beauty, and the The Importance of Being Earnest (Kaos Theatre).