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With Christmas just around the corner it’s time to announce the cast and creative team for our upcoming festive offering ‘This Is Your ‘Improvised’ Panto’ 17-20th December.
According to Bristol 24/7 it’s one of the ‘Best Christmas Shows in Bristol 2025’. So you won’t want to miss it – and tickets are selling fast!
Ian Towers – Company and Musical Director
Ian was fortunate enough to be sent by his parents to Wells Cathedral School where he enjoyed an excellent musical education. He has managed to successfully pursue a musical career for most of his adult life, and currently can be found playing for weddings, events, or leading one of his three choirs.
As a founder member of This Is Your Musical, he says it is the most enjoyment he has ever had from his music. When not sitting at the piano, or singing , or playing guitar, you’ll find him with a table tennis bat in his hand.
Anna Kemp – Artistic Director
Anna has been with This Is Your Musical since 2019 and Artistic Director of the company since 2020. She has been improvising and acting for over 15 years, having trained with UCB before joining This is Your Musical. You can see Anna in other improv groups such as Birdwatchers, Last Day on Earth, and Real Positive Poles (improvised Twilight Zone)
Catherine Herring – Musician (Percussion) Catherine is in her final year as a PhD philosophy student at the UCL Institute of Education, London, where she is researching how rhythm affects understanding and meaning. She has tutored English and drama since 2004 but it wasn’t until she began her doctorate that she took up drumming. Since then, she has played for a number of bands, orchestras and theatre companies in Bristol and the South-west, where she has had the joy of playing for some of her all-time favourite shows including: Company, Evita, Sister Act, Chess and The Little Mermaid. She joined This is Your Musical in 2019 and has loved it ever since. She will be forever grateful for the opportunity of playing alongside such a creative, talented and supportive group of performers.
Dickie Kieswick – Cast Richard started life as a pro rugby player before making the natural transition to musical theatre. Training; Guildford School of Acting, National Theatre Playwright in Residence, Royal Court Theatre Young Writer’s programme. He appeared in several small musicals and pantomimes before the UK Tour and West End production of Grease. Writing credits: Co-writer of CAT The Play (UK, International & West End), Karaoke Kings with James Corden and Russel Tovey (National Theatre Studio), Behind Net Curtains (Covent Garden) 4 Shorts: (Arcola Theatre). Richard has performed Standup in London and NYC. He joined the cast of This is Your Musical in January 2025 and has also performed with Secret’s from the 6th floor, The Takeover Team and co-created the kid’s show, Kidprov!
Gemma Revell – Cast Gemma graduated with a BA in English Literature and Theatre from Victoria University of Wellington, NZ; where, alongside her studies, she played Little Sally in Urinetown (Gryphon Theatre) and performed as Angelo in the Wellington Summer Shakespeare 2018 cast of The Comedy of Errors. Gemma has been improvising at the Bristol Improv Theatre (BIT) since 2023, and was cast in the International Women’s Day show for both 2024 and 2025. She has been performing in the cast of This is Your Musical since January 2025, and is now a freelance facilitator at the BIT; where she enjoys supporting others discover the joys of improv.
Roland Harrad – Cast Roland George Harrad is a singer-songwriter and trainee music therapist. He joined the cast of This Is Your Musical in 2021, and they’ve been enabling his pathological pun making ever since. Above ground, in the outside world, Roland works in a range of settings to support creative expression and connection through music; including hospitals, schools and care homes. With his background in classical singing and physical theatre, he brings a loud and wiggly presence to the stage. He also performs with Tryani Collective and has a solo songwriting project under his own name with Cuculi Records. His debut album, Full Spiral is available on all streaming platforms.
David Puck – Cast Hello! I’m David Puck – I love improv, trees and sometimes chocolate brownies. For me, improv is about returning to our natural state of childlike play, trust, authenticity and discovery – whilst being FUN. When I started improv, I was TERRIFIED of the stage, and now I’m a professional performer. It’s all possible. I’m very queer and neurodivergent – evidenced by my viral inanimate-object drag @DavidPuckDrag. I’m currently training as a Hakomi somatic practitioner, and I work as a painter/muralist under @DavidPuckArtist. I’ve been a featured artist on projects with HBO, Savage x Fenty, Eurovision, Ralph Lauren, RevryTV, Them, LA/NYC/Bristol Prides, Bartschland and many more. I value growth, freedom, learning, compassion, gently confronting fear, play, creativity, inclusivity, intuition and nature.
Laura Ndreu – Cast A full time creative, I love travelling, food, sports- sunbathing being my favourite one as a respectable italian would. I like doing things that scare me- hence me being a part of this team of brilliant team of musical improvisers!
Sophie Ward – Cast Sophie is an improviser and science presenter from Preston (or Clayton-Le-Woods, if you know the area). She’s been performing improv ever since she joined The Oxford Imps back in 2013, including tours to South Africa, Chicago, and ten Edinburgh Fringes. More recently, she’s performed with Giddy Aunt Improv in London. Over her improv career, she’s performed both short and long form, including an Agatha Christie style murder mystery musical. For her day job, she chats about science in person and online, and has featured on Radio 4, the BBC Earth Kids YouTube channel, and is soon to be on BBC Bitesize. Whilst she’s played the genie before in a school production of Aladdin, her last foray into panto was back in 2006, when she was in the chorus … also of Aladdin. She’s watched plenty though, and can recommend Bolton’s Albert Halls for a guaranteed good time.
Samantha McLaughlin – Cast Consummate Funny Face Puller, Sam trained as an actor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has worked with BIT flagship shows This Is Your Musical and The Bish Bosh Bash.
Luke Cox – Tech Luke discovered the magic of improv via a scrap of paper thrust by a sweaty hand at a university freshers fair. It’s now over a decade later and he’s still here. He has been doing the lights for This is Your Musical since show number 2! When venturing on stage he is a co-founder of sci-fi improv troupe Real Positive Poles, creators of the award winning After Dusk: The Improvised Twilight Zone.
Theo Worsley – Tech Theo has been lighting TIYM since 2019. He has been improvising for a decade, and got involved with TIYM through osmosis. His experience as an improviser enables him to see the show from a different perspective, ensuring that the show keeps moving, and the lights reflect the themes onstage. You can see Theo on the stage in other improv groups such as Jazz Police, Last Day on Earth, and Real Positive Poles.
Alex Davey – Tech Alex is a common sight at Bristol improv. If he’s not in the audience, he will be on stage with the Groundhogs, What’s Your Star Sign or Blame of Thrones. If he’s not there, he will be behind the tech desk. As well as This Is Your Panto, Alex has teched for BIT mainstays This Is Your Musical, Bish Bosh Bash, Unscripted Players shows, the Bristol Longform Comedy Takeovers, and many, many visiting shows.
Peter Pearson – Cast Peter is an actor and yoga teacher trained at Drama Studio London, and has just come off their latest tour of surreal interactive gameshow BIG STRONG MAN. Currently they teach Improv at The Bristol Improv Theatre and performs with the Bish Bosh Bash. In their spare time Pete loves going for a cold dip and being upside down. This is their first ever panto!
Laurence Tuck – Cast Laurence was raised in the pantomimes of the Stanton Harcourt Drama Group, then further moulded by the Bristol Improv Theatre, through drop-ins and the Unscripted Players. He now regularly performs with the Groundhogs, What’s Your Star Sign and Neon Blossom, and returns to his panto roots with This Is Your Panto!
