LIFE CLASS
Book and Lyrics by Alan Dix with Mike Kenny
Music by Richard Taylor
Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture
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Cast & Musicians
Cast
Alwyne Taylor - Alex
Theatre includes: Claus (The Lowry); The Time Traveller’s Wife (Storyhouse, Chester); A Final Farewell (Tara Arts); The Children (English Theatre of Frankfurt); This Beautiful Future (The Yard Theatre); Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Criterion Theatre); Flowers of the Forest (Jermyn Street Theatre); Pygmalion, Home, Blithe Spirit -Manchester Evening News Best Actress Award nomination for role as Madame Arcati (Oldham Coliseum); Rhinoceros,The Arsonists (Royal Court); Annie, Peter Pan, David Copperfield, A Small Family Business (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Sunken Garden (English National Opera); Stallerhof (Southwark Playhouse); Guys and Dolls (National Tour); Platonov (Almeida); A Christmas Carol (Liverpool Playhouse); Once in a Lifetime, Company, Sweet Charity, Accrington Pals
( Library Theatre) – Manchester Evening News Best Actress Award for the season of plays).
Film and Television includes: The Capture (BBC); Death by Lightning (Netflix); Romantic Getaway (Ranga Bee); The Bower (Marco Alessi); Language Of Love (SVT); The Snowman (Working Title Films); Asylum ( Paramount) The Old Curiosity Shop (Disney); Eastenders (BBC); Midsomer Murders (ITV); Casualty (BBC); Emmerdale (ITV); The Royal (ITV).
Tyrone Huggins - Billie
Tyrone has performed in over eighty stage productions, including for RSC, National Theatre, Birmingham Rep, Improbable and Eclipse Theatre in Black Men Walking. For Forced Entertainment he performs the solo show To Move In Time which has its next outing in Barcelona this October. At Leeds Playhouse he played the central character in The Beatification Of Area Boy. As writer his plays include The Honeyman, Sounds…In Session and The Carver Chair. Text for dance includes RJC’s Shared Testament and Anthology:19 for Phoenix Dance Theatre. Recently directed work includes All Blood Runs Red for Imitating The Dog and Made In India Britain for Rinkoo Barpaga. Many screen appearances include Black Earth Rising, Small Axe: Mangrove, Run Fat Boy Run, Emmerdale and the final series of Doctors. His professional career began when he co-founded Impact Theatre Cooperative after graduating Leeds University. He has been Associate Artist for Geraldine Connor Foundation; Birmingham Rep; Forced Entertainment.
Tricia Kelly - Cora
Recent theatre includes the title role of King Lear across the USA with Actors from the London Stage , Inspector Rough in Gaslight (Watford), Death of a Salesman (Northampton/ national tour).
Locally she appeared at West Yorkshire Playhouse in When We are Married, King Lear, Two, Not I, Sunsets and Glories & was a member of Red Ladder Theatre back in the mists of time.
Other work includes The Kitchen , (National Theatre); Julius Caesar, Ion (RSC); The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (West End/Chichester/UK tour/Toronto); The Lower Depths, Uncle Vanya , Pieces of Vincent (Arcola), Tiger Country, Responsible Other, (Hampstead); one woman play Man to Man (Park Theatre / Colchester); Cannibals, The Gatekeeper (Royal Exchange -MEN nomination); Unprotected (Everyman /Traverse); Some Explicit Polaroids (Out of Joint – UK/ US tour); Victory, Seven Lears,, The Last Supper (Wrestling School/Royal Court Theatre); Fen (also New York); A Mouthful of Birds, Deadlines (Joint Stock/Royal Court); plus seasons at Sheffield Crucible, Salisbury, The Orange Tree and many others.
TV & Film; Casualty, Coronation Street, Dr Who, Brutal, Carnage, Doctors, EastEnders, My Family, Top Dog, The Bill,, Christobel, Dangerous Lady, A Small Dance.
Musicians
Mark Goggins - Keys
Mark held the position of Reader in Music Theatre at The University of Central Lancashire until 2024. There he led the BA (Hons) Music Theatre programme, which he established in 2003, as well as conducting the award-winning University Chamber Choir.
His professional musical theatre work includes the UK and International tours of Beauty and the Beast, Starlight Express, Cats, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, Shrek, Wicked and The Lion King.
Mark has conducted at many of the leading UK concert venues including The Royal Festival Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, where he has performed with the Hallé Orchestra.
As a Composer/Sound Designer Mark has credits including productions of Blue Stockings, Let The Right One In, Jane Eyre, The History Boys, The Audience and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Earlier this year he was Sound Designer for Glorious! At The Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.
Rebecca Mills - Harp
Originally from South Shields, Rebecca moved to Manchester when she was awarded a position at Chetham’s School of Music and then continued her studies at the RNCM.
Her notable performances include a live TV appearance on ITV’s Coronation Street, Manchester Camerata tour to Saudi Arabia, 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, live broadcasts for S4C with her harp quartet, and the 60th birthday celebrations for HM King Charles at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
A dedicated teacher, Rebecca is passionate about bringing live music to those who need it most, having performed in healthcare settings for two decades. She gives weekly concerts in hospitals for ‘Lime Arts’ & the charity ‘Music in Hospital and Care’. Rebecca began sailing the high seas in 2011 & has performed in over 86 different countries on Cunard, P&O, Royal Caribbean, Saga & Fred Olsen with her own electric harp show ‘Have Harp, Will Travel’.
Michael Bardon - Cello
Michael is a Northern Irish bass player/cellist/composer/improviser based in Leeds. He first came to Leeds in 2007 to study Jazz (BA Hons) at Leeds College of Music and graduated in June 2010. Since then he has worked with a variety of musicians from different disciplines and backgrounds including Shatner’s Bassoon, Ancient Infinity Orchestra, Keeley Forsyth, Matthew Bourne, Dave Kane, Tipping Point, James Mainwaring, Sean Noonan, Hiby/Bardon/Hession trio, Jaktar, Hassan Erraji, Wiyaala, Craig Scott’s Lobotomy and Nat Birchall Quintet.
Michael has had the privilege of playing at some of the top venues and festivals throughout the UK and Europe including Sant’anna Arresi Jazz Festival (Sardinia), Haldern Pop Festival (Germany), Experimenta Festival, (Bari, Italy) Locomotive Jazz Fest (Italy), Jazz Od Nowa Fest (Poland).
Michael is a founding member and joint composer of Shatner’s Bassoon; a group of five composers/improvisers who have had three UK tours, been featured twice on BBC Jazz on 3, had reviews in major publications and have been granted awards from the PRS foundation, Jazz Services and Jazz North to create new work and support a national tour.
Life Class is a live performance with music, theatre, digital animation, a professional cast and a community chorus of 35 local older people, coming to the Loading Bay 3-12 October.
“The aging process rushes up, pushes you over, and runs off laughing. No one should grow old who isn’t ready to appear ridiculous.” John Mortimer
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