FORMER Frome Amateur Operatic Society star, Sam Dredge, is returning to the town this month and is bringing with him a London West End show!
The former Hayesdown School and Frome College student, will be bringing his production of ‘Santa’s New Sleigh’ – a show that enjoyed a successful run at London’s Art Theatre in the heart of London’s West End – to the Selwood School Hall on Monday 23rd December for two performances.
“I have not forgotten my roots,” said Sam, “and I am delighted to bring one of my hit shows back to my home town.
“The show is about two cheeky elves making a new sleigh in time for Christmas and includes singing, dancing and presents for every child, from Santa. It’s the perfect way to get in the festive mood for ages three and over.”
‘Santa’s New Sleigh’ is one many shows produced by Sam who now works as a successful theatre producer in London.
This year Sam teamed up with TV star and author David Walliams and Chickenshed theatre company to produce a stage version of Walliams’s children’s book ‘Mr Stink’.
The show was a full two-hour long musical with a company of 16, that toured to 12 large scale theatres across the UK. And the show was rated as one of the top 10 shows of the summer by Time Out magazine.
Other large-scale musicals Sam has worked on include ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘Avenue Q’, ‘Footloose’, ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’.
About where it all began in Frome, Sam said, “You may remember me on stage at the Memorial Theatre with FAOS playing the panto fool, alongside Humphrey Barnes, or playing Fagin in the musical ‘Oliver’ under the direction of the late, great Alec Ruddick – this is where I developed my passion for theatre.
“I was later offered a full scholarship to train in musical theatre at CPA Drama School in East London. And after graduating, I worked for the Walt Disney Company in Paris and as a host for Disney Cruise Lines. I also acted in large scale pantomimes along-side Ruby Wax, Pamela Andersen and Paul O’Grady. However, it was closer to home where I accidently fell into producing.
“In 2007, when performing magic at Longleat Safari Park, I was asked if I would write, produce and direct a musical show based around the Longleat animals. I created ‘The Go Bananas Show’ featuring the park’s mascot characters George the lion and Medal the monkey, which ran for two summer seasons and played to over 47,000 people. My enjoyment in creating theatre for Longleat, led me into the world of theatre producing, following in the footsteps of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh.”
Coming up next, Sam said, “I am already booking up shows for the next two years and I am about to team up with the authors of the best-selling book ‘Aliens love Underpants’ to create a brand new musical that will tour next summer, but shhhhh I can’t say too much, just watch this space!”
‘Santa’s New Sleigh’ comes to the Selwood School Hall on Monday 23rd December – performances will be held at 12pm and 2.30pm. Tickets are available from Ticket Source: shorturl.at/beuEY
