Ugly Duckling by Emma Reeves

Emma’s stage work includes the Olivier-nominated adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather, The Snow Child, Carrie’s War, Little Women and Cool Hand Luke. TV work includes The Worst Witch (Lead Writer) Eve (Lead Writer and co-creator) The Dumping Ground, Young Dracula, Tracy Beaker Returns, Belonging, The Murder of Princess Diana, Spirit Warriors and Doctors. She has won Best Children’s TV Episode at The Writers Guild of Great Britain Awards twice, and been nominated on two other occasions. Her work has won a national RTS award, an RTS Scotland award, been nominated for two BAFTA awards and two Broadcast awards.

Holly is an experienced performer, teacher and movement director. Holly has always been passionate about how dance and theatre can be used to educate, inspire, rehabilitate as well as entertain a diverse range of audiences.

After graduating from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance Holly sought to use her skills to promote the amazing possibilities in dance. She went on to work in hospitals, prisons, secure training units, specialist school and with refugees and migrants. Some of Holly’s credits include: Open clasp Theatre Company ‘Key Change’ (Best of Edinburgh Award, Fringe 2015), and Take Off Festival Scratch artist 2015.

Tayo Akinbode is a UK based composer with Nigerian origins. He has pursued a successful career in theatre for over 20 years, regularly composing for M6 Theatre Company, RSC, the Globe, the Royal Exchange as well as Singapore Repertory Company.

Artistic Director, Chair of TYA/PYA England

I have held the position of Artistic Director at tutti frutti since 2005 and have directed all but one production in partnership with York Theatre Royal, touring nationally and internationally and co-producing the Little Feet Festival of Children’s Theatre and the First Words writers’ development programme

Before working with tutti frutti I was Artistic Director of Red Ladder Theatre Company, and previous to this; Merseyside Young People’s Theatre Company in Liverpool. Over the years as a freelance director work has included; Everyman Theatre Liverpool, Crucible Theatre Sheffield, Hope Street Ltd, Oxford Stage Company, Unity Theatre Liverpool, European Stage Company, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and Contact Theatre Manchester. I currently live in Leeds with my partner Mark and two sons Louie and Eliot.

Technical Stage Manager adventuring with tutti frutti for the second time. Other recent escapades include Slung Low's Fairy Portal Camp (RSC), The White Whale (Leeds Dock), 59 Minutes To Save Christmas (Sheffield Theatres) and Emergency Story Penguin (UK Tour).

Calum was the company stage manager for Prime Theatre/Bolton Octagon's 2016 tour of The Macbeth Curse by Terry Deary and has toured extensively with Red Ladder and Phoenix Dance Theatre, Leeds.

He is a graduate in Fine Art from Staffordshire University and co-founder of street theatre troupe Artemis Productions UK, Liverpool.

Daniel is currently artist in residence with the Oxford Playhouse Theatre.

Theatre credits include: The Iron Man, Baby Show, Mister Holgado, The Flying Machine (Unicorn Theatre), Looking for Yoghurt (Birmingham Rep, Hanyong Theatre Korea, Kijimuna Festa Japan), Securing your World (Bush Theatre), Recycled Rubbish (Theatre Rites), Jack (Nottingham Playhouse), Peter Pan, Inside Out, How to Catch a Star (Polka). Daniel recently created his first solo performance Glisten. The production will tour the UK in 2018. https://www.halfmoon.org.uk/whats-on/venue-programming/glisten/

Danny graduated from ALRA:North in 2013 where he was nominated to represent the school in a ‘Laurence Olivier Award’ bursary. Starting life as an actor with a rural UK tour of ’12 Miles from Nowhere’ (Karen Simpson/Action Transport Theatre), Danny then moved onto roles as ‘Wishee Washee’ (Buxton Opera House) and ‘Grandson’ in Michael Morpurgo’s ‘FarmBoy’ (Colchester Mercury).

Danny has been a part of the ‘Tutti Frutti’ family before, enjoying a national and international tour of ‘Rapunzel’ back in 2015, 'Ugly Duckling' in 2017 and ‘Keepy Uppy’ in 2018.

Danny and his colleague Matt are establishing their names as filmmakers back in Manchester, specialising in promotional footage, actors portfolio material and short films. They have already enjoyed an official selection award for their short film ‘FEUD’ earlier this year despite only celebrating a 1 year birthday of their company SquadFour Productions recently. Follow their progress online at www.squadfourproductions.co.uk.