live on stage

Lisa Chappell  (Nurse Carrie Burton)

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Whether it’s through McLeod’s Daughters, Gloss, or her award-winning performance in The Cult, Lisa Chappell is a familiar face to New Zealanders. An incredibly talented actress, Lisa has appeared on stage in Fallen Angels, All My Sons, Educating Rita, Chicago and most recently, in That Bloody Woman in which she played a punk rock incarnation of suffragette Kate Sheppard. She’s also a writer, with a trilogy of plays under her belt, and a singer with her own folk/country album When Then Is Now. Lisa Chappell plays Nurse Carrie Burton (originally portrayed by Lisa Crittenden).

Guy Langford  (Dr Chris Warner)

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Guy Langford, graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and École Philippe Gaulier, is an actor, writer, composer, and producer. Performance credits include The Great Gatsby, Altar Boyz, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Pitmen Painters and When The Rain Stops Falling. He has played iconic characters including Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Edmund in King Lear, and Mozart in Amadeus. He now dons the white coat of Dr Chris Warner in the world premiere of Shortland Street - The Musical, of which he is the writer and composer. Guy Langford plays Dr Chris Warner (originally portrayed by Michael Galvin).

Justin Rogers  (Dr Hone Ropata)

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Before he gets to play Dr Ropata, Justin is going to be seen around the country in the much-anticipated sequel to Krishnan’s Dairy, Indian Ink’s Mrs Krishnan’s Party. He’s previously starred as the Prince in Into The Woods (directed by our very own Cameron Rhodes) and Jamie in the musical The Last Five Years. What’s more, Justin is a magician and magic consultant for theatre! Justin Rogers plays Dr Hone Ropata (originally portrayed by Temuera Morrison).

Mark Hadlow  (Sir Bruce Warner and Dr Michael McKenna) (Auckland)

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Under the all the makeup and prosthetics of The Hobbit dwarf ‘Dori’ is much-loved award-winning Kiwi actor Mark Hadlow. Mark’s performed in over 150 plays, dozens of films and TV series, and thousands of commercials and radio voice-overs. What’s more, he can sing, having appeared in various musicals including My Fair Lady, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Rocky Horror Show. Oh, and in 2017 he was awarded Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) Award for services to the Arts. Mark plays both Dr Michael McKenna (originally portrayed by Paul Gittins) as well as Sir Bruce Warner (orginally portrayed by Ken Blackburn).

Katherine McRae  (Marj Neilson)

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Katherine McRae’s connection with Shortland Street runs deep. She has performed on the show as two different characters, first as an estranged daughter, and later as Nurse Brenda Holloway (who sadly fell victim to the ‘Ferndale Strangler’). She’s written for the show, and she’s directed it too! Oh, and did we mention Katherine’s mother Elizabath played the original receptionist Marj Neilson? And now it's Katherine's turn to play Marj .

Chris Parker  (Nick Harrison)

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You might recognise Chris Parker from Jono and Ben, Funny Girls, or The Breaker Upperers. Maybe you saw him in the hilarious Hudson And Halls Live!, or in his Fred award-winning NZ International Comedy Fest show Camp Binch. Chris is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, a core cast member of the improv comedy show Snort, and an actor, writer, and comedian to watch! Chris Parker plays Nick Harrison (originally portrayed by Karl Burnett).

Comfrey Sanders  (Rachel McKenna)

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You might have seen Comfrey Sanders in Don Juan or Jekyll and Hyde, in which she plays ‘Ginger’ in the “very passionate, very French” theatre company ‘A Slightly Isolated Dog’… they’ve just toured the country and played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! She’s also performed in The Angry Brigade, Twelfth Night, Caging Skies and Lord of the Flies. As well as being a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, Comfrey is also a playwright and a poet. Comfrey Sanders plays Rachel McKenna (originally portrayed by Angela Bloomfield).

Torum Heng  (Kirsty Knight)

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Torum Heng has performed in productions including The Producers, Starlight Express, Anything Goes, and Ropable. She’s featured on TVNZ series Go Girls, and is a graduate of both the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art, and The Actors’ Program. Torum Heng plays Kirsty Knight (originally portrayed by Angela Dotchin).

Tom Clarke  (Lionel Skeggins)

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Tom Clarke recently appeared in the hilarious Wellington Paranormal. A recent graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, he’s already won both ‘Best Male Newcomer’ and ‘Actor of the Year’ at the Wellington Theatre Awards, as has performed in productions including Camping, Hand to God, The Devil’s Half Acre, Spring Awakening, and the Pop Up Globe season of Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors. Tom Clarke plays Lionel Skeggins (originally portrayed by John Leigh).

Bronwyn Turei  (Nurse Jaki Manu)

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Bronwyn Turei played ‘Cody’ on hit TVNZ series Go Girls. She’s also done stints on The Brokenwood Mysteries, Dirty Laundry and Awkward Love. On stage, Bronwyn’s tread the boards all over the country performing in productions including Little Shop of Horrors, La Casa Azul, and School Dance. Not only a talented actress, she’s also a singer/songwriter with an incredible voice and her own album to prove it.  Bronwyn Turei plays Nurse Jaki Manu (originally portrayed by Nancy Brunning).

Ailis Oliver-Kirby  (Nurse Alison Raynor)

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Ailis Oliver-Kirby just returned from studying at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, where she completed her Master’s dissertation on the impact of the New Zealand accent on singers! She also recently played Roxie in Chicago, toured the country with Echelon Productions, and performed in Stage Door, Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be? and Punk Rock.  Ailis Oliver-Kirby plays Nurse Alison Raynor (originally portrayed by Danielle Cormack).

Tavai Faasavalu  (Ensemble)

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Actor, presenter, comedian and dancer, Tavai has onscreen credits including Nothing Trivial, Brown Brothers, Tagata Pasifika and Fresh TV, as well as playing a lead role in Groovecity – which earned people’s choice award at Sydney’s Pacific Film Festival. His acting credits include Auckland Theatre Company’s Pollyhood in Mumuland and The Lollywitch of Mumuland, Pigs on the Run, Silo Theatre’s Tartuffe and Kila Kokonut Krew’s musical The Factory - which played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014.

Rebekkah Schoonbeek-Berridge  (Ensemble)

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An in-demand professional dancer, choreographer, singer and actress, Rebekkah has trained in Auckland and in New York, and received the Standout Female Performer Award at Short and Sweet Dance Festival 2015 for The Crickets Have Arthritis. In 2016 completed a month at the Banff Arts Centre in Canada as part of the contemporary Indigenous Dance Residency.

Blaise Clotworthy  (Ensemble)

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Blaise works extensively in theatre for children, including for the splendidly named Ugly Shakespeare Company, and in The Great Piratical Rumbustification, both in 2017. A graduate of Unitec Performing Arts, his previous Auckland Theatre Company credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (2014), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (2016) and Billy Elliot the Musical (2016). 

Ava Diakhaby  (Ensemble)

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Ava is a graduate of Unitec Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts. Her most recent claim to fame includes a two woman fringe show Cool Behaviour that had a sell out season at Q Theatre. She’s also guest starred in Funny Girls, PSUSY, and the hit web series Auckward Love.

Creative TEAm

GUY LANGFORD

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY

BOOK BY

GUY LANGFORD

WITH

SIMON BENNETT

Director:

Simon Bennett

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Music Director:

Grant Winterburn

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Set Design:

John Parker

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Costume Design:

Elizabeth Whiting

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Lighting Design:

Bryan Caldwell

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Arrangements:

Penny Dodd

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Choreographer:

Olivia Tennet