Meet the Production Team
Wilfie Pyper MBE - Director
Wilfie joins our team with nearly fifty years of experience directing and, as such, is regarded as one of the leading musical theatre directors in Northern Ireland. Wilfie has worked with many of the leading musical theatre companies in the province. For some thirty-seven years, he was resident director of Belfast Operatic Company.
The list of his Grand Opera House Belfast productions with them is extensive. Included in these are Oklahoma, Calamity Jane, Annie Get Your Gun, Brigadoon, Showboat, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Jekyll and Hyde, Titanic the Musical, Christmas Carol, Pirates of Penzance, Jolanthe, Orpheus in the Underworld, Cinderella, Hello Dolly, Sister Act, Kiss Me Kate and Buddy the Elf to name but a few. Productions for other companies include Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, Me and My Girl, Anything Goes, My Fair Lady, Oliver, Seussical, Annie, Grease, Bugsy Malone, Guys and Dolls, Mulan, Alice in Wonderland, Cats Jnr, and many others.
For ten years, he directed and toured Ireland with a group of talented performers who specialised in Percy French's works. He has also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to take several productions on overseas tours, including Mac and Mabel (Rush MS) to Sweden and a tour of India with Toccata, which featured his musical Forgiven.
Wilfie has received many accolades for his theatrical work, not least when he made history in 2012 by adding to his many AIMS awards a Best Director Award from the Association in both tiers of their annual awards, something that has never been achieved by any director in the Northern regions and only once before in the whole of Ireland.
In his career outside of theatre, Wilfie was, for many years, Deputy Head of a large primary school in Belfast, where, for some time, he hosted a four-hour children's radio programme on Saturday for BCR 96.7FM.
In 2019, Wilfie was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for services to drama and Musical theatre in Northern Ireland.
Keith Pyper - Musical Director
Keith has been involved in Musical Theatre from a very young age assisting his father, Wilfie Pyper, in many of his musical productions. Growing up in The Salvation Army, music has always been important to him, and he has led their choir for over 15 years. Keith had the great pleasure of attending Methodist College Belfast and was heavily involved in the music programmes. Being part of the school’s Chamber Choir allowed him the opportunities to sing in some magnificent surroundings such as Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Windsor Castle. Here, he learned a great deal of excellent choral training from some of the best Choirmasters in the UK.
Keith is no stranger to being on stage, having performed with various theatre groups across Northern Ireland. However, his true passion is being a Musical Director. Keith was Musical Director for Belfast Operatic Company for two years and has musically directed many shows and concerts in the Grand Opera House, The Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, to name a few.
Credits
Musical Director: Guys and Dolls, Anastasia, Seussical Jr, Mulan, Guys and Dolls, The Greatest Show, Titanic: The Musical, A Night at the Cabaret & The Addams Family.
Keith is also the founder and Musical Director of Cantare Voices, a choir from across Northern Ireland that sings a variety of beautiful music in order to raise money for local charities.
Sarah Johnston - Choreographer
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Sarah trained at ArtsEd, London. Since graduating she has had a unique career spanning over 33 years working successfully as a Performer then Choreographer in Theatre and TV. She was very fortunate to have renowned Choreographer Dougie Squires OBE, mentor her in her early dance career.
Sarah is a qualified Dance teacher with The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) in Modern Theatre, Tap and Ballet. She has built a strong reputation as a high-quality 'Industry-standard' Dance Educator within the UK and was Head of Dance at The ICMT campus in Belfast from 2018-2022 she is passionate about developing student's confidence and inspiring passion within Dance Education.
Credits
Choreography - Nova Jones (CBBC), The Shop At The Top of The Town (The Mill Theatre, Newtownabbey) Frankenstein's Monster Is Drunk and The Sheep Have all Jumped the Fences (E59E59 Theatre, New York + The Brian Friel Theatre Belfast)Department Store (Belfast Arts Festival) Macbeth Bouncers (The MAC Theatre, Belfast) Freak Show (Riverside Theatre, Coleraine & Irish Tour) The 39 Steps (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast) Beauty and the Beast (The Waterfront, Belfast) Aladdin (The Marketplace Theatre, Armagh) Freak Show (The MAC Theatre, Belfast) The World Goes Round (The MAC Theatre, Belfast) Phantom of the Opera (The Mill Theatre, Newtownabbey) Suppliant Women (Gaeity Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival) Sleeping Beauty (Belfast Waterfront Hall) Sleeping Beauty (The Market Place Theatre, Armagh Spectacular Aladdin (SSE Arena, Belfast) Sleeping Beauty (Belfast Waterfront Hall) Sleeping Beauty (The Market Place Theatre, Armagh) Suppliant Women, Dublin Theatre Festival, Crazy (The Grand Opera House, Belfast) The Woman in White (BBC) The Faerie Thorn (Societiätstheater, Dresden Irish & Uk Tour) The Importance of being Earnest (The MAC Theatre, Belfast) Aladdin (The Waterfront, Belfast) Cinderella (The Market Place Theatre, Armagh), 1932: The People of Gallagher Street (MAC Theatre, Belfast) The Suppliant Women (The Grand Opera House, Belfast) 39 Steps (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast) Cinderella (The Waterfront, Belfast) Little Red Riding Hood (The Market Place Theatre, Armagh) Dancing Shoes: The George Best Story (The Grand Opera House, Belfast) Crazy (MAC Theatre, Belfast) My English Tongue My Irish Heart (The Waterfront Hall, Belfast: English & Irish Tour) Molly Wobbly (Leicester Square Theatre, London) Jack and The Beanstalk (The Waterfront Hall) Tinseltown The Musical (The Mill Theatre, Newtwonabbey) Cabaret (MAC Theatre) Molly Wobbly (Phoenix Artists Club, London – Broadway Baby ‘Best Choreography’ Nominee) Hunchback The Musical (The Mill Theatre, Newtownabbey) Hansel & Grettel (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast) Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Edinburgh Fringe Festival) The Haunting of Helena Blunden (The Waterfront Hall, Belfast) Alice The Musical (The Market Place Theatre, Armagh) The Magic Hat (KCFA Arts Theatre, Seoul) Pinocchio (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Hansel & Grettel The Marketplace Theatre Armagh) McCool (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast)
Theatre - King’s High (King’s Theatre, Glasgow) Guy’s and Doll’s (UK Tour). Dick Whittington & Cinderella (Gaiety Theatre, Ayr) The Cannon & Ball Show (Britannia Theatre, Great Yarmouth 1992 & The Opera House Theatre, Blackpool 1994) Aladdin (Mayflower Theatre, Southampton) A Tribute Gala to Lord Delfont (The Opera House Theatre, Blackpool) The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton) Mystique (Stageworks Productions).Billy Pearce’s Laugh In (Princess Theatre, Torquay, Futurist Theatre, Scarborough & The Opera House Theatre, Blackpool) Cinderella (The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford) Dick Whittington & Aladdin (The Grand Opera House, Belfast 1991 & 1992) Sleeping Beauty 1993, Cinderella. 1994, Aladdin 1995, (King’s Theatre, Glasgow)
Production Team
Director: Wilfie Pyper MBE
Musical Director: Keith Pyper
Choreographer: Sarah Johnston
Production Manager: Jess Teague
Stage Manager: Jess Teague
Lighting Designer: Luke Perry
LX Operator: Luke Perry
Sound Design & Operations: Lewis Murray
House Sound: Lewis Murray
Band Sound: Chrissy Corry
Sound Runner: Josh Booth
Follow Spot Operator: Olivia Pyper
Set painter: Carla Hodgkins
Costumes: Belfast Operatic Company, Barts Players, Belvoir Players, Fusion Theatre, Jess Teague & Siobhan McAllister
Seamstress: Pamela Abbott
Props: Belvoir Players, Bart Players, Jess Teague & Siobhan McAllister
Ticket Design: Jess Teague
Printers: Media Print & Design
Programme Design: Jess Teague
Photography: Toby Watson
Crew: Jess Teague, Simon Pyper, Sophie Lemon & Amy Braniff
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Additional thanks goes to Peter McAllister, Sarah Littler, KatieRose Williams, Clair Williams, Geoff Clarke AV, Roy Cochrane, Clair Williams & Titanic Belfast for their help and support with this production.
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