NICHOLAS LANGTHORNE Tony Nicholas started his journey in theatre on the Central Coast in 2015, performing in shows with Gosford Musical Society. Since then, he has gone on to complete a Diploma of Musical Theatre through Palm Studio Co., where he performed in lead roles such as Seymour in Little Shop Of Horrors and Kenickie in Grease, as well as appearing in Ghost, A New Brain, Spring Awakening, Carrie and Jesus Christ Superstar (Palm Studios Co). For The Very Popular Theatre Company, Nicholas understudied the role of Bob Guardio in the highly acclaimed production of Jersey Boys. After graduating in 2018, he played Charlie Bucktin in Jasper Jones (Lambert House Productions) at the Bondi Pavilion, a role which saw him nominated for two GLUG awards, Best Male Actor in a Play and the Mathew Leonard award for a young performer under 25. FELICITY BIGGINS Grandma Felicity Biggins last appeared with The Very Popular Theatre Company in Endgame at the Playhouse in 2019, where she spent her brief time on stage in a garbage bin before expiring. She’s excited to be able to kick her legs up this time in the role of dance-loving Grandma. Her other musical credits in living memory include Jesus Christ Superstar (National Theatre Company), Oklahoma! and The Music Man (Opera Hunter), Les Miserables and Annie (CTN) and HONK! and Seussical (YPT). Felicity is also a theatre director and producer and, with playwright Carl Caulfield, runs Stray Dogs Theatre Company, which has produced many plays, including Creativity, Shakespeare’s Fools, Medea, Dali: Hallucinogenic Toreador and Being Sellers. MARTY WORRALL George Marty is a Newcastle-based singer and vocal coach and one of the region’s most sought after performers. He was a backing vocalist, vocal coach and occasional vocal director for the first six seasons of The Voice Australia for Channel 9 and currently teaches vocal performance at The Voice Studio in Lambton. On stage, Marty has appeared in a number of Newcastle productions, including Company (Chookas Entertainment), Airness (Knock and Run), Good King Wenceslas (The Grainery Church), Tick, Tick…Boom! (NDAC), The Wild Party (NDAC), Jesus Christ Superstar (NTC), Peter Pan, Rent, Oliver! and Rock of Ages (Hunter Drama), Spamalot and Chess (The Very Popular Theatre Company). When not on the theatre stage, Marty can be found singing with his bands Dr. Zoom and The Rumour, at various venues around Newcastle and the Hunter region. ALICIA PATERSON Dead Mum, ensemble Alicia has performed as a vocalist since she was 10 and has grown to become one of Newcastle’s most beloved performers. As a chorister, she travelled nationally and internationally, as a soloist she has fronted cover bands and is a founding member of the acapella vocal quartet Bella Voce. Alicia studied voice at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music and completed a Bachelor of Music before beginning a career as a performing arts educator. At 20, Alicia was introduced to the world of theatre. Her first show was Jesus Christ Superstar with NDAC. She has also played the role of Eponine in Les Miserables (NDAC), winning a CONDA for Best Lead Actress in a Musical; Cabaret (NDAC); Donna Sue in Grease (Rock City); Sergeant Sally Brown in Guys and Dolls (DAPA); Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (NDAC); Annabelle Glick in Lucky Stiff (Pantseat Productions), winning a CONDA for Best Lead Actress in a Musical; Mrs Darling in Peter Pan (Hunter Drama); Bingo The Musical (Pantseat Productions), Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar (National Theatre Company) and most recently Nancy in Hunter Drama’s Oliver!. She has appeared in cabaret shows such as the Mix Tape series for Pantseat Productions and Encore: Best of Broadway, as well as the comedy play Lend Me A Tenor (Theatre on Brunker). Billy Elliot the Musical is Alicia’s debut with The Very Popular Theatre Company. LUCY HENDERSON Debbie Wilkinson Lucy began singing and dancing at a young age and quickly fell in love with the performing arts. Now 13, Lucy is in her third year of musical theatre and drama studies with Hunter Drama, and is an avid vocalist under the tuition of Marty Worrall. In 2022, Lucy was honoured to perform twice on the Civic Theatre stage in Hunter Drama’s major productions. In Oliver!, Lucy brought her infectious energy to her featured ensemble role as a member of Fagin’s pick-pocketing gang, and in the award-winning Seussical, she amused audiences as the sassy Young Kangaroo. In addition to her stage work, Lucy has also appeared as a model in several national brand campaigns and is an accomplished competitor in sport aerobics. Billy Elliot the Musical is Lucy’s debut with The Very Popular Theatre Company. RUBY WOOSTER Debbie Wilkinson Ruby began dancing at the age of three and is a long-term student at the National College of Dance, studying classical ballet, jazz and lyrical styles. She has always had a love of drama, singing and musical theatre, joining Hunter Drama in 2020. Ruby has gone on to perform the roles of Helga in Hunter Drama’s Kid Frankenstein, JoJo in Hunter Drama’s award-winning Seussical, and the role of King Julian in Hunter School of Performing Arts’ Madagascar: Musical Adventure. Ruby is excited and so grateful to be making her debut for The Very Popular Theatre Company with Billy Elliot the Musical in the role of Debbie. 27
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