Meet the Cast of Rent: Elly Fenton

RENT opens tonight!

The box office is open until midday but after that tickets will be available on the door. Friday is all but sold out, but you can still book for Saturday at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking - Curtain up 7:45.

"Her favourite activates are winding up the police and pick-pocketing"

Rent has a vast array of characters, so many of our cast get to play multiple roles.

Name: Elly Fenton

Character Name(s)/Roles: Homeless and Various Ensemble Characters

Elly in rehearsal (Photo courtesy of Front of House Photography)

Tell us about your character(s): My character is predominantly a Homeless Girl. She is new to the streets and finding it hard to get any money or help from others. It’s safe to say that life isn’t going how she had planned. She’s the ‘baby’ of the homeless ‘family’ but she’s tougher than she appears. Her favourite activates are winding up the police and pick-pocketing.

Is there anything in your own life that helps you connect with your character(s)?! I can’t say I’ve ever slept on the streets, but I consider her to be approximately my age and I can connect to her ability to be cheeky and find the silver-lining to life.

What’s your favourite song in the show and why? My favourite song has to be 'La Vie Boheme' because I have so much fun performing it. It’s the moment in the show where the characters manage to ignore the struggles in their life and focus on their own laughter and having a great time. I also hope that this musical number will be exciting and refreshing for our audience. My other favourites are ‘Take me or Leave me’, ‘Light my Candle’ and ‘Santa Fe’.

What other shows have you done? This is my second show with Simply Theatre and I’m sure it won’t be my last! Last year I played Frenchie in ‘Grease’ with Simply Theatre, but I have also played roles such as Eponine (Les Miserables), Marty (Grease) and Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray).

Can you recall a particularly memorable on-stage moment? The most memorable stage moment for me is that feeling I get just before I go on stage for the curtain call. There’s a rush of adrenaline and I can’t wipe the smile from my face.

Can you remember the first time you thought “I want to be in theatre”? I was 4 years old. It was the summer before I started Reception and my soon-to-be primary school hall had a classical proscenium arch stage at the very end. Legend has it that I told my mum what I was most looking forward to about going to school was “performing on the big stage!”

What are you enjoying most about being part of Simply Theatre? Simply Theatre has given me a lot. I’ve met some of my closest friends through being involved with their shows and I have been able to grow and develop as a performer. The thing I enjoy most is being part of what’s like a second-family as we all go through the process of creating theatre together.

Is there room in your life for anything else apart from singing, dancing & acting? Other than singing, acting and dancing I take Geography A Level – and it sucks.

No Day But Today

Elly in rehearsal with Matt Hough & Alex Kirkham (Photo courtesy of Front of House Photography)

Meet the Cast of Rent: Dorcia Bowden-Noble

Rent runs from Thursday 17th September until Saturday 19th at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking - tickets are going fast now so go to our box office to book your seats

"I've been able to use my repressed wrath and unleash it on stage!"

Name: Dorcia Bowden-Noble (Poshest name in the world...also my middle name is Grace, soooo).

Character Name/Role: Blanket Woman. (Aka Lady Blanket Women Esq 3rd).

Dorcia in rehearsal with the other homeless characters including Craig Marshall, & Brett Walker  (Photo courtesy of Front of House Photography)

Tell us about your characters: She is brilliantly feisty! She's part of the homeless ensemble and may be down, but definitely not out.  I like to imagine that she was once a lady of riches with an antique wardrobe full of fur coats, but somehow fell onto hard times. This doesn't seem to be enough to keep her down though, as she has no qualms with standing up to the authorities or any heartless busybodies.

Is there anything in your own life that helps you connect with your characters? Definitely years of overly British politeness has meant I've never been gutsy enough to shout and swear at people that tick me off. I guess it's helped though as I've been able to use my repressed wrath and unleash it on stage!

What’s your favourite song in the show and why? 'Tango Maureen'! Everything about the song appeals to me.  The music is just so brilliant, the lyrics have some fabulous comedy moments and the fact that it pauses for a dance interlude can only be a plus!

What other shows have you done? This is my first production with Simply Theatre,  my last musical being Best Little Whore House about 8 years ago! However I have performed in lots of plays since then, the most resent being 'Stepping Out', where I played Sylvia.

Can you recall a particularly memorable on-stage moment? I used to do a lot of dance competitions when I was younger. When I was about 10 I performed a national solo in front of a large audience and judges. About half way through I started to realised that most of the audience, including the judges, had started giggling. Seeing no evidence of my traditional Romanian dance being the least bit comical, and being the professional I was, I carried on my dance. By the end, the audience had given up and were failing to hide their full blown sniggering.  It wasn't until I left the stage that my dance teacher asked me why I went on with an extremely dirty pair of white tights dangling like a strange smelly tail from my bloomers. I quickly told her it was bloomer stuffing....(because all bloomers need stuffing...) and performed the walk of shame back to the changing room with them still dragging behind me. Definitely a memorable on stage moment. Oh and when my score card came back it read 'Please make sure your costume is appropriately applied'.  Still a story my mum loves to reminisce about.

Can you remember the first time you thought “I want to be in theatre”? I can't remember a particular moment, but I started dancing when I was 3 and got the stage bug straight away! My dad used to also take my brother and I to see musicals at the Mayflower and, even though I loved watching them, I always wanted to be on the stage with them more.

What are you enjoying most about being part of Simply Theatre? The cast! Everyone is just so friendly and welcoming and they are all so dauntingly talented! I'm 'over the moon' to have been lucky enough to perform with them. (See what I did there).

Is there room in your life for anything else apart from singing, dancing & acting? Eating cake mainly. Apart from that my other passion is working with children. I absolutely love my job in my nursery and I still get to sing dance and act all day!

No Day But Today