Things are going from strength to strength for former pupil Simon Lennon.

Simon, who is a youth representative on the National Youth Theatre Council, has just finished filming the second series of ‘Our Girl’, a BBC ONE drama about a female medic within the British Army.

Simon said, “We shot the series in South Africa and Manchester for most of this year and I had a lot of fun.”

Now back in London, Simon also recently appeared in a show at the Almeida Theatre, called ‘Our Town’ by Thornton Wilder.

Said Simon, “It was a beautiful play that I was really proud to be a part of. I’m also still very involved with the NYT. I’m working for them constantly on their courses, auditions and masterclasses – and just love the organisation. I was a member of the NYT REP Company 2013 and that has helped push me into a career in acting. I’m an avid writer and am hoping to have some of my work produced in the next year or so.

“I’m also very excited about a company that I co-founded, and now co-run – a new writing company called Itch + Scratch. We work to develop short plays/scenes and hold nights of new writing that not only showcase incredible work, but gives the audience an amazing night out. We are a year old – but have already held four shows and are current preparing for our fifth.”

Said Mrs Lamont, “I’m really not surprised by Simon’s success. He was such a hard worker and one of the most natural actors I have had the privilege to teach. Always so much insight and understanding in every part he played.”

 Keep in touch, Simon!

Oliver Bigley landed a peach of a role in Merchant Taylors School’s latest production.

Oliver, who has been a pupil at Lamont Drama since he was 5, was selected to play Aunt Sponge in ‘James and the Giant Peach’.

Renowned for producing very high calibre productions, Oliver had to beat off stiff opposition for the plum role!

He said: “I think my experience of entering drama festivals with Lamont really helped me at the auditions. I’m used to performing verse and prose pieces as well as solo acting and duologues so I felt confident about reading the script at the auditions. I was absolutely euphoric when I heard I’d been cast as Aunt Sponge. I’ve loved every bit of the production – from the numerous rehearsals, to the dress rehearsal and finally the show itself. I had a ball!”

Oliver as Aunt Sponge

Said Mrs. Lamont, “Oliver and his younger brother Joseph have both enjoyed a great deal of success at drama festivals around the North-west and in their LAMDA examinations. They work hard and are both talented performers. Oliver is able to tackle comedy, like Aunt Sponge, with great timing and intelligence, but he is equally good at performing more serious pieces and has produced some very touching work over the years. It is very rewarding to teach such a receptive pupil.”

Oliver added, “Working on new and different pieces is what I like best and I’ve been lucky to be given a big variety of roles at Lamont. Aunt Sponge was different again, not least because I had to wear a dress!”.

Well done, Oliver!

In the Pink : Isobel and Catarina filming for Citv

Citv fans will be seeing a lot of two Lamont girls on the channel over the summer. Eleven-year-old Isobel Tinsley and 10-year-old Catarina Cardeira are two of the featured children in Citv’s July Promotion.

To get the parts, the girls had to send a selfie video of themselves. Their self-promotion clearly worked because the girls were then chosen for their roles in the on-screen Summer Promotion.

After filming, Isobel, said: “Filming on location for CITV was brilliant.  It was really interesting to see the different filming techniques used for fast action!  I was roller skating and also zooming down a zip wire – we all had LOTS of fun!  I’m so pleased Mrs. Lamont put me forward for the audition selfie video.”

Filming’s this way!

Roller Girl!

Arriving at Pier Productions!

BBC Radio Producer, Celia de Wolff, has cast three Lamont pupils in her latest production.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is being dramatised for Radio by Timberlake Wertenbaker. It is produced for the BBC by Pier Productions, based in Brighton.

Eleven-year-old Grace Wingate (centre) is playing the part of a young Lila and 12-year-old Elizabeth McEvilly (right) plays a young Lena. Nine-year-old Orlando Campolucci-Bordie (left) has also been cast to play a tough boy from a mafia family.

Recording of the BBC drama took place in Brighton.

Said Mrs Lamont: “This is a very exciting opportunity for Grace, Elizabeth and Orlando. They spent a week in Brighton rehearsing and then recording.

“Pier Productions is a major supplier of award-winning factual and drama productions for BBC Radio. It is known for distinctive programming like Radio 4’s ten hour dramatisation of War and Peace, starring John Hurt. The three of them thoroughly enjoyed the experience, learnt a lot and, of course, gave some brilliant performances.”

There was time for work…and fun!

Lamont Drama School’s success stretches far and wide!

For the last couple of years, Mrs. Lamont has been teaching a former pupil by skype who moved away to Manchester. Despite the move,  Ahmed Hassan was determined to continue his lessons with Mrs. Lamont and has gone on to achieve great success in his LAMDA examinations – with the help of new technology!

Now Mrs. Lamont has taken one step quite a bit further. She teaches her own grand-daughter, five-year-old Isla Gie on FaceTime and skype in Cyprus! Isla recently took her first LAMDA exam and was awarded Distinction with 89 marks.

Isla thoroughly enjoyed the experience as we can see from the photograph taken of her just before her exam.

Lucky Isla –  LAMDA success and sunshine!

Congratulations to Kathryn McEvilly, Georgia Taft and Lucia Shakeshaft for successfully auditioning for the National Youth Theatre.

NYT Ambassador Rory with this year’s successful NYT intake Kathryn, Georgia and Lucia.

Current NYT member 17-year-old Rory Rushton visited the girls’ Saturday morning drama class to give them some tips about what to expect. Rory, successfully completed the NYT residential summer course last year and is now an NYT Ambassador. He said: “Everyone will tell you that it’s going to be the best experience of your life! It is! I made loads of new friends and had two great weeks in London.”

Said Mrs. Lamont : “Well done girls! I’m so proud of you. Have a ball this summer!”

Lamont Casting Agency is increasingly carving itself a niche for being a provider of excellent voiceovers.

Recently, agency members have provided the voices for an array of cameos and commercials for TV, video and radio.

Voiceover King Joe Houghton

Agency member and drama school pupil 16-year-old George Miller tackled a difficult subject in a video about about ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) and how they go on to affect people in later life. George provided the teenage voice of a man at different stages in his life. The video will be used by councils nationwide.

Twelve-year-old Elizabeth McEvilly has done many voiceovers through the years. Her latest is for Wilko.

Other pupils in demand, after impressing with their clear and characterful voices, are 13-year-old Joe Houghton, 10-year-old Dominic McEvilly, 11-year-old  Grace Wingate and 13-year-old Georgia Taft.

Georgia also recently successfully auditioned for the NYT so will be heading to London this summer to take part in their two-week residential course.

Keep speaking up, guys!

Georgia is a successful voiceover artiste and a new NYT member.

Lamont pupils eight-year-old Evie Clark from Southport and seven-year-old Lori-Jo Quinney

From Bootle starred in the RSC and CBeebies’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The production, which was filmed at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre was aired on William Shakespeare’s birthday, as part of BBC’s month-long Shakespeare Festival celebrating of one of the greatest writers of all time.

Evie (left) and Lori Jo (right) looking absolutely gorgeous as fairies.

Said Evie: “I absolutely loved filing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The make-up and costumes were amazing and I loved playing two parts. I was a page as well as Peaseblossom which meant I got to wear two costumes instead of one!”

Lori Jo, agreed: “I liked being in the theatre because all the fairies made it feel really magical. Being on TV means I can keep it forever.”

Children’s favourites Justin Fletcher and Ben Faulks (Mr Tumble and Mr Bloom) starred alongside CBeebies presenters Andy Day, Rebecca Keatley, Pui Fan Lee and Chris Jarvis. William Shakespeare was played by CBeebies’ Robert The Robot, Steven Kynman and Justin Fletcher played Bottom.

The week long experience of rehearsals, dress rehearsals and filming came after Evie auditioned for the role several weeks earlier.

She explains: “I was very excited when I went for my audition. I was auditioning to be one of the fairies so the night before I read the story and learnt about the characters.

“My audition was with two casting directors from the BBC, called Angela and Lucy.  They were really nice. When it was my turn I went into the audition room and they asked me, “do you know the story?”  I retold them the story from start to finish, and they said, “Wow, you knew that really well.

“I had to choose to be one of the fairies and then I got to say some lines and mime a part of the story. Then they filmed me performing a few times. At the end of the audition they asked me if I had any questions to ask them and I did! I asked them “If they could pick one of the fairies which one would they choose and what would they wear. They were excited to tell me their favourites. They were really friendly and I really enjoyed the audition. I found out the following week that I had got a part.  I was SUPER HAPPY because this is the first part I’ve ever got!

“Filming with everyone was even more fun than the audition. I just didn’t want the week to end!”

The whole cast

Evie and Lori Jo get down to some serious rehearsing with the RSC/CBeebies production team.

Former Lamont pupil Lauren Ogden has been picking up rave reviews for her acting – even before finishing her degree.

Our lovely Lauren – now known in Spotlight as Laurie Ogden – recently starred in How To Survive A Swarm Of Bees at the Lyric Hammersmith. She also appeared in two fringe plays – Staircases by Antonym Theatre and Dust never settles in Torchlight by Naked Feet Physical Theatre.

 Lauren’s wonderful acting skills were spotted by a reviewer, who said: “in Staircases, Laurie Ogden should also be praised, not only for her impeccable range of hairstyles but also for her powerful delivery in the doctor and patient vignette. A brilliant idea, expertly executed. All involved should be very proud of what they’ve produced.”

Praise was equally high for Lauren in Dust Never Settles in Torchlight.  “I was blown away, utterly blown away by this show. I feel confident in calling it the best piece of physical theatre I have seen in a very long time. The entire cast ebb and flow around each other in a manner that mesmerises the viewer mere seconds into the performance. The most memorable performance of the piece comes from Laurie Ogden, who you’ll remember from the previous review, in the role of Myrrha, who here serves as a living embodiment of how a vast array of relentless, devastating emotion can be conveyed without a single word spoken. Odgen is proof of the power of physical theatre when put into capable, dedicated hands. The choreography in itself is simply marvellous, but it takes the right actor to use that choreography to its fullest effect. Ogden is such an actor.

As well as wowing audiences on stage, Lauren has also done a commercial for Late Rooms.

Fantastic news, Lauren (or should we say Laurie!)

A Senior Casting Director from Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures) visited the drama studio recently to do some exciting casting workshops.

Said Mrs. Lamont: “Pupils had a great time honing their audition skills as well as having a lot of fun. We hope to make it a regular event.”

Lamont Casting has a long-history of providing cast members to the award-winning drama series.

In 2005, Lamont Casting member Hannah Rigby from St Helens got the role of Hannah Ashworth in Hollyoaks at the age of 15. She was given praise and recognition for her anorexia storyline in which she was nominated for various awards. Since leaving Hollyoaks in 2010, Emma has appeared in the West End and in numerous screen roles including Prisoners’ Wives, Ripper Street and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

Emma was a delightful member of the Lamont Casting Agency and we continue to follow her career with pride.

The upcoming casting workshop will give a new generation of talented Lamont Casting Agency members to shine.

Former Lamont Casting Member Emma Rigby

ABC’s “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” stars Emma Rigby as The Red Queen.