News

By Karol Steele

Two young actors from the Dover District will be grabbing a slice of Fame on the professional stage this September.

Luke Bradshaw from Deal and Ben Steele from Dover will be appearing in 'Fame the Musical' at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury with the Phoenix Performing Arts Group from 9 to 11 September.

'Fame' charts the success and struggle of pupils from a mix of backgrounds attending New York’s High School for Performing Arts. It’s the Fame school with the famous motto “…Fame costs, and right here’s where you start paying.” This sensational dynamic production, brought to you by the multi-talented cast of Phoenix Performing Arts Group alongside the coolest live band around, will have you dancing in the aisles determined to ‘live forever!’

Ben Steele in Fame and Luke Bradshaw as the Nutty Professor

Ben, who will be 16 this August, will be recreating his role as one of the music students, which he won during the Blackfish Academy's production of 'Fame the Musical' last July, when he was cast as Goody King. Ben's other major credits with Blackfish include, The March Hare in 'Alice in Wonderland', Colonel Hathi in 'The Jungle Book', and Topper in 'Scrooge'.

He also won principal roles with The Marlowe Youth Theatre as Lord Daft-Wager in 'Lost Things' and the showcase 'A Night of a Thousand Stars' at the closing show of the Canterbury theatre. He recently starred as Rockfist Slim in the critically acclaimed production of 'The Boy Who Fell into a Book' with the DGSB Drama Group, and had several solos in 'From Classic to Contemporary West End and Broadway' with The Dover Youth Theatre.

Ben is no stranger to the professional world of acting having played The Czech Castaway in the prize-winning short film 'Washed Up', and the Hoodie Gang Leader in the controversial short film 'Playground'.

Luke, 21, has been cast as one of the drama students in the PPA production of 'Fame'. Luke's credits include several with The Folkestone Operatic and Dramatic Society, and recently with The Folkestone Community Theatre Group's 2007/8 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, in which he was cast as the Nutty Professor.

Tickets for Fame cost £14.50 (concs £12.50) for the Wednesday and Thursday performances, £16.50 (concs £14.50) for Friday and the Saturday Matinee, and £16.50 for Saturday evening. They are available through the Gulbenkian Theatre box office on 01227 769075 or by logging onto the website, http://www.kent.ac.uk/gulbenkian/ .