Imperial Productions

Philip is an operatic tenor from Lancashire. He is an Alumnus of the prestigious National Opera Studio and has performed as a soloist on all the major operatic stages of the UK. He grew up singing Gilbert and Sullivan and they Operas hold a special place in his heart. Philip’s hobbies include sampling real ale and attempting Airfix models.

Megan is classical soprano, most recently seen performing in Opera Holland Park’s production of HMS Pinafore in collaboration with Charles Court Opera, and in Le Villi, a little-performed early work by Puccini. Earlier this year she performed as Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. Megan holds a Masters in Vocal Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where studied with Mandy McCormack. She is currently in lessons with John Evans. Megan has spent time living and performing in Brighton, Glasgow and New York, as well as her home-city, London.

Tony’s thrilled to be back in Budleigh with Imperial, having previously performed here as Sipos in She Loves Me – and Dick Deadeye back in 2012’s production of HMS Pinafore!

Tony regularly performs with companies based around London including the New London Opera Group, Forbear! Theatre, CODA and King’s G&S. Past roles include Giuseppe (The Gondoliers), Lord Mountararat (Iolanthe), Tobias Ragg (Sweeney Todd), Moralès (Carmen), Wilfred Shadbolt (The Yeomen of the Guard), Winston Smith (Nineteen Eighty-Four), Evans (The Long and the Short and the Tall), Mysterious Man (Into the Woods), John Wellington Wells (The Sorcerer), Reginald Bunthorne (Patience).

He also enjoys singing a wide range of choral music from Mozart to Menken with chamber choir the Lyra Singers.

When not performing, Tony can be found adding to his Lego collection, writing electronic music, and working at his ‘day job’ in theatre administration at a Very Big Theatre Indeed in London.

Mezzo-soprano Helena Culliney grew up in Worcestershire. Attending school in the shadow of Worcester Cathedral, she grew up within a choral tradition that led her to take up a choral exhibition at Gonville and Caius College Cambridge, where she won the Rudolph Peters Prize for music in 2006.

Progressing to undertake postgraduate study in York, Helena continued to perform with a range of ensembles, and also undertook a number of solo projects, including performances of Second Woman in Dido and Aeneas, and Hecate in ‘Hera’s List’ at the Tete a Tete Opera Festival. In 2014, she was awarded Best Female Performer in the Unifest section of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival for her performance as Tessa in The Gondoliers.

More recently, Helena has continued to develop under the guidance of her teacher, Nick Powell. A regular oratorio soloist, recent projects have included Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem and Rutter’s Feel the Spirit. She continues to sing G&S, most recently as Pitti-Sing in ‘The Mikado’ at the Buxton Opera House with Peak Opera, and as Ruth in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ with Imperial Productions, and is thrilled to be returning to Budleigh for another nautical extravaganza!

Stephen trained at Goldsmith College and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama a long time ago. He has performed a diverse range of roles in operas and musicals including the title role in Eugene Onegin to Nicely Nicely Johnston in Guys and Dolls, His directing credits include Fiddler on the Roof, The Mikado, The Merry Widow & The Pirates of Penzance for companies including Wimbledon Light Opera, Julian Light Opera & Porcupine Productions. Future projects include singing the role of Monastatos in The Magic Flute for Harrow Opera and directing The Matchgirls for The Utopians. Stephen was last seen with Imperial Productions as Don Alhambra their 2019 production of The Gondoliers.

Robin is no stranger to Budleigh having first arrived with Imperial MTSoc Tour’s Anything Goes back in 2004 and has returned many times since – but mainly below stage rather than on it. Having been (keel) hauled out of the pit for this year’s show, he hopes you’ll forgive the occasional instrumental interlude whilst keeping the ship’s company in line

Spaniard that, somehow, has ended up living in London. She’s a medical anthropologist, and works at Imperial College researching air quality. She plays violin with an amateur orchestra and is taking singing lessons. She loves music and literature (and what is opera, if not a combination of both?), and this is her first participation in a G&S performance – but definitely not the last.

April Goss is a London based Soprano.

In 2009 & 2013 she won Stratford & East London Junior Musician of the year. In 2018 April graduated from her undergraduate course at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2020 she then graduated from her Masters at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance with Distinction.

Following completion of her undergraduate and postgraduate course April is currently continuing her training under the tutelage of Teresa Cahill. She is also considering a course in an opera school which will help her to pursue her passion for a career as a professional opera singer.

This will be April’s third show with Imperial following on from Pirates of Penzance and her recent portrayal of Carrie Pipperidge in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.

April would like to dedicate her performance to her friends who always support her in her endeavours.

In respect of both acting and singing, Matthew Lacey did not really train anywhere, and is instead relying on sheer brio to carry him through, for which apologies in advance. Instead he worked as a lawyer, before finally acknowledging the truth that inside every barrister is a frustrated actor trying to get out. This is his debut appearance with Imperial Productions, and the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in general (as you may well deduce in the course of the performance). He nevertheless feels confident that bullishly overlooking a near-total absence of qualifications or professional experience amounts to method acting for the role of The Rt Hon. Sir Joseph Porter KCB.