Meet the Singing Mermaid Cast
Samuel Dutton
Theatre includes: The Singing Mermaid, The Pixie and the Pudding, Me..., The Further Adventures of The Owl and The Pussycat, Fantastic Mr Fox (Little Angel Theatre); Miss Julie, Black Comedy (Chichester Festival Theatre); Citizen Puppet (Blind Summit); Mojo (Theatre -Rites/New Victory Theater, New York); The Tempest (Dundee Rep); Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC); Melody Loses Her Mojo (Liverpool Playhouse); Meat (Bush Theatre); Engi, Tröll, Tomten (Handbendi Brúðuleikhús); Peter Pan (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh); The Selfish Giant, Pinocchio (Norwich Puppet Theatre). Awards include: Best Puppetry - Polish Association of Theatre Artists, Fringe First – Edinburgh.
What was your favourite story when you were young?
The Little Train by Graham Greene – amazing illustrations by Edward Ardizzone.
Can you do any circus tricks?
I thought about starting a flea circus but realised I’d have to start from scratch.
Tell us a joke!
What do you get when you cross the ocean with the beach? I’m not that shore.
Ruth Calkin
Most recently Ruth has appeared in The Smartest Giant in Town (LAT/Fiery Light, West End); the award-nominated solo-performer show The Bed (Little Angel) and Twirlywoos (Live) (MEI). Other theatre includes: There May Be A Castle (LAT); Jina and the STEM Sisters (HMDT Music) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (MEI). She has been a regular with Mark Mander in The Clementine Show (Crazy Coqs @ Brasserie Zédel) and past work includes productions with companies such as Oily Cart, Theatre-Rites, Kneehigh and the RSC. Ruth was the puppetry development lead for CBeebies’ Moon and Me.
What was your favourite story when you were young?
Everything by Roald Dahl but my top favourite was The Twits.
Can you do any circus tricks?
Erm…no…BUT! I would love to have a try at stilt walking?! Either that or the Wall of Death.
Tell us a joke!
What do you call a fish with no body and no nose? Nobody knows!
Louise Mellor
I trained at the Curious School of Puppetry and I studied Physical Theatre in Italy and Performing Arts at the University of Salford. I have performed in theatres, schools, libraries and forests all around the UK as well as abroad, including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Robin Hood in Italy and The Jungle Book in China.
What was your favourite story when you were young?
The BFG by Roald Dahl. I once dressed up as Sophie for World Book Day!
Can you do any circus tricks?
I spent some time at a circus school in Turin where I learnt to walk the tight-wire and a couple of moves on the aerial silks. I’m not sure if I’d still be able to do them though, as I haven’t practised since. I can still do a head-stand though - does that count?
Tell us a joke!
What did the sea say to the mermaid? Nothing, it just waved.
- The Mermaid Ruth Calkin
- Annie the Acrobat Louise Mellor
- The Ringmaster Samuel Dutton
- Associate Director Oliver Hymans
- Stage Manager Lucy Barter
- Re-lighter Jake Lawrence
- Adapted by Samantha Lane & Barb Jungr
- Music and Lyrics by Barb Jungr
- Original production directed by Samantha Lane
- Design by Laura McEwen
- Lighting Design by Sherry Coenen
- Puppets by Lyndie Wright
- Additional Puppets by Jan Zalud