In the 'House Seats'

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Kayleigh Thadani is a London-based musical theatre performer with an impressive West End career. She was part of the original West End cast of Disney's Aladdin, where she worked as a swing covering seven roles, and has since appeared in productions including White Christmas, Crazy For You, Cats and The Devil Wears Prada. Alongside her performing career, Kayleigh is an audition and repertoire coach and runs her own handmade jewellery business, Kayleigh's Kuffs, combining her creativity on stage with her passion for design and making.

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Loraine Hastings serves as the President of the International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA) for the 2026–2027 term. Her lifelong dedication to dance began at age three within IDTA schools, leading to a prestigious career spanning over 45 years as a qualified teacher, senior international examiner, and choreographer. In addition to her role as principal of the Carlo Rossi School of Dance, Hastings is a former Carl Alan Award recipient who has actively guided the direction of the dance profession by co-authoring multiple IDTA syllabi and twice serving as the Chair of the Freestyle Faculty.

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Anna-Jane Casey is one of the West End's most celebrated performers, with a remarkable career spanning more than four decades. She made her professional debut at just 16 in Cats and has since starred in many of musical theatre's most iconic productions, including Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago, West Side Story and, more recently, Fawlty Towers, where she delighted audiences as Sybil Fawlty. A TMA Award winner for her performance in Mack & Mabel, Anna-Jane has also appeared in television favourites including Coronation Street and EastEnders, while continuing to enjoy a distinguished career as a concert performer with the BBC Concert Orchestra. We also talk about her upcoming challenge of stepping into the shoes of Judy Garland in the Irish premiere of Peter Quilter's Judy – End of the Rainbow. It was a real pleasure to welcome Anna-Jane to In The House Seats.

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Simon Green, better known by his iconic stage name Betty Legs Diamond, is a legendary British drag artist, dancer, and choreographer. Best known as the longtime star and co-creator of Blackpool’s world-famous Funny Girls cabaret, Simon has spent over three decades dazzling audiences with jaw-dropping routines and flawless comedic timing. Trained at the Royal Ballet School, he seamlessly blends elite dance technique with spectacular showmanship.

His career spans cabaret, reviews, West End and regional theatre and TV. He was director, choreographer, designer and producer for Funny Girls in Blackpool and also Boulevard in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Has also been awarded two Carl Alan awards

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This episode comes live from the recent UK stage and ballet scholarships organised by the British Association of Teachers of Dancing where Craig was one of the judges. Here you can listen to some interviews with competitors and parents on what this event means to them and their hopes and aspirations for their future in the performing arts profession.

The British Association of Teachers of Dancing was the first professional dance teacher’s association to be established in the year 1892. From this early beginning we have now grown to cover the whole of the UK and have members on five continents. The Association organises refresher courses, festivals, seminars, championships, instructional sessions and annual conferences. Professional and amateur examinations are available in Tap, Jazz, Modern Dance, Stage, Ballet, Acro-Gymnastics, Highland, Scottish National, Dance Exercise, Special Needs, Majorette, Freestyle, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Latin American, Modern Ballroom, Club Latino, Classical, European National and Country Western Line Dancing.

The British Association of Teachers of Dancing is represented on the British Dance Council, The Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, Theatre Dance Council International and is a Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre Validated Awarding Organisation.

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Craig was the adjudicator of this year's Bright Star Festival and he took some time out to chat with Lydsey, the organiser, along with some of the participants and teachers to understand what makes this festival different from others and what the dancers perceptions are of festivals.

This is billed as a "supportive, friendly and encouraging" festival that has had wonderful feedback from all who take part, so have a listen.

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Jonathan Andrew Hume is a professional British screen and stage performer who is highly skilled in both acting and singing and is well-known for his work on Pride, Amazing Grace and 10,000 BC. On stage, he is famous for playing Simba in The Lion King musical, Kevin J, Ali and various other roles in Come from Away and is currently playing the part of Sargeant Paine in the musical adaptation of The Third Man directed by Trevor Nunn at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

His other theatre projects include Jesus Christ Superstar at the Wyllyotts Theatre; Rufus Longbottom and the Space Rabbit in the UK Tour; Alice in Hinterland with the Rose Youth Company at Rose Theatre and Bernstein’s Mass at the Royal Festival Hall.

Jonathan was in the 2018 feature film Mary Poppins Returns.

Among his television works is Down to Earth, EastEnders, Disney’s Favourite Songs, Strictly Come Dancing, Hope & Glory, and Anything’s Possible.

He has performed at the Musical Meets Opera with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (De Deolen, Rotterdam) and he has also worked on various commercials both for the TV and radio abroad and in the UK as well as narrating Anton Marks’ Audible audiobook recording.

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Sam Underwood was born in Woking, Surrey and attended the Winston Churchill School. He trained at the Karen Clarke Theatre Group (now Summerscales Performing Arts). He was taught by vocal coach Phil Wisdom and attended Songtime Theatre Arts.

He moved to the United States in 2006 where he studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

After graduating he went on to appear as Marchbanks in George Bernard Shaw's Candida at the Irish Repertory Theatre, New York. In April 2010, he was asked to play the part of Alan Strang in a production of Equus at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall of East Hampton, co-starring alongside Alec Baldwin.

In 2013, Sam was cast in the eighth season of television series Dexter in the recurring role of Zach Hamilton, Dexter Morgan's 'protégé'. He subsequently joined the third season of Homeland as Leo Carras.

Beginning in February 2014, Sam took on the dual roles of twins Mark and Luke Gray in the second season of the Fox murder mystery The Following. But after the death of Luke, he was left playing Mark – who had split identities – in its third and final season.

In 2017, Sam went on to join the cast of the hit AMC thriller series Fear the Walking Dead in its third season as Jake Otto, the enigmatic son of the colony leader.

In 2019, he was cast as Adam Carrington in The CW television series Dynasty, a reboot of the 1980s series of the same name.

When this podcast was recorded, he was playing the title role of Holly Martins in the brand new musical production of The Third Man directed by Trevor Nunn at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

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Pia studied costume design at the Wimbledon College of Art and Design, which is part of the University of the Arts London, where she learnt a wide variety of skills including millinery, wiggery, pattern cutting and much more. She also gained a range of technical skills in machine sewing.

Since graduating she has worked her way up from a costumer at Chessington World of Adventures to working as assistant wardrobe mistress on a wide variety of productions as Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Feydra, Small Island and Ocean at the End of the Lane at theatres including The National and the Duke of York theatre.

Pia is currently Wardrobe Mistress on the production of The Third Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory.