Casting Agency News
Sucess for two former pupils Sophie and Chloe - Read News Item
Emma Rigby continues to shine in Hollyoaks (as Hannah Ashworth in Hollyoaks) - Read News Item
New Classes for 5 to 9 year olds - Read News Item
Comic Capers - Read News Item
Comedy Triumph for Sam - Read News Item
Quadruple Success For Lamont Drama School And Casting Agency - Read News Item
Snap, Crackle And Pop! - Read News Item
Role in Lenny Henry film - Read News Item
Children promote BBC Local Radio on TV - Read News Item
BBC Producers search for talent - Read News Item
Two children star in last ever series of Grange Hill - Read News Item
TV Advertisment Sucesses
- Calpol TV Advert
Taylor Parry is currently appearing in the latest Calpol advert. Seven-year-old Taylor is seen holding out a worm to his sister – the things you have to do to get on telly!!
- John Lewis TV Advert
Bryan and Ben Boocock, aged 4 and 6 were successful in their first audition for the John Lewis Christmas commercial.
- ASDA TV Advert
Two pupils from the Lamont Drama School featured in ASDA’s back-to-school advertising campaign. Christie Clark (12) and Sofia Filipe (13) went through three rigorous auditions before being selected.
Onward and Upward
Two former Lamont pupils who used to perform together at local drama festivals have gone on to greater heights.
Sophie Abelson, who plays Cherry Malone in the BBC daytime soap Doctors and West End musical theatre star Chloe Taylor, used to wow audiences with their rendition of Abigail’s party at the Southport, Wirral and Crosby Festivals.
Now Sophie has been appearing on TV in ‘Doctors’ for the past five months and Chloe is appearing in the hit musical ‘Wicked’ at London’s Apollo Theatre.
Way to go Girls!
Emma Rigby continues to shine
Hollyoaks fans love Emma Rigby’s character of Hannah Ashworth.
As a member of Lamont Casting, Emma auditioned and won the role of Hannah when she was just 15-year-old. Since then, she has become one of the most popular cast members tackling an array of headline-grabbing storylines and winning Best Actress Award at the British Soap Awards.
Some of Hannah’s hardest moments have included coping with the death of baby Grace while she was baby-sitting and falling for JP McQueen, only for him to admit he’s gay. Her insecurities led her to suffering from anorexia with her friend Melissa, who subsequently died.
Before taking the role of Hannah, Emma had previously appeared in both Brookside and Born and Bred, as well as taking on various modelling jobs.
As well as a talented actress, Emma is also an award-winning dancer.
Lamont Agency Director, Diane Lamont, said: “Emma is a lovely girl and it was inevitable that with such talent she would be a big success in the role of Hannah Ashworth.”
New Classes for 5 to 9 year olds
Would you like to have fun and learn more about acting and the art of mime?
The Lamont Drama School, is starting up new classes for 5 – 7 year-olds. The classes allow children to develop their imagination and creativity and boost their confidence through an exciting programme of acting games and improvisation. Fun speech and drama exercises will enhance their voices and improve their English skills.
The new classes will be held after school on Mondays and Wednesdays at Formby’s Harington Centre (Pram Club), Dunes Drive, behind the Harington Road shops. If you would like to enrol your child or require further information, please contact us...
Our Day Out - The Muscial
Lamont Drama School pupil and casting agency member thirteen-year-old Sofia Filipe has had a great run starring Willy Russell’s ‘Our Day Out–The Musical’ at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.
Sofia, said: “Being chosen for Our Day Out was a dream come true for me, particularly because I got the chance to meet Willy Russell. I’ve learnt such a lot but also had an amazing time.
Comedy Triumph for Sam
Sam Inkson, a pupil at the Lamont Drama School, proved he has the gift for the gags when he was crowned the Stand Out Young Comedian of the Year at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.
Sam, who writes his own material, said: “The performance skills that I learnt during my time at Lamonts helped me hold my nerve.”
Since winning the competition, Sam has performed his act on Radio Merseyside and Radio City. The Stand Out Young Comedian of the Year Competition is sponsored by the Liverpool Echo and O2. The judges included culture chief Phil Redmond.
Comic Capers
Five Lamont Drama School and Agency members have become very ‘animated’ starring in a cartoon series called Trapped.
The teenagers’ voices can be heard in eight cartoons which have been made by the BBC, John Moores University and Northwest Vision & Media.
BBC TV writer Lucia Haynes (Doctors) oversaw the project which saw young writers from Liverpool developing and writing the scripts.
The Lamont pupils take the parts of four Liverpool teenagers who find themselves trapped in an old building and have to look for a way out. Sixteen-year-old Denver Drury plays Steven, 16-year-old Joshua Harriette plays Charlie, 16-year-old Dominique Durant plays Becky and 15-year-old Francesca Dolan plays Sophie. The part of the operator is played by 16-year-old Sam Inkson.
Speaking after the premiere held in Liverpool, Sam Inkson, said: “We’ve all done a lot of drama and performing on stage but we’ve never experienced lending our voices to cartoons before. It was a lot of fun, especially when we saw ‘our creations’ on the big screen.”
Quadruple Success For Lamont Drama School And Casting Agency
Four Lamont Drama School and Casting Agency members performed alongside Bernie Nolan in ‘Our Benny’ at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.
Tim Baker (15), Sam Smith (12), Antonia Seiga (11) and Georgia Gaudie (15) were chosen from thousands of children who auditioned across Liverpool, Southport, St Helens and the Wirral for the chance to star in the rags-to-riches, feel good musical.(
The show, written by Merseyside musicals writer Anne Dalton, also starred Brookside and Coronation Street regular Sam Kane, West End star Emma Dears and award-winning Merseyside radio presenter Johnny Kennedy.The children joined the professional cast for three weeks of intensive rehearsals prior to the show’s opening.
Snap, Crackle And Pop!
Little Esme Skinner has been fronted the ‘snap, crackle and pop’ campaign for Rice Krispies.
Esme asked her ‘TV mum’ how many snaps, crackles and pops were in her bowl and then asked her two friends to help her count them!
Casting Agent, Diane Lamont, said: “Esme is a very natural, imaginative child – just the sort of girl that the casting directors were looking for.”
Major role in Lenny Henry film
Mike Coventry played a leading role in a short film directed by Lenny Henry. Mike played Danny Carmichael in ‘Colour Blind’. The project was backed by the Anthony Walker Foundation and Liverpool Football Club. It was Mike’s second major role. He also played the part of Duckett in Grange Hill.
Principal Diane Lamont , said : “Mike showed that he had great talent from an early age. I’m not surprised that he was chosen for such contrasting roles because he has a natural acting ability and is always keen and quick to learn new skills. Spending time with Lenny Henry was a fantastic opportunity for him.”
Children promote BBC Local Radio on TV
More than twenty children from the Lamont Drama School and Casting Agency appeared in a BBC TV promo for Radio Merseyside.
Rory Rushton (pictured bottom left), George Hughes (pictured bottom left), and Oishi Sikdar (pictured bottom right) had main parts.
The children spent the day at Matthew Arnold Primary School in Liverpool filming the trailer with BBC Radio Merseyside DJ Tony Snell.
BBC Producers search for talent
More than 50 children from the Lamont Drama School and Casting Agency took part in an audition workshop for BBC producers as part of a nationwide search to find CBBC presenters.
Four children went on to the final stages at London’s Television Centre. They were Sam Bennett,Sam Patching,Amelia Gilby and Lydia Seed. Amelia Gilby and Sam Patching were later chosen as the new presenters.
CBBC producer Olga Droogleever, said “It was a real pleasure to spend time with all the children. They obviously really love their drama and it showed in their performances. They were relaxed, confident and overall very impressive”.
Two children starred in final series of Grange Hill
Sofia Filipe and Mike Coventry had leading roles in the final series of Grange Hill. Sofia played the part of Serena, a student struggling to cope with dyslexia. She said: “My character was quite shy and found it difficult to tell people that she was dyslexic so I had to do some sensitive scenes.”.
Michael, said: “I played the part of Duckett. In a lot of ways he was very like me - funny, a bit wacky and gets up to some mad things! Acting is what I’ve always wanted to do so this was a great start to my career.” Principal Diane Lamont , said: “Getting the opportunity to do filming in a professional environment was a wonderful opportunity for both Michael and Sofia. They are both very talented.”
