Alumni
Here are some of our notable alumni & pictures of alumni in action
Penelope McGhie
Penelope is an actor known for the films Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows parts 1 & 2 and Elizabeth, The Golden Age. TV includes The Crown, Wolf Hall, Silk, Holby City and EastEnders. For the past twenty years she has appeared in numerous productions at the National Theatre as well as working regularly in the West End. She also holds an MA (Distinction) in Actor Training & Coaching from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and works regularly with Cygnet as a Visiting Tutor and Mentor. See Penelope talk about the value of her Cygnet training.
Andrew Howard
Born in Cardiff, Wales, and living in Los Angeles, Andrew is known most recently for his roles in highly acclaimed HBO series Watchmen and Perry Mason. Also for his turn as Gennady in Limitless and Bad Frank Philips in Hatfields and McCoys. Stage roles included Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange, Peer Gynt in Peer Gynt, Orestes in Electra at theatres, including The Royal National Theatre (London) and The Donmar Warehouse (London).
Louis Dempsey
Louis Dempsey is an actor and writer, known for Cloud Atlas (2012), Grabbers (2012) and Revolver (2005). On stage he has recently work on Skylight, The Weir and The Taming of the Shrew (The Globe). Hear Louis talking about his training with Cygnet.
Harvey Robinson
Harvey has appeared in Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth in the WestEnd and on Broadway, in What you will at Shakespeare’s Globe and a number of national tours. He is a composer and actor and his music has been heard in BBC4’s Detectorists as well as on BBCRadio and in a number of theatre productions.
Joshua Sasse
In 2022 Joshua Sasse can be seen starring in FOX's upcoming epic, multi-generational musical drama "Monarch."
Starred in the West End production of "Mamma Mia" at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. Additional recent credits include his breakout role as Galavant on the Emmy nominated, ABC series "Galavant", and leading roles on "No Tomorrow", "Rogue,"and ABC's "The Neighbors."
Kate Godfrey
Head of voice at the Royal Shakespeare Company. On leaving Cygnet Kate joined The Northcott, Exeter where her roles included Sonia in Uncle Vanya, she then went on to work with director Mike Alfreds at the National Theatre in The Wandering Jew and Countrymania. She also played a number of guest roles on television prior to becoming a highly respected voice practitioner with a Diploma from RCSSD and has been Head of Voice at the RSC since 2015.
Hakan Bengtsson
Håkan Bengtsson is an actor, known for Wallander (2008), De utvalda (2020) and Bron/Broen (2011). Most recently he can be seen in Swedish realistic crime drama The Hunt for A Killer showing on BBC 4
Lizzy Dive
Lizzy Dive is an actor, known for her stage performances of The Twits and pantomimes Robinson Crusoe & Cinderella (Grenwich Theatre)as well as Richard II (London) and Twelfth Night at the Queens Theatre New York
Alexandra Harman
Alexandra has toured nationally and internationally with both Room on the Broom and Dinosaur World Live. She has performed in a diverse range of productions from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Santa’s Polka Dot Pirate.
Damian Scheider Cruz
Damian Schedler Cruz is known for FBI: International (2021), Last Meal (2019) and Ain't That a Pitch.
Katherine Senior & Mathew Parish (Tilted Wig Theatre founders)
Katherine Senior and Matthew Parish formed Tilted Wig Productions in 2017. They have 12 years’ experience producing and touring plays throughout the UK both as Tilted Wig and Creative Cow – a Devon-based theatre company we co-founded in 2007. Over this time we have taken over 20 productions out on the road.
Tessa Gaukroger
Tessa has spent the last few years working in the West-End as part of Murder She Didn't Write. She has also toured the UK as part of comedy duo O & O. Tessa has worked in film, on stage and in voice over.
Sally Sydney Geake
Sally has toured the UK extensively with the Railway Children and Turn of the Screw. Her first feature film On The Line is due to be released in 2023. Other work includes Voice work for Radio Devon, Site-Specific work for Four of Swords Theatre and a multitude of stage productions.
Tom Hackney
Tom is a producer and his work has toured nationally and internationally. Tom produced the national tour of Mugs' Arrows for Third Man Theatre. Tom is also a producer and associate artist of Original Theatre. His producing credits for Original Theatre include: Three Men in a Boat (co-produced with Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), The Private Ear, The Public Eye (co-produced with Yvonne Arnaud), Birdsong (co-produced with Birdsong productions, 2013, 2014).
Other producing credits include: See How They Run, Our Country’s Good, Twelfth Night and Hard Times.
Scott Simpson
Performing extensively across theatre, short film, and voice work his credits include Peter Pan for Exeter Northcott, The Roundheads The National Trust, as well as multiple open air Shakespeare touring productions and panto.
Films include: The Forgotten, A Shamrock at my Side & After Dawn.
Other notable Alumni include:
Ben Crispin - Monty Python Holy Flying Circus
Johan Lundin -Wallander (2008), Som krossat glas i en hårt knuten hand (1995) and Vasasagan (1998).
Wesley Magee - Strangers, Rash (2017) and Immigrant (2018).
Caroline Colomei - The Forewarning (2011), When the Screaming Starts (2021) and If It Bleeds It Leads (2015).
Kate Sharp - Blood Brothers West End
Phoebe Hawthorn - Children of Men (2006) and Global Young People's Convocation 2010 (2010).
Taran Wiseman - Stranger Things (2010) and Dysfunction.
Gary Young - Harry Brown (2009), The Tournament (2009) and Two Graves (2018).
Marissa Bonnie Rowell - Black Out (2016) and The Kemps: All True (2020).
