DAVID SCHLACHTER For the past four years, David has played piano and sung as the lead singer at the church he attends. While in his first year of studying Architecture, David’s began singing lessons at “Reach for the Stars” with Cindy Dickinson. Having decided to pursue a career in performing, David took a break from studying so he could focus on music and singing. He performed at corporate gigs, charity events and local restaurants as part of the group “Some of That”. Wanting to continually improve upon his vocal and music talents, David started guitar lessons and devoted more time to singing. When David heard about the High School Musical competition, he knew that here was the opportunity of a lifetime to realize his dream of becoming a performer.
CARMEN PRETORIUS – “Gabriella Montez”
From a very young age, Carmen has been singing and performing. She began her vocal training at age 9 under Desiree van Der Walt. Since the age of 14 she has collected numerous awards in the vocal section of the National Eisteddfod. A year later Carmen was voted West Rand Idol, in addition to being a runner up in the Yamaha Young Talent contest.
In 2006 Carmen toured to Japan as part of the non-profit organisation, Faith Harmony (which annually hosts a group of young performers as they tour Japan promoting unity through music). Whilst on tour, Carmen performed in some of Japan’s largest theatres located in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 2007 Carmen performed in the World Championships of the Performing Arts held in Los Angeles, California. She was the only South African vocalist
to make it to the Grand Finale and she walked away with three gold and four silver medals for the seven vocal categories she competed in - Jazz, Opera, Latin, Broadway Musical, Pop Duet, Pop and Broadway Musical Duet. She was also crowned World Champion in the Latin and Broadway Musical Categories. She has performed in amateur productions showcased
at the Natal Playhouse Theatre: Me and My Girl (ensemble), The Pirates of Penzance (Ruth), Crazy For You (Polly Baker) and Hello Dolly (Dolly Levi). Most recently, Carmen was the winner of the MNET reality series- High School Musical Spotlight South Africa which awarded her this coveted role of Gabriella Montez.
DARREN VERCUIEL – “Ryan Evans”
Darren has been singing since the age of 8. The Yamaha Young Talent Competition was the first of many competitions he won. At the age of 12, Darren was voted one of the finalists in the Crux Gospel Stars competition.
Darren attended the National School of the Arts. As part of a duet with a fellow school pupil, he performed at many corporate and private functions. Darren was selected to join a group called the “Rainbow Stars”, which travels annually to Japan to perform to audiences of more than 25000, to raise awareness for peace during the Hiroshima festival and to raise funds for the underprivileged in South Africa and Japan.
Darren was a runner up in Patricia Lewis’ "Supersterre" competition where he received a recording contract with Sony BMG. He has released a duet CD, under the name of Caelee and his own single, “Doen dit Nou”, which sold Gold. He has performed at various shows under the Sony BMG banner including KKNK and Kalahari Kunsfees. Darren has also recorded 3 original songs and plans to record additional songs complete his first album.
Darren performed in a number of school stage productions including Grease and West Side Story. Earlier this year, prior to auditioning for MNet’s HSM Spotlight South Africa, he performed in the Barnyard Theatre production, “Dancing Queen” staged at Fourways, Centurion and Cape Town. Darren was delighted to sing the National anthem to "Madiba" with the backing of the Soweto Youth Choir at a corporate event.
MARLEE VAN DER MERWE – “Sharpay Evans”
After studying Entertainment technology at Tshwane University of Technology for a year, Marlee realised that she could never watch another show from the wings and watch other people living her dream. So she decided to move into the spotlight herself, and completed her NDIP in musical theatre at the same institution. Her singing, acting and dancing techniques were molded by the likes of Ben Cross, David Dennis, Antoinette Kellerman, Johann Swart and Debbie Marriot Gush. During this period Marlee excelled in various areas. Her natural flair for choreography earned her a place on the FNB Dance Umbrella program in 2004 with the piece "Violence on Violins".
Her career received a kick-start when she became a member of the "Showboat" company, under the direction of Janice Honeyman, which toured Europe in 2006 and 2007. Apart from musical theatre, Marlee has also performed at various supper theatres such as The Barnyard, The Performer and Sound Stage as a front liner in Girl Talk 007. Marlee is a former member of the rock duo, "Corsette". Most recently, Marlee had the honour of being part of the cast of "The Full Monty" under direction of David Bownes.
CHRISTOPHER JAFTHA – “Chad Danforth”
Chris matriculated at the National School of Arts (where he studied art, not acting, dancing or music). He toured Africa, Europe and America (with Youth for Christ), doing industrial theatre and other productions as a volunteer to raise money for HIV/Aids orphanages.
CHRISTEL MUTOMBO – “Taylor McKessie”
Christel Mutombo is a Johannesburg based performer and songwriter who discovered her passion for performing while studying a BSc. Physiology and Psychology degree at the University of Johannesburg. Despite a lack of formal training, her raw talent led her to being accepted to the UJ Song and Dance Company, where she began performing whilst completing her studies. There she played roles a diverse as Maria in West Side Story and Fraulein Shneider in the classic Cabaret. After graduating she joined the industry full time and says she’s never looked back. She was recently in the People’s Theatre production of Winnie the Pooh and can soon be seen playing Taylor McKessie in the upcoming South African production of High School Musical – Live on Stage. Christel is the lead singer of the rock band LinkSphere which she co founded with Rian Berg and goes by the stage name Lynx when performing with the band.
JINTY DEACON - "Kelsi Neilson"
Jinty was bitten by the performing bug at an early age. She was avidly involved in the arts at Roedean School, and was rewarded with distinctions, full colours and a scholarship for Drama, Music and Oratory. Jinty attended SAFDA (South African School of Motion Picture Medium & Live Performance) where she starred in several short films, and graduated with a Bachelor of Live Performance, and the award for "Best Supporting Actress" in her final year.
Since graduating, she has performed in two professional productions for The Peoples' Theatre Company, as Cinderella (Cinderella) and Ma (“Babe, The Sheep Pig”). Jinty recently performed as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, in a production of Marlowe's "Dr. Faustus" at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre in Braamfontein, which received much critical acclaim. She also teaches the flute and class music at St. Peters Preparatory and Redhill Schools.
Zane fell in love with the theatre when he played the role of Seymour in his high school production of 'Little Shop of Horrors'. He went on to study drama at the University of Pretoria and has since performed in numerous professional theatre and television productions. He has been seen in various commercials like the Ford Bantam advert and more recently, an advert for Amstel. He has appeared in television programmes like Kompleks, Oepse Daisy, Villa Rosa and Zero Tolerance. He has also appeared as a presenter on popular magazine shows like Pasella and Living land on SABC 2. Zane's theatre highlight came when he played the role of Angel in “RENT”. A role that earned him a Naledi award nomination for best newcomer/breakthrough performance by a male. His proudest moment however was when he summated Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, in March, this year.
THEMBEKA MNGUNI – “Martha Cox”
Thembeka Mnguni grew up in Eastern Cape but moved to Kwa-Zulu Natal where she completed her secondary education. After completing Matric she began studying Psychology at UNISA and then changed to an IT certificate course in 2006. Thereafter she started working in a corporate environment.
Thembeka’s singing career started at a very early age – initially, singing with radio and television adverts and then singing to her friends. She turned her singing into money making venture - charging 50c per song. She used the money to buy chips for lunch at school. During school choir practices she would inevitably end up leading the performances. Likewise when she attended church, Thembeka would lead the choir’s hymn singing. The elder members of the church choir thought so highly of her singing abilities that when she felt too lazy to walk to church, they would stop by her home and fetch her. This led Thembeka to the realisation that she “has a voice”.
Singing not only boosts her self-esteem, it also makes Thembeka believe in herself. She has not performed professionally on stage or in front of a camera; making HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL LIVE ON STAGE her first professional show.
Thembeka auditioned in MNet’s High School Musical Spotlight SA, hoping to land the role of Gabriella Montez. She unfortunately didn’t make it but the creative team were blown away by her vocal talents. This led to her being approached to audition for the stage show, resulting in Thembeka being offered the supporting role of Martha Cox, a plump braining nerd with a secret passion for hip-hop dancing.
DEAN ROBERTS - “Jack Scott”
Dean Roberts trained at the University of Natal, where he read for a degree in Communications and Performance Art. A qualified high school English and Drama teacher, Dean has taught at some of the countries top schools.
Dean is an actor, writer, comedian who has worked in Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand, China and of course South Africa in productions that include… We Will Rock You! (where he worked with Ben Elton and Queen’s Roger Taylor, playing St. Bono), Hair, The Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff and the Narrator), Oliver! (Bill Sykes), Bent (Max), Hamlet (Rosencrantz), The Unexpected Guest, The Mosquito Coast and King Lear (Oswald). He will also be seen in 2009 in Aspects of Love for the Johannesburg Civic Theatre. Dean’s credits in pantomime include Cinderella (Buttons), Jack and the Beanstalk (Clover) and Puss in Boots (King Wenceslas).
Dean appearances in television include Scandal! Jozi Streets and Komplex and appeared in Bronwen Hughes’ critically acclaimed film Stander. Dean has lent his face and voice to a wide spectrum of television and radio commercials.
Dean presents workshops to schools around the country on various disciplines in the performing arts.
KATE NORMINGTON – "Ms Darbus"
Kate studied speech and drama at Wits. She won an FNB Vita Award for excellence in Comedy and a Fleur du Cap award for best actress for her role as Sister Mary Amnesia in "Nunsense" in 1987. Productions include, Joanna in "Sweeney Todd" and Niki in "Sweet Charity" for Napac; Josephine in "Romance Romance"; Guinevere in "Camelot" and Eliza in "My Fair Lady" for Pact. "A touch of Webber and a taste of Rice" and "Tell me on a Sunday" for Richard Loring. Kate also played Janet in the Colin Law's production of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show". In London, Kate understudied and performed the role of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard", followed by the Bakers wife in "Into the Woods", Leicester, Rose Vibert in "Aspects of Love", Hampshire, and Grace Farrell in "Annie" at the Victoria Palace, London. Since returning to South Africa, Kate has appeared in Hazel Feldman's productions of "Fame", and "Menopause". Kate won a 2007 Naledi award for best actress for Pieter Toerien's production of "Bombshells". Television includes, "Scandal", "The Res", "Backstage", "Shado's", "Hard Copy", and “The Lab". Kate was also one of the Laugh Out Loud scam team! Kate won the 2008 Naledi for best actress in a musical for Richard Loring's production of "Hairspray". Kate has two solo albums, her own, "Mother's Daughter", and Richard Loring's "Tell me on a Sunday".
ROBERT FINLAYSON – Coach Bolton & Troy’s father
Robert was born in the Cape. After graduating from the University of Cape Town he joined P.A.C.T and played, amongst others, the roles of Romeo in Romeo & Juliet and the Genie in Aladdin. His first part as a freelance actor was Hector in Pieter-Dirk Uys’ acclaimed play Just Like Home at both the Edinburgh Festival and at The Market Theatre. In the prestigious Market Theatre's production of A Midsummer Nights Dream, he played Lysander. Musical credits include Lancelot in a national tour of Camelot, Roger in Grease at the State Theatre, Sparky in Forever Plaid for the Richard Loring Management, Claude in Hair at "The Nico" and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Theatre on the Track. Robert performed the one man play, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me at the Market Theatre for which he garnered a Vita Award. His last engagement before working in London was the role of Tony in a national tour of West Side Story, directed by the renowned American Director, Alan Johnson. Television credits include a lead role in Hidden City and Hidden City II, a series screened internationally.
Robert appeared as Nick in the musical Fame at the Cambridge Theatre on London's West End and as Brad in The Rocky Horror Show at the English Theatre, Frankfurt. He appeared in Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and played the role of role of Chris. He then went on to play Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera in the British national tour and later at Her Majesty's Theatre in London.
In 2006 he returned to South Africa to perform in Pieter Toerien's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. His portrayal of Judas earned him a Fleur du Cap Award for best performance in a musical. The show went on to tour in Greece and South Korea. Most recently Robert was part of the cast of Operamania at Johannesburg's Civic Theatre .
MELISSA ALLISON (understudy for the role of Gabriella)
Nineteen-year-old Melissa Allison hails from Port Elizabeth. At the age of five Melissa embraced the stage for the first time, dancing and singing her heart out at her pre-school¹s end of year talent show. Using family gatherings as a platform, she started discovering her talent and at the age of 10 she began dancing at church. A year later she started composing her own songs. At the age of 12, Melissa and her cousins formed a dance and singing group called ŒNubian Movement¹ which performed at numerous corporate functions, gigs, church functions, schools and other events. For about 4 years Nubian Movement was one of the Port Elizabeth Splash Festival¹s most popular acts, leading to collaboration with artist Enrico Venter. In 2006 Nubian Movement together with EISS International & BayFM toured to high schools all around Port Elizabeth promoting EISS International's packages.
In 2008 Melissa participated in MNET¹s High School Musical: Spotlight South Africa competition where she reached the TOP seven. Melissa is looking forward to understudying the role of Gabriella
– “Troy Bolton”
David’s love of performing started in pre-primary school when he sang solos in school plays. He loved participating in school sports and cultural events. He played the lead role in his school’s Grade 7 production “Disneyrama” and later that year won the schools “Little Oscar” award. His love for performing grew and when he reached high school, David entered Speech and Drama Festivals where he attained distinctions in all disciplines. He also performed in school productions of “Man, Evolution, Music” in 2005 and “Ali Baba” in 2006.
He then joined African Footprint, where he had the privilege of performing in the Royal Variety Show and touring Monaco, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, India, Ghana and Italy. After African Footprint, Chris ventured to Los-Angeles to take classes at Stella Adlers Academy of Acting. Chris has also had the honour of acting along side Vusi Kunene and Tobie Cronje in Janice Honeyman’s 2008 pantomime, “Peter Pan”. Thereafter he joined Saturday Night Fever, and most recently returned from a short tour to Paris with African Footprint. Chris has also enjoyed a modeling career, and hope's to make it to the big screen soon.
