The Team
RYAN MCBRYDE - FOUNDER
Ryan McBryde is the Creative Director of the Mercury Theatre, Colchester.
His productions for the Mercury include: Moll Flanders and Pieces Of String (the latter was nominated for UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production and won Best New Musical at the Stage Debut Awards). Other recent credits include: Romeo And Juliet for Theatre Trier, Germany; Faust and 1984 at the Alte Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart (1984 was nominated for the prestigious Theaterpreis Der Faust and Faust won the Stuttgart Audience Award); Love On The Links, Before The Party, Beauty And The Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin and Jack And The Beanstalk for Salisbury Playhouse (Jack won Best Pantomime 2018 at the Great British Panto Awards); The Invisible Man for the Queens Theatre, Hornchurch; Saturday Night Fever UK Tour; Angus, Thongs And Even More Snogging at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Who’s Tommy, European Tour. His production of Hamlet! The Musical at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton and Richmond Theatre, won the WhatsOnStage Theatregoers' Choice Award.
Other credits include; the world premiere of A Day at the Racists, Finborough Theatre / Barking Broadway, which won the Harold Pinter Playwright's Award; The House Of Mirrors And Hearts, Arcola Theatre; a revival of On The 20th Century, Union Theatre; the German musical premieres of Spring Awakening and The Full Monty; The Donkey Show, Proud London; The Ruling Class, Sweet Charity, Hysteria, Hair – The Musical, Deathtrap and The Fox for the Frankfurt English Theatre; Lia’s Guide To Winning The Lottery, Bridewell Theatre; the world premiere of Terje Vigen at the Royal Concert Hall, Oslo / Arts Theatre, London. Ryan has also directed The Crucible and Fruhlings Erwachen for the Alte Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart.
Ryan co-founded Rogue State Theatre Company in 2002 and has directed five of their productions including – Heart of a Dog, The Adding Machine and Gogol’s Underdogs.
SARA POYZER - FOUNDER
Training: Guildford School of Acting.
Sara is currently playing Donna Sheridan in the UK Tour of Mamma Mia. She previously played the role in the West End for 2 years and Internationally for 4 years.
Sara’s other theatre credits include:
Sarah Jane Moore in Stephen’s Sondheims’ Assassins at Nottingham Playhouse.
Janet in Rutherford and Son (UK Tour/West End); Emilia in Othello; Mam in Billy Elliot the Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre); Forever Young and All Quiet on the Western Front (Nottingham Playhouse); Beverley in Abigail’s Party (Theatre Royal, York); Teena Satin in Satin ‘n’ Steel (Nottingham Playhouse and UK Tour); Lady Sneerwell in The School for Scandal, Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice, Ismene in Antigone and Poetry or Bust (Northern Broadsides); Kate in Bollywood Jane (Leicester Haymarket Theatre); The Fly (Oldham Coliseum); Up ‘n’ Under (Leicester Haymarket Theatre) and Players Angels (UK Tour).
Television credits include: Casualty; EastEnders; Doctors; Cast Offs; Paradise Reclaimed; Dangerfield; Playing the Field; Peak Practice and The Pilot of ODDinary People.
Film credits include: The Knife That Killed Me and My Last Five Girlfriends.
Radio credits include: Emilia in Othello, Leonie Snell in The Archers and numerous other drama series for BBC Radio 4 and recently recorded The Legacy of Time for the Doctor Who audio series.
CLAIRE SUNNUCKS
Claire is a graduate of the Bird College of Performing Arts.
Theatre includes: The Giant’s Wife in Jack and the Beanstalk (Nottingham Playhouse), Prince Charming in Cinderella (Hazlitt Theatre) and the title role in Aladdin (Bonnington Theatre); Laura in The Scarlett Bus (Nottingham Live Theatre), Lavora in The Two Lovers of Verona (Lavora Theatre), Kate in The Matchgirls (Churchill Theatre) and Hellevicia in The Rat Pack for Flying Music Ltd; Baba Barmaid in a Nottingham-based production of Bedders and Bike; Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!, at the Novello Theatre in the West End.