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Syd Mannion
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Paul Norell
Paul’s last appearances at Dolphin were in An Inspector Calls and Goodnight Mister Tom (2018), and The Revival (2021). Having played the character of Scrooge in a musical adaptation of the story, he is pleased to be back at Dolphin and part of the stage play. The core of the story is the everlasting message of redemption, at the heart of which, as the Ghost reminds Scrooge, is the poignant instruction that it is our sacred duty to care for others.
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James Turner
A Christmas Carol is James's first appearance at The Dolphin. Having watched several of its shows, he was drawn to audition for this one as he is a huge fan of the story, which he has loved since he was a child, and is honoured to be a part of it. He has a background performing in musicals, comedies and dramas and has taken acting classes. He is excited to be bringing not one, but five characters to life in his Dolphin debut.
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Ami Coster
Ami last appeared at the Dolphin Theatre in 2020 playing Kitty in Last Legs, directed by Glenda Pearce, for which she won best character actress at the annual awards. Since then she has been pining for the opportunity to take on another dream role; and so is overjoyed to be back and joining the fabulous cast and crew under the ever so capable direction of Syd Mannion. When not exploring her inner madcap ghost and assorted other personalities, Ami enjoys writing, directing, making short films and training her crazy therapy dog, Juniper.
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Andrea Gerstenmaier
Andrea is thrilled to make her debut at the Dolphin Theatre performing five roles in A Christmas Carol alongside such a talented cast and crew. Originally from Argentina, she started to do theatre and improv, showing up at castings four years ago. Formerly a journalist and a writer, she certainly has the attitude and imagination to pursue her passion for acting. She is currently part of "Mabel" Improv and has done shows at Basement Theatre, TAPAC, Covert and Tiny Theatre. As an actress she has appeared on stage around Auckland, including in The Wall, Fringe Festival 2020, Comedy Festival 2021, First World Problems 3.0 and Yatra She recently appeared in the TVNZ drama The Tender Trap.
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David Burchall
After his first show in New Zealand back in 2009 David has always thought of the Dolphin as his home theatre. He has appeared in a number of shows here including, but not limited to, One Man, Two Guv’nors and Oliver Twist (2016), and Baskerville (2018). He is delighted to be able to tread the boards once more and in such a delightful reworking of a classic tale. Thanks to Syd and the whole Dolphin backstage crew and to the talented bunch of folks he shares the stage with.
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Abi Taylor
This may be Abi’s first time on the Dolphin stage, but she is a seasoned performer. She has had a passion for acting from a very young age and has appeared in various community and church theatre productions. She graduated from EXCEL School of Performing Arts with a Diploma in Drama in 2019 and toured the North Island with them. She was awarded the top drama student award in 2018 and 2019. Abi started with Trinity Puppeteers in 2015.
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Theresa Grose
Not only is this Theresa’s first time on the Dolphin stage, it’s her first time ever being on stage in a theatrical play! She has been with Trinity Puppeteers since 2019 and is excited to use her puppetry skills to help bring two iconic characters to life in this production of A Christmas Carol. She currently works as a Teacher Aide for the deaf, but she has a varied work history including a paralegal, corporate actions manager, music-shop manager and restaurateur. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, skiing, cycling, singing with Auckland Choral, and being a loyal slave to her house bunny, Daisy.
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