Director

Matthew has been thrilled to have a chance to direct at the Dolphin theatre for the first time. He has previously appeared onstage many times at the Dolphin in plays such as “The Woman in Black”, “The Crucible” and Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream”. He last appeared in 2018 in “Nell Gwynn” in the role of Charles Hart.

Matthew would like to thank the Dolphin theatre committee for this wonderful opportunity and all their support and advice. And for their amazing team of set builders and designers for all their patience and hard work. Of course none of this happens without a great team of people working together. Matthew would also like to thank his assistants and lighting and sound team, his backstage team and of course, his wonderful, talented and energetic cast.

Matthew will also be stepping into the role of Sir Rowland Delahaye.

What an exciting opportunity, to be able to revive our play, “Spiders Web”!

Having been involved in three plays affected by lockdowns, I was certain we had lost our last week of our play and just had to accept it. When the Dolphin Theatre contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I might be interested in reviving Spider’s Web, I jumped at the chance and so did most of the cast and crew.

When one of the cast was unable to return, I had the exciting challenge of stepping into the role myself. The first time I’ve ever directed AND acted in a production. I’ve done the best I could with learning lines in the time I’ve had and I hope it comes across Ok on stage.

Huge thanks to the Dolphins theatre in moving mountains to help us get onstage in time, and for taking the risk that we couldn’t get onstage. And many thanks too to the wonderful cast and crew that have brought so much passion, time and energy to making this work, again.

And finally, thanks to you, the audience, for masking up and coming out to see the show. We all hope you enjoy it.

Matt Cousins, director Spiders Web, Dolphin Theatre, August to December 2021.

Matthew will also be stepping into the role of Sir Rowland Delahaye.

as Clarissa Hailsham-Brown

Rosheen started acting at 13 and hasn’t left the stage since. After devouring every Agatha Christie she could find in Wellington City Library through school, she’s been lucky enough to be a part of this project. Fresh off a season on the Addams Family Musical (MPA), and Love From a Stranger (HL T) she is really enjoying her first venture with Dolphin Theatre and can’t wait for you all to see it. .

as Sir Rowland Delahaye

Brett arrives back at Dolphin after playing Lord Melchett and King Richard in Playhouse’s Blackadder. His last role here was in another British whodunnit playing a nasty Yorkshireman in At The Sign of the Crippled Harlequin. He is relieved not to have to be killed off every night in this one! Although now residing in far away Bethe/ls Beach, Brett was drawn here by the prospect of working again with Matthew having appeared on stage together here in Nell Gwynn. “It’s been wonderful rehearsing with old friends and many new-to-me talented actors, I’ll want to act with again,” he says.

as Hugo Birch

Anthony has been involved in theatre for many years, in diverse roles from Shakespeare to farce, plays and musicals, onstage, backstage, and directing. However this is his first show for Dolphin Theatre, an experience that he says he is thoroughly enjoying. Playing the part of Hugo is a lot of fun, though as Hugo is a local Justice of the Peace, he really shouldn’t be involved in something quite as distasteful as a murder, even though at times, he ...”doesn’t quite get it”.

as Jeremy Warrender

Hot on the heels of this year’s One Act Festival, Kieran just couldn’t resist the call of the stage and is back for his second show in a row. After a short turn behind the scenes, Kieran is delighted to make the shift. He is positively frothing to bring this show to life, and also discover who the murderer is. He was not paying attention in rehearsals.

as Oliver Costello

Arthur spends far too much time hanging around theatres. As a result he finds himself cast in plays on a regular basis. This is good as it does keep him out of trouble. With his time away from theatre he has been known to spend too much of it washing the dog. Putting down the dog and doing some acting is probably for the best and to quote a great man, “This is going to be fun, fun, fun.”

as Mildred Peake

Stephanie has a wealth of experience in television, radio, film and musical theatre. Recent roles include Velma Von Tussle in “Hairspray”, Desiree in “A Little Night Music” and Madeleine in “By Jeeves”. She has just completed a guest role in an episode of “My Life is Murder” for Greenstone Pictures and TVNZ. With a love of character parts, Stephanie has lent her voice to animated kids’ show ‘Buzzy Bee & Friends’, plus web series ‘NumNoms’.

as Henry Hailsham- Brown/ Constable Jones

Jake has worn a lot of hats: actor, director, stage manager, musician, playwright, and numerous other jobs over his 30 years of theatre. He’s appeared on stage in the U.S., Korea, and most recently in Howick Little Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol, where he also played Miriam’s father (he’s concerned that that’s an awfully niche way to be typecast). Jake spends his free time managing Howick’s Studio and writing his own plays.

as Pippa Hailsham-Brown

Gwen is a year 8 student at Ponsonby Intermediate. While this is her first production, she’s always had a flair for the dramatic arts and music. She is also playing on a school netball team this term! Gwen has fun cooking, spending time with her family’s cat, and constructing new worlds in Minecraft.

as Pippa Hailsham-Brown

Miriam is a drama student at Howick Childrens and Youth Theatre. She got her first taste of acting after a role in a short film called The Piano Lesson. Following this she performed in A Christmas Carol at Howick Little Theatre in 2020, and then was invited to take part in a short film for the 48 Hour Film Festival earlier this year. She has just finished performing as Templeton the rat for the HCYT adaptation of Charlottes Web. Miriam loves reading and drama and would also love to try her hand at television one day.

as Inspector Lord

Spider’s Web is Barrie’s tenth appearance at the Dolphin. His first was in 2008 (Whose Wives Are They Anyway?) and most recent 2019 (Arsenic and Old Lace). In between he has put in appearances at Howick, Titirangi, and Ellerslie. His previous Agatha Christies performances were The Mousetrap (Dolphin, 2012) and Love From a Stranger (HLT, 2020). Barrie is thoroughly enjoying working with both new and familiar faces, and also Matthew’s thoughtful and sensible directing.

as Elgin

Andrew was last seen, but not seen as The Ghost in The Revival, and in Last Legs in 2020 for Dolphin Theatre. This is not his first foray into the world of Agatha Christie as he also performed in Howick’s Love from a Stranger, reuniting with his fellow cast member Rosheen Leslie and Matthew Cousins. Elgin may be a man of few words but his role is, as are all minor roles, pivotal to the plot.