Say my name: Ab-Bee NOR-man

Previous credits with Tall Stories include: Mouse in The Gruffalo & The Gruffalo’s Child.

Other theatre credits include: The Tiger Who Came to Tea (West End & Overseas), The Way Back Home & The Night Before Christmas (Big Wooden Horse. UK and International), Guess How Much I Love You (Rose Theatre Kingston & UK tour), Maisy’s Treasure Hunt, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr Benn & Robin Hood (Nuffield Theatre Southampton), The Book of the Banshee (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and UK tour), Pygmalion, Major Barbara, The Importance of Being Earnest, Charlies Aunt (UK Tours) and The Entertainer, Teechers, The Maintenance Man, How He Lied to her Husband & Village Wooing (Broadstairs Summer Rep Seasons)

Other credits include: Series regular Sandra and various other silly voices for the radio sitcom Barmy Dale featured on BBC Radio Derby and available as a podcast. Abbey also sings as part of the harmony group Swell Sisters.

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

The Gruffalo and Tiger who Came to Tea have taken me all over the world on incredible adventures and such an honour to bring to life adaptations of books that are so loved by so many people.

What was your favourite story as a child?
The Inbetweens – a series of stories my Mum wrote about magical forest creatures who were ‘in between’ fairies and imps, they used spiders webs as trampolines. I absolutely loved them.

What is your favourite space joke?
What’s an astronaut’s favourite part of a computer? – The space bar.
What do you call a loony spaceman?  – An astronut

Tell us an interesting space fact
The sunset on Mars appears blue.

If you could be an alien, describe what you would look like?
I would have expanding antennae with eyes on the top so I could see anything I wanted. I would have several arms so I could have cups of tea in my hands at all times and still be able to carry out tasks at the same time with the others. I might have two mouths too so I could talk and drink tea simultaneously. I would of course be blue like a Smoo.

Say my name: PAT-ric BRIJ-mun

Originally from the north, Patrick studied Music at Oxford, and recently moved from Cumbria to Henley-On-Thames.

Previously with Tall Stories: Mum and the Monster (Edinburgh Fringe and UK tour), William’s Monster (Chelsea Theatre), The Snail and the Whale (Edinburgh and UK & International tours)

Other theatre includes: The Christmas Lobster (Farnham Maltings), Much Ado About Nothing and The Lord of the Rings (Watermill, Newbury), Five Children and It (the egg, Bath)

Television includes: The Crown, EastEnders, Brassic, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks

Radio: various dramas and With Great Pleasure, BBC Radio 4

What have been your favourite projects to work on?
Doing three plays in repertory at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake. Also it was great to be in the much-loved The Snail and the Whale

What was your favourite story as a child?
I loved the fairy tales in collections by Ruth Manning-Sanders, with memorable illustrations by Robin Jacques

What is your favourite space joke?
What did the Moon say to Mars?
No thanks, I’m quite full at the moment

Tell us an interesting space fact
Earth spins and orbits the Sun, but the sun also spins and orbits the centre of the Milky Way at 500,000 mph. Anyone else dizzy??

If you could be an alien, describe what you would look like?
What I’d look like as an alien: something like a tree with lots of little glowing eyes at the ends of the branches and thousands of tiny tendrils to move about on.

Felicia was born in Nigeria and raised in Newham, east London. She graduated from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a BA Acting CDT (Collaborative Devised Theatre) degree. 

Felicia enjoys physical theatre, movement and dance and appreciates storytelling – especially when told not just by voice but by the body too! 

Previous credits with Tall Stories include: 

‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ (Edinburgh Festival & artsdepot)  

Other theatre credits include:  

‘Here, There, Now’ (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre) Digital recording  

What have been your favourite projects to work on? 

R&D workshop with We Are Collective as I enjoyed being challenged through the themes discussed and working very closely with the creative team. It was so refreshing being able to share, explore and experiment with ideas using different forms of exercises.  

What was your favourite story as a child? 

‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ – I really enjoyed the colours, the growth, and the journey of the caterpillar.  

What is your favourite space joke?  

What type of book do aliens like to read? Comet Books.  

Tell us an interesting space fact. 

If you could fly a plane to Pluto the trip would take more than 800 years.  

If you could be an alien, what would you look like?

I would call my alien Sabrina. Sabrina is shaped like a lightbulb/pear. Sabrina has wheels and rolls when she’s laughing. Sabrina is known for her skills in skating on ice and land and slime. She loves to eat snow and ice. 

Say My Name: An-TUH-nee LAHm

Originally from Malaysia, Antony studied violin at the Eastman School of Music before attending Randolph College for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Moving to London in 2023, Antony graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with an MA in Musical Theatre.

Antony is thrilled to be joining The Smeds and The Smoos, and hopes that audiences can learn some new lessons through the power of storytelling and playing pretend!

Other theatre credits include

Into The Woods (LAMDA/Edinburgh Fringe), Seldom Sung Sondheim (Stephen Sondheim Society), Bird Call (SIAPA Theatre), The King and I (Broadway Asia)

Other credits include

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (Musical Director), Cherry Jam (Workshop), Animal Farm the Musical (Workshop/BYMT)

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

I love working on projects where I get to have fun and be silly with my friends and castmates, and truly collaborate as a team. It makes the process so much more enjoyable, and the end result so much more rewarding.

What was your favourite story as a child?

Big Winnie the Pooh fan. Huge.

What is your favourite space joke?

Why did the star go to school? To get brighter.

Tell us an interesting space fact,

On a clear night or early morning, Venus is actually visible from Earth! If you see a very bright “star” that doesn’t twinkle, it’s Venus!

If you could be an alien, describe what you would look like?

You know those green alien cat memes? That.

Lolly is a firm believer in “fake it ‘til you make it” and has spent the last couple of years training herself – after training for a year at Read College’s Musical Theatre foundation course – and getting involved in the fringe theatre scene. With a passion for puppetry and theatre made by people who love to play, Lolly feels very at home in Tall Stories’ production of ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’. Accessible theatre is very important to Lolly, and her assistance dog (Koda) who will be watching from the wings, and she looks forward to helping bring this vibrant show to life.

Theatre Credits: Open Call (Director/Choreographer/Performer), The Grumble Cat (Puppetry schools tour, 13 Months Theatre), Reaching Out (Grenoble, Choreographer), The Duchess of Buckingham (Ruckus Theatre),

Film credits: Eurydice Turn (Josh Parker), Plunk (Lillith Freeman and Bud Potter), Tired of Dreaming, Deprived of Sleep (Met Film School)

What has been your favourite project to work on?

I love creating collaboratively, so Eurydice Turn and Plunk felt particularly special, while Open Call provided a fantastic opportunity for the ridiculous. However, my teenage production of Cats bests them all.

What was your favourite story as a child?

‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’! Bother that cat, never have dippy eggs been so delightfully appealing. Its beautiful illustrations and Mog’s grumpy, confused, loving ways; I’d do anything for that cat!

Favourite Space Joke

What do Grandmother Smed and Grandfather Smoo say when trying to think of a new planet to visit? “Errrrrrrrr…th”. (Can swap out named characters for generic “aliens”)

Favourite Space Fact

Uranus has a moon called Miranda. How lovely!

If you could be an alien, describe what you would look like.

Most importantly, I would have a trunk and antennae. I would also be entirely round and fuzzy, with big, curly purple eyebrows. I’d bounce around the dunes most contentedly.

Say My Name: Mm-egg STEE-vuns

Meg Stephens is a stage manager and theatre technician originally from Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia. She studied at the Queensland University of Technology (Bachelor of Fine Arts – Technical Production, Mandarin). Meg has focused her career on touring, site-specific work and festivals.

Theatre credits include: We’re Going On A Bear Hunt (UK/International Tour) Peaky Blinders: The Rise (London/Saudi Arabia), Nearer The Gods (Ensemble Theatre – Sydney season), Guess How Much I Love You (CDP Theatre Producers- Australian Tour), Carmen (Opera Australia – Australian Tour).

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

Traveling is one of my favourite things to do, so any project where I get to travel somewhere new is special. I also really love creating site-specific work, especially in an urban landscape!

What’s your favourite food?

Plain pasta with parmesan cheese is my ultimate comfort food.

Say My Name: Mell Frit-zz Lee-oo

Mel grew up and began training and working in theatre on the East Coast, USA before moving to the UK to earn a BA (Hons) in Stage Management and Technical Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. They continue to live and work with a base in London, across a range of roles.

Previous credits with Tall Stories include:

The Elmer Adventure (UK Tour, Rehearsal ASM), Room on the Broom (UK Tour/West End, ASM Cover)

Other theatre credits include:

Death on the Throne (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Sound Operator), Too Many Books (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Cover SM on Book), Mrs. Caliban (Theatro Technis, Stage Manager), Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Phoenix Theatre, Prop Maker), Broken Wings (Charing Cross, Build Crew)

Other credits include:

Various live events as stage/audio/LX crew at Royal Albert Hall

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

I had a fantastic time on Death on the Throne, a hilarious puppet-heavy show where I operated and mixed sound. We laughed and danced a lot in the booth!

What was your favourite story as a child?

At first, Coraline gave me nightmares, but then I fell in love with the fantastical and layered world in it. I was inspired by Coraline’s courage and spirit.

What is your favourite space joke?

How do space cowboys wrangle their cattle? . . . A tractor beam.

Tell us an interesting space fact.

Myths from multiple cultures talk about a rabbit living on the moon! In the Chinese legend, a young woman, Chang’e, ends up living on the moon with her pet rabbit.

If you could be an alien, describe what you would look like? 

I’d be a little green creature dressed in clothes made from nature, living in the colorful foliage and speeding around on my ship or with my butterfly-like wings.