Siân Harrington | Clarissa
Born and raised in Abergavenny, South Wales, Siân studied Musical Theatre and Drama at Cumbria Institute of the Arts. Since moving to Australia she has performed in a range of productions such as Under Milk Wood, Arcadia, Threepenny Opera, Forbidden Broadway, Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd and Billie Elliot. She currently teaches Dance and Drama at Hawker College.
Nathan McKenna | Henry
Ticking off a few boxes, this will be Nathan's first ever play, first show in Canberra, and therefore, first show with Canberra Repertory Society. Originating from Sydney, Nathan is returning to the stage for the first time since 2017 where he played Sammy in CTGI’s musical The Wedding Singer. Nathan’s performance origins began with a guitar from mum and dad at 8 years old. A singerless band at 15 lead to Nathan taking up the mic duties. A chance start in HMDS’ Grease as the lovable Roger gave Nathan a new perspective and passion for performing as a musical was so different from the singer/songwriter style shows he had done up until that point. Nathan has begun writing again after nearly eight years under the name Codablue which he uploads to Instagram @codablue.xo. Nathan has a cattledog named Oscar and he would like you to know that he is better than your dog.
Terese Maguire | Pippa
Terese is super excited to be performing with Canberra REP for the very first time! Although she’s only 12 years old, she has over five years of experience acting and hosting on TV and in films back in Thailand. Since moving back to her hometown of Canberra in 2023, she’s been exploring all kinds of live performing; singing, acting, and even puppetry! She’s found that performing live is quite different from being on screen and more challenging, but also a lot of fun. Now, she’s absolutely thrilled to play Pippa in Spider’s Web and hopes everyone enjoys the show as much as she loves being part of it.
P.S. She really hopes you love Pippa too!
Manasa Kannan | Pippa
Manasa is a versatile young actor who brings a unique blend of talent and enthusiasm to every role she undertakes. She has delighted audiences in a variety of productions with Budding Entertainment and Perform Australia. Manasa's diverse skill set extends beyond acting; she is trained in multiple dance forms including ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, tap, and acrobatics, as well as circus arts like silks and lyra. Offstage, Manasa’s creativity extends to the kitchen, where she enjoys cooking up tasty treats. She rounds out each day playing with her three cats – whose proclivity for fetch has Manasa convinced that they are actually dogs. With her infectious energy and commitment to bringing stories to life, Manasa strives to impress and inspire.
The role of Pippa is shared by Terese Maguire and Manasa Kannan
Terese is performing for the 7:30pm performances on 24, 26, 31 July, 2, 6, 8, 9 August, and 2pm performance 3 August.
Manasa is performing for the 7:30pm performances on 23 (Open Dress), 25, 30, July, 1, 7 August, and 2pm performances 2,9 August
Adele Lewin | Mildred Peake
Since training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Adele has performed in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and, of course, Canberra – in theatre, television, film, and radio (the latter in the good old days when the ABC had a vibrant radio drama department! Sigh!!). Adele has performed with Canberra REP in a number of plays over the years – the most recent being, Waiting in the Wings, and Home, I'm Darling.
Terry Johnson | Sir Rowland
Terry has appeared in many amateur plays, musicals and operas over 40 years in Canberra and Sydney. Most recently for REP he has played the villain in Home, I’m Darling and Mr Bennett’s Bride. It is a great relief to him to finally appear in a role where he has not been cast as the villain! Terry is thrilled to be working with the very talented director, cast and crew of Spider’s Web.
Anthony Mayne | Hugo
Anthony is thrilled to be making his Canberra REP debut. Anthony has worked continually on South Coast and Canberra stages over the last several years, having just been in Mockingbird Theatre's production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Other recent performances include Ruben Guthrie (ACT HUB), Almost Maine by the Bay Players, Lend Me a Soprano, What’s On Your Mind, Strip Poker and Move Over Mrs Markham with the Moruya Red Door Theatre Company, during which time he was nominated for 3 CAT awards. Anthony has also recently made his short film debut in Black Crows. A graduate of children's theatre and inspired by his time with Box Hill Theatre, Melbourne and Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (SPAT), Anthony was a founding member and producer of the Moruya Red Door Theatre Company on the South Coast. As for Hugo Birch JP in Spider's Web....."you don't know what you're talking about!"
John Whinfield | Jeremy
After a quick 6-month hiatus from the theatre, John is thrilled to be making a pest of himself once more. A Canberra-based actor, writer, and professional voiceover artist, John’s past roles include Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility (2022), Officer Krupke in West Side Story (2023), Henry in Next to Normal (2024), Johnny in American Idiot (2024), and Duke Mahoney in Nice Work If You Can Get It (2024); his next show will be Lend Me a Tenor with ACT Hub. For his performance in Queanbeyan Players’ Footloose! (2023), John received a CAT Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. John is also a professional voice actor for videogames and animation, becoming well-known for his performance as both Mud and Jack in Glitch Productions’ hit indie pilot, The Gaslight District. In gaming, John can be heard in Hordes of Hunger, Cookie Cutter, Magenta Horizon – Neverending Harvest, and Fallen Aces.
David Bennett | Elgin, the Butler
The once roguishly handsome David Bennett has fallen upon playing character parts. He is delighted to play Elgin, the Butler, in an Agatha Christie mystery. Did the butler do it? This is David’s 50th year of acting with REP. In 1975, he played Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire. Since then, he has appeared in over 27 REP productions winning REP’s Helen Wilson Award for his comic performance as Lenny in Rumours and a CAT Award as Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play as Colonel Looseleaf Harper in Happy Birthday, Wanda June. This is his second Agatha Christie play with REP having played Inspector Hearn in Witness For The Prosecution. In addition to acting with REP, he has served on REP’s Council as a Council member, Vice-President, and President. He is a Life Member of REP. David has also acted professionally on television and in films.
Robert Weardon | Oliver Costello
Robert has been partaking in theatre since 2011. He has been involved in shows such as Narnia: the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Great Gatsby, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Sense and Sensibility and other Agatha Christie works like And Then There Were None. Robert has loved working with Canberra REP on this show with so many wonderful and talented people. Robert hopes you thoroughly enjoy the show!
Leo Amadeus | Inspector Lord
Leo is an actor, writer and musician, who is always working on some project or another. Since graduating with an Advanced Diploma of Performance through Perform Australia, they have taken their original comedy show, Horse Brother, to the Sydney Comedy Festival, released an album called Just a Little Bit Mad, and made an absurdist short film called That's Absurd!. Leo has a mother who is always watching new murder mystery TV shows on Britbox, a large volume of Sherlock Holmes stories on their bookshelf, and previous experience playing a 1950s detective in the play Dangerous Conceits, so hopes they are fully qualified for performing in this production of Spider's Web. Other credits include: The Merry Widow (National Opera, 2024), Twelfth Night (Perform Australia, 2024), and Godspell (Perform Australia, 2023).
Sophia Bate | Constable Jones
Sophia discovered her love for the performing arts at a young age. Having grown up singing and dancing around the house, she naturally took to the Music Theatre genre. During her college years, she completed a Certificate IV in Stage and Screen Acting and an Advanced Diploma in Performance. As a tall girl Sophia has learnt to adapt and be comfortable and confident with her head above the crowd. Through her height, she discovered the world of physical comedy and found a love for making audiences laugh.
