.jpg)
Ali Harper
As Elsie Van Dorsen
Award-winning Entertainer Ali Harper is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School. With her career spanning 30+ years, Ali has starred in many of the great theatres throughout New Zealand. Highlights include Blood Brothers, Mamma Mia, Legally Blonde, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, Side by Side by Sondheim, Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Paris, Calendar Girls, Jerry’s Girls, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and in End of the Rainbow.
Ali writes, produces and tours her own shows with her production company Ali-Cat Productions: A Natural Woman – Tribute to Carole King, The Look of Love – Tribute to Burt Bacharach, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, A Down-Under Diva! along with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s one woman show Tell Me on A Sunday and more recently her new show The Supper Club.
She has toured The Court Theatre’s productions of the one woman show Songs for Nobodies where Ali was awarded ‘Best One Woman Show’ at New York’s United Solo Festival on 42nd Street in 2018, as well as Bombshells where Ali was awarded ‘Best Actress’ at New York’s United Solo Festival in 2014, and ‘Chapman Tripp Best Actress’ in Wellington in 2008.
Ali has performed her cabaret show A Down-Under Diva! in New York’s cabaret clubs: Don’t Tell Mama and at The Metropolitan Room. She is in demand as an MC, Voice-over artist and guest singer with many of the New Zealand orchestras as well as travelling the world as a Guest Entertainer on cruise ships.
Ali’s seven albums are A Natural Woman, The Look of Love, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, Naughty and Nice, Songs for Everybody and Something So Right.
Roy Snow
As Edward Coleshaw
Roy is an accomplished performer with 30 years’ professional experience across a range of mediums, but most predominantly in film, television and theatre.
Hailing from the idyllic country town of Geraldine, Roy’s been lucky enough to establish a great relationship just up the road at The Court Theatre where he’s been a regular contributor over the last fifteen years.
A ‘bits and pieces’ actor in his own opinion, he’s had a varied career with a lot of different opportunities which lends itself to his ‘doing a bit of everything’ skill set.
Currently in the Court’s production of the Agatha Christie classic, Murder on the Orient Express, Roy’s looking forward to tackling the role of Edward in the beautiful Fairystories.
When not onstage, Roy can be found renovating his old house in Geraldine, keeping his wife happy and walking the family pug, Tibbers.
Sophie Landis
As Polly Van Dorsen
As a student in her last year of high school, Sophie Landis continues to grow her passion for the performing arts. Sophie grew up in San Diego, California and at the age of three began dancing at Carlsbad Dance Center. She performed in her first musical at age six, discovering her love for singing and acting. When in the USA, she trained for commercial acting at the Young Actors’ Space in Los Angeles and was involved in many musical productions, including The Lion King Jr as Young Nala, The Wizard of Oz as Glinda (Encinitas Country Day School), A Christmas Carol, Cinderella Jr, Shrek: The Musical (Star Repertory Theatre), and more.
Since moving to New Zealand at age eleven, she has taken up many theatre opportunities, extracurriculars and productions. These include: Fredrika in A Little Night Music (Enchanting Productions), Alice in Alice in Wonderland (Burnside High School), Heather Chandler in Heathers: The Musical (Luminaires) and most recently, her professional debut as Thea in Ovation Musical Theatre’s Spring Awakening.
Alongside her performance credits, Sophie had the experience of learning at Open Jar Institute, a Broadway musical theatre intensive in New York City, and worked with a number of Broadway veterans in July of 2023. She currently trains at JK Performing Arts in Christchurch for dance and musical theatre.
Oscar Parkes
As Henry Coleshaw
Oscar first started performing in musicals at the age of six. He joined the Christchurch Cathedral Choristers at 8 years, under the direction of the late Brian Law. While at Cashmere High School, he performed in numerous school and community theatre groups. Highlights include Sweeney Todd (Beadle)- Cashmere High, Aladdin (Genie)- Riccarton Players, and Spamalot (Sir Robin)- Luminaires.
Oscar has been a member of the Voices Co A Cappella Academy premiere squad, and has performed extensively with Greenstone Academy over the past four years. Oscar joined the Court Theatre Youth Company in 2021 playing Tupper in the radical adaptation of Boys.
Currently in his final year at NASDA, Oscar has performed a wide variety of characters, his favourite being The Hon Gerald Bolingbroke in Me and My Girl.
He is excited to be part of the world premiere of Fairystories alongside such a talented cast.
Blair McHugh
As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Blair began performing in musical theatre with shows for UC MuSoc voicing Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. Productions with Showbiz Christchurch include Anything Goes, Les Misérables, Into the Woods (Steward), 42nd Street (Pat Denning), Chess (Walter), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II), 42nd Street (Julian Marsh), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), Cats (Growltiger), Joseph (Pharaoh), Sweeney Todd (Pirelli), Buddy (Hipockets), Avenue Q (Brian), The Phantom of the Opera (Piangi), Mamma Mia! (Harry), Evita, An Evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein Classics, Sister Act (Joey), Broadway Hitmen, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber in Concert, and Matilda. Other productions include Un Ballo in Maschera, Rigoletto, Carmen, and A Christmas Carol as a member of the Canterbury Opera Chorus, Chicago (Billy Flynn) for Variety Theatre Ashburton, Joseph (Jacob/Potiphar) for North Canterbury Musicals, ELF The Musical (Santa) for JK Performing Arts, and Breaking Plates (Mohammed).
Blair is a foundation member of Atlas Voices (Ravil Atlas) and The Vocal Collective (Richard Marrett), and a producer for CIMTSS - the Christchurch International Musical Theatre Summer School (Luke Di Somma). Fairystories is Blair’s third engagement with Enchanting Productions having played Ben Weatherstaff in the 2021 production of The Secret Garden, and Mr Lindquist in the 2022 production of A Little Night Music.
Elijah Moore
As Toby
Professionally trained performer, Elijah Moore, is excited to take to the stage in Fairystories brought to you by Enchanting Productions. His passions revolve around the stage and entertainment, with 16 years of experience in musical theatre. Elijah has worked with multiple theatre companies and his highlights include recently performed Spring Awakening, Me and My Girl, and NASDA Musical Theatre Ensembles. Other musical features include: Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer, Oliver!, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, Seussical and Mary Poppins.
Elijah is currently a second-year student at The National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art or NASDA, completing a Bachelor of Music Theatre. After this, he aspires to relocate to the UK to work in the industry.
Elijah has recently worked with Showbiz Christchurch, Ovation Musical Theatre, The Entertainment Company and Greenstone Academy, since relocating to Christchurch. He is excited to bring more spirit and talent to Christchurch’s stages and is proud to present Toby in this season of Fairystories.