Joni Ayton-Kent (formerly Jo Eaton-Kent) is a British musical theatre actress, writer and director. They are best known as the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story and Bernadette in Priscilla the Party at London's HERE at Outernet.
Ayton-Kent studied at Rose Bruford College as actor and musician and graduated in 2018. [1]
Ayton-Kent (as Jo Eaton-Kent) made her West End debut in 2019 as part of the ensemble in Sweet Charity at the Donmar Warehouse. [2] The show starred Anne-Marie Duff as Charity and Arthur Darvill as Oscar. [3]
In the summer of 2021 Ayton-Kent (as Jo Eaton-Kent) joined the cast of Carousel at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre as Mrs Mullin. In the cast Declan Bennett as Billy Bigelow, Joanna Riding as Nettie Fowler and Christina Modestou as Carrie Pipperidge. [4] [5]
Ayton-Kent played the Ghost of Christmas Past in the classic Dickens play A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story in 2021 first at the Nottingham Playhouse, then during its transfer to London's Alexandra Palace. [6] The show was also released in cinemas nationwide.
In May 2022 she was part of Alice Birch’s play Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again at The Other Room, Cardiff. [7]
In the same year Ayton-Kent was also cast as Sam in the play The Prince at the Southwark Playhouse. Written by YouTube philosopher Abigail Thorn, the show questioned the idea of gender and roles we are all assigned within Shakespeare's plays, with a majority trans cast. [8]
Ayton-Kent was part of the cast of Super You in concert as Seven at the Lyric theatre in November 2023. Also in the cast Lucie Jones as Katie, Luke Brady as Jay and Jenny O’Leary as Ima-Mazing. [9]
In 2023 Ayton-Kent joined the project The Cost of Living, a mix of protest, performance and music in Swansea, Wales, created and directed by Dave Evans and Memet Ali Alabora. [10]
In March 2024 she was part of the cast of Priscilla the Party at London's HERE at Outernet as alternate Bernadette. The show was an immersive party adaption of Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical. [11] [12]
In February 2025 Ayton-Kent played Elena in the two-day staged concert of If/Then , alongside Kerry Ellis, David Hunter and Adam Garcia. [13] The show had its UK premiere at the Savoy Theatre in London.
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Sweet Charity | Ensemble | Donmar Warehouse |
| 2021 | Carousel | Mrs Mullin | Regents Park Open Air Theatre |
| 2021-2022 | A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story | Ghost of Christmas Past | Nottingham Playhouse and Alexandra Palace Theatre |
| 2022 | Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again | - | The Other Room, Cardiff |
| 2022 | The Prince | Sam | Southwark Playhouse |
| 2023 | Superyou in Concert | Seven | Lyric Theatre |
| 2023 | The Cost of Living | - | National Theatre of Wales |
| 2024 | Priscilla the Party! | alternate Bernadette | HERE at Outernet |
| 2025 | If/Then (staged concert) | Elena | Savoy Theatre |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Don't Forget the Driver | Bradley (as Jo Eaton-Kent) | TV mini series, 6 episodes |
| 2020-2021 | The Watch | Corporal Cheery (as Jo Eaton-Kent) | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2022 | Misnomer | Cai | Short |
| 2022 | A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story | Ghost of Christmas Past | Stage play, cinema release |
| 2023 | The Prince | Sam | |
| 2023 | T Blockers | Sash VO | |
| 2024 | Dead Hot | Marissa | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2024 | Divine Intervention | Xena | Short |
Ayton-Kent is non-binary and came out as trans at drama school. [14] They were the first trans-feminine non-binary actor to play a non-binary main role in a British TV series in Don’t Forget The Driver . [15]