Samantha Dorrance

Last updated

Samantha Dorrance
Samantha Dorrance.jpg
Dorrance in 2018
Background information
Genres Pop
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, dancer
Years active2006–present
Website samanthadorrance.com

Samantha Dorrance is a British actress, singer-songwriter, TV presenter and writer who reached fame on Disney Channel UK. Best known for playing Mr Tumble's best friend Tootsie on Cbeebies and for her role of Laura in Dreamboats and Petticoats London's West End.

Contents

Biography

Career

Samantha won Disney Channel's "You're the Star" talent competition in 2007 which led to the release of her debut single "Music in Me". She went on to host her own talent show on the channel "My School Musical" alongside her co-presenter and childhood sweetheart, Brad Kavanagh. She then joined the Disney Movie Surfer's team, flying to movie sets worldwide to take Disney viewers backstage of the latest Disney Movies.

At 19, Samantha landed her first West End lead as Laura in Dreamboats and Petticoats for Bill Kenwright. She had a successful 2 year run at both The Playhouse and The Wyndham's.

Samantha went back to Disney for a while to present 2 more shows. "The Disney Channel Dance Along" and Disney's "You Can Do It". She has also presented for the likes of SKY VIP and LEGO.

She is known for starring in both UK and International theatre tours playing role's such as Gertrude McFuzz in Suessical the Musical and Skye in Nickelodeon Arena Tour of Paw Patrol. She is also knows for her guest appearances in shows such as BBC Doctors.

One of her most loved role's has been starring alongside Justin Fletcher as Mr Tumble's silly best friend, Tootsie in The Tale of Mr Tumble. A Cbeebies feature length in partnership with MIF (Manchester International Festival)

Samantha is also creative behind the camera. She wrote and produced her own children's stage show "Sammy & The Sparks" which she successfully toured around the UK in 2023. Because of her writing, filming, editing and animation skills, Samantha was given the role of Creative Director at production house, ELT throughout lockdown. When she began, they were making educational content for schools worldwide, teaching children English grammar through song. By the time she left, they were also creating and airing their own TV show in Japan. Samantha also wrote 10 songs for the show and over 30 episodes, working closely with Oxford University.

She has performed in over 20 pantomimes, her favourite according to social media has been playing Goldilocks in Goldilocks and The Three Bears at Birmingham Hippodrome. Directed by Michael Harrison for Crossroads Live.

Discography

Studio singles/albums

Credits

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBeebies</span> British childrens television network broadcast internationally

CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel, CBBC, is aimed at older children aged 6 to 12. It broadcasts every day from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, timesharing with BBC Four.

<i>Peter Pan</i> (1953 film) 1953 animated Disney film

Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated adventure fantasy film produced in 1952 by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, the film was directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson. Featuring the voices of Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, and Bill Thompson, the film's plot follows Wendy Darling and her two brothers, who meet the never-growing-up Peter Pan and travel with him to the island of Never Land to stay young, where they also have to face Peter's archenemy, Captain Hook.

Martin Christopher Jarvis is an English actor, presenter and writer who has appeared mainly on children's television for the BBC since 1992, apart from 2000 to 2002 when he was working with ITV and Channel 4. In 2019, he started a radio station for children called Little Radio.

Andrew William Agnew is a Scottish actor, singer and director. He is best known for playing the role of PC Plum in the BAFTA award-winning CBeebies programme Balamory and Walter in Scot Squad.

Sarah-Jane Honeywell is an English actress, writer, TV and radio presenter, blogger and singer. She is best known for her work on the CBeebies television channel and her radio shows on BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

Lorna Want is a British theatre actress known mostly for her musical theatre roles in London's West End. She won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She has also appeared on television

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Fletcher</span> British television presenter

Justin Fletcher is an English actor, singer and television presenter appearing mainly on the BBC pre-school television channel CBeebies. Speaking and performing in various, often self-created, roles, he specialises in slapstick comedy and works with children with special educational needs through his show Something Special. Fletcher also appears as the comedian Mr Tumble.

Gemma Hunt is a British presenter best known for presenting the children's competition show Swashbuckle from 6 July 2013. She also presented the CBBC TV series Xchange.

Benjamin James Ellis is an English stage and script actor who starred in the role of Link Larkin in the West End production of the musical Hairspray from its opening in October 2007 until July 2009.

Kate Diaz is a Scottish actress and television presenter. She is best known for her work presenting live children's television on CBBC. Since 2006 she has been the principal at Southgate and Enfield Stagecoach Theatre Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Barks</span> Manx actress and singer

Samantha Jane Barks is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. She has released three studio albums: Looking in Your Eyes (2007), Samantha Barks (2016), and Into the Unknown (2021), and made her film debut as Éponine in the Tom Hooper-directed Les Misérables in 2012. Her performance in the film won her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast.

Katrina Bryan is a Scottish actress who has starred in Taggart, Nina and the Neurons, Molly and Mack'. She has been active since 1999. Bryan has a BA in acting from Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University. She appeared in an Irn-Bru advert where she names her newborn baby Fanny, much to the shock of the baby's father.

<i>Dreamboats and Petticoats</i>

Dreamboats and Petticoats is a jukebox musical based on popular songs from the fifties and early sixties. The musical, featuring those songs of the rock 'n' roll era, is set around the years 1957 to 1963 and was written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.

Phil Gallagher is a British children's television presenter who is best known for playing the title character in the CBeebies children's television show Mister Maker.

Katy Ashworth is a British actress, television presenter and singer, who is known for presenting children's television programmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Wood-Davis</span> British singer and actress (born 1990)

Daisy Wood-Davis is a British singer and actress. She has appeared in several stage productions, including Dreamboats and Petticoats as Laura and The Rocky Horror Show as Janet Weiss. From 2014 to 2018, she played the role of Kim Butterfield in Hollyoaks. In 2019, she recurred as Phoebe Palmer in Holby City.

Will Brenton is a writer/producer-director who has worked in many areas of television and theatre, primarily through his companies Tell-Tale productions and Wish Films, both of which he founded with Iain Lauchlan. Together they gained six BAFTA nominations, as well as many other awards for their work together. They won a 2000 BAFTA, Best Pre-School Live Action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ribi</span>

David Ribi is an English actor best known for presenting the hit Kids TV show 'Milkshake!' on Channel 5. He is also known for his roles in West End Theatre and touring productions. He trained in musical theatre at the YEM Theatre School until 2006, and studied Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway until 2009.

<i>Once Upon a Time</i> (Disney parks) Nighttime spectacular

Once Upon a Time was a nighttime spectacular at Magic Kingdom, which was originally known in Magic Kingdom as its full name, Once Upon A Time: Where Stories Take You Anywhere and formerly at Tokyo Disneyland. Similar to Celebrate the Magic and Disney Dreams!, the Tokyo show premiered on May 29, 2014, and utilizes fireworks, lasers, fire, projection mapping, and searchlights during the 19-minute presentation. The Magic Kingdom version is shorter and utilizes less pyrotechnics and no fire.

Lego Disney is a Lego theme based on the various Disney Princesses and Disney characters involved in different Disney films and television series. It is licensed from Walt Disney Pictures. The theme was first introduced in 2016 and was re-branded theme from the Lego Disney Princess line in 2017. The toy line was accompanied by several shorts and television specials based on Lego Disney.

References