HOLLY CASSIDY
JACINDA, GUS, GERALD & RITA
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GENTLE HARRY'S fARM CAST & CHARACTERS
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Holly is a Dorset based actor-musician. She trained at Rose Bruford College before furthering her expertise in physical theatre at École Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She has toured extensively with physical theatre company, Bash Street Theatre, performing at international arts festivals and theatres across Europe. She is also an associate artist with The Paper Cinema, touring across the UK from Opera North to remote Norman churches. Recently she secured funding from Arts Council England for her solo show, an intimate exploration of mother-daughter relationships, set to tour this autumn. In addition to her work in theatre Holly is a singer-songwriter performing original music. She is currently preparing to release her debut EP. Theatre credits include: A Christmas Cracker (Riding Lights Theatre) Storied From Another World & Rock Charmer (Paper Cinema) Love Bites (BOB Theatre) Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, Dr. Livingstone, I presume, Frankenstein! (Miracle Theatre, Princess Pavilion, Falmouth & South West tours) The Campers (Fever Birds) Movement director for The Secrets of the Stour (Wimborne Community Theatre) Une Journée Sur La Côte D’Azure, Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde (Dreampark Theatre (UK and European tour) Merlin’s Apprentice (Kickline Theatre Taunton Brewhouse) The Strong Man (Bashstreet Theatre Uk & European tour) Grime (Ramshacklicious UK tour) Holly is delighted to be back with the Rudie family and excited to step into the roles of assistant director and movement director for Gentle Harry’s farm.
RUDES SHOWS
MISS POPPLEWELL'S GARDEN
THE DRESSING BOOK
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM
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ARTIE GODDEN
ACORN, ALBERT, ELSIE, ARTHUR, DETECTIVE INSPECTOR PRONE & BERT
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Artie Godden is an internationally-trained actor, musician and multi-disciplinary theatre artist who has performed at numerous venues spanning from Bristol Old Vic to the Alamazen Teatre in Barcelona.
​​Working predominantly as a theatre actor, he specialises in clown and physical comedy and is a guest lecturer in clown at the London College of Music. He has toured extensively with Olivier award-winning director Sally Cookson’s We’re Going on A Bear Hunt, creates and devises clown shows for cabarets and theatre, writes and performs music, and teaches workshops across the UK.
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After completing a BA in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Bristol, he went on to study with clown masters from across the globe at the Nouveau Clown Institute, in Barcelona and renowned École Philippe Gaulier, in Paris.
He has worked with theatre and circus companies including:
Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, Bristol Old Vic, Bristol Physical Theatre Project, Full Tilt-Aerial, Bassline Circus, Onsen Presents, Bath Spa University, Bristol University, Bristol Playwrights Collective, Godden and Barnes, Sasswagen Collective and The Three Inch Fools.
You can find him singing with his guitar by the London Eye, or at pubs around the capital. He is a founding member of Sasswagen Collective, who rewrite the rules on whose voice gets heard in classic texts.
RUDES SHOWS
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM
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EVIE JAMES
Minnie heartfelt, IVY CHURCH, VIOLET, MARIA & PEARL
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Evie James is an actor, singer and professional funny person. Originally from Dorset, she trained in Musical Theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Evie can't wait to return to The Rudes this year and is particularly excited to don the Choreographer/Assistant Director hat. When not frolicking through fields and putting up tents, Evie spends much of her time playing her instruments, playing her Nintendo Switch and always ALWAYS playing the fool.
Previous theatre credits include:
Pirates Love Underpants (Leicester Curve); The Count of Monte Cristo (London Theatre Tabard & regional tour); The Dressing Book (Rural Tour); Miss Popplewell’s Garden (Rural Tour); Gods and Dogs (Rural Tour); Peppa Pig: My First Concert (Royal Festival Hall); Dick Whittington (The Theatre, Chipping Norton); The Polar Express (Mid-Norfolk Railway); Teletubbies Live (Hyde Park Megadome); Peppa Pig’s Surprise (Australia Tour); The Contagion Cabaret (The Theatre, Chipping Norton); Sleeping Beauty (The Theatre, Chipping Norton); Robinson Crusoe (The Theatre, Chipping Norton); Santa’s Dizzy Day (Harlowe Playhouse); Peppa Pig’s Big Splash (The Criterion & UK tour)
Previous TV and film credits include: Promised Land (Somesuch Productions); How Not To Disappear Completely (Stuart Parkins Productions)
Online Commercials: Deep Heat (Jungle Creations), Armstead Paints (Orillo Productions), FAVRO (Favro)
Immersive Theatre: Cyanide in the Speakeasy (Moonstone Productions), Boomtown (Dank Parish), The Crystal Maze Live Experience (Little Lion Entertainment)

RUDES SHOWS
MISS POPPLEWELL'S GARDEN
GODS & DOGS
THE DRESSING BOOK
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM
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MATTHEW NICHOLSON
TED, BILLY, TROUBLE, HARRIS, PC PLAUSABLE & RODNEY
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Matthew Nicholson is an actor-musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. After completing his degree at Newcastle College, he began working with a range of outdoor and family theatre companies, including Three Inch Fools (As You Like It, Robin Hood, Twelfth Night, The Gunpowder Plot), Kitchen Zoo (Hey Diddle Diddle), Northern Stage (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), and Tutti Frutti (The Glass Slippers).
When he’s not making a fool of himself on stage (or outdoors), you can find him as one half of the musical clowning duo PeaSoup: An Improvised Cabaret, performing original music with folk group Sable Sun, or (attempting) a bit of birdwatching.
Matthew can’t wait to get back on the road, performing in the open air—he's got his brolly packed, but here’s hoping it stays dry!
RUDES SHOWS
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM
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ROWAN TALBOT
HARRY, ERNEST & ROY
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Rowan has been involved, as either an actor or composer in all but three of The Rudes productions since 1999 and has been working professionally for 30 years. His other selected theatre includes: Green Man Red Woman (National Theatre Wales), The Children’s Court (National Theatre Wales & Unicorn). Robin Hood, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Clwyd). Noises Off, The Hot Mikado, Twelfth Night, Relatively Speaking and Dick Barton Special Agent (Queens Theatre). My Beautiful Launderette (RSC, Bloomsbury, SNAP). Jack and The Beanstalk (Ipswich), The Gruffalo’s Child (Tall Stories), Scooby Doo (Warner Bros), Stand By Me (Riverside), The Cow Play (Square Moon). Mistress Maud’s Chambers of Fantastical Truth (for the artist Caroline Sabin). Rapunzel, Beauty and The Beast, Ali Baba, Jack & The Giant and Puss In Boots (Chipping Norton). You’ve Got Dragons (Taking Flight) and, most recently, Finding Home (Mercury Theatre Wales) and the solo show In Pursuit Of Maud (Caroline Sabin). TV and Film credits include The Hate Commission (Channel 4), Forest People (BBC), Blue Peter (BBC).
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Rowan is also a composer and MD and has written scores for over 50 theatre productions and films. Selected credits include National Theatre Wales, Ransack Dance, The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company (Resident MD and composer), Taking Flight Theatre Company, Fabler Theatre Company Chipping Norton Theatre, Mercury Theatre Wales, Cardiff University, Newport Live, Artis Community, Cardiff Council, Creative Connection and the NSPCC.
RUDES SHOWS
MISS POPPLEWELL'S GARDEN
GODS & DOGS
LITTLE LILLY HARLEY
IKARUS INC (2010 & 2019)
OBERONS CURE
WHO SAW MARJORY DAW?
NOAH BABELS ARK
FIVE GET FAMOUS
THE GOLD RUSH
THE FAIRY QUEEN
THE ODYSSEY
THE WIFE OF BATH (2003 & 2004)
THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN
THE COMEDY OF BABI BABBETT
TWELFTH NIGHT
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
THE DRESSING BOOK
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM​​


MADELINE HATT
AGNES, JOSEPHINE, HAZEL & ROSE
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Maddie is an actor, writer and voice over artist from Seaford, East Sussex.
She trained at The Guildford School of Acting and was awarded a DaDa
Scholarship. She won the runner-up prize for The BBC’s Carleton Hobbs
Radio Award in 2017. She has featured in BBC Radio Drama, voiced
commercials for companies including Apple, Barclaycard and Meta.
Maddie co-founded the theatre company ‘Turning Hatts Productions’, their
show ’FRYDAYS’ won 'Pick of Brighton Fringe’ and was Brighton Source’s
‘Top Ten Theatre Shows’ of 2023. Maddie won Best Actress for her debut
short film ‘Room For One’ gaining worldwide recognition in film festivals in
2024. Maddie’s comedy sketch ‘Blow It’ was trending on YouTube earlier this year.
Maddie is also part of ‘ShakeItUp’ the ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Improvised
Shakespeare Company, returning to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Maddie
recently voiced an ‘AAA’ video game which is confidential until release later
this year.
RUDES SHOWS
GENTLE HARRY'S FARM
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