BIOGS OF PAUL KNIGHT & PETER HUTCHINSON


Biography Paul Knight

Paul studied at Chethams School of Music, Colchester Institute and The Royal College of Music. He won the Canon Jack Award for solo recital playing and the Stephens Award. He has appeared as soloist and accompanist in the UK and Europe, most recently performing the Gershwin Piano Concerto at Brussels Cathedral and Wembley Arena. He has broadcast for the BBC on “The Pianist Entertains” and “Friday Night is Music Night”. Paul appears regularly with Noel Tredinnick and the All Souls Orchestra. As conductor Paul has specialised in ‘lost’ works such as “The English Ring” (Maritana Bohemian Girl and Lilly of Killarney) which he revived after a silence of fifty years.

Paul has appeared as actor musician in a number of shows including “Grimsley and Tibbs” “Champagne Charlie” “The Killer Soprano” (with Rosie Ashe) “Two’s a Crowd” (with Rosalind Plowright) “Here’s a How Dee Doo (UK tour, West End, Canada, and BBC radio 2 series) and the infamous “Forbidden Broadway” at the Fortune, Jermyn Street and Albery Theatres.

As musical director he has played and arranged many shows including “Goodnight Mr. Tom “ “Applause” “Jacques Brel is…” “Little Shop of Horrors” “Marry Me a Little” “Into the Woods” “Godspell” and endless pantomimes and revues. He was musical director for five national tours for David Wood’s Whirligig Theatre Company. He is musical supervisor and arranger for “Spot’s Birthday Party” and the 60’s musical hit “Shout”. Film and TV credits include “Night on the Town” “Handel’s Ressurection” “Campion” BBC’s “Pebble Mill” and “The Late Show”.

His directing credits include “A Butler Did It” (Calgary) “Let’s Do It” (Arts Theatre)
“The Song is … Jerome Kern” (Fortune Theatre) “Mame” (Bloomsbury Theatre) “Fiddler on the Roof” (Chaucer Theatre).

Paul is also a sought after vocal coach, and has been connected to many world famous vocal establishments such as The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Drama Studio London, Arts Educational School and Birds College of Performing Arts. He has also been active in youth theatre working with the National Youth Music Theatre, the Curtain Theatre in East London, the Cockpit Theatre and has given many vocal workshops for both amateur and professional singers.

He is Artistic Director of Pneuma Arts (see www.pneuma-arts.com) a production company which in 2003 performed “Esther” at the Palace Theatre London and produced its first pantomime “Mother Goose”. The company has also released its first two albums, “Esther – a live recording” and “Afraid” an album based on scripture to encourage positive thinking. The company is at present working on a musical version of “Billy Budd” based on the Hermann Melville Novel, a film version of “The Selfish Giant” and a reality TV project.

As a writer/composer Paul’s output includes the ballet “City Slick”, “Bunter” (Northcotte) “Ello Ello Ello” (Oldham Coliseum) “Prisoner of Panto” (Calgary and London) “Esther” (Spitalfields Festival and Palace Theatre) “Shake the Nation” (Liverpool Cathedral and Spitalfields Festival) “The Happy Prince” a children’s musical “Toothy Towers” as well as eight Christmas pantomimes for Oxford Playhouse Productions. He has arranged and written scores for Caucasian Chalk Circle( Box Clever) Othello (Wooden O), Winter’s Tale, Comedy of Errors, Macbeth and The Merry Wives of Windsor for Oxford Shakespeare Company. In 2006 he composed an original score for the 400th anniversary of the first performance of Macbeth which was produced in its original setting at the Great Hall Hampton Court also for OSC. For Hidden Pearl Productions Paul has written music and lyrics to ‘Christmas Carol’ (Shaw Theatre) and ‘Treasure Island’ (Kings Head). He was opera arranger on Stephen Poliakov’s film ‘Capturing Mary’.

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Biography Peter Hutchinson

Peter is Head of the Arts, LCC, London currently producing a variety of theatre productions, arts programmes and training facilities, including Senior Management of The Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill Gate.

As a Producer he is developing a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’, and a series of new life style, day time programmes for Life TV/Sky.
Previously, various concerts, theatre productions and events include The Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, Wembley Conference Centre, and Hammersmith Apollo.

As Writer/Director Peter has worked on ‘Esther, Palace Theatre, London
Dick Whittington Finds the Way, Sleeping beauty, and Mother Goose, Shake the Nation, Pilgrim’s Progress, Macbeth, Waiting for Godot, Mother Goose, and Ghetto, staged in London. Peter is also a Director/Tutor, Riding Lights Theatre Company, York working with a group of professional and amateur actors at the annual summer school, developing performance skills through acting workshops, leading to staged performances.
As Artistic Director, The Creative School, London a creative arts college based in Notting Hill Gate. Initially head of the acting course, then Artistic Director from 1995, Peter was responsible for writing, directing and producing new and established work; leading a team of teachers and administrative staff; planning and developing the curriculum; forecasting and managing budgets; teaching acting, improvisation and stage craft.

As Artistic Director, Clevedon Youth Theatre which is part of North Somerset Council’s Youth Provision Service, Peter provided a skills base and foundational training for young people interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Whilst principally revolving around acting and performance, the theatre company also made short documentaries and adverts, shown at local cinemas.

As an Actor Peter trained at LAMDA .
Theatre credits include: Dribbling Wilf - Jack Shepherd, McCann - The Birthday Party, Musical Director - John Paul George Ringo and Bert, Borachio - Much Ado About Nothing, Ishmael - Moby Dick, Edgar - King Lear, Alwa - Lulu.

Film: Sgt. Cratz - The Lords of Discipline (Paramount Films), Privates on Parade (Handmade Films), Operation Julie (Tyne Tees TV).

Television: Plays for Today (BBC), Widows (Thames TV), Rebellious Jukebox (Godley and Creme/Central TV for USA), The Fourth Arm (BBC), Robin of Sherwood (HTV).

Peter has also been Special Projects Manager, The Shaftesbury Society, Assistant Producer, Sport Aid and Assistant Producer, Sport Aid