In Profile with Ste Clough

The comedy of Monty Python is timeless, a fact proven by the enduring success of the hilariously funny musical Spamalot. Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the popular stage musical has entertained audiences all over the country with various West End runs and tour productions, and continues to do so in the latest UK Tour, which follows the resounding success of the Monty Python troupe’s reunion show at the O2 Arena last year. Currently starring squeaky-voiced funny man Joe Pasquale as King Arthur, the Spamalot touring cast also features many talented performers from the West End stage, including Swing Ste Clough, who appears as the featured ensemble member for this edition of In Profile.

Ste Clough is an up-and-coming talent who has worked extensively as a professional stage performer since entering the industry, in addition to gaining various TV, film and choreography credits as well. A Northern boy who originally hails from West Yorkshire, he came to London to pursue a career on the stage after being accepted into Arts Educational Schools, London, the renowned performing arts school which has produced such West End stars as Oliver Tompsett, Sally Ann Triplett, Bonnie Langford and the Strallen sisters, to name just a few. He accrued a number of training credits during his time there, which included the roles of Oscar d’Armano in The Wild Party and the Old Gentleman in The Railway Children, as well as performing in a production of The Drowsy Chaperone. He was also involved in the Betwixt! in concert performance at the Ambassador’s Theatre in October 2008 after he and a number of his fellow ArtsEd students were invited to form the ensemble for the show. Starring Tim Howar, Sheridan Smith, Rosemary Ashe, Stefan Booth and Sarah Lark, the concert followed a successful première production at the King’s Head Theatre and was staged in support of TheatreMAD for West End charity, The Make A Difference Trust.

He graduated from ArtsEd with a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre, and since completing his training, has gone on to appear in many professional productions both in and out of the West End.

His first post-graduate role came in Opera Holland Park’s version of the Offenbach operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, playing Bacchus, God of Wine in the new production which ran in the summer of 2009. He took to the road in his first touring production that same year, appearing as a member of the ensemble in the No. 1 UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical, Evita, which starred Louise Dearman – and later Rachel Wooding – as Eva Peron.

After his stay in the show ended, he then continued his travels with another touring production. This time he was part of the ensemble team in the UK Tour of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma, additionally covering and playing the role of ‘Will Parker’ in the show, which starred Marti Webb (Aunt Eller) and Mark Evans (Curly).

He took a break from life on the road for a while following Oklahoma, returning to London to make his West End début as a member of an original London company. He joined the West End production of Shrek The Musical, which opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June 2011 and starred Nigel Lindsay (Shrek), Amanda Holden (Princess Fiona), Richard Blackwood (Donkey) and Nigel Harman (Lord Farquaad). He played the ensemble roles of Guard, Pig of Sticks and Dragon Puppeteer (Head) during his time in the show and was also 2nd Cover Lord Farquaad, appearing for the entirety of the show’s West End run, which ended on 24th February 2013.

Since then, he has performed as Horton The Elephant in Seussical The Musical for the Arts Theatre’s 2013/14 Christmas season, and retrodden the touring road with the UK Tour of Annie Get Your Gun, in which he covered such roles as Tommy, Pawnee Bill and Chief Sitting Bull as a Swing in the show.

His other theatre credits include U/S ‘Prince Charming’ in Cinderella (Assembly Hall, Kent), Fly With The Stars, a one night only concert held at the London Palladium in 2008 which featured hits from 1940, and workshop roles of Zeus in Jason & The Argonauts and Sanchez in Children of the Sun. He has also appeared on TV as a special action performer in Peaky Blinders and The Hollow Crown and played the film roles of School Child in Like Minds and Norwegian Warrior in Macbeth.

In addition to his acting credits, he is also a choreographer and has worked with a number of stage productions in this capacity. He was choreographer/fight choreographer on Peter Pan and choreographer on Snow White for Polka Dot Pantomimes in 2014 and was the fight choreographer on the world première of Russell Labey’s Gods and Monsters at the Southwark Playhouse earlier this year. He also has an involvement with the vocal harmony group, The 4Tune Tellers, as a choreographer and has been worked with City Academy as a Dance Tutor.

Ste Clough is currently performing in the 2015 UK Tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot as a Swing, covering the principal roles of Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot, in addition to being Dance Captain on the show. This versatile talent has proven his worth to the industry in so many ways and shown what a valuable addition he makes to any project he turns his hand to. His career is still in its youth and there is so much more still out there for someone with his skills; if he builds on his existing achievements and continues to climb, he can certainly reach new heights of success in the future.

You can follow Ste on Twitter: @steclough87

By Julie Robinson: @missjulie25

Saturday 30th May 2015