The Wizard of Oz

Mike Bower

Mike studied at the Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. With nearly forty years’ experience in the pro theatre his acting credits range from villains such as Lucifer and Judas and, Shakespearian leads such as Macbeth and Shylock to various dames, pantomime baddies, little Boy Blue, Bottom, and even Helen of Troy.   

He has sung for diverse groups and narrated for others. Mike is a stage fight director and combat teacher having been trained by the British Academy of Dramatic Combat. He has performed numerous fight demonstrations.

He is the founder of, and script writer for, Jars of Clay Theatre Company who have performed at the Blue Orange on many occasions. 

Mike is a Christian and is married to Anne – together they have two sons. After a four-year period without acting, he is delighted to be stepping back on the boards again for Blue Orange Arts.   

Leah Fennell

Leah Fennell is an actor and comedian from Sutton Coldfield. She has appeared in productions with Sutton Arts Theatre including playing Sarah Brown in their summer production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ and Phaedra in Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’. While studying for her Drama bachelor’s degree at The University of Manchester, she devised her own musical stand-up show which she performed at The John Thaw Theatre as part of a festival of new work. She also helped found A Giant Horse Theatre Company, who had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with their avant-garde performance piece: ‘Near To’. She continues to work on all kinds of shenanigans, including new comedy music and hopes to return to the festival next summer. Beyond that you can usually find her ranting about horror movies online or brandishing a guitar she can hardly play.

Kaz Luckins

Kaz loves the Blue Orange Theatre so much, she just keeps coming back for more. And it’s hardly surprising considering she has been involved with the Blue Orange since the doors opened back in April 2011 (performing in the first ever Blue Orange Arts show, two by Jim Cartwright which actually predates the theatre opening). As well as many performing and fight directing credits, she has been lucky enough to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in varied performances, also under the Blue Orange banner 

Alex Nikitas 

The Wizard of Oz marks Alex Nikitas fourteenth production over eleven years for Blue Orange Arts. Other Blue Orange performances include A Study in Scarlet, Hamlet, The Wind in The Willows and Peter Pan. He has also featured in two award winning shows for Inamoment Theatre in 2018 and 2021. In between these he played both an accountant and a terrorist in Arrivals & Departures at the Coach House Theatre, Malvern for Here to There. Earlier work includes Doctors (BBC TV), The Romantics (BBC Radio 4) and Pontius Pilate in A Passion for Birmingham (Old Joint Stock 2014- 2016). He is also a storyteller and writer, specialising in adapting Greek myths and English fairy tales for performance and has co-written three plays for children focussing on community/environmental themes, including Down To Earth which was funded as part of a project by Creative Partnerships Black Country.

Giles Whorton

Giles is absolutely ecstatic to join the team at Blue Orange Arts and to play the role of the much beloved Scarecrow. Giles graduated from drama school in 2021 since then he has starred in several plays, and feature films and also played one of the lead characters in an episode of Doctors right here in Birmingham! Giles can’t wait to bring his unpredictable and boisterous acting style to the stage, he also has a background in gymnastics and dance which he intends to include in the movement of the Scarecrow. This will be his first performance at the Blue Orange Theatre and he can’t wait to see you all there!