Samantha Dorrance

Samantha Dorrance
Origin U.K.
Genres Dance-pop, Bubblegum pop
Occupation(s) Actress, Singer, Dancer
Instruments Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Years active 2006 ─ present
Website Official site

Samantha Dorrance is a British actress, singer and dancer from Willenhall in the West Midlands who reached fame on Disney Channel UK. She played the lead role of Laura in both the UK Tour and West End versions of Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Biography

Early life

Samantha grew up in Willenhall, in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall with her younger brother and parents. Samantha was home-schooled.

Since the age of 2, Samantha has been dancing and performing at numerous dance and acting schools in the West Midlands area, which led to her dancing in pantomimes at both Wolverhampton Grand Theatre & Stafford Garrick Theatre as well as performing in many amateur dramatic productions at several locations, including Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham and The Dormston Centre in Sedgley.

Career

Samantha has entered several dancing and singing competitions, including one for the BBC Television Programme, Blue Peter, which saw her get through to the semi-final live on BBC1.

In 2007, Samantha won the High School Musical You're The Star! Competition on Disney Channel UK, after being voted by viewers. The prize for this was to have an all-expenses paid trip to London to record a music video. This video resulted in her appearing on her regional ITV news programme, Central Tonight. Her exceptional performance resulted in her being hand picked to audition for a role as presenter of the 2008 competition, My High School Musical, which had a slightly different format. She was picked and presented the programme alongside Brad Kavanagh.

In September 2009, Samantha successfully auditioned for the part of Wendy in the pantomime Peter Pan which was performed at the brand new Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire from December 2009 into January 2010. She performed alongside Emmerdale star Matt Healy who played Mr Darling and Captain Hook.[1]

She took on the lead role of Cinderella at The Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury from December 2010 to January 2011.[2]

Between February and April 2011 Sam played the part of Tracey in a brand new play by Alan Share called Death of A Nightingale at The New End Theatre in Hampstead, London[3] and from June 2011 until March 2012 she toured the UK, Ireland and Luxembourg playing the lead role of Laura in the hit musical Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Sam got her dream job as a West End leading lady, when she was transferred to London's Playhouse Theatre and then later in the year to The Wyndham's Theatre, where she carried on playing Laura in Dreamboats and Petticoats.

After leaving Dreamboats and Petticoats, Samantha went back to television where she played the part of Zoe in BBC One program Doctors and then took on the role of television presenter again for Disney Channel in a show teaching children to dance, as part of the Fit for Life Campaign which aired through the summer of 2014. At the end of that year Samantha played Snow White at Middleton Arena

In 2015 Samantha played the part of Tootsie, the best friend of CBeebies Mr Tumble in the Tale of Mr Tumble which was a new show for the Manchester International Festival. This was televised and aired on the CBeebies Channel.

In the autumn of 2015 Samantha played the part of Gertrude McFuzz in the musical Seussical for the Sell a Door company, which took her to Bridlington Spa, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

2015/16 Samantha played Princess Jasmine in Aladdin at the Ipswich Regent.

Music

Samantha is also a singer/songwriter and with her band, has recorded 5 new songs for her EP called Going My Way.

Credits

References

  1. ↑ "Pan will fly as theatre stages first panto". Shropshire Star. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Disney girl lands Cinderella role". Express and Star. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Share, Alan (2011). Death of a Nightingale. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4343-5179-1.
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