Cast and Creatives The BFG Close Puppeteer Parkey Abeyratne This is Parkey’s RSC debut Theatre includes: Counting Sheeps (Polka Theatre), Spitting Image Live (Birmingham Rep, Phoenix Theatre West End), Snowmen (CAST and Hull Truck), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Bridge Theatre), Second Hand Child (Crucible Theatre), Bianco (NoFit State) Opera includes: The Magic Flute (Glyndebourne), Rusalka (Garsington Opera), Satyagraha (ENO, LA Opera), In C (Birmingham Town Hall) Short films includes: Voices, Saint Jude Music videos include: Azizam (Ed Sheeran) Trained at: Circomedia: Academy for Contemporary Circus and Physical Theatre Swing J.R. Ballantyne This is J.R.’s RSC debut Theatre includes: The Addams Family (UK Tour), Cry Baby (Arcola Theatre), Meet Me in St. Louis (Grange Park Opera), Cinderella (Isaac Theatre Royal, New Zealand), Curtains (Wyndham’s Theatre & UK tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium) Theatre whilst training: Newsies, Curtains Trained at: Arts Educational Schools London (ArtsEd) Puppeteer Sonya Cullingford This is Sonya’s RSC debut Theatre includes: Sticky (Chichester Festival Theatre), Ballet Shoes (National Theatre) Protein: May Contain Food (Woolwich Works), 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Hex (National Theatre), Titus Andronicus (Bold Tendencies) Film includes: The Survivor, In the Trap, The Mummy, The Danish Girl Other: Sonya is an 'Abbatar' (body-double avatar) for Frida in ABBA Voyage Puppeteer Ailsa Dalling Previous RSC includes: Venus & Adonis Theatre includes: Animal Farm (Robert Icke/Fiery Angel), The Dancing Frog (Kneehigh), The Wizard of Oz (Leeds Playhouse), Angelo (Little Angel Theatre), The Adventures of Curious Ganz (Silent Tide), Funny Bones (The Lowry), There’s a bear on my chair (Fuel/Southbank Centre). As lead artist and puppet director: RAT (The Rat Affair), The Pig (Sarah Fielding), Lanny R&D (Bristol Old Vic). As Puppet Director and Maker: touring visuals for globally recognised artist Aurora. Film/television includes: Work with Samsung, Joe Wright, Channel 4, Cbeebies, BFI, Matthew Holness, Joseph Wallace, LEGO Other: Ailsa is a co-founder of the Gobby Women Collective, a support network of 6 female artists working in the UK. As a visual artist, she specialises in printmaking and works as a tattoo artist in Bristol. Puppeteer Fred Davis This is Fred’s RSC debut Theatre includes: There’s A Bear In My Chair (Southbank Centre/Theatre Royal Bath), Life of Pi (UK tour, Schoenfeld Theatre, New York, A.R.T Boston, Wyndham’s Theatre, Sheffield Crucible), Ocean at the End of the Lane (National Theatre), Dido and Aeneas (Bodo Concert Hall, Norway), Peter Pan, Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Hartlepool Monkey, Running Wild (UK tour for Gyre and Gimble Puppetry Company), The Tempest (Petersfield Shakespeare Open Air), Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol, Running Wild, The Hundred and One Dalmations, The Witches, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Noah, The Firework Makers Daughter, The Snow Queen (Chichester Festival Youth Theatre), Experiment Scratch performance (Nuffield Theatre Southampton), Pass It On Renew Project, Rattigan’s Nijinsky (Chichester Festival Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Schools Festival) Film incudes: Project Hail Mary, Jurassic World: Dominion Television includes: Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Gyre & Gimble puppet-making tutorial (National Theatre) Other: Fred is an Associate Artist at Gyre & Gimble Puppeteer Elisa de Grey This is Elisa’s RSC debut Theatre includes: There’s a Bear on My Chair (Southbank/Tour), Prince Charming, The Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel Theatre), The Famous Five (Chichester Festival Theatre/Theatr Clwyd), Animal Farm (Fiery Angel UK Tour), Pinocchio, A Christmas Carol (Glasgow Citizens Theatre), Kite (The Wrong Crowd), Peter Pan, Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Globe), Goodnight Mr Tom (West End and UK Tour), Little Universe, Brilliant (Sadler’s Wells, Fevered Sleep), These Associations (Tino Sehgal), No Way Out (Southwark Playhouse), The Juniper Tree (Goat and Monkey Theatre Company), The Water Babies (Northern Broadsides), Gormenghast (David Glass Ensemble), Beyond Midnight (Trestle Theatre Company), Binari (Obviam Est), Macbeth (Conspirators of Pleasure) Television includes: The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon, Harbour Lights Swing Lottie Johnson This is Lottie’s RSC debut Theatre includes: 101 Dalmatians (UK Tour/Hammersmith Apollo), The Everywhere Bear (Polka and Little Angel Theatre), Miniature Travelling Circus (Little Angel Theatre), Tales from Acorn Wood (UK Tour), Thursford Christmas Spectacular, HMS Pinafore (Illyria), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (MKEC), Land of Nod, Little Red Riding Hood (Moon on a Stick) Captain Smith Philip Labey Previous RSC includes: Fair Maid of the West Theatre includes: Dear England, Ballet Shoes (National Theatre), Village Idiot (Stratford Theatre Royal/Nottingham Playhouse), While the Sun Shines (Orange Tree Theatre), Shakespeare in Love (Theatre Royal Bath), Posh (Nottingham Playhouse/Salisbury Playhouse), First Episode (Jermyn Street Theatre), Not About Heroes (Theatre by the Lake), The History Boys (Mercury Theatre, Colchester), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (Belgrade, Coventry), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (360 Theatre), Peter Pan (New Vic), Hamlet, Henry V (Cambridge Shakespeare Company) Television includes: Bergerac, Holby City, Casualty, Doctors, Red Dwarf, The Power, Vanity Fair, The Royals Film includes: The People We Hate at the Wedding, On Chesil Beach, London Wall Radio includes: Doctor Who The BFG John Leader Previous RSC includes:The Merry Wives of Windsor, The School for Scandal Theatre includes: The Little Mermaid (Bristol Old Vic), Wuthering Heights (Wise Children/ National Theatre), A Monster Calls (Old Vic), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Bridge Theatre), Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Doctor Faustus, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Globe), Peter Pan, War Horse (National Theatre), Chigger Foot Boys (Tara Arts), Running Wild (Regent’s Park), Romeo and Juliet (Orange Tree), Beasty Baby (Theatre Rites/ Polka), Alice’s Adventures Underground (Les Enfants Terribles) Television includes: The Sandman, Doctors, Britannia, The Girlfriend Experience Film includes: Femme, The Runner The Queen Helena Lymbery This is Helena’s RSC debut Theatre includes: Grace Pervades (Theatre Royal, Bath), Ballet Shoes, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear; Treasure Island, This House, The Cat in the Hat, ...some trace of her, Women of Troy, Attempts on her Life, Iphigenia at Aulis, His Dark Materials, Wicked Yaar, Henry V (National Theatre), Richard III, Henry V, Measure For Measure (Globe), Britannicus, Watership Down, The Magic Carpet (Lyric, Hammersmith), Run Sister Run (Soho Theatre/Sheffield Theatres/Paines Plough), Dear Elizabeth (Gate Theatre), Queen Margaret (Royal Exchange Theatre), Pity, Rough Cuts, God Bless the Child, The Laws of War (Royal Court), Wolves Are Coming For You (Pentabus), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Original Cast - West End), We Want You To Watch (RashDash/National Theatre), The Secret Agent (Young Vic/Theatre O), After Dido (Young Vic/ENO) Television includes: Doctor Foster, Father Brown, Oliver Twist, Alastair McGowan's Big Impression, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The Bill Film includes: London Road Puppeteer Shaun McCourt This is Shaun’s RSC debut Theatre includes: In the Mouth of the Wolf (Barn Theatre), The Mousetrap (UK Tour), The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Windsors: Endgame, War Horse (West End), Blood Brothers (UK Tour), The Railway Children (Kings Cross Theatre), Imagine This (Union Theatre), Iolanthe (Wilton’s Music Hall), Bernstein’s Mass (Royal Festival Hall) Television includes: House of the Dragon Workshops include: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Grinning Man (NT Studios), I Capture the Castle (NT Studios), The Attic (Theatre Royal Haymarket) Trained at: Guildford School of Acting Puppeteer Corey Mitchell This is Corey’s RSC debut Theatre includes: Mean Girls (Savoy Theatre), Mrs Doubtfire (Shaftesbury Theatre), Mamma Mia (UK & International Tour), Saving Mozart (The Other Palace), Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (Hull New Theatre), Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour), Starlight Express (Bochum, Germany) Workshops include: The Greatest Showman (Disney Theatricals), You’ll Be Okay (Goldsmiths University), Ludala (Albany Theatre) Television commercials includes: William Hill Racing Bet Builder 2025 campaign Puppeteer Aki Nakagawa Previous RSC includes: My Neighbour Totoro Theatre includes: Tattooer (Charring Cross x Umeda Theatre), Lord of the Flies (Leeds Playhouse), Garden of Words (Park Theatre) Television includes: Boarders Trained at: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and UPS Academy in Tokyo Bloodbottler Richard Riddell Previous RSC includes: The Merchant of Venice, The Homecoming Theatre includes: Noughts & Crosses (Regent’s Park), Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads (Chichester Festival Theatre), All Who Pass, Uncle Sasha the Butcher (Royal Court), Pastoral (Soho Theatre), After the Party (Criterion Theatre), Filumena (Almeida Theatre), Gabriel, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors (Globe) Television includes: Foundation, Endeavour, Curfew, Bodyguard, The Terror, Barbarians Rising, Scott and Bailey, Doc Martin, Vera, The Fattest Man in Britain, Heartbeat, Penny Dreadful, Misfits, Jabberwock, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Merlin, Waking the Dead, Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure Film includes: Between the Lights, 55 Steps, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, The Merciless Beauty, Legend, Weekender, Blitz, Robin Hood, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Act of God, Enemy Lines, Dogging: A Love Story Radio includes: Homefront Trained at: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Captain Frith Luke Sumner This is Luke’s RSC debut Theatre includes: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre, West End), Bear Traps (Golden Goose Theatre), Big Shoes (Hope Theatre), The Liminoid (Cockpit Theatre) Television includes: Britney, So Beano! Radio includes: Agendum, Jack & Millie Voice work includes: Tales of the Risen Tide Trained at: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Puppeteer Onioluwa Taiwo This is Onioluwa’s RSC debut Theatre Includes: The Creakers musical (Theatre Royal Plymouth), Geophonic 5, Ear Trumpet (Gobbledegook Theatre), Grandma & The Lion (Tall Tree Theatre), Patch’s Parade (Wiltshire Creative), The Story of Tam Lin (Celebrating Age Wiltshire) Trained at: University of Plymouth, National Youth Theatre Puppeteer Ben Thompson Previous RSC includes: The Boy In The Dress Theatre includes: There’s a Bear on my Chair (Southbank Centre/The Egg), The Wizard of Oz (London Palladium/Leicester Curve), 101 Dalmatians, Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Animal Farm (Fiery Angel/Birmingham Rep), The Walk (Good Chance), Out of the Deep Blue (AutinDT), Die Zauberflote (Glyndebourne), The Town That Trees Built, The Marbleous Route Home (Young Vic), The Wizard of Oz, Winnie and Wilbur (Birmingham Rep), Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Globe), Kipper’s Snowy Day (Slot Machine), The Rebel in Light (Ad Infinitum), The Lorax (Old Vic), Measure for Measure, Hamlet (The Factory), Treasure Island, The Light Princess, War Horse (National Theatre), Before the Dawn (Hammersmith Apollo), Twelfth Night, Richard III (Globe/Apollo), A Christmas Carol (National Theatre of Scotland), His Dark Materials (Birmingham Rep/West Yorkshire Playhouse), Faeries (ROH2), Madam Butterfly, The Magic Flute (ENO), Low Life (Blind Summit Theatre), Peter Pan (Dundee Rep) Television and film includes: Fungus the Bogeyman, Table Manners, Fantastic Beasts 2, Gravity, Life Trained at: Guildhall School of Music and Drama Tibbs Sargon Yelda Previous RSC includes: The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Tempest Theatre includes: Birdsong (Bath Theatre Royal and Tour), The Crucible (Sheffield Crucible Theatre), Private Lives, The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse), Hex, Antony and Cleopatra, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Dara, Emperor and Galilean, Mother Courage and Her Children (National Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Globe), Fanny and Alexander, King Lear (Old Vic), Human Animals, The Internet is Serious Business (Royal Court), Forget Me Not (Bush Theatre), Incognito (HighTide Festival/Newcastle Live/Bush Theatre), Moby Dick, The Cabinet of Dr Cagliari (Arcola/Simple 8), When The Rain Stops Falling (Almeida), Stovepipe (National Theatre/Bush Theatre), Salt Meets Wound (Theatre 503) Television includes: Treason, Dead Pixels 2, Dead Pixels, People Just Do Nothing, Endeavour, Strike: The Silkworm, The Cuckoo’s Calling, Innocent, Zen: VENDETTA, Compulsion, Midnight Man, Saddam’s Tribe Film includes: Close, Spectre, Dead Cat Previous Next Cast Puppeteer Parkey Abeyratne Swing J.R. Ballantyne Puppeteer Sonya Cullingford Puppeteer Ailsa Dalling Puppeteer Fred Davis Puppeteer Elisa de Grey Swing Lottie Johnson Captain Smith Philip Labey The BFG John Leader The Queen Helena Lymbery Puppeteer Shaun McCourt Puppeteer Corey Mitchell Puppeteer Aki Nakagawa Bloodbottler Richard Riddell Captain Frith Luke Sumner Puppeteer Onioluwa Taiwo Puppeteer Ben Thompson Tibbs Sargon Yelda Creatives Adaptor Tom Wells Director Daniel Evans Puppetry Designer & Director Toby Olié Set Designer Vicki Mortimer Costume Designer Kinnetia Isidore Lighting Designer Zoe Spurr Video Designer Akhila Krishnan Illusions Chris Fisher Composer Oleta Haffner Sound Designer Carolyn Downing Choreographer & Movement Director Ira Mandela Siobhan Puppetry Co-Designer Daisy Beattie and Seb Mayer Dramaturg Jenny Worton Casting Director Christopher Worrall CDG Children’s Casting Director Verity Naughton CDG Music Supervisor, Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements Theo Jamieson Music Director Màth Roberts Associate Director Louise Shephard Senior Associate Set Designer Matt Hellyer About the Play Cast and Creatives Behind the scenes Trailer Related events More Less About the Play Cast and Creatives Behind the scenes Trailer Related events The role of Sophie will be shared by Martha Bailey Vine, Elsie Laslett and Ellemie Shivers The role of Kimberley will be shared by Maisy Lee, Charlotte Jones and Uma Patel In This Section About the Play Gather your chiddlers to see Roald Dahl’s unforgettable story come to life this winter. Find out more Behind the scenes Head behind the scenes and watch Part 1 of The BFG: Journey to the Giant Country. Gather your chiddlers, a magical adventure awaits 25 November - 7 February. Find out more Trailer Watch the trailer for Roald Dahl's unforgettable story, The BFG, playing in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this winter. Find out more Related events Find out more Assisted Performances Find out about our assisted performances for The BFG. Find out more Learning Join us for workshops and events exploring our big friendly festive show, The BFG. Find out more You may also like