A star of London’s West End will be returning to his Durham roots to perform at the city’s BRASS festival.
Matt Gent, from Page Bank near Spennymoor, learnt his stagecraft at Durham’s Gala Theatre Stage School (GTSS). During his time there, Matt performed in productions of West Side Story, The Wizz, Anything Goes and A Chorus Line.
As part of BRASS, Matt will be performing with the Scottish Swing Orchestra in the BRASS Goes to Hollywood concert. This concert will include popular numbers from musicals such as Chicago, Hairspray and Legally Blonde.
The show – which will take place on Sunday 15th July – will also include tunes to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein, who wrote the music for West Side Story and On the Town.
Matt said, “I’m really looking forward to coming back to Durham where my career began.”
“It’s always great to perform in front of a home audience and especially at Gala, which has so many special memories for me.”
“My time at GTSS gave me a great grounding and really kickstarted all that was to come – I probably wouldn’t be where I am now without it.”
Following his time at GTSS, Matt Gent attended London’s Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. During his career, Matt has performed in West End productions of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.
Matt has also starred in the lead role in Sweeny Todd and has toured as a vocalist with Strictly Come Dancing stars Vincent Simone and Flavia Caccace.
Brass Goes to Hollywood will take place at Durham’s Gala Theatre on Sunday 15th July. Tickets are priced at £18.00 and can be purchased by going to www.brassfestival.co.uk.
The BRASS festival brings tens of thousands of music fans to Durham and pumps hundreds of thousands of pounds into the city’s economy. You can find out more about what will be going on in BRASS 2018 here.