Simon Slater
Encyclopedia
Simon Slater, born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire
is an English actor and composer. He was educated at Sedbergh School
.
He has been performing, playing and composing since his early teens and continued through university when he attended Goldsmiths College at the University of London
.
He plays piano
, double bass
, saxophone
, clarinet
, and the ukulele
.
Slater has had numerous music scores in theatre and films. He most recently worked as composer was Henry V and Julius Caesar for the Royal Shakespeare Company
, where he worked for three years. He wrote the music for Macbeth, starring Sean Bean
("Albery") and the award-winning The Blood Libel for Radio 4. He also composed for many productions at Hampstead Theatre Club, The Liverpool Everyman, Bristol Old Vic
, The Bush
, and Young Vic.
His film credits include Dealers
, and Entrapment
.
His work as a theatrical actor includes a five-year run in the musical Mamma Mia!
as Sam Charmichael, as well as Forbidden Broadway
(Fortune), Sugar Hill Blues (Hampstead and Warehouse Croydon), The Great White Hope
(Tricycle), Aspects of Love
(Sydmonton Festival
), Waiting for Godot
, and Wind in the Willows (Nuffield Southampton).
Slater has made guest appearances in several TV series, including in Heartbeat, Birds of a Feather
, Doctor Who
, Inspector Morse
, Lovejoy
, Monarch of the Glen and Where the Heart Is
. In 1987, he appeared as Inspector Kite in the third series of The Bill
.
Slater has also appeared in the Theatre Royal (Winchester) production of Peter Pan the Pantomime playing Captain Hook during the Christmas season of 2010/2011. He also wrote all the music for the show.
Slater is currently writing the musical score to a new aerial show, 'Zoetrope
' which is being produced by the theatre company Kinematic Theatre
. The show debuts at Rose Bruford College
's Rose theatre in late September.
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
is an English actor and composer. He was educated at Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
.
He has been performing, playing and composing since his early teens and continued through university when he attended Goldsmiths College at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
He plays piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, and the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
.
Slater has had numerous music scores in theatre and films. He most recently worked as composer was Henry V and Julius Caesar for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
, where he worked for three years. He wrote the music for Macbeth, starring Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
("Albery") and the award-winning The Blood Libel for Radio 4. He also composed for many productions at Hampstead Theatre Club, The Liverpool Everyman, Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
, The Bush
The Bush
"The bush" is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in certain countries.-Australia:The term is iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" describes a wooded area, intermediate between a shrubland and a forest, generally of dry and nitrogen-poor soil, mostly...
, and Young Vic.
His film credits include Dealers
Dealers (film)
Dealers is a 1989 British film directed by Colin Bucksey. It stars Paul McGann and Rebecca De Mornay.-Cast:*Paul McGann as Daniel Pascoe*Rebecca De Mornay as Anna Schuman*Derek O'Connor as Robbie Barrell*John Castle as Frank Mallory...
, and Entrapment
Entrapment (film)
Entrapment is a 1999 American caper film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.-Plot:Virginia "Gin" Baker is an investigator for Waverly Insurance. Robert "Mac" MacDougal is an international art thief. A priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from an office one...
.
His work as a theatrical actor includes a five-year run in the musical Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
as Sam Charmichael, as well as Forbidden Broadway
Forbidden Broadway
Forbidden Broadway is an Off-Broadway satirical revue conceived, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini. The original version of the revue opened on January 15, 1982 at Palsson's Supper Club in New York City and ran for 2,332 performances. Alessandrini has rewritten the show over a dozen...
(Fortune), Sugar Hill Blues (Hampstead and Warehouse Croydon), The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
(Tricycle), Aspects of Love
Aspects of Love
Aspects of Love is a musical/chamber opera with a book and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is famous for the song "Love Changes Everything."...
(Sydmonton Festival
Sydmonton Festival
The Sydmonton Festival is a summer arts festival presented in a deconsecrated 16th century chapel on the grounds of Sydmonton Court, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Hampshire estate...
), Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
, and Wind in the Willows (Nuffield Southampton).
Slater has made guest appearances in several TV series, including in Heartbeat, Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather
Birds of a Feather was a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1 from 1989 until 1998. Starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, it was created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who also wrote some of the episodes along with many other writers.The first episode sees sisters...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
, Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
, Monarch of the Glen and Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...
. In 1987, he appeared as Inspector Kite in the third series of The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Slater has also appeared in the Theatre Royal (Winchester) production of Peter Pan the Pantomime playing Captain Hook during the Christmas season of 2010/2011. He also wrote all the music for the show.
Slater is currently writing the musical score to a new aerial show, 'Zoetrope
Zoetrope
A zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures. The term zoetrope is from the Greek words "ζωή – zoe", "life" and τρόπος – tropos, "turn". It may be taken to mean "wheel of life"....
' which is being produced by the theatre company Kinematic Theatre
Kinematic Theatre
Kinematic Theatre, often abbreviated to Kinematic, is a small theatre company operating in London, England. The company which was formed early in 2006 and was founded by Andy Sinclair-Harris, who is the artistic director along with Karl Lawton, Radica Anikpe and Antoinette Lester...
. The show debuts at Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance is a British drama school, offering university-level and professional vocational training for theatre and performance and the BA and MA degrees, based in Sidcup, Southeast London.-History:Founded in 1950, Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree...
's Rose theatre in late September.