Lydia Baksh – Penguin

Lydia Baksh is a versatile performer whose journey in the arts began with a strong foundation in classical and contemporary dance. She went on to train at the Drama Centre London and upon graduating has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, radio, and motion capture. She is currently a core member of Shapes in Motion, a renowned London-based troupe at the forefront of motion capture and physical theatre.

Some notable credits include performances in Underworld from Frantic Assembly (Lyric Hammersmith, national tour), Yerma (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Deputy (BBC One), Interior (Young Vic), Whistle in the Dark (Citizens Theatre), The Marriage of Figaro (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Dead Fiddler (New End Theatre), On Death (On Theatre[PCH1] ), Doctors (BBC One), Orientations (Waterman’s Arts Centre), The Destruction of [PCH2] Kreshev from Sacred & Profane (Underbelly, Edinburgh Fringe), The Railway Children (New Vic Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Birmingham Rep), and one woman show On the Cusp (BBC Radio 4).

Lydia has made her mark in the realm of motion capture as well, notably contributing to projects like Heavenly Sword, both in the form of a PlayStation 3 game and a movie adaptation. Beyond her acting career, Lydia shares her expertise as a movement tutor, and delivers specialised training in Motion Capture at several prominent drama colleges across the UK. Lydia's artistic journey has recently taken an exciting turn, as she has cultivated a deep-rooted passion for music. In the autumn of 2022, she marked a significant milestone with the release of her debut album, Spiral In.

Photo by Guy Reece.

Richard Hay – Boy

Richard is an actor, puppeteer and theatremaker. He has worked as a motion capture artist and puppeteer on major motion pictures and TV series including Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Disney and Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story and a number of other Disney projects. He has worked on several video games, most recently providing voice and movement capture for Darktide, part of the Warhammer series and played the lead role, Bryn, in the Iris and BFI prize winning short film No Strings.

Alongside his screen work, Richard’s theatre credits include Puppeteer in Fulfilment (National Tour), Brink in Brink (MAST Mayflower Studios), Buttons in Cinderella (Guildhall Arts Centre), LongSleeves in KnitMas: A Winter Yarn (Greenwich Theatre) Wishy Washy in Aladdin (Leatherhead Theatre) and the LET Award winning The Inevitable Heartbreak of Gavin Plimsole (National Tour). You may also have seen his work on a recent advertising campaign for The AA where he puppeteered the adorable and shaggy Tukker the dog.

Alongside his performance work, Richard is the Creative Director of SharkLegs, an award-winning visual theatre company whose work has been featured in the Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times as well as on BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio Four. He has been commissioned to make works by Hat Fair, Greenwich Theatre, the Southbank Centre and the New Theatre Royal Portsmouth amongst others.

Oliver Baines

Oliver Baines is an actor and musician from Manchester. His credits include I Like The Way You Move (Frantic Assembly Ignition; Theatre Peckham 2019) and Othello (Frantic Assembly; UK Tour 2022–2023).

Photo by Bethan Kelly.

Pena Iiyambo

Pena Iiyambo is a 23-year-old actress who trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she studied on the Collaborative and Devised Theatre course in association with Complicité. She graduated in 2021.

In 2011, Pena toured around the UK with Out of Joint’s production, Bang Bang Bang. Even though she was only 11 years old, she knew she wanted to do nothing else. This year she made her West End debut in Spitting Image The Musical, directed by Sean Foley., after a run earlier in the year at the Birmingham Rep, in which she made her puppeteering debut. Puppeteering for the first time came with its challenges but ultimately demonstrated her versatility, respect for puppeteers and their craft, and excitement for learning new things.

Pena's experience extends beyond the stage. She recently made her feature film debut in Luna Carmoon's Hoard, where she portrayed the supporting role of Ellie. The film premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival before landing at the BFI London Film Festival. The experience will stay with Pena for the rest of her life, seeing her name roll through the credits was a very surreal feeling she will never forget.

Her commitment to storytelling is not limited to adults; Pena also spent a memorable summer in an immersive children's show, taking on the iconic role of Beatrix Potter in The Peter RabbitTM Garden Adventure. The opportunity to connect with young audiences and bring their beloved characters to life made her appreciative of children’s theatre. The enthusiastic children certainly kept her on her toes, and it was an honour to be some of the children’s first experience of theatre.

Lost and Found is an opportunity to do it all over again. She can’t wait to help bring the world of the beloved book to life as part of the Ensemble. It is a story that resonates with all who come in contact with it. She hopes that after watching the production, the performance seeps into any re-reading of the book, making it even more vivid for children and parents alike.

Gemma Khawaja

Gemma Khawaja is an accomplished performer and workshop leader specialising in children’s theatre and puppetry. Upon completing an honours degree in Drama in 2001, Gemma furthered her skills and training in puppetry by learning traditional puppet making and performance techniques at Norwich Puppet Theatre from 2001 to 2004 to gain City & Guilds level qualifications in puppetry. Gemma has over 15 years of professional experience performing in touring puppet shows produced by leading companies such as Norwich Puppet Theatre, Horse + Bamboo Theatre, Little Angel Theatre and Monstro Theatre. She also creates her own small-scale touring shows, deriving inspiration for her work from her environment, nature, folklore, folk stories and traditional crafts.

Gemma has a strong interest in creating papercut artworks, inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen. Gemma initially began creating simple papercuts as artwork for her music albums and her exploration in this medium uses folklore, myth and folksong as starting points for creating colourful, multi-layered pieces. In addition to her work as a puppeteer, performer and artist, Gemma is also a folk singer and guitarist and has worked nationally as a touring musician specialising in singing unaccompanied traditional ballads and songs of the British Isles and Ireland.

Photo by Luci Smyth.

Rayo Patel

Rayo Patel is a versatile physical theatre performer and puppeteer whose career has taken him to various corners of the world, including Europe, China and America. With a solid foundation laid during his studies at East 15 Acting School, he went on to further hone his puppetry skills with the esteemed company Blind Summit Theatre, where he delved into the intricacies of Bunraku puppetry on the remarkable production of Anthony Minghella's Madam Butterfly.

In addition to his puppetry expertise, Rayo has also delved into the world of parody and satire as a part of the iconic show Spitting Image, where he played Rishi Sunak. He was instrumental in devising the first-ever live performance of Spitting Image, delivering satirical and thought-provoking messages on contemporary politics and society with wit and insight.

Photo by YellowBelly.