Cast and Creative Team for The Chronicles of Atom and Luna Tour announced!
The cast of The Chronicles of Atom and Luna 2024.
Top left: Victoria Chen. Top Right: Chileya Mwampulo. Bottom Left: Kate Millner. Bottom Right: Alex Scott Fairley
We’re thrilled to announce the cast and creative team for the 2024 tour of The Chronicles of Atom and Luna.
'A genuinely magical piece of modern fairytale that speaks of love, family, friendship, lost identity and learning who and what to trust'
Sightlines.
Atom and Luna are inseparable twins who have always obeyed the golden rule: never, ever go into the deep, dark wood. But these are no ordinary twins, and when their world is turned upside down, they must break the rules to save their extraordinary friend, Iffly Sney.
The roles of our key adventurers Atom and Luna will be brought to life by Victoria Chen (THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Polka Theatre; AS YOU LIKE IT, Orange Tree Theatre) and Chileya Mwampulo (NO MORE NUMBERS, Mercury Theatre; HEAR ME NOW, JAXON, Tamasha Theatre; RICE & PEAS, MARION, Queens Theatre, Hornchurch).
Joining them as the enigmatic Old Mother Redbeard is Kate Millner (ME, Little Angel / Mercury Theatre; THE GIFT & THE HAY WAIN, Castle Park Theatre). Completing the cast – and reprising their role from the 2022 production – is Alex Scott Fairley (NOTHELLO, Belgrade Theatre; ROUND THE HORNE, UK Tour; MISTER BULLFINCH, Edinburgh Lyceum).
“Three generations of ladies in the front row, we were all mesmerized and I was in tears. Just beautiful. Great cast. Thrilling to show my daughter real theatre,” shared one audience member.
The Chronicles of Atom and Luna is written by Murray Lachlan Young, directed by Scott Hurran, designed by Bek Palmer, with music by Chris Warner and lighting by Catja Hamilton. The show is produced by Matthew Linley for Funnelwick Limb.
Scott Hurran said, “To bring the story of Atom and Luna back to life, we’re heading into our rehearsal room in Harwich to fill it with play, wonder, and possibility. Murray’s beautiful play invites us to question, dream, and explore – and I can’t wait to start working to bring this enchanting story to life.”
Matthew Linley added, “The Chronicles of Atom and Luna is a truly wonderful show for children and adult children alike. Our 2024 company, both on and off stage, is an incredibly talented team who I know will release the magic of the show for audiences to enjoy across England”.
The Chronicles of Atom and Luna is produced by Funnelwick Limb, in association with Theatre Porto and Eastern Angles.
Meet our wonderful Atom and Luna Actors:
CHILEYA MWAMPULO - Luna
Chileya is a Zambian born actor, playwright and director. She is an associate artist at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, where she recently completed their playwriting program and has previously completed their Mercury creatives program. She is an NYT member and a Fourth Monkey alumni.
Previous acting credits:
It’s About Your Son, Mum (Educational), No More Numbers, Berry (Educational), Pandemic Preparedness Summit, Presenter (Corporate), Hear Me Now, Jaxon (Tamasha Theatre Company), Rice & Peas, Marion (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch)
Other credits:
Coconut Diaries, Student (Southwark Playhouse)
Coconut diaries can be found in ‘Short Plays with Great Roles for Women’ published by Roultledge in 2019, She is a named original script director, by her former creative name Annie Mwampulo.
Instagram @chileyamu
VICTORIA CHEN - Atom
Victoria Chen (she/they) is an actor who initially studied at the School of the Arts in Singapore, and went on to train professionally at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Although she has worked mostly in her native Singapore, she has also performed and studied internationally in the UK, USA, China, Australia and even Iceland. She excels in devised and interactive theatre.
Most recently, she played “Amber” in two-hander THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Polka Theatre); and Celia/Silvius in the Orange Tree Theatre’s child-friendly adaptation of AS YOU LIKE IT.
Notably, Victoria starred in sketch comedy FAT KIDS ARE HARDER TO KIDNAP from 2013 - 2022. Directed by Melissa Sim, the show has toured internationally (and digitally during the pandemic) to critical acclaim, being nominated for Best Theatre Production at the Melbourne Fringe 2020.
At that same festival, Victoria was awarded Best Emerging Artist for her solo, interactive, improvised piece CHARLIE. This production also netted her the Best Performing Artist award at the 2017 Edinburgh Student Arts Festival.
Victoria’s other stage credits include Glen Goei’s musical THE AMAZING CELESTIAL RACE (W!ld Rice Productions); Daniel Jenkins’s THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) (Singapore Repertory Theatre); Lu Kemp’s ALADDIN (Perth Theatre); Goh Boon Teck’s interpretation of Chinese classic A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH (Toy Factory Productions); Claire Wong’s EAT DUCK (Checkpoint Theatre); and Thomas Lim’s FAIR PLAY (W!ld Rice Productions).
Victoria has played the lead in several short films, including Vania Tan’s GOLD PAPER; Tamara Tan’s EARTHBXUND; Ruaridh McKay’s THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON RUNNING CLUB; and Conor McMahon’s NIGHT’S DREAM.
ALEX SCOTT FAIRLEY - Iffly Sney
Alex is originally from Scotland, but now lives with his husband and two whippets in Tasmania, 17,390km away. Alex loves nature, especially botany (plants), mycology (fungi), and mountains, and Tasmania has lots of all of those, as well as echidnas and platypus (and snakes) that visit his garden regularly.
In the UK he has appeared in plays including Nothello (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry), Round the Horne (UK Tour), Mister Bullfinch(Edinburgh Lyceum), The 39 Steps (Swanage Repertory Theatre), Chicago, High Society, Travesties, Quality Street, Absurd Person Singular, People, The Ruling Class, A Chorus of Disapproval, Lady Windermere’s Fan and Hello, Dolly! (all Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Peril at Sea (UK Tour); The Shakespeare Revue, (UK Tour); A Christmas Carol (UK tour), Stiles and Drewe’s The Three Little Pigs (UK tour); Blood Brothers (West End, and UK tour); Flahooley! and Mexican Hayride (Sadler’s Wells); Enjoy! (York Theatre Royal); Doctor Faustus (Creation, Oxford); Pool (Brockley Jack); Alice in Wonderland, Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Taming of the Shrew (all Guildford Shakespeare Company), Travels with My Aunt, A Capital Affair (Vienna’s English Theatre); An Inspector Calls (International Theatre), and Was Ihr Wollt and Romeo und Julia(Openhouse Vienna). This Christmas he will play Abanazaar in Aladdin at the Palace Theatre, Newark.
He is delighted to be a part of The Chronicles of Atom and Luna again, having toured with the play in 2022. On the last tour he found some of the UK’s rarest fungi (violet coral fungus and ballerina waxcaps), so he can’t wait to see what he finds this time!
KATE MILLNER - Old Mother Redbeard
Actress and singer for three decades, Kate has performed in many genres of theatre all over the UK. Recent credits include filming with Omid Djalili and Tiny Speck/Nest Productions on a TV sitcom pilot, performer/puppeteer in Me… (Little Angel Theatre/Mercury Theatre), The Headway Play (Packing Shed), Nurse in R4J-Romeo & Juliet (Civic, Chelmsford), Sarah in The Gift, June Salter in The Hay Wain (both Castle Park Theatre) and site-specific work with Suffolk’s Footprints Theatre Company.
Kate has recently provided voice for In Her Shoes (Blown Fuse), Bring Back Chainmail (F.I.T), The Multitude (Collusion), for audio drama/audiobooks including 1954 for Packing Shed and short stories for Audible and B7 Media.
Alongside her husband Michael Parker, as a vocalist Kate regularly works in musical and soundscape composition as At Swefn's Edge. She penned the script, music and lyrics for the children’s stage show King Coel’s Curtains for Castle Park Theatre. At Swefn’s Edge have collaborated extensively with many creatives based in Essex and the South-East including Blown Fuse, Astraea (Pretty Things), 1954/ All the Park’s a Stage (Packing Shed), Skinned (Spinning Yarns) and as co-producers with APL Theatre/Harlow Playhouse for the digital festival Voicebox during the pandemic.
As well as a performer, Kate is a primary school teacher, trained independent celebrant and gong practitioner. She was fortunate to be a part of the Early Career Training, Entrepreneurs and Creatives programmes offered by Mercury Theatre, Colchester.
Kate enhanced her puppetry skills at Little Angel Theatre. A constant source of delight, puppetry has often featured in her work especially alongside oral storytelling performances and sessions as Fallen Moon.
