LOUISE PETHERBRIDGE

Playing the leading role as Connie, is Louise Petherbridge.
Louise was born & educated in Dunedin. After graduating from Otago University, she left for Britain with a government bursary to study acting.
She performed professionally in London & the provinces, temporarily ending her stage career at the Mermaid Theatre in London when her son was about to be born. During her time overseas she returned to New Zealand for eighteen months to tour with the NZ Players.
In 1973 she returned permanently & appeared with the newly formed Fortune Company & played Katherine Mansfield in Brian McNeil’s Two Tigers. One of her most enjoyable challenges for this company was to play the nurse in Romeo & Juliet & also Paris’s page in the same production. Her last Fortune appearance was Aunty & Me in 2005.
Louise has directed & designed plays & operas, devised original scripts, lectured in theatre history & practice, appeared in films & TV as well as coaching young actors for a TV series.
When one enjoys one’s work so intensely, Louise feels it is like a bonus lottery winning ticket to receive awards for work along the way. Over the years she has been honoured with a 2000 Commemorative Medal, an award from Otago University in 1993, & a Q.S.O.

JULIE EDWARDS

Since graduating from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 1989, Julie Edwards has appeared in over 40 productions with the Fortune Theatre. She was last seen playing Kathy in Mum’s Choir. Julie has worked as actor/director/drama teacher throughout NZ. In 2008 she directed Things I hate about your mother by Sarah McDougal for the Otago Arts Festival. She now lives in Brighton with her husband Jann, their three children; Eliza, David, Rose & a variety of animals. Julie will play Janice.

JASON WARD KENNEDY

Wellington based actor/singer Jason Ward Kennedy has worked extensively in theatres throughout New Zealand, Australia & Germany. With over 60 professional productions under his belt so far, he has had the opportunity to play a variety of roles. NZ highlights include: Ladies Night, The Crucible, Sunset Café, Guys & Dolls, Assassins, Les Miserables, Urinetown, Year of the Rat, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Jesus Christ Superstar, & Great Expectations. Australian Highlights include: The Open Meeting, Fiddler on the Roof, & touring with the Wiggles as Captain Feathersword. German highlights – Cats, Phantom of the Opera, & Dance of the Vampires with music by Jim Steinman (Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler) & directed by Roman Polanski.
Jason has sung with several bands, recordings & concerts & has a number of television credits including: Zena Warrior Princess. Lucky Numbers is Jason’s 9th production with the Fortune & he plays Ronnie.

ESTHER GREEN

Esther Green graduated Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in November 2008. Roles during her training included Feste in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare, Dir Vanessa Byrnes) & Sissy in Unity 1918 (Kevin Kerr, Dir Conrad Newport), she also wrote & performed her own solo show Shoes for Flying & Finding ( Go Solo Season, Dir Jade Eriksen, Sophie Roberts).
Since Graduating Esther has formed her own theatre company, All The Way Home with Sara Allen. With the company Esther co- devised & wrote The Mountain, she also performed in the piece which débuted in the 2008 Wellington Fringe Festival. In December 2009 she co-wrote a radio play commissioned by RNZ (Dead man’s Switch, Dir Adam Macauly) aired this May. In February she co- devised & performed multiple roles in a Change Makers community drama (Dir Leo Gene Peters).In March 2009 she starred in A Brief History of Helen of Troy in which she played supporting role Heather (Mark Schultz, Dir Heather O’Carrol). Esther plays the colourful character of Lisa in Lucky Numbers.

AARON ALEXANDER

Aaron Alexander played the lead in the Fortune’s previous production, Don Juan in Soho. & we are fortunate that he can extend his time with us. He will play Mick, extra love interest of Janice & neighbour. Aaron trained first at the Hagley Theatre Company in his home city of Christchurch, & then at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in Wellington, he has performed in the professional theatres of all four major centres & one in the Botanical Gardens.

His work includes Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet, Mike in Steven Berkoff's East, & most recently Jan in Tom Stoppard's 2006 play Rock 'n' Roll. He was last seen at the Fortune as the mercurial servant Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew.

Aaron is very fond of Dunedin, but is grateful for the blessings of the internet & Skype to keep him in touch with his partner & nearly-two-year-old son in Wellington.

DANIEL ARMSTRONG

Daniel Armstrong will play Shane. After finishing New Zealand college of Performing Arts in 2008 this is Daniel’s first year in the industry. So far he has been involved with a successful season of John Godber’s, Bouncers at Bats Theatre & performed in Harold Pinter’s, Betrayal & John Kolvenbach’s Love Song both at CIRCA Theatre. This is Daniel’s first time working outside Wellington.

SAMUEL IRWIN

Samuel Irwin was born here in Dunedin but spent most of his life living in the North Island. He is currently studying at the University of Otago, working towards a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Visual Culture with Theatre Studies as his minor. He is still quite new to the world of theatre. He recently played Gerald Forbes in When We Were Married at the Playhouse Theatre. Sam is very passionate about the theatre & hopes that one day to be able to make a career out of it. Sam is also involved in local television, volunteering for Cow TV as a reporter & occasionally as an in studio presenter. He is also passionate musician; he plays solo cornet for the Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass Band. This is Sam’s first professional play, but hopes that there will be many more in the future. Samuel will play Steven, son of Janice.