Rhiannon Drake

Rhiannon Sarah Margaret Drake (born 13 July 1989) is a British stage, MusicAL theatre, screen actress and musician. On stage, she is best known for her lead role in the original West End cast of Grim and for the international award-winning performance art work And You Were Wonderful, On Stage. She is also the founder of Test Of Time Productions, a London-based company that puts on cabaret-style performances of well-known popular music. She regularly performs in these evenings herself, alongside star guests and West End performers.

Early Life

Rhiannon was born in Watford, Hertfordshire to a Welsh mother and an English father. She attended Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls from the age of 4 to 18, after which she attended the University of Oxford (St Peter's College). Whilst there, she was a John Bain choral scholar, performed in several theatrical productions, was a member of the award-winning a cappella group, The Oxford Gargoyles and sang lead vocals with 'Dot's Funk Odyssey'. She graduated with a 2:1 in Geography and went to study acting at Arts Educational Schools, London, having been awarded the Peter Glenville Award from the University of Oxford.

Career

Early career

Just a month after completing her training at Arts Educational Schools, London, she appeared as the Red Queen in a three-week run of Through the Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There) at the Edinburgh Fringe to positive reviews. Edfringe Review stated that, "the real stars were Rhiannon Drake... with Drake delivering a particularly impressive rendition of the infamous beheader with her lovely booming voice", whilst www.threeweeks.co.uk, one of the leading Edinburgh Fringe reviewers, referred to her as a "well-played baddie". Following her time in Edinburgh, Drake embarked on a nine-month tour of educational theatre around the UK, directed by Harry Meacher (Shakespeare Live!). In June 2012, Drake took a lead role in The Last Witch as Anne Thorne at The Hertford Theatre. In August of that year, she performed in a revival performance of Cole Porter's musical Aladdin (1958 film) at Sadler's Wells, directed by Ian Marshall-Fisher as part of his Lost Musicals project. In November 2012, Rhiannon launched Test Of Time Productions with Let's Do It - A Celebration of Cole Porter and his Contemporaries at Upstairs at the Gatehouse. In December 2012, Rhiannon appeared as a backing singer/dancer in Russell Grant's music video for The Clapping Song, and as vocalist/musical director in [...] Backard: Private Eye at Hoxton Hall.

In 2013, Rhiannon started performing internationally in Cally Spooner's performance art work And You Were Wonderful, On Stage, beginning at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In late 2013, Rhiannon appeared as the lead role, Holly Streetter, in The Girl That Lived, a short film made in association with the mental health charity MIND. The film gathered considerable local media attention, due to its sensitive topic and successful production. Throughout 2013, Rhiannon was a member of the BBC Symphony Chorus and with them performed at multiple events, including The BBC Proms. She also appeared in a number of concerts including West End Voices at Christmas and performances of Let's Do It - A Celebration of Cole Porter and his Contemporaries at Leicester Square Theatre, The Bridewell and the Jermyn Street Theatre. 2013 also saw Test of Time Productions' second show, In the Mood for a Melody, beginning Rhiannon's long-standing relationship with The Pheasantry. In 2013 Rhiannon also joined the vocal a cappella trio VoXelle and began occasionally performing with the Down For the Count Swing Orchestra, one of the leading British function bands.

2014-present

At the beginning of 2014, Rhiannon was part of the revival of [...] Backard: Private Eye at The Bedford, which opened to excellent reviews. Everything-theatre.co.uk gave the show a 4/5 star review, writing, "Drake... played the part with mischievous glee and was fun to watch." And You Were Wonderful, On Stage, returned to the UK to the Tate Britain. Soon after, Drake landed her first major West End role as Sabrina in Grim, performing first at The Rose Theatre, Kingston and then a month's run at Charing Cross Theatre. The musical received mixed reviews, but the cast achieved continued praise, with various reviewers picking out Rhiannon's performance. Theatremonkey.com wrote, "also noteworthy is Rhiannon Drake, who's cheeky Sabrina bursts with personality." She also recorded for the Original London Cast Recording of Grim: A New Musical, featuring as a solo artist on three songs which was released on iTunes and other distributors. In 2014, Rhiannon also appeared in a number of concerts including Sondheim - "Only... Slightly Rearranged" (The Pheasantry and Lauderdale House), Wish Upon a Snowflake (The Pheasantry), Barlow & Smith's Christmas Cracker Cabaret (The Pheasantry) and The West End Meets the West Country (Sterts Theatre). Rhiannon also continued her work in performance art, appearing in Peter Joslyn's 'Fading Rock Group Revival' as part of his Phantoscope work.

In 2015, Rhiannon completed further filming work on Cally Spooner's And You Were Wonderful, On Stage for exhibition at Spike Island, Bristol and the Stedelijk Museum in 2016. 2015 also saw many concert performances from Rhiannon, most notably Boom Bang-a-Bang, which celebrated the life and works of Ivor Novello award-winning composer Michael Julien, For Your Ears Only (The Pheasantry) and Barlow & Smith's "Christmas in the City" Album Launch (The Pheasantry). In 2015, Rhiannon also formed the vibraphone-based jazz quartet 'Viberance' with world-renowned percussionist Anthony Kerr.

Test of Time Productions

In 2012, Rhiannon set up Test Of Time Productions, "with the aim of bringing both theatre and music that has stood the test of time to contemporary audiences (www.testoftimeprods.co.uk)." Their first show, Let's Do It - A Celebration of Cole Porter and his Contemporaries sold out across London and Off-West End venues including The Bridewell Theatre, Jermyn Street Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre and Upstairs at the Gatehouse. This was followed by a number of similar performances over the next few years, including celebrations of Sondheim and the music of James BOND, amongst others. Most notably, in 2015 Rhiannon teamed up with Eurovision and Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter Michael Julien for a one-off "celebration concert" of his works at The Pheasantry, Chelsea. The show was briefly discussed on Brian Matthew's BBC Radio 2 show Sounds of the '60s. On 16 December 2015, Rhiannon announced via her Twitter page that in 2016 she would be launching Test Of Time Entertainment, a bespoke London-based entertainment agency.

Personal life

Rhiannon is engaged to be married in July 2016. She lives in Central London with her fiancé. She is related to the actress Angharad Rees on her mother's side.

Notable performances