Meet The Team

Joel Montague

Joel is no stranger to the stage, having appeared in many productions, both amateur and professional from the age of 18 months.  As a student of YSD Theatre School, The Grange School, Hartford and Guildford School of Acting, Joel has spent most of his life training to be an actor. 

Joel took the lead role of the Beast in Curtain Call’s May 2010 production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre.

In his younger years, he gained wide experience in television, including Coronation Street, Disney Club, In Suspicious Circumstancesand Goodbye My Lovewith Robert Lindsay. At The Grange School, Joel toured Europe with the school choir, Cantores Roborienses, and appeared in many productions, including Rolf in The Sound of Music, Birdboot in The Real Inspector Hound, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Riff in West Side Story.

One of Joel’s greatest achievements was gaining 4th place in the All England Tap Finals.  At the Guildford School of Acting he attained a BA Hons degree in Musical Theatre.  In his first year, he was selected to appear in Hot Mikado - a rare accolade, as he also choreographed the tap.  At college he played a range of roles, including Enoch Snow inCarousel, Mike in A Chorus Line The Big One and Dance Captain in Chaplin and the Eldest Magician in Just So. He has worked with a variety of professionals and as his finals performance was asked to reprise the role of Riff in West Side Story at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Having gained his teaching qualifications in all disciplines at YSD Theatre School, Joel hopes to continue to become a BTDA Examiner,  Having appeared in many Showtime performances over the years, Joel has also wowed audiences with his passion for choreography.  In January 2010, he directed and choreographed his first full musical, Hairspray,with Curtain Call to great acclaim.  Joel wants to use his West End experience to pass on his knowledge of musical theatre to young people and hopefully inspire others to pursue acting careers.

Joel was in the West End production of the smash hit musical Billy Elliot.  In 2010, he played the lead role inDick Whittington at Milton Keynes Theatre.  He  is currently appearing in the UK Tour of Sister Act.

Gail Montague

Gail started dancing at the age of three.  She was trained by her sister Yvonne in all disciplines of stage dancing – American Tap, Jazz, Acro, Modern Musical, Lyrical and Ballet.  AT the same time she was a pupil at Suffield Tweedies in Manchester.  In her younger days, Gail took part in pantomimes which were presented by Yvonne.  Her first major role was Red Riding Hood at the age of 11 and this was followed by professional shows and pantos.  At 16, Gail started a student teacher’s course and qualified in all forms of stage dance two years later.  She has been teaching with Yvonne for 42 years, becoming a partner in the school.  For the last 15 years, Gail has owned the YSD Theatre School.

Gail is head of dance at The Grange Junior and Senior Schools in Hartford, Northwich.  She teaches vocational examinations including A Level examinations in all disciplines.  She has choreographed West Side Story, Grease andLes Miserables at The Grange Senior School and is preparing for a performance of Cabaret in March 2011.

In addition to helping produce shows for YSD Theatre School, Gail has choreographed Oliver, Carousel, Calamity Jane, Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady, Anything Goes, Bugsy Malone, Singin in the Rain and many more musicals for operatic societies.  As well as choreographing and playing the part of Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street in 1995 and 2002, she also choreographed and played Miss Dinsmoor in Singing in the Rain.  Her favourite part to date has to be Anita in West Side Story, a part she would love to play again.

Gail has been responsible for co-ordinating YSD Theatre School’s performances on stage at Walt Disney World Florida for the past 18 years. She also achieved one of her ambitions when she produced, directed and choreographed Grease with great success.

Gail decided to join her son, Joel, in forming Curtain Call Productions to encourage people of all ages to show their talents in musical theatre and have the chance to appear in a professional production with a professional orchestra.  Her role in Curtain Call is director / producer and she hopes to stage modern musicals with the company, to attract new members to join in the fun and excitement.

Malcolm Forbes-Peckham

Malcolm Forbes-Peckham completed the John  Wilson Junior Fellowship in accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is hugely grateful for support from the Oglesby Charitable Trust, The South Square Trust and The Musicians’ Benevolent Fund for supporting his studies under the tutelage of Helen Krizos. Since being at the RNCM he has gained vast performance experience as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician.

Malcolm has performed at major London venues such as The Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St John’s Smith Square, St James’ Piccadillyand The Purcell Room.  Particular highlights in his concert history have included a performance at Wales Millennium Centre (Cardiff), a gala concert at the Beau Rivage palace Hotel (Lausanne, Switzerland) and more recently a memorable charity recital at Lambeth Palace with The Tanera Piano Trio, an ensemble formed at the RNCM in 2004. Malcolm has given solo recitals in the Malvern St James concert series and for Bude Music Society and Sheffield Music Club.

During this time at RNCM, Malcolm developed a wide diversity of musical experience.  As a soloist, he has consistently achieved first class results in final recitals and in 2005 he won first prize in the prestigious RNCM Piano Recital Prize, thus being awarded the Gordon Greene Memorial Award for piano.  He has also been the recipient of most of the college’s accompaniment awards.

As a chamber musician, Malcolm has had great success with his piano trio, winning the RNCM, Hirsch, Weil and Granada prizes and performing at the Lake District Summer Music Festival.  Malcolm has recently been appointed as staff pianist at Malvern St James School in Worcestershire.  He works regularly as a Vocal Coach and Musical Director across the country, recently working on West Side Story (RNCM) and Dido and Aeneas (Malvern St James).