
Anna’s passion for performing began from a young age in her hometown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne when she was thrust into spotlight by her older sister who wrote, directed, costumed and marketed shows at The Gilthorpe Residence and charged the neighbours to come and watch (all proceeds went to charity). Not put off that her sisters got to play the fairies and the princesses whilst she was cast as the ‘ugly stepsister’ and ‘dodgy man with moustache’, Anna continued singing and acting through school and was a regular onstage in plays, musicals and shows at her local dance school (where she won a scholarship for improvising a very impressive 'bit of seaweed')
Aged 17 Anna travelled up to St Andrews with a friend to take part in a week long singing course run by Mary Hammond head of the Musical Theatre course at The Royal Academy of Music. After hearing Anna sing Mary asked if she would like to come to London and audition for the show ‘Whistle Down the Wind’. She thought about this for all of half a millisecond and screamed ‘YES’ and dragged her Mum down to London where very nervously she sang for the casting director and producer. Unfortunately she didn’t get the role and after thinking the world had ended for a week she was elated when Mary suggested that she might like to audition for the course at The Royal Academy of Music.

On New Years Day 2005 Anna received a letter confirming her place at
The Royal Academy of Music and very excitedly moved down to London the following September to start her year of intense singing, acting, dancing and jazzhands training. During her time at The Academy Anna played many roles and managed to secure an agent by graduation.
In the following months Anna sent out millions of CVs and generally begged every Tom, Dick and Harry to employ her. She did lots of short films, music and corporate videos to gain screen experience and this all came to fruition when she landed her debut TV role for ‘Holby City’. Anna played ‘Annie West’, a teenager so badly burnt in a car accident that even her own mother couldn’t recognise her (oh the glamour). This involved 3 hours of make up everyday and having to be escorted to and from set so that they could warn people that it was just make up and she was OK!
Summer 07 saw lots of sun, sea and singing for Anna when she was offered a 6 month contract singing in a hotel in Portugal. She has many fond memories during this time making lots of good friends and singing West End style shows, compeering nights and playing welly wanging with the 50 year old + guests.

Anna’s next job was with the opera company Pimlico Opera, who she has now worked with three times, in Portsmouth Prison performing ‘Sweeney Todd The Musical’ alongside a selection of inmates. She was slightly terrified at the prospect of being in close proximity with 12 murderers (and not really calmed by one of the first comments from them being ‘well at least we have first hand experience’ when talking about the theme of the show!) but has always had an amazing experience in all the shows (Westside Story Jan 09 and Carmen Jan 10) and found the change in prisoners from start to finish astonishing and very heart warming.
These shows are performed to the public and inmates friends and family and received glowing reviews in The Observer, The Guardian and The Financial Times. Anna was slightly gutted during her first performance of ‘Westside Story’ to 250 prisoners during her entrance as ‘Velma’ head girl of the jets was greeted by a shout of ‘4 out of 10’ by one of the audience members who most probably hadn’t seen a girl for a very long time. Anna blames this on the dodgy wig she had to wear.

It was just after the first prison project that Anna was invited to audition for a new TV comedy pilot called ‘The Gemma Factor’. After falling in love with the script, she went to audition for the role of ‘Nell’ all gothed up to the nines and was delighted when Janet Hampson the casting director asked her to degoth and read for the part of ‘Gemma’. She was asked to travel up to Manchester for the recalls and met already cast Ross Adams and immediately hit it off with him with Geordie banter and the realisation that they had both been oot on the Toon in Buffolooo Jooooes. A few weeks later Anna found herself on set having the time of her life in Hebden Bridge.
The waiting then began to find out if the pilot would be commissioned for a series by the BBC. After months of sitting on her reception desk checking her phone every 10 seconds the phonecall arrived confirming that The Gemma Factor would be made into a series but the BBC would like to reaudition the role of Gemma to secure a named actress for the part. This meant that Anna had to carry on waiting and auditioning to prove that she was the girl for the job which finally, in May 09 it was announced that she would be. Anna screamed the house down on receiving this news and tried to fool her housemates into thinking she hadn’t got it but failed as she couldn’t stop smiling.

During this time Anna also performed in the musical ‘Mack and Mabel’ at
The Broadway Theatre, Catford. A profit share production saw all cast members skint towards an inch of their lives but they all got on so amazingly well sharing some brilliant times and brilliant reviews! Anna played ‘Ella’ the studio pianist and had the challenge of playing the piano and saxophone, tap dancing and doing forward rolls in keystone cops – luckily not all at once!
From the tight friendship the cast made on this show they decided to put together a musical theatre troupe ‘The Tootsie Rollers’ that Anna still performs with in and around London on the cabaret scene.

Back to The Gemma Factor… Anna was whisked up to Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire where she was spray tanned, dyed blonde, buffed and plucked to an inch of her life to play her dream role of Gemma. The whole 6 weeks of filming she had to keep pinching herself to see if it was real and it was hurray! All day filming with an amazing cast, amazing crew, amazing script (written by the very talented Tony Pitts), amazing director (BAFTA winner John Henderson) and amazing scenery was Anna’s best job to date and she loved every second of it.
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Anna has worked on a wide variety of projects in Television, Theatre, Film, Recording and Commercials, here is a list of her credits to date.
Part:Donna Bramwell Co:BBC Dir:Paul Gibson
Part:Gemma Collinge Co:BBC3 Dir:John Henderson
Part:Gemma Collinge Co:BBC3 Dir:Ben Gregor
Part:Annie West Co:BBC Dir:Farren Blackburn
Part:Chorus Co.Pimlico Opera Dir:Olivia Fuchs Venue:Wandsworth Prison
Part:Velma Dir:Michael Moody Venue:Wandsworth Prison
Part:Ella Dir:Thom Southerland Venue:The Broadway Theatre
Part:Chorus Co:Pimlico Opera Venue:Portsmouth Prison
Part:Lead Female Co:Openwide International Venue:Portugal
Part:Ensemble Venue:Drury Lane Theatre
Part:Ensemble Venue:The New Players Theatre
Part:Debbie Doris Dir:Tonto Papadopolis
Part:Lucy Spook Co:Loonatik & Drinks
Part:Lead Girl Co:Delicious Digital
Part:Lead Girl Co:Solomon Music Management
Part:Lead Girl Co:Shrunken Head Productions
Part:Trainer / Trainee Co:MP3s Reed Training
Part:Female Geordie Co:The Voice Cafe
Part:Girl On The Stairs
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Royal Academy of Music Musical Theatre PGDip with Distinction
Royal Academy of Music Teaching Qualification LRAM
National Youth Music Theatre 2002/03
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H L Hammond Award for Verse Speaking (very Highly Commended)
LAMDA Gold Award Solo Acting (with Honours)
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Pippa Ailion, Philip Quast, Jeremy Sams, Michael England, Matt Ryan
and Paul Farrington
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Mary Hammond, Anne Marie Speed, Ann James and Irene Drummond
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Piano (Grade 6)
Saxophone (Grade 5)
This has been a busy year for Anna with a leading role on TV and performances with
Pimlico Opera and The Tootsie Rollers. Watch this space for exciting future projects.

Anna has just completed filming on BBC's popular daytime show 'Doctors'. She plays Donna Bramwell, a young girl obsessed with the 60s, Cliff Richard and looking like Duffy. It will be aired this August.

Anna has recently accepted a post to teach Film & Television Acting to students at The Pauline Quirk Academy.

The cast of The Gemma Factor are getting together to do the Shine Manchester Charity Walk 2010 to raise money for Cancer Research UK on the 17th March.

Comedy drama The Gemma Factor hits your screens on the 9th March at 10:30pm on BBC3. Anna is very excited to be playing the lead role of Gemma, a young girl on a quest for fame before her 21st birthday.

Anna's group The Tootsie Rollers perform at 'An Evening of Jazz' on the 30th March at The Picturedrome, Northampton and 'Musicalifragilistic' at London nightclub Punk on the 7th April.

Anna has just completed a run of 'Carmen' performed in Wandsworth Prison alongside a selection of inmates to the public as a rehabilitation project led by Pimlico Opera.
A selection of useful links for Anna, her recent BBC3 series
The Gemma Factor and musical theatre troupe The Tootsie Rollers.
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Anna’s Twitter page http://twitter.com/anna_gilthorpe Anna’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Gilthorpe/201921060708
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The Gemma Factor Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=263846333185Gemma Factor Fans on Twitter http://twitter.com/GemFactorFansGemma Factor BBC3 website http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rfgsgGemma Factor Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gemma_FactorAnna's BBC3 Gemma blog http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcthree/2010/03/gemmas-five-steps-to-fame.shtml
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The Tootsie's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=263846333185#!/pages/The-Tootsie-Rollers/50552220998?ref=ts

Anna played the lead role 'Gemma Collinge' in the BBC3 comedy drama set in the fictional village of 'Lumb Dean', West Yorkshire. The six-part series told the story of Gemma who wants to be famous by the time she turns 21.The show also starred Ross Adams as Gemma's best friend 'Jeff', Angus Barnett as 'Kenny', Claire King as 'Betty' and Gwyneth Powell as 'Nana'.
The Tootsies are a musical theatre troupe who regularly perform in and around the London area. Originally former cast members in 'Mack and Mabel' at The Broadway Theatre, Catford, the current line up is: Flora Dawson, Meg Gallagher, Anna Gilthorpe, Katy Heavens, Lisa Millar, Khiley Williams and Emily Spicer.
A selection of Anna's recent voice over work for The Gemma Factor, Yorkshire Tea, Baileys, Sainsbury's and the NSPCC. Vocal recordings include My Baby Just Cares For Me, and showtunes from Boy George's Taboo and the Broadway musical version of The Full Monty.
Vocals - Anna Gilthorpe,
Piano - Daniel Rein, Recording - Tim Roe.
Anna as Gemma from The Gemma Factor, filmed for BBC3.
Accent: Yorkshire.
Duration: 00:00/00:29
Voice Over for Sainsbury's So Organic product range.
Accent: Natural.
Duration: 00:00/00:21
Voice Over for National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Accent: Natural.
Duration: 00:00/00:37
Jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn for the 1928 musical Whoopee!, better known as the signature tune of Nina Simone.
Duration: 00:00/01:14
Jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn for the 1928 musical Whoopee!, better known as the signature tune of Nina Simone.
Duration: 00:00/02:08
A gallery of Anna's promotional images and headshots.
A number feature Anna and her co-star from The Gemma Factor, Ross Adams, as the pair prove that Ant and Dec aren't the only famous duo from Newcastle!





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Scott Marshall Partners Ltd
2nd Floor
15 Little Portland Street
London
W1W 8BW
Tel: 0207 637 4623
www.scottmarshall.co.uk
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Anna is a qualified singing teacher (LRAM Royal Academy of Music).
Private and group lessons to a wide range of abilities and ages.
For more information email info@annagilthorpe.com
All images and content on this website are the sole property of
Anna Gilthorpe and must not be used without prior permission.
Video clips are the property of the respective rights holders and
must not be used without prior permission.
Claire Newman-Williams
Steve Lawton
John Clark
Rosie Collins (main site shots)
Fiona Jopp
Lucasz M Centka
Video Editing:The Big RD.
Visit:www.thebigrd.com
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