Maiya Quansah-Breed
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Maiya Jasmin Esi Quansah-Breed (born 6 July 1997) is an English singer and stage actress. She is best known for playing
Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...
in the UK tour and original cast of the musical ''
SIX 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
'', a role that granted her and her fellow castmates an
Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019.


Early life and education

Maiya Jasmin Esi Quansah-Breed was born in Eccles and grew up in
Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...
. She attended Longdendale High School in
Hollingworth Hollingworth is a village in the Tameside district, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about 11 miles (19 km) east of Manchester, on the Derbyshire border near Hadfield. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and ...
. At the age of 16, she attended college at
Pendleton College Pendleton College was a sixth form college in Pendleton, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It was established in 1973 and merged with Salford College and Eccles College to form Salford City College in 2009. History The college was establ ...
, studying musical theatre. She trained in musical theatre at
Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Overview The school is part of the University of Surrey ...
, graduating in 2018 with fellow ''Six'' cast member
Grace Mouat Grace Elizabeth Mouat (born 12 May 1996) is an English musical theatre actress and podcaster. She is best known as Dance Captain/Swing in the musical ''Six'', cover Juliet in ''& Juliet'', Ella in '' Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella'' ( Hope Mi ...
.


Career


Musical theatre

Quansah-Breed made her professional debut joining the cast of ''
SIX 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
'' in 2018 for the UK tour production, which then moved permanently to the
Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It opened on April 20, 1927. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre cen ...
in London. She was nominated for the
Black British Theatre Awards The Black British Theatre Awards (BBTAs) have been presented annually since 2019 to recognise excellence among Black performers, creatives and productions in the UK. History The BBTAs were established in 2019 and first awarded in October of that ...
in 2020 for her portrayal of Catherine Parr in the musical. Quansah-Breed returned to the show a few times as emergency cover for Catherine Parr both in the UK tour and West End production. She also returned to the role in June 2022, with the original cast of the show, for three concerts at
Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...
. In 2020 she starred in Dominic Powell's ''Cases'', transferring at
The Other Palace The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre. It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre. It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, ...
after a successful run at the Phoenix Theatre. The cast also featured Sabrina Aloueche, Andrew Patrick-Walker, and Adrian Hansel. Quansah-Breed was also part of the album recording of the show in 2021. In the same year she took part in the workshop of the coming-of-age musical thriller ''Game Theory'', developed by UK theatre company Perfect Pitch and directed by
Julie Atherton Julie Atherton is a British actress, singer and director. She is best known for originating the role of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the West End production of ''Avenue Q''. and playing Sister Mary Robert in the first UK tour of ''Sister ...
. Quansah-Breed took the role of Mimi Marquez in the
Hope Mill Theatre The Hope Mill Theatre is an independent theatre in Ancoats, Manchester, England that performs original and revival plays, musicals and other events. The theatre is located in the Hope Mill building, a Grade II* listed converted textile mill. It ...
production of ''RENT'', which was due to open in 2020, but only ran five performances before a new UK COVID-19 lockdown. The production was directed by Luke Sheppard and starred
Millie O'Connell Emilia Rose O'Connell (born 18 January 1997) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Anne Boleyn in the original UK tour and West End production of the musical ''SIX''. She is part of pop girl group SVN ...
as Maureen, Jocasta Almgill as Joanne, Blake Patrick Anderson as Mark,
Tom Francis Thomas George Francis (20 October 1920 – April 1996) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Francis began his career with non-league club Cheltenham Town in 1938, however Francis' time at Cheltenham was interrupted by ...
as Roger, Ahmed Hamad as Benny, Dom Hartley-Harris as Collins, and Alex Thomas-Smith as Angel. The show was streamed online during the lockdown and returned at the Hope Mill for a short engagement in 2021. The cast of this second run was mostly the same with
Luke Bayer Luke Charles Bayer (born 25 August 1992) is an English actor and singer who is known for his work in musical theatre. He is best known for his work in the Original West End Cast of ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' at the Apollo Theatre and f ...
covering the role of Mark and
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (born 1997) is an English actor. He is known for his work in theatre, receiving a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for his performance in the musical ''Newsies''. Early life Ahomka-Lindsay was born in South West London to a G ...
playing Benny. In December 2021, she took part as Lady McDuff in the workshop of the new musical ''Lady M'', with other cast members including,
Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...
as
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...
, Karl Queensborough as
Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
,
Jamie Muscato Jamie Muscato (born 12 April 1990) is an English actor and singer. Muscato is best known for his portrayal of Jason Dean (J.D.) in the original London run of '' Heathers: The Musical'' in 2018. He has starred in several other West End productio ...
as
Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane (Scotland), Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play ''Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (character), Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) an ...
and
George Blagden George Paul Blagden (born 28 December 1989) is an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his role as Louis XIV in the French-produced television series drama ''Versailles.'' He also played Grantaire in the 2012 film adaptation of ...
as McDuff. In 2023 Quansah-Breed returned in the role of Philoclea to the Hope Mill Theatre for their production of the musical ''Head Over Heels'' playing from January to March. The
Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...
jukebox show made its UK debut in the venue in Manchester. On 14 June 2023 it was announced that Quansah-Breed would be playing 19-year-old
Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...
in a new concert version of the musical ''Diana'', playing at the
Eventim Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
on 4 December 2023. In this version of the show the lead role was split between two actresses, with
Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...
playing Diana, Princess of Wales.
Denise Welch Jacqueline Denise Welch (born 22 May 1958) is an English actress, television personality, writer and broadcaster. Her roles include Natalie Barnes in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1997–2000), Steph Haydock in '' Waterloo Road' ...
also guest starred as
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
. From January to February 2024 Quansah-Breed was part of the cast of ''Rehab: The New Musical'', as Lucy Blake.


Music

Quansah-Breed is part of the all-female group SVN, together with original ''SIX'' cast members
Jarnéia Richard-Noel Jarnéia Richard-Noel (born 12 June 1994) is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of Catherine of Aragon in the musical ''Six (musical), SIX'' on the original UK tour and in the West End production at the Art ...
(Jaye’J), Millie O’Connell,
Natalie Paris Natalie May Paris (born 6 July 1994) is a British stage actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for originating the role of Jane Seymour in the hit musical ''SIX'', she was nominated for the Olivier Award as Best Actress in a Supporting R ...
, Alexia McIntosh (Lexi),
Aimie Atkinson Aimie Allen-Atkinson (born 5 June 1987) is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of Katherine Howard in British comedy musical ''SIX'' on the original UK tour and in the West End production at the Arts Theatre, ...
, and
Grace Mouat Grace Elizabeth Mouat (born 12 May 1996) is an English musical theatre actress and podcaster. She is best known as Dance Captain/Swing in the musical ''Six'', cover Juliet in ''& Juliet'', Ella in '' Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella'' ( Hope Mi ...
. The idea for the group was suggested by McIntosh when ''Six'' opened in Edinburgh in 2018. In 2021 SVN released their first original song, 'Stars', with their second single, 'Woman', announced on 28 April 2022 and focusing on female empowerment.


Discography


Personal life

Quansah-Breed is
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
.


Theatre credits


Awards and nominations


References


External links


Maiya Quansah-Breed
at Spotlight
Eventim Apollo, Diana

Head Over Heels, Hope Mill Theatre

Lady M, the musical

SVN group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quansah-Breed, Maiya 1997 births Living people Actors from Eccles, Greater Manchester Actors from High Peak, Derbyshire Actresses from Derbyshire Actresses from Greater Manchester Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting Black British actresses English musical theatre actresses People from Glossop 21st-century English singers 21st-century English women singers