Aaron Sidwell

Aaron Michael Sidwell^[1] (born 12 September 1988)^[2] is a British actor and singer . He is best known for playing Steven Beale in the British soap opera EastEnders and originating the role of Michael Dork in Loserville in the West End.^[3]

Career

Sidwell started his acting career on stage and was a member of All Saints Choir and worked for several years on the stage. He then studied acting on a BTEC course.

Shortly after leaving, his big break came when he was cast as Steven Beale in BBC's long-running serial drama, EastEnders; he took over the role from Edward Savage, who last appeared in 2002. It was revealed on 22 February 2008, that Sidwell would be leaving EastEnders when his contract came to an end. His final scenes aired on 9 May 2008.

He has since worked on a feature film called Blood Army, playing the role of Lewis. Blood Army is a vampire film about the beginning and end of time. He then played the part of The Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in his home town of Maidstone.

At the end of April 2010, Sidwell started working on an Internet show called Almost, but not quite, playing the part of Josh Newell; the show is set to air on 24 May. He starred in the pantomime Aladdin at the Harlow Playhouse in December 2010. In August 2011, he starred in a new musical called The Prodigals alongside X Factor's Lucie Jones, which made its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In January 2012, it was announced that Sidwell would make his West End debut in Children of Eden at the Prince of Wales theatre, starring alongside names such as Gareth Gates and Kerry Ellis. It was announced that Aaron would take the part of Ham in Stephen Schwartz's musical.

On 19 April 2012, it was announced that Sidwell would head up the cast of the brand new musical Loserville: The Musical. It was announced that he would play the part of Michael Dork, and that the show would be playing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse from June 18. Those also named in the cast were Gareth Gates, Lil' Chris and Eliza Bennett.

On 23 August 2012, it was announced that Loserville would be transferring to the West End. The show would be put on at the Garrick Theatre and would start previewing from 1 October. Some of the cast, including Sidwell, were guests on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, where they performed Ticket Outta Loserville. He was also a guest on the chat show The Wright Stuff. Unfortunately, Loserville: The Musical was unable to stay open until the end of its first booking period posting an early notice in January. The show closed on 5 January 2013. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Michael Dork, and although the show was not a blockbuster hit, it has been viewed as a cult hit. He later posted on his Twitter account about the show saying "This show has changed my life in more ways than you will ever know. I am proud to say that I was part of something special".^[4]

In March 2013, it was announced that Sidwell would be replacing Sid Owen in the brand new musical Carnaby Street: The Musical. Sidwell would take on the role of Jack, a young band manager who narrates the piece. The show opened at The Hackney Empire on April 6. He remained with the production throughout 2013.

In January 2014, it was announced that Sidwell would play Michael Carrington in a West End Concert version of the cult hit movie Grease 2. The show was to be called Cool Rider: Live, and would be staged at the Lyric Theatre from January 2014. The show was later confirmed to be moving to the Duchess Theatre in April 2014, where it received rave reviews. Following Cool Rider: Live, it was confirmed that Sidwell would play the role of Tybalt in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, from 27 June onwards. The show would be touring open air venues around the UK.

Shortly after finishing Romeo and Juliet, it was announced that Sidwell would play Carl Bruner in Ghost: The Musical at the English Theatre Frankfurt, making him the first person to do so in Germany. The show would run for 6 months from 19 November onwards. He described the role as "a dream come true".

Personal life

Sidwell was born in 1988 in Maidstone, Kent^[1] and grew up in the village of Kingswood, Kent. He was given a drama scholarship when he was eleven years old at Bethany School.^[5] Sidwell married his long term girlfriend Grace Isted on 18 April 2009, and on 18 July 2009, they had their first child, Matilda Bethany. On 18 January 2012, they had their second child, Isla Grace. In early 2013, Sidwell separated from his wife. By April 2013, he began dating Carnaby Street co-star Tricia Adele-Turner.

References

External links

• Aaron Sidwell at the Internet Movie Database