Geoff Berrisford made his theatre tour debut playing Sayid in the UK & Ireland Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and before auditioning for his role, he had been accepted for a place at the Royal Central School London for the Musical Theatre course, which Geoff deferred until the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Tour finished, and where he is now currently training. For Geoff’s role of Sayid, he worked alongside a cast including Ivano Turco as Jamie New, Talia Palamathanan as Pritti Pasha and Finton Flynn as Alternate Jamie, and the touring show was directed by Matt Ryan. Previously, Geoff made his professional and West End debut playing Young Simba in The Lion King, and as a screen actor, he most recently had a guest role in Series 4 of Sex Education playing Dave. In the CBBC show The Dumping Ground, Geoff played the recurring guest character of Jake in Series 7 and 8, with Stacy Liu playing his mother May-Li Wang, and he worked closely with Hannah Moncur as Chloe Reeves. Answering our questions, Geoff spoke to us about playing Sayid in the UK & Ireland Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, making his professional and West End debut as Young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King, filming as Dave in Series 4 of Sex Education and his recurring guest character of Jake in The Dumping Ground.
You played Sayid in the UK & Ireland Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, how would you describe Sayid and what was he like to play?
Sayid was very fun and satisfying to play. Sayid is an ordinary teenage boy, quite harmless and cool, but not the brightest of students. He is very humorous without meaning to be; but I don’t think he cares what people think of him, so he says what he likes a lot.
Sayid is great as he has quite a few funny lines that he isn’t trying to be funny with, so it was nice to play that dynamic on stage.
Had you seen Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on stage before auditioning, and how did you feel finding out you’d booked your role on tour?
I had seen it! I saw the 2021 West End cast and I loved it! It was a full-circle moment being on tour, as I found myself working with some of the people I’d watched that day!
I remember getting the call from my agent and being so surprised, happy, and confused at the same time – confused because I’d literally left the audition about 30 minutes before! It was very exciting, as I was in the midst of studying for my A Levels and was about to be the youngest member of the company. I was already trying to picture the year ahead, but there was no way I could imagine those next 12 months!
What was the musical like to perform in and how did you find the experience touring for the first time?
It’s such a touching, personal story to tell, and to take it on the road to all these regions felt like the best way to tell it. Seeing how different parts of the country responded to the show was so interesting, especially when we went further into the North where the show really felt like it was at home!
Tour allowed me to see so many places, people and theatres that I otherwise may not have experienced; I stopped measuring time in months and weeks, but instead places and towns.
Did you have a favourite scene or song in the production and how was it telling Jamie’s story?
I loved performing the Act 2 beginner, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, where we all gossip in school about what we saw at Jamie’s drag show. It was an invitation to simply have a great time on stage; I felt like I was a schoolkid again, buzzing with energy and bringing the audience back into the atmosphere after the interval.
Being part of telling the wonderful true story about an individual who stood up against bigotry simply by being themselves was a great privilege. It was made even more rewarding by seeing how much it meant to so many people across the country who felt uplifted by the character of Jamie. That’s an experience that has stuck with me, completely reinforcing my love and appreciation for theatre’s impact in general.
What are some of your favourite highlights from being in the cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie?
Sightseeing/exploring days in different venues! When we had a day off, I loved just walking round and absorbing the atmosphere of this new town, and just having a lovely day out with the wonderful people I work with.
For your professional theatre debut, you played Young Simba in the West End production of The Lion King, how was it getting into costume/character as Young Simba and what was it like performing the songs and choreography?
Playing Young Simba was such a fun experience for me as a ten year old! I found getting into the character so easy, as putting on that corset and baggy trousers instantly got me straight into feeling like that young lion. I was absolutely in love with the music of the show, so I found it a pleasure to sing and dance to!
The choreography by Garth Fagan, taught to me by the late Thea Barnes (who I was ever so lucky to work with), was so brilliant and catchy I was doing it in my sleep months after I finished!
What did you enjoy most about working on a Disney musical and how was it performing in the West End?
When I watched The Lion King before I joined, I remember being in awe at how big the whole thing was – it is a truly overwhelming experience in the best way. Being in it feels the same; there is nothing quite like being on top of Pride Rock looking out on the audience, or flying above a wildebeest stampede. It really feels like anything is possible on that stage with Disney.
I don’t think it dawned on me that I was going to be in the West End until that first night, when I was stood behind Mufasa ready to go on. That’s when I realised I was suddenly a part of something very exciting (and in that moment, scary), but also that I had been trusted to do this as a child, and how much of a privilege that was! The adrenaline rush after that first show was wild.
The next 18 months as Young Simba really pushed me to grow – not only as a professional, but as a kid – and to grow up in that environment, at that stage, was so educational in so many ways. It was a beautiful thing to do, and I cherish every memory I have of that time.
On screen, you most recently played Dave in an episode of Sex Education – Series 4, how was it having a guest role in the show?
It was so cool, but also very strange, to be on the set of a show that I had loved since Season 1. Working with Netflix was a great opportunity – so efficient and chill, more so than I expected!
It was so funny seeing loads of people message me or their friends on social media asking “Geoff – is that you??”. I enjoyed being a small part of such a cool show that has a great message of inclusion and acceptance. Also, the show is hilarious, and I will be rewatching it soon…
What was it like joining the cast of The Dumping Ground as recurring guest character Jake in Series 7 and 8, and what was it like on set of a long-running CBBC show?
It was, at first, slightly daunting joining the cast of such a long-running show, as everyone had known each other for a while before. I found myself taken in so quickly by everyone into this little family and had a wonderful time filming with them.
How was it filming with Stacy Liu as your on-screen mother May-Li Wang, Hannah Moncur as Chloe Reeves and with the rest of the cast?
Stacy really took me in as a son for those filming days; she was so sweet and funny, she made me feel so comfortable! I remember being impressed seeing her switch from joking around and chatting to suddenly being in front of the camera acting!
Hannah was such a great scene partner to have, and we had a great time in between takes; she was such a professional and very in her element, but also relaxed and jokey.
The same can absolutely be said about the rest of the cast – loads of very cool, professional young people having a good time in a found family. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
Do you have any stand-out memories from your time filming as Jake in The Dumping Ground that you can share?
On one of our days off, as filming is based in Newcastle, the chaperones took a couple of us to a beach in Sunderland. The trip, as well as the drives there and back, was so peaceful, and I remember laughing so much with everyone.
It was October though, so it was freezing, but I don’t often remember that part! I just remember feeling very accepted into the cast, and counting myself very lucky to be doing what I was doing!
We understand you are currently training at Royal Central School London, how is your training going so far and was there anything that encouraged you to attend?
I’m having the best time; I can’t imagine doing anything else at this stage of my career. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love everyday in a completely safe space with no pressure to be ‘perfect’, and to be doing it with a class of other brilliant, committed like-minded creatives.
I won a place on the Musical Theatre degree course at Central before I auditioned for Jamie! So when I got the part, my mum, who has always wanted me to get a drama school education, encouraged me to ask for a deferral, which they accepted!
The director of the UK Tour of Jamie, Matt Ryan, when he found out I had a place at drama school for the following year, really encouraged me to go for it and see it through! So I have a couple of people to thank!
Where does your love of performing come from and how did you get into it?
When I was a kid, my parents saw that I was very much into playing pretend, especially pretending to be Doctor Who! So my mum saw all of this creative energy and took me to audition for a local part-time stage school called Top Hat, and their agency, Top Talent. I got in, and that summer, I was in the show A Dream Across the Ocean at the Ashcroft Theatre, which was a touching show about the Windrush generation.
It was clear I loved performing, so I kept auditioning, eventually leading me to get into The Lion King. The rest is history! I will always have my parents to thank as they’ve really gotten me where I am now from the ground up, starting without much knowledge of the industry! I’ve learnt so much from them, and they’ve learnt a lot with me as we’ve navigated through show business together, and I count myself very fortunate to have them as the supportive parents that they are.
What are some of your favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch?
I find it hard to pin down exactly my type of movies, but I’d say it’s a mixture of science-fiction (Dune, Doctor Who, Star Wars) and classics like Strictly Ballroom! I’ve recently been into romance movies, having just finished watching We Live in Time and being absolutely devastated by it.
I love a lot of theatre, because the event of going to the theatre is still, for me, so magical. I watched Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club recently and was enamoured by the show.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
I really enjoy walking around, by myself or with people, mainly around London, with either a great conversation or a playlist filling my ears.
I also love talking to people – strangers or whoever – as I love hearing stories from people and their lives! There are thousands of stories all around us every day; it’s very interesting to find out about even one of those stories!
What are you hoping this year brings for you?
To gain more knowledge and understanding of my craft, and to really find my own authentic voice as an artist and as a person. I look forward to meeting new and wonderful people, creative and non-creative, and to find more passions outside of acting!
I hope this year brings more opportunities to work with other creatives on projects outside of uni that stretch me as a performer.