It has been announced that Theo Wake is set to play Charlie Bucket in the upcoming Leicester Curve Theatre production of Roald Dahl’s well-loved story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and will be directed by Nikolai Foster, with a cast including Jonny Fines as Willy Wonka, David Michael Johnson as Grandpa Joe and Molly Lynch as Mrs Bucket, with the musical running from Saturday 21st November to Saturday 16th January 2027. Recently, Theo finished his run playing Christian in the regional UK premiere of Fun Home at Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and he worked alongside his on-stage siblings Harriet O’Shea as Small Alison and Reuben Shepherd as John. In March, Theo was part of The Next Chapter Gala at the National Theatre, and in 2024, he played Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre for his West End debut, and reprised his role for the Asia leg of Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour last year. For the world premiere of A Knight’s Tale The Musical at Manchester Opera House, Theo originated the role of Young William, with Andrew Coshan playing the older version (which was made famous by Heath Ledger on screen), and he starred as Oliver in the Leeds Playhouse production of Oliver! for his first professional role. Theo worked alongside David Tennant and Cush Jumbo when he was part of the West End transfer of the William Shakespeare play Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre, playing three roles – Macduff’s Son / Fleance / Young Siward. Away from stage acting, Theo has worked on a Yungblud music video, as well as being a finalist on last year’s West End Calling, and he is represented by Stagebox Management. Answering our questions, we found out from Theo about his recent run as Christian in Fun Home at Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, his time in the musicals Les Misérables, A Knight’s Tale The Musical and Oliver!, being in the cast of Macbeth at Harold Pinter Theatre and reaching the final of West End Calling.

How was your time in the cast of Fun Home at Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, in which you played Christian, and how did you feel on your first and last performance in the role?

Working on Fun Home at the Royal Exchange was a great experience. The theatre is unique, and all the shows there are performed in the round. Fun Home is based on a true story, which was quite cool, and all the characters felt very real. Opening night was really special, and the composer, Jeanine Tesori, came to see the show on the last day, which was amazing.

What was it like working with your on-stage siblings Harriet O’Shea (Small Alison) and Reuben Shepherd (John), and what did you enjoy most about being part of the show?

Working with Harriet and Reuben was great. We were like a proper family, but all the kids were great. My favourite number was Come to the Fun Home, which was the three of us dancing and singing about coffins and dead people in the style of The Jackson 5! During rehearsals, they got us to make up dances and put bits in the final number.

How did you find the experience preparing to open in the regional UK premiere, and what was Christian like to play?

Rehearsals were four weeks. The last week was in the theatre, which meant we could get used to the stage revolve and the four (very same-looking!) exits and entrances. My favourite thing about Christian is that he’s just a very normal, nice kid growing up in the ’70s.

Can you tell us about performing in National Theatre’s The Next Chapter Gala in March?

The NT Gala theme was about children experiencing theatre for the first time. I performed with some big names, like Imelda Staunton (who was very funny) and Meera Syal, and the cast from shows like The Witches, Ballet Shoes and War Horse (Tom Sturgess taught me the War Horse whistle!) My song was about being a child, inspired by the play Ballet Shoes. Lots of famous people were there, like James Corden, Cate Blanchett, Aidan Turner and Celia Imrie, which was very cool!

You played Gavroche in Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre in 2024; how was it getting into character as Gavroche and how was it having a long-running musical as your West End debut?

Having a long-running musical as my West End debut was incredible, but jumping into it was a bit crazy, with less than two weeks to learn the show! The directors asked me to use my own Scottish accent (not Cockney), which I actually found quite hard at first!

What was it like reprising your role of Gavroche for the Asia leg of the Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular World Tour last year, and how different was it to the London production?

The Les Mis Arena Tour music and staging were quite different to the West End. Travelling to Taiwan, Shanghai and Japan was just incredible. I also visited the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors and Hiroshima in Japan, which was really moving.

In the world premiere of A Knight’s Tale The Musical at Manchester Opera House, you played Young William (the younger version of the lead character made famous on screen by Heath Ledger); had you seen the film before booking Young William and was there anything that drew you to the musical?

I watched the film once I got the audition request, and I really liked it. It was cheeky and had some really good songs. I was really excited to be part of the world premiere.

How was it originating the character on stage and sharing the role with Andrew Coshan and the other Young Williams?

I had a great time with the three other Young Williams. It was a crazy show. The choreography, costumes and visual effects were amazing – flying horses, jousting on stage… it was spectacular! I hope it gets to the West End.

I got to start the show by galloping into a spotlight on an empty stage with my hobby horse, singing We Will Rock You a cappella. Working with Andrew Coshan was fun; he’s amazing, and we closed the show facing each other, which was very special.

Having played Macduff’s Son / Fleance / Young Siward in Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End, what was it like being cast in a Shakespeare play and taking on three different characters?

Being cast in a Shakespeare play was SO different, and playing lots of different parts was mad, because one second you had one dad, then he died, then you were performing with a different mum, then she died and you died, then you’re sword-fighting Macbeth (David Tennant), and he snaps your neck and you die again. I also died in the witches’ scenes, so I think I died about four or five times each night!

The rest of the cast had all done the show before (at the Donmar Warehouse), but I had only a couple of weeks to learn it all, which was intense! Also, the audience all had headphones with extra sounds being played in (so they’d be gasping and reacting), but on stage, the actors couldn’t hear any of it, which was weird.

I loved working with an almost fully Scottish cast, including such experienced actors as David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. The production won three WhatsOnStage Awards!

What are some of your favourite memories from starring as Oliver in the Leeds Playhouse production of Oliver! for your first professional theatre role?

One of my favourite memories is finding out I got the part – my first professional role. My mum Zoom-called me from her work just before I headed to school, and I was buzzing.

Being a main character and working with director James Brining was amazing. The set, costumes and choreography were incredible. Being paired up with Noah (Walton) as the Dodger (who I’d seen playing Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tour) was really special. He helped me get used to the world of professional theatre.

I loved working with so many kids… it was all chaos backstage – kids playing football in the corridor, some people getting ready for the show and some not! Most are still friends today. Our Oliver! also won Best Musical Production at the UK Theatre Awards!

What did you learn from working on Oliver! as the title character at the start of your acting career, and how was it performing Oliver’s solo song Where Is Love? and the other musical numbers?

I learned so much! It taught me how to pick things up quickly and work under pressure. I didn’t get so nervous performing big musical numbers when I was 10!

Last year, you reached the final of West End Calling; what was the competition like to do and how did you feel being named as one of the finalists?

It was a huge competition, and I loved learning lots of new songs. Getting feedback from the judges was useful, and being a finalist was very exciting.

Can you say about the voiceover projects, commercials and Yungblud music video you’ve been involved with?

I’ve done quite a few voiceovers, for NatWest, government TV campaigns and Path of Exile 2 (a video game). They’re really fun to do because you get a chance to play around with the script and try different things out.

The Yungblud music video was my first professional screen project. It was cool to be working with a celebrity. We filmed in Brixton and were dressed as skeletons. I had to act out fighting another kid and beating up a teacher!

Where does your love of acting come from, and how did you get into it?

I used to watch my older brother Corin (who’s now studying at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow) in local theatre shows, and my parents encouraged me to give it a go. My first solo role (aged eight) was playing a ‘mini-me’ Mr Fontaine in Grease at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, and I loved it! I then played Jojo in Seussical, with my big brother playing the Cat in the Hat; I learnt a lot from him. Around that time, I got an agent, and everything took off.

Do you have any favourite theatre shows to watch, and are there any you’d most like to see that you haven’t as yet?

I’ve watched loads of shows/plays – Hadestown, Two Strangers (a particular favourite!), Hamilton, War Horse, Benjamin Button, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, Newsies and Les Misérables, and many more! I enjoy watching shows just as much as I enjoy being in them. I’d really like to see The Hunger Games on stage (because of the acrobatics), In the Heights, and be in Newsies one day.

What do you enjoy doing away from performing?

I love doing parkour, gymnastics, trampolining and flipping, skiing, BMXing and skateboarding… anything that’s a bit dangerous really ☺. I also love playing guitar and piano.

What is it like to be represented by Stagebox Management, and what opportunities have you got through them?

I’ve been with Stagebox since January ’26 and have secured four contracts with them already! I really like Chloe, my agent – I’m kept very busy with self-tapes, and they come to see me in shows, which I really appreciate. I’ve enjoyed the online acting/accent training too.

What are you hoping the rest of the year brings for your career, and do you have any upcoming projects that you can speak about?

I’d love to do more film work in the future and, like every boy, Spider-Man would be my dream role! I slipped a letter to Tom Holland’s security guards once, when he was going in through the stage door for Romeo and Juliet. Later, he messaged me on Instagram, which was CRAZY! Telling me “to keep up the good work”, and so that’s what I’m doing.

I have a couple of really exciting stage projects coming up. One is that I’m playing Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Leicester Curve Theatre (November-January). That’s going to be amazing – I’m looking forward to playing the lead role again….. I hope I get to fly in a glass elevator!