Our Team — Coastal Theatre Company

Andy Maycock

Andy is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music.

A professional double bass player, teacher, conductor and music educator he has over 35 years experiences across musical theatre, orchestral performance and instrumental/ vocal education.

Conductor/Musical Director/Double bass Performer-Musical Theatre and Orchestral work include:

Phantom of the Opera (International Tour), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (International Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), She Loves Me (Savoy Theatre), Salad Days (Vaudeville Theatre)

The London Film orchestra, Graff Orchestra of England, & Sounds Familiar.

Andy brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in playing, teaching and conducting.

Rebecca Guillain

Born and raised in Leicester, Rebecca’s career in performing arts began at the age of five when she was taken to a dance class. Then, for the next fifteen years she danced and sang her way into her late teens whilst simultaneously working her way through the syllabus of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, finishing with her LAMDA Licentiate Acting Diploma (LLAM) and her British Theatre DanceAssociation Diploma (BTDA).

Rebecca then became part of the family business in Leicester, Guillain School of Theatre where she helped to produce large scale productions for children and young performers. She also formed and toured with Amuse inc. This touring cabaret and revue company fostered love of musical theatre and the joy it can bring to an audience and performer. Rebecca’s professional career covers tours, revues, pantomimes, voice overs and adverts. Her varied career also includes being a freelance choreographer, director, script writer and voice coach.

Rebecca moved to Lincolnshire in 2018 where she continued to lead students through the LAMDA acting and communication syllabus. She is also founder of ReGenerate Fitness and Wellbeing and is a qualified Yoga teacher and Mindfulness Coach, aspects of which she considers useful tools in preparing young performers for the physical and mental demands of being a performer.

Rebecca is also co-founder of Guillain Creatives which features the collaborativework of Rebecca’s prose and poetry and her husband, John’s photography. They have numerous publications and have presented their work in exhibitions around Lincolnshire.

Rebecca believes that feeling comfortable in our own skin and being able to express ourselves with confidence and compassion has a profound effect on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Being able to stand together with friends, perform, sing and listen to the audience applaud offers one of the best opportunities for this. We all have the talent to bring joy to others.

Barry James

Coastal Theatre Company are delighted to have actor Barry James on our board of advisors.

Barry recounts that he ran away from home as a young man to join a musical theatre company. Although we don’t recommend this for our rising young performers, Barry was prepared to put the work in and learn his chosen craft with dedication and tenacity.

Barry is a renowned stage actor and singer with an extensive career in West End Musicals and theatre productions. Graduating from the Guildford School of Acting after winning Best Actor of the Year, he began his career with the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Company and then spent six years at the National Theatre, performing in notable productions including The Merchant Of Venice alongside Laurence Olivier.

His breakthrough role came in the 1980’s in the original production of Les Misérables. His portrayal of the unscrupulous innkeeper Thénardier brought him significant acclaim and he reprised the role numerous times. Barry was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre and as Ladislav Sipos in She Loves Me at the Savoy Theatre.

Other defining West End roles include Seymour (and later Mr. Mushnik) in Little Shop of Horrors, Mr. Bumble in Oliver , and Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Barry also originated the role of Cogsworth in the first West End production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre. He reprised the part on the subsequent UK tour, contributing to the show’s technical innovation and box-office triumph, which broke West End records with over £10 million in its first year.

Barry’s career includes television plays and films that highlighted his expertise and versatility as an actor. Notable roles include Salerio in the BBC adaptation of The Merchant of Venice and cameo roles in The Ruth Rendall Mysteries, Porridge (the film) and as Kenneth Foskett in East Enders.

As a singer, Barry James has contributed vocally to several notable musical theatre cast recordings, capturing his range of character roles and helping preserve performances of classic and original works.

We have only scratched the surface of Barry’s illustrious career in this short biography. What we are certain is that Barry’s infinite knowledge and experience of acting and musical theatre provides the Coastal Theatre Company with an inspiring figurehead that will no doubt motivate any young performer to embrace whatever life has to offer.

Barry will be appearing alongside Tony Award Winner Ben Platt in Midnight at the Never Get at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London from July to September 2026.