Grace Elizabeth Mouat (born 12 May 1996) is an English musical theatre actress and podcaster.[1] She is best known as Dance Captain/Swing in the musical Six, cover Juliet in & Juliet, Ella in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Hope Mill Theatre), Izzy in The Great British Bake Off Musical & originating the role of Karen Smith in the West End production of Mean Girls.

Grace Mouat
Born
Grace Elizabeth Mouat

(1996-05-12) 12 May 1996 (age 28)
Alma materGuildford School of Acting
Years active2006–present

Early life and education

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Mouat is from Camberley, Surrey.[2] She is half Burmese and was born with a "Mongolian Blue Spot" on her back, a pigmented birth mark most common on people of Asian descent.[3]

She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre.[4][5] She was cast in Six during her third and final year of drama school.[6]

Career

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Acting

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Mouat began her career in the musical Six, where she was a dance captain and swing. When the show moved to the West End, she was initially covering all six roles, which she had understudied during the 2018 UK tour.[7]

From 2019 to 2022, she was Judith and also first cover Juliet Capulet in Max Martin's jukebox musical & Juliet first in Manchester (2019, Opera House)[8] and then at the Shaftesbury Theatre, after its transfer to London.[9][10] The musical closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and reopened on 24 September 2021.[11] Grace was nominated for a Mousetrap Award in 2020 in the category "Saved the day", for her contribution as cover Juliet in the musical.[12][13]

During the pandemic Mouat took part in a concert version of Hair, directed by Arlene Phillips at the Turbine Theatre,[14] with a follow up performance in West End's London Palladium in June 2021 (rescheduled from April 2021).[15]

In July 2021 Mouat also took over the role of Chloe from fellow Six castmate Millie O'Connell in Be More Chill, which played at the Shaftesbury Theatre during & Juliet hiatus (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) until 5 September 2021.[16]

She played Pilar in the revival of Legally Blonde at Regent Park Open Air Theatre in London, directed by Lucy Moss from May to July 2022.[17] She joined fellow Six cast members Courtney Bowman and Lauren Drew in this gender-bending production of the 2007 show.[18]

Mouat was then cast in the title role of Ella in the European premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, which was set to open in 2020 and was postponed to 2022, with a run from November to December.[19][20][21]

Most recently she has played Izzy in the West End transfer of The Great British Bake Off Musical, playing at the Noël Coward Theatre in London.[22] The show released an official cast recording album on 28 April 2023.[23]

In September 2023 full cast was announced for the musical White Christmas, based on the Irving Berlin movie of the same name, with Mouat playing Betty. The show will be running at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from December 2023 until January 2024.[24][25]

Mouat played Lucy Wyman in the workshop of 13 going on 30 the musical at the Battersea Arts Centre, alongside Lucie Jones as Jenna and Jamie Muscato as Matt. The show was presented for the first time in four public workshop performances in October 2023.[26] This stage production is written by movie writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa and music is by composer/lyricists Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.[27] The show is directed by Andy Fickman.[28]

From February to March 2024 Mouat played the role of Ami, alongside Jacob Fowler as Ben in the musical Before After at the Southwark Playhouse.[29][30]

On 27 March 2024, the full cast for the West End debut run of the musical Mean Girls at the Savoy Theatre was announced, with Mouat confirmed to play the role of Karen, originally interpreted by Kate Rockwell in the Original Broadway production of the show.[31][32]

Music

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Mouat is part of the all female group SVN, together with original Six cast members Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Jaye’J), Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Alexia McIntosh (Lexi), Aimie Atkinson, and Maiya Quansah-Breed.[33] The idea for the group was suggested by McIntosh when Six opened in Edinburgh in 2018.[34]

In 2021 SVN released their first original song 'Stars', with their second single 'Woman' announced on 28 April 2022 and focusing on female empowerment.[35]

Discography

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Year Title Artist Album Ref
2021 "Queen" SVN Question ? [36]
"Stars" [citation needed]
2022 "Woman" [37]
"Free" [38]
"Boss" [39]

Vlogging

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In July 2023, Mouat started hosting a podcast called "Cut to the Grace". In each episode she chats with West End stars, music artists, vloggers and TV personalities.[40] Among her guests Alice Fearn, Oliver Tompsett, Kerry Ellis, Luke Bayer and Louise Dearman, chatting about their careers and how they got where they are today.

Stage credits

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Year Title Role Theatre
2016 Spring Awakening Fräulein Knuppeldick[41] Leicester Curve
2018-19 Six Swing UK Tour and Arts Theatre
2019-22 & Juliet Judith/Alternate Juliet Shaftesbury Theatre
2021 Hair The Musical: In Concert[42] N/A Turbine Theatre, London Palladium and Mayflower Theatre (Southampton)
Be More Chill Chloe Valentine Shaftesbury Theatre
2022 Legally Blonde Pilar Regent's Park, Open Air Theatre
The Secret Garden in Concert Alice London Palladium
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Ella Hope Mill Theatre
2023 The Great British Bake Off Musical Izzy Noël Coward Theatre
13 going on 30 Lucy Wyman Battersea Arts Centre
2023-24 White Christmas Betty Sheffield Crucible
2024 Before After Ami Southwark Playhouse
Mean Girls Karen Smith Savoy Theatre

References

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  1. ^ "Grace Mouat | West End Performers | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  2. ^ "Grace Mouat | West End Performers | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  3. ^ chloethefry (2020-03-31). "Quick-Fire Quarantine with Grace Mouat". CentreStage. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
  4. ^ "Grace Mouat". Artists and Beyond. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  5. ^ "Grace Mouat | GSA - Guildford School of Acting". gsauk.org. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  6. ^ Zoella, Team (2020-11-17). "13 Questions With Grace Mouat". Zoella. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  7. ^ "Grace Mouat | West End Performers | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  8. ^ "New Musical '& Juliet' to run at Manchester Opera House | News & Features - The List". list.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  9. ^ "Grace Mouat". TresA. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  10. ^ "Juliet musical returns to Shaftesbury Theatre September 2021". British Theatre. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  11. ^ Gans, Andrew (September 24, 2021). "Pop Musical & Juliet Reopens at London's Shaftesbury Theatre September 24".
  12. ^ "The winners of the 9th annual Mousetrap Awards". There Ought To Be Clowns. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  13. ^ Staff Writer (2020-03-04). "Nominations Announced for 9th Annual Mousetrap Awards". Theatre Weekly. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  14. ^ "Turbine Theatre announces open-air Thameside season including Hair revival concerts and more". 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  15. ^ "Hair the Musical Tickets - The London Palladium, London – Official Box Office". LW Theatres. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  16. ^ "Grace Mouat and Nathania Ong to join West End Be More Chill". 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  17. ^ "Legally Blonde the Musical review at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London". The Stage. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  18. ^ Brunner, Raven (June 1, 2022). "See Highlights From London's Outdoor Legally Blonde, Including 'So Much Better'". Playbill.com.
  19. ^ "Grace Mouat to play lead role in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella". 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  20. ^ Putnam, Leah (July 12, 2022). "Grace Mouat to Star in Hope Mill Theatre's Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella". Playbill.com.
  21. ^ Wiegand, Chris (2022-11-18). "Cinderella review – a rapturous Rodgers and Hammerstein fairytale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  22. ^ Gans, Andrew (December 2, 2022). "Grace Mouat, Haydn Gwynne, Zoe Birkett, More Complete Cast of West End Transfer of The Great British Bake Off Musical". Playbill.com.
  23. ^ Jade, Kayleigh (2023-04-28). "The Great British Bake Off musical cast recording released". Stage Chat. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  24. ^ "White Christmas". Sheffield Theatres. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  25. ^ "Complete cast announced for White Christmas at Sheffield Crucible". 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  26. ^ "Cast including Lucie Jones and Jamie Muscato for 13 Going On 30 musical workshop announced". 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  27. ^ Yossman, K. J. (2023-09-28). "'13 Going on 30′ Musical Adaptation Set From Film's Original Writers". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  28. ^ "13 Going On 30 musical to have preview performances next month". 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  29. ^ "Before After". Southwark Playhouse. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  30. ^ Wiegand, Chris (2024-02-09). "Before After review – artist's life becomes a blank canvas in amnesiac musical". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  31. ^ Mayo, Douglas (2024-03-27). "Mean Girls extends Savoy Theatre run into 2025". British Theatre. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  32. ^ "Mean Girls announces West End casting and extension". 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  33. ^ Columnist, Guest (2022-04-28). "After the musical Six comes SVN - meet the group redefining girl power in 2022". The Big Issue. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  34. ^ "Meet brand-new girl group SVN". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  35. ^ Rees, Katrina (2022-03-28). "SVN: Get to know your new favourite girl group". CelebMix. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  36. ^ Queen by SVN, 2021-05-14, retrieved 2022-08-12
  37. ^ Woman by SVN, 2022-04-28, retrieved 2022-08-12
  38. ^ Free by SVN, 2022-07-02, retrieved 2022-08-12
  39. ^ Boss by SVN, 2022-07-07, retrieved 2022-08-12
  40. ^ "Cut to the Grace". shows.acast.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  41. ^ "Spring Awakening". Curve Theatre, Leicester. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  42. ^ Admin (2021-03-17). "Hair the Musical: London Palladium and Southampton Mayflower Theatre". LondonTheatre1 UK Theatre. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
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