CDP Theatre Producers, The Very Cranky Bear

CDP Kids presents

THE VERY CRANKY BEAR

A musical by Tim McGarry and Gabbi Bolt
Adapted from the series by Nick Bland

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In the Jingle Jangle Jungle, four friends are caught in a sudden storm.

Zebra, Moose and Lion have a plan. Sheep has concerns. And somewhere in a dark cave, one Very Cranky Bear just wants to sleep.

What follows is a funny, heartwarming musical adventure — featuring painted stripes, borrowed antlers, a gloriously oversized golden mane, and one small sheep with a very big idea…

Nick Bland's beloved picture book comes to life in a brand-new musical packed with catchy songs, big laughs and plenty of heart.

Adapted by Tim McGarry, with original music by Gabbi Bolt, The Very Cranky Bear is a roaringly funny musical adventure about empathy, friendship and the magic of truly listening to others.

Age recommendation: 3+ and their adults
Duration: Approximately 55mins, no interval

SAMUEL WELSH - Bear/Lion

Samuel was born and raised in the coastal town of Port Macquarie on the New South Wales mid north coast and is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) where he was a recipient of WAAPA’s Finley Award.

Samuel has been predominantly working in theatre for young audiences as both a performer and director. He has worked with CDP Theatre Producers on many productions including both The 78-Storey Treehouse and The 91-Storey Treehouse playing Andy on several occasions, as well as Billy in Are We There Yet? and Danny in Magic Beach. He has also been a swing on The Smeds and The Smoos and Dogman: The Musical covering several roles. His career has seen him tour the country and internationally on multiple occasions, performing in more than 70 theatres across Australia and Asia. Samuel also joined the Australian touring cast of Grease: the Musical (Crossroads Live) as a swing covering the roles of Danny and Kenickie.

Samuel is very excited to be a part of new Australian work and wants to thank CDP for their continuing support and opportunities to bring these wonderful stories to young audiences across the country and the world.

ELLIE CHAN - Sheep

Ellie is a multidisciplinary artist and graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre (2023).

Theatre credits include: the Australian and International tour of ‘Miss Saigon’ with Opera Australia/GWB (Swing/Kim Understudy), ATYP’s ‘Islander’ (Swing), ‘You and Me and the Land of Lost Things’ with CDP Theatre Producers, and ‘A Guide to Being Immortal’ (Melbourne Fringe, dir. Margot Fenley).

During her training at VCA, notable credits include ‘Morning Melodies’ (dir. Jayde Kirchert) at Hamer Hall, ‘Chess The Musical’ (Storeyboard Ent), ‘Amy’ in ‘Little Women’ (dir. Theresa Borg) and ‘Elegies: A Song Cycle’ (dir. Tyran Parke). In 2020, Ellie was a semi-finalist in the inaugural AOC initiative.

ERIN BRUCE - Zebra

Erin graduated with a BA (Hons) Degree in Musical Theatre from LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore and has since performed in cabarets, plays and commercial productions in Australia, the UK, Europe. Asia and New Zealand.

Stage credits include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Sport For Jove), Mrs Greene in The Prom (On Your Feet Productions), Marion in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - The Musical (Lunchbox Prod), DIGI in The Metaverse of Magic (Jones Theatrical), Gremio in Taming of the Shrew (Playwrought Productions), Hot Shoe Shuffle (Birdie Productions) and for CDP Meeting Mozart, Mr Stink, The 91 Storey Treehouse and Room on the Broom.

Screen credits include Home and Away (Seven Network), Les Norton (ABC), Critical Incident (Stan).

Erin has shot an extensive list of commercial television and has a career highlight of performing the Australian National Anthem at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

ALEXANDER TYE - Moose

Alexander Tye (He/ Him) is a proud First Nations performer originally from Hobart/ Nipaluna, who graduated with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre in 2023 at the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT).

Most recently, Alex was cast as Lorry Hocking / Frank Doyle & Dave Daylight cover in The Sunshine Club Australian Tour (Hit Productions, 2024), Enoch Snow Jr. / Ensemble in Carousel: A Concert (Enda Markey Presents, 2024), Andrew Shelford in Round The Twist: The Musical (Queensland Theatre/ QPAC, 2024), Casey in Bearded (Theatre Works, 2025), Daniel in Once On This Island (Hayes Theatre Co/ Curveball Creative, 2025), Ensemble / Willard, Chuck, & Cowboy Bob cover in Footloose The Musical: Australian Tour (DV Live, 2026), and Lucas Beineke in The Addams Family (Hayes Theatre Co/ Joshua Robson Productions, 2026).

We believe in making our shows accessible for children with additional sensory and learning needs.

A visual story for The Very Cranky Bear will be available soon. Please check back for updates, or email us at info@cdp.com.au for more details.