The company and creative team bringing First Date to the Avalon stage.
Our nine-strong company — the principals, ensemble and swings playing every ex, parent, waiter and inner voice.
Emma Amber is a writer, Fleur du Cap Theatre Award-nominated director, actress, singer, and voice-over artist. She is the founder of Origen Productions, through which she has developed and performed in multiple productions across South Africa. Her recent theatre credits include You Should Go In, presented at the Baxter Theatre and the National Arts Festival, the musical cabaret Call Me a Diva, and Shrek the Musical, in which she played Fiona. Emma is thrilled to be taking on the role of Casey in the South African premiere of First Date: The Musical. She is especially excited to be collaborating with such a talented and dynamic cast.
Ethan Saunders is a Cape Town based actor who trained at the Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts. His recent film and TV credits include “How to Make a Killing”, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” and his role as William Browne-Clayton in the Netflix docuseries “Churchill at War”. Earlier this year Ethan also performed at the National Arts Festival in the cabaret tribute show “Call me a Diva” and reprised his role in the 2025 Ovation Award winning “Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me”.
Born in Durban and now based between Cape Town and London, William Young trained at the Waterfront Theatre School, graduating in 2024, and has quickly become a versatile stage and screen performer. He most recently played Henrik Egerman in Cape Town Opera’s A Little Night Music. Other stage credits include Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show, Sebastian in Twelfth Night at Maynardville, Antony in Sweeney Todd, and Curly in Oklahoma! — a role that earned him a BroadwayWorld nomination. He has also just completed the National Youth Theatre’s Epic Stages course in London. On screen, he recently appeared as Eddie Bayles in the short film The Ransom of Mackenzie Brown.
Robert is a Cape Town based actor and has been performing on stages both big and small for a little over a decade. His most recent stage credits include the roles of Ben Weatherstaff in Secret Garden, Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde and Shrek/Lord Farquaad in Shrek: The Musical. When he’s not on stage, he’s sharpening his skills with vocal and dance lessons at Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts. His hobbies include piano, board games and referring to himself in the third person.
Asanda Mngadi is a Waterfront Theatre School trained actor who has appeared in several musicals (Peter Pan, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Oklahoma!) and plays (My Children! My Africa!, Romeo & Juliet); his other work ranges from voiceovers to television. A Cape Town Theatre Award nominee for Most Promising Student (2026) and only in his first year in the industry, he is thrilled to be originating the roles of Reggie and British Artist in the South African premiere of First Date.
Zoë Chetty is a South African actress, singer, dancer, and voice artist who loves bringing stories to life on stage and screen. A graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School, she has appeared in productions including Peppa Pig Live, Our House, History Girls, and the short film Watching Over You. When she isn’t performing, Zoë teaches dance and works as a voice-over artist. She is passionate about performances that are honest, playful, and emotionally authentic, and is so excited to join the cast of First Date — she hopes you leave having laughed, cringed, and maybe even seen a little of yourself in the story.
Kirsten Pienaar is a Cape Town-based musical theatre and opera performer who studied music at the University of Stellenbosch. Her cover credits include Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music, and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, with Pieter Toerien Productions and Cape Town Opera. She has also served as Assistant Director, working with some of South Africa’s foremost directors, including David Kramer, Magdalene Minnaar, Sylvaine Strike, Steven Stead, and Fred Abrahamse. Kirsten recently completed her Master’s thesis on the operas of South African composer Roelof Temmingh. When she isn’t singing or dancing, she enjoys true crime podcasts, reading, and writing.
Nikita Latimer is a Cape Town-based musical theatre performer and a recent graduate of the Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy (LAMTA). At LAMTA she featured in productions including 20 Years of the Tony Awards, Beyond, Part of Your World, Hollywood, and Vintage Jukebox. Earlier roles include Jill in Blueberry Toast and a waterboy in Tiger Bay, directed by Melly Still. She joins First Date as an onstage swing, covering three characters. Off stage, Nikita is a certified barre instructor and voiceover artist, is completing her BASI Pilates qualification, and teaches children’s musical theatre at Gift of Dance in Durbanville.
Ethan Dunk is a musical theatre performer born and raised in Durban, now based in Cape Town. A recent graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School (WTS), during his time at WTS he performed in the following musicals: Pippin, Oklahoma!, Heathers, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Since graduating, he has performed with Cape Ballet Africa in The Nutcracker and most recently appeared as an ensemble dancer in Cape Town Opera’s Carmen. Ethan is thrilled to make his professional musical theatre debut in First Date the Musical, joining an incredible cast in bringing this vibrant production to life.
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Byron Bure trained at the Waterfront Theatre College, completing a postgraduate course in Stage Directing under Paul Griffiths and graduating with the Most Outstanding Student award. His directing debut, Jason D. Martin's Dying Light at Cape Town's Galloway Theatre, toured to the National Arts Festival and was later staged in Afrikaans translation as Donker Lig. He has since directed Doctor Godenstein's Man, the national tour of RENT at the Artscape Arena and Johannesburg Theatre, and Ordinary Days at the Baxter Theatre, and assisted on The Wizard of Oz at Artscape. Byron is the founder and director of the Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts (BBATA) in Cape Town, and is honoured to be directing the South African debut of First Date for Origen Productions.
Harley Ferguson is a producer with Origen Productions. Harley’s producing credits include Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me, a Standard Bank Ovation Award winner at the 2025 National Arts Festival; the murder-mystery comedy Who Done Did It, staged at Theatre Arts, Koelkamers and the Drama Factory; and You Should Go In, which Harley also directed, at the Masambe Theatre at the Baxter and the National Arts Festival, where The Cape Robyn called it an “engrossing, hard-hitting drama.” Harley is thrilled to be producing the South African premiere of First Date at the Avalon Theatre.
Casey Wallace is a born-and-raised Capetonian with a deep love for music and education. She grew up performing in choirs, a cappella groups, bands and orchestras, trained in music through UNISA, and went on to complete a Bachelor of Education at Stellenbosch University. Now in her fourth year teaching vocals and piano at the Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts (BBATA), she is passionate about helping students discover their unique voices and grow in confidence on and off the stage. As a musical director, Casey has worked on Shrek the Musical and Songs for a New World, and is thrilled to add First Date to the list.
Angelica Hattingh is an international award-winning ISTD choreographer and performer whose work spans musical theatre, film, television and live performance. She trained at the Waterfront Theatre School and holds a Licentiate in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London. Her choreography credits include The Marvelous Wonderettes and The Body Lovin’ Series Runway Show, and on stage she has played Ali in Mamma Mia!, Hunyak in Chicago and Suzy in The Marvelous Wonderettes. On screen she has appeared in David: King of Israel, Secret Billionaire Bridesmaid and Binnelanders. She is delighted to be choreographing First Date and bringing the show’s humour, energy and heart to the stage.
Amber Morgan is a Cape Town-based performer, choreographer and movement teacher. She trained at the Waterfront Theatre School, graduating with ISTD Diplomas in Tap and Modern Dance, and was later Head of Dance at the Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts. She performed in the Silver Ovation Award-winning May I Have This Dance and choreographed As You Like It, also a Silver Ovation Award winner at the National Arts Festival. Her screen credits include the M-Net series Summertide and Outlaws, and the upcoming feature film Boys Trip. Amber is also a full-time Pilates instructor at The Movement Lab, and is thrilled to bring her energy and love of musical theatre to First Date.