ABOUT US...

First formed in 2005 by Stephen Wiggins and Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Maple Giant is a fresh-faced independent theatre company bringing together new and emerging talent from the UK.

MGT specialises in producing contemporary theatre in the form of cutting edge productions, concerts and cabaret evenings. We are proud to develop and support those who are truly interested in making a career in performance.

Amy Cooke-Hodgson
An experienced and versatile actress, Amy has performed a variety of roles, comedic and straight, in venues across the UK including Chichester, Bristol, Harrogate, Oxford, London and Edinburgh. Most recently she played the bar maid in Olivier Award winning La Boheme with OperaUpClose (Cock Tavern, Soho Theatre, King's Head) and Giri in Brecht's Arturo Ui (Landor Theatre).  Other theatre credits include the lead role (to critical acclaim) in David Auburn's {Proof} (OFS Studio, Oxford), and Ida in the award-winning musical Honk!. She returns from last year's Edinburgh Fringe having played Goneril (and David Attenborough!) in the Festival's seminal production of Shakespeare for Breakfast! and as part of the cast of Racing Minds, an improvised play. She is currently preparing to direct this year's Edinburgh's production for C Theatre: a daily improvised 'Soap' running for the duration of the Fringe.

As an improviser, Amy began her comedy career with the Oxford Imps and performed in over 200 of their shows. In addition to their weekly sell-out show, she performed in the Imps' hour long musical productions, radio plays, toured the USA and was part of four 5* runs at the Edinburgh Festival (Gilded Balloon). Other improvised shows include performances with a variety of groups (including Showstoppers!, Abandoman, React!, Scenes from Communal Living & Multi Story) in venues including: ETC Theatre, Bestival, Burton Taylor, Truck Festival, Calvin Wynter’s VIP Lounge, Comedy for Kids, C Theatre, Questor's Theatre, Brixton Oxjam, Harrogate Theatre and Carnival des Phenomenes at the Clerkenwell.  Most recently she has joined the cast of Austentatious - an improvised novel and currently touring London venues with their Austen-style comedy play.

With a passion for contemporary, minimalist theatre, Amy has spent the past 12 years directing shows in South & Central England and at Edinburgh. Her production of the one act comedy, Interviewing Angels, sold out its Oxford run before being nominated for a Fringe Award in 2000. In 2005 she co-founded the Maple Giant Theatre Company with Stephen Wiggins, and has since directed and produced a number of critically acclaimed shows. Most recently, she directed one of the UK’s first amateur productions of The Last 5 Years and was heralded in her recent interpretation of tick...tick...BOOM! at the Old Fire Station Studio Theatre.

Amy teaches Music and Drama and works freelance as an impro workshop leader. www.amycookehodgson.com

Stephen Wiggins
Stephen began his practical association with musical theatre when in 2000 he was Producer, Director and Musical Director for A Slice of Saturday Night, the final musical production at Westminster College, Oxford.

He has since worked as an accompanist for cabarets, weddings and performed in theatre orchestras.

In 2005 Stephen was co-director of St. Columba's choir, conducting and performing a varied mix of choral works.

In 2005 he co-founded the Maple Giant Theatre Company with Amy Cooke-Hodgson, and as a theatre producer has since presented a variety of contemporary plays, musicals and cabarets.

As Musical Director his credits include the musicals Personals and tick...tick...BOOM!, and he has curated the cabarets Unknown Broadway and Unknown Broadway II, all with Maple Giant Theatre.

Company Production History
In 2006 the Company debuted at the Studio Theatre, Headington, with the comedy musical revue Personals to sell out audiences. This was followed by a series of cabaret evenings showcasing lesser known and more recent musical theatre material.

The Company made its city-centre debut with a full-scale production of Personals at the OFS Studio Theatre in Oxford, where they were greeted with another run of sell-out performances.

In June 2008 MGT presented the first South of England production, outside of London, of the award-winning The Last 5 Years by Jason Robert Brown. This was followed, in October 2008, with a production of the Pulitzer-Prize winning play {Proof} by David Auburn.

In June 2009, MGT returned to the OFS Studio Theatre with their production of the award-winning tick...tick...BOOM!, a musical by Jonathan Larson, composer of the Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award winning RENT.

In November 2010, Maple Giant Theatre brought it’s highly acclaimed (and sell-out) production of the musical Personals to the nation’s capital at London’s Bridewell Theatre.