Feature: George Hatfield sings 'Stars' from Les Miserables
A new single has been released in memory of the young performer
A new performance video of ‘Stars’ from the musical Les Miserables, performed by young performer George Hatfield has been released today on what would have been his 24th birthday.
The single's release coincides with the gala performance of Calendar Girls at The Mill at Sonning Theatre, marking the official establishment of The George Hatfield Theatrical Arts Foundation, a new charity in honour of young performer George Hatfield. He sadly passed away in 2021 after receiving treatment for oesophageal cancer during his musical theatre training at SLP College in Leeds. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting students of the performing arts who find government funding unattainable or come from lower-income backgrounds.
Watch the full performance below.
George enjoyed performing from a young age, and had many starring roles at his local arts scene and at drama school, including Mr Bumble in Oliver!, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, and Mack Sennett in Mack and Mable.
The Foundation - managed by his family, loved ones, and in association with The Mill at Sonning Theatre - is George’s legacy, and has been launched to support students in the theatrical arts who may find government funding unattainable or come from lower-income backgrounds.
The gala evening celebrated the foundation’s first round of students it has supported this year, and helped raise over £6,000 for the foundation. The students were present at the evening, Kimberley White and Martha Maloney ( Bristol Old Vic), Samuel Joliffe and Brook Jenkin (Arts Ed), Marios Georgiou and Abbie Kell (Mountview), Aimee Sanderson and Thomas Grimshaw (SLP College Leeds), and all joined the cast of the Mill’s production of Calendar Girls on stage along with host and actor Simon Williams. The evening helped raise over £6,000 for the foundation.
The students (above) were present at the evening - Kimberley White and Martha Maloney (Bristol Old Vic), Samuel Joliffe and Brook Jenkin (Arts Ed), Marios Georgiou and Abbie Kell (Mountview), Aimee Sanderson and Thomas Grimshaw (SLP College Leeds) - and they joined the cast of the Mill’s production of Calendar Girls on stage along with host and actor Simon Williams.
“The team at George Hatfield Theatrical Arts Foundation are thrilled to be able to support the selected students. Being our first year of the George awards it is wonderful to see such great talent being put forward for our support and we look forward to watching them grow within their careers. George’s legacy is making a difference, of which we are incredibly proud to be enabling.”
To find out more about supporting the Foundation, visit their official website.