Trinity's musical stars:
where are they now?

1980s
Anita Punton (TC 1989)

MUSICALS: Sweet Charity (1989), Anything Goes (1990)

ROLE: actor

CAREER: TV comedy writer and producer.

MY STAND-OUT TRINITY MUSICAL MEMORY: I was given a minor speaking part as a receptionist in Sweet Charity – and I’m not ashamed to say I milked that role to within an inch of its life. I hope the audience enjoyed me screaming my lines at them in a ‘Noo Yoik’ accent. I think I was trying to make up for the fact I wasn’t cast as one of the sexy dancers.

In the song The Rhythm of Life, the entire cast was wafting around the stage dressed as hippies, and I decided I could get a few laughs by stuffing a cushion down my tights and pretending I was pregnant. I really gave it my all, singing and dancing while acting like my back was killing me. I think by the last performance I went into full-on labour. A belated thank you to everyone in the show for putting up with me.

For Anything Goes, I remember the huge roar from the audience when Michael Smallwood and I came out on stage for our bows. Michael played a gangster, and I was, to put it bluntly, his Moll. I used the same accent as I did in Sweet Charity – clearly, I thought I was onto a winner.

HOW IT INSPIRED ME: The fact that I got some laughs at Sweet Charity gave me the confidence to go into comedy. That was when I began writing jokes and got a foot in the door of TV sketch comedy. I still work with one of my fellow revue performers today, 30 years later.

1990s
Nicholas McRoberts (TC 1995)

MUSICALS: Bye Bye Birdie (1996), Little Shop of Horrors (1998)

ROLE: music director

CAREER: artistic director at Opéra de Biarritz.

MY STAND-OUT TRINITY MUSICAL MEMORY: It was eye-opening to see how much went into the show – from set design to costumes and lighting. It allowed me to appreciate the collaborative nature of theatre.

I ended up conducting several musicals at Trinity, and they were all incredibly formative.

HOW IT INSPIRED ME: It was my first taste of how complex and rewarding real-world projects can be. You’re not just learning skills; you’re learning how to manage time, collaborate and make decisions under pressure.

It’s where things stop being abstract. It’s the first step into a world of responsibility and creativity that has the potential to shape your life – whether you go into the arts or not.

The Trinity musical was my first chance to stand in front of a group and lead something that felt professional – even though we were still students.

That sense of responsibility, of shaping a performance from the inside out, stayed with me.

2000s
Gil Marsden (TC 2004)

MUSICALS: West Side Story (2004), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2005), The Producers (2008)

ROLE: actor

CAREER: Emmy-nominated film and TV director and producer.

MY STAND-OUT TRINITY MUSICAL MEMORY: I’ve been a musical kid my entire life, and so for many reasons musicals are the defining social experiences of my young adulthood.

Trinity musicals were a natural extension. They were among the first times I was in a community where the musical wasn’t the primary focus (as I went to high school with a strong performing arts focus).

There was a special energy at our Trinity musicals; they were more community focused, and we had friends who were not used to performing – that community and group focus made it such a wonderful experience.

HOW IT INSPIRED ME: Being more entrepreneurial in my artistic efforts and, as a result, my then-girlfriend (now wife) and producing partner Stephanie Marsden (TC 2005) and I started a theatre company, which was my first directing experience. As a director now, I’d say that’s a strong influence.

The experience also taught me that it’s important to build community if you want to excel in a high-performance environment.

2010s
Joseph Baldwin (TC 2017)

MUSICALS: High School Musical (2017)

ROLE: actor

CAREER: actor, courtroom performance coach and musician.

MY STAND-OUT TRINITY MUSICAL MEMORY: The early days of the rehearsal process, when the whole team was super excited to work on something fun together. There’s so much electricity in the air during those infant days – everything felt messy.

The challenge was so exciting. One moment in particular was when Harry von Bibra had to run onto the stage with a cake only for a fellow cast member to accidentally bump him. The cake flew into the air, doing an entire backflip in the process, and landed perfectly in Harry’s hands like it was all planned. He continued with the scene like a champ.

HOW IT INSPIRED ME: I’m now a professional actor. I’ve recently worked on several TV shows and films, most notably sharing a scene with Michael Shannon of Knives Out fame and David Corenswet (the current ‘Superman’) in an NFL drama set for release in 2026.

In between acting roles, I work as a performance coach for courtroom advocates. The courtroom is like a stage, and lawyers need just as much performance coaching as actors. I absolutely love this work because I get to use my experience and expertise as a professional actor but apply it to the high stakes setting of the courtroom.