Max Harwood returns to BATS and ‘Pays it Forward’ as the Assistant Director for Come From Away

When I stepped back into Christ Church in Chineham, it wasn't like ten years had gone by! There are still people here that I love and I've known since I was a kid!"

Max Harwood's achieved a lot in the decade since he was last in the room where he's speaking to me. Back in 2015, he was here rehearsing for the Society’s production of Grease.

Plucked from drama school to play the lead role in the 2021 film musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie, beating 3,000 other hopefuls, Max then went on to star in the West End shows Stranger Things and most recently Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief, as well as other projects. So what's brought him back to BATS?

"My best friend Rhiannon told me BATS were doing Come From Away, which is my favourite show - I'm absolutely obsessed with it. They were looking for people to help out and I emailed to say I was available over the Summer, as my sister was getting married. I had a meeting with Jenny Sawyer, the director, and she asked, "I need an assistant - will you come and assist me?"

Max giving his time and experience to BATS exemplifies the main theme of Come from Away - the community spirit shown by the people of Gander, Newfoundland. They opened their homes and hearts to 7,000 stranded aircraft passengers and crew after the 9/11 attacks.

"I'm hopefully bringing a bit of calm, a bit of knowledge, and a lot of passion to rehearsals. I discovered my love for theatre at BATS, so in a way I'm ‘paying it forward’."

"Every job you do, including this one, teaches you something. On my first job (Everybody's Talking About Jamie) I worked with Richard E. Grant who was learning to walk in heels. I told him I was nervous. He said he was nervous too, as he'd never walked in heels before! He said on every job you do, you have to go in with that nervous energy and be willing to learn and never stop learning. I think you do carry that from project to project."

"I'm always going to be acting as it's my passion. I'm also currently developing two projects of my own that I'm writing. But directing and assisting is something I'm keenly interested in, and would like to do more of in years to come. Working on Come From Away has been really formative, for sure."

See Come From Away from 19-22 November 2025. Evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. View show information and book tickets.

Hiro Fam talks about the Career and Cultural Connections he shares with his Character, Ali in Come From Away

In the musical Come From Away, the character of Ali is a master chef for an international restaurant chain.

That’s something the actor who plays him in BATS’ forthcoming production, Hiro Fam, aspires to!

“I’m a chef and run my own catering business, and I’d love to have my own restaurant one day,” says Hiro.

Ali is a passenger on an aeroplane that’s diverted to the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland, following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Hiro acknowledges another connection between Ali and himself.

“Other passengers are suspicious of him because he’s Muslim,” says Hiro. “I’m originally from Malaysia, which is a Muslim country. So I understand how Ali felt on the plane.”

Come from Away goes on to show how the people of Gander embrace the newcomers, and the whole community rallies in the wake of the terrible circumstances that have brought them all together. Ali makes sure everyone is fed.

“It’s a really positive message of community spirit,” says Hiro. “It’s about welcoming people with an open heart and treating them with respect for who they are.”

“I was adopted by a Chinese family and grew up in a multi-cultural country, so I also know a lot about community spirit.”
After a couple of shows with Basingstoke Amateur Operatic Society (BAOS), Come from Away is Hiro’s first time on stage with BATS. Appearing in musicals has been a long-cherished dream.

“For about 20 years, whenever I had a day off work, I’d go to London to watch a show! I’m a big fan! I always thought about how electrifying it would be to be on stage myself, and now I am! It gives me goosebumps and it feels like it’s where I belong!”

Appearing in Come From Away is an extra special experience, says Hiro.

“Every week in rehearsal you just fall in love more and more with the show and the characters. We’ve done a lot of research, we’re sharing everything we find out, and it’s very emotional!”

See Hiro in Come From Away from 19-22 November 2025. Evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. View show information and book tickets.

Sabrina talks about the Privilege and Challenge of Telling the Come From Away Story

“It’s a real privilege to tell this story,” says Sabrina Hinchliffe. “It’s something we all in some way lived through, so everyone can connect with it.”

Indeed, it’s hard to believe it’s now 24 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. The Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away is about how one community responded to that tragedy. 

Through a blend of storytelling and folk-rock music, we see how people in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, pulled together to support the 7,000 passengers and crew on 38 aeroplanes which were diverted to land there. 

Starring as Beverley, Sabrina Hinchliffe

Sabrina plays Beverley, the pilot of one of those planes.

“She’s a strong, powerful woman who’s worked hard to get where she is. She’s pushed through hearing the word “no” a lot. But when she’s stranded in Gander, you see the softer side to her, how concerned she is about her husband and children back at home.”

By day, Sabrina is a drama teacher and resident director at a school in Guildford. “I love exploring theatre with all different age groups”, she says. She also runs Project Theatre Company based in Woking, and has her own floristry business.

Sabrina’s played leading roles in musicals with companies across Surrey and Hampshire but Come From Away is her first show with BATS. 

“I love the show. When I first saw it in London I went in having no idea what it was about - and it really hit me hard, it was so moving. Since then it’s been one of my favourite shows and when BATS got the rights to stage it, I knew had to audition!”

Now the small ensemble cast is deep into rehearsals, how would Sabrina describe the experience so far?

“The whole process is a challenging one, but in the best way possible. We’re pushing ourselves in ways we haven’t been pushed before. It’s enjoyable, and it feels like an important thing to be able to do.”

“We’re a community, telling a story about community. The focus isn’t on sadness or tragedy, it’s on how they respond to that tragedy, with kindness and human connection.  It’s an uplifting story - and a really powerful piece of theatre.”

See Sabrina in Come From Away from 19-22 November 2025. Evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. View show information and book tickets.

Rock of Ages Review, May 2025 - National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA)

Rock of Ages is musical, book by Chris D’Arienzo, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp with a rather lightweight story of boy meets girl when Sherrie arrives in LA to realise her dream and she meets Drew and they fall in love. It’s packed with rock anthems from the 1980 and we follow their story as they face the challenges as they pursue their ambition. These include: a hard nose property developer determined to gentrify LA, mixed emotions and the brutality of showbusiness.

The costumes were excellent and varied. There were raunchy outfits for the Venus Club Dancers, fabulous flashy rock star gear for Lonny and an assorted of beads and Bohemian garb for the fiery hippy, Regina. Wigs and jeans were in abundance and great attention had been given to completing the overall 80s look.

The set recreated the exterior of the club complete with ‘Girls Girls Girls sign, a large Hollywood sign and the LA city scape. A part of the set swivelled to reveal the bathroom of the club and then an office. Changes were done swiftly. The inside of the club, with balcony, was well dressed with bar and stools with the walls being adorned with gold discs and signs including a ‘Route 66’ sign. The props, especially the musical instruments, were used to great effect.

The sound and lighting were brilliant; multi coloured lights, flickering lights and lots of use of smoke. The multitude of well-known rock songs were belted out by this bunch of talented vocalists, supported by fantastic musicians.

This show was electric from the start and had a great buzz to it. We’d been warned that there was bad language and adult content and we weren’t disappointed! With an incredible cast all giving good performances, this was a trip down memory lane for those of a certain age as the show was packed with rock anthems and melodies including ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, ‘I wanna know what love is’, The Final Countdown, ‘Keep on lovin’ you’ and ‘We Built this City’. Some of the stand out performances came from Paul Morris as Lonny who narrated the story, often directing his comments to the audience and Richard Bond as Dennis Dupree, founder of the club, had excellent comic timing. There were strong vocals from Bradley Hall as Drew Boley and Chloe Ballard as Sherrie, combined vulnerability with assurance as her confidence grew. With direction and choreography by Angus Jacobs and Musical Direction by Colin Gray this was an excellent show that totally immersed the audience in the 1980s and sent them home humming a plethora of memory songs.

Chris Horton
District 14 Regional Representative
National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA)

Come From Away auditions - Information for pre-audition workshops, audition dates and registration

If you are an adult aged 18+ and would like to join us to perform in Come from Away, here is the information you need about auditions.

The show will be performed at The Haymarket in Basingstoke from 18 - 22 November 2025.

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ACCESS AUDITION RESOURCES ONLINE: MEMBERS AREA

You must be a paid-up member to be able to access audition materials and the online audition form.

Access these resources by logging into your member account on the BATS website. If you are a new member, pay your membership online with a debit or credit card to gain instant access your account. Annual membership is £25 and runs from 1 July - 30 June.

ELIGIBILITY TO AUDITION

Because of the nature of this show, our preference is for cast members to attend ALL rehearsals - especially for the director’s setting blocks. That said, we understand that conflicts can happen. If there are any dates you’re unavailable, please note them on your audition form, and we’ll take that into consideration during casting.

Alongside director setting dates, cast will be called for rehearsal every Monday and Wednesday evenings and on some Sundays.  View the outline rehearsal schedule.

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Welcome talk

It is not mandatory to attend in order to audition:
Date: Wed 4 June 2025: 7.30pm – 10.00pm
Venue: Christ Church, Reading Road, Chineham, RG24 8LT
What will happen:
7.30pm - 8.30pm - Meet the Director creatives who will go through her vision for the show i.e. characters, how auditions will be run etc.

8.30pm - 10.00pm - Social time! A chance to chat to Members who have been in a show before.

Pre-audition workshops

You must attend at least one pre-audition workshop in order to audition (you can attend more if you wish!) You can also book an optional individual 10-minute singing session with the musical director (*see below).

Dates: Mon 9, Wed 11, Mon 16, Wed 18 June

Timetable:
Mon 9th
7.30pm - 10.00pm - Ensemble/group singing

Wed 11, Mon 16, Wed 18
7.30pm - 10.00pm - Individual singing with musical director (book a 10-minute slot)*

*Individual singing slots will run 7.30pm - 10.00pm. One session per person (additional sessions depending on availability). Book via the Show Manager at a pre-audition session (or email batsshowmanager@gmail.com)

Venue: Christ Church, Reading Road, Chineham, RG24 8LT

Auditions

The online audition form must be submitted by 11.59pm on Monday 16 June 2025.

Date: Sat 21 June: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Venue: St. Mark’s School, Danebury Road, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke RG22 4US

Date: Sun 22 June: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Venue: St. Mark’s School, Danebury Road, Hatch Warren, Basingstoke RG22 4US

Performance Fee

If you are successfully cast in the show, a performance fee of £100 is payable (can be paid in full or in four instalments).