Courtney Bowman (born 1 February 1995) is an English stage actress and singer. She originated the role of Fatimah in ''

Everybody's Talking About Jamie ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' is a coming-of-age stage musical with music by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentary ''Jamie: Drag Queen at 16'' directed ...

'' at the

Crucible A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. While crucibles were historically usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands te ...

and

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

. She played

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

in ''

Six 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

'' at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

, Lyric Theatre and

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

and

Elle Woods Elle Woods is the protagonist of Amanda Brown's 2001 novel ''Legally Blonde'' and the 2001 film of the same name as well as the 2003 sequel, '' Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde''. Woods is also the protagonist of the 2007 Broadway adapt ...

in ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...

'' at the

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

. Bowman currently stars in ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' as Kit De Luca at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

. On television, she appears in the

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

revival of ''

Big Cook, Little Cook ''Big Cook, Little Cook'' is a British children's television series created by Adrian Hedley for BBC television. The programme is set in the kitchen of a café, with two chef characters; Big Cook Ben/Jen and Little Cook Small. CBeebies aired r ...

'' (2022–present).

Early life

Bowman was born and raised in

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hul ...

, England. She is dual-heritage and describes herself as Afro-European. Bowman attended Boston High School from eleven to eighteen. She then went on to train at the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate ...

for three years until she graduated in 2016. Bowman also performed at the 10th annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition held at the

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Wald ...

on 15 May 2016, she won the award and £1000 after performing “Me and My Town” from

Anyone Can Whistle ''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Described as "a satire on conformity and the insanity of the so-called sane," the show tells a story of an economically depressed town w ...

and “The Driving Lesson” from Heart of Winter by Tim Connor.

Career

Bowman performed at both

Josh Groban on Stage Josh Groban on Stage is a concert tour by American singer Josh Groban. Launched in support of his 2015 show tunes album '' Stages,'' the tour featured a night of Broadway songs and originals later on. The tour was announced on April 16, 2015, wi ...

in 2015 as a chorister and at

Sam Bailey Samantha Florence Bailey (born 29 June 1977) is an English pop singer who won the tenth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2013. Following her win, her debut single, a cover of Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper" was released on 15 December 2013, achieving ...

's 2016 concert Sam Bailey: In Concert as a soloist. She is currently a client of Belfield & Ward Talent Agency. In November 2016, Bowman was announced as part of the original cast of ''

'' playing at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

during its original string of performances the following year. It was announced in late-June 2017 that Bowman would return in the same role for its West End transfer in late 2017 following its successful run in

. Whilst performing the role of Fatimah in ''

'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, a professionally filmed version of the musical, featuring Bowman, was broadcast into more than 600 cinemas worldwide. It was initially administered by entertainment event cinema distributor ''More 2 Screen'' on 5 July 2018, while encore screenings took place on 29 January and 13 June 2019. In June 2019, it was announced via Pearson Casting, that alongside

Danielle Steers Danielle Lauren Steers (born 20 June 1991) is an English stage actress and singer-songwriter. She is known for originating the role of Zahara in '' Bat Out of Hell: The Musical'' at the Manchester Opera House, as well as subsequently playing the ...

, Bowman would join the cast of ''Six'' on 15 October 2019. From 2019 to 2021, Bowman played

as part of the principal cast of the West End production of ''

''. Bowman returned to ''Six'' when it opened at the Lyric Theatre after having closed for the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. From late September 2021, she moved to the

where she would complete her ''Six'' run; her final performance took place on 14 November 2021. Bowman performed a solo concert at

Pizza Express PizzaExpress is a British multinational restaurant group, owned by a group of bondholders. It has over 470 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 100 overseas in Europe, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, the Philippines, the Unite ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its root ...

on 15 March 2020 and a socially distanced recorded concert at the

on 7 September 2020. She also appeared in two drive-in concerts, a collaborative concert at the

Turbine Theatre The Turbine Theatre is a commercial theatre on the banks of the River Thames at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, which opened in 2019. The theatre was established as part of the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station. The inaug ...

within the

Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) ...

complex, and a charity concert at the Actor's Church, Covent Garden. In April 2021, Bowman portrayed Princess Badroulbadour in an online production of ''Disenchanted!'', produced by ''stream.theatre''. In mid-February 2022, it was announced Bowman would star in a 50 episode revival series of the pre-school cookery show ''

'' as Little Cook Small on

, airing daily from 28 February 2022. In March 2022, it was announced exclusively via

WhatsOnStage WhatsOnStage.com is a London-based website that provides information about, and offers tickets for, theatrical performances in the United Kingdom. It also organises the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 1996, it has been owned by the Ameri ...

that Bowman would portray the leading role of

in the revival of ''Legally Blonde'' at

. In an interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' she recounts how the production is distinct from other iterations of the musical, citing subtle differences to the script and lyrics in order for the production to align itself with the present day. She also starred in a revival concert version of '' Kinky Boots'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

in August 2022, portraying the role of Lauren. In late-September it was revealed Bowman would be attending the first-ever ''MusicalCon'' fan convention taking place at London's ExCel Centre on 22–23 October 2022. It was announced in October 2022 via the

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

social channels, that Bowman would host the annual UK Theatre Awards at the Guildhall, London that same month on 23 October 2022. It was announced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions in late-October 2022, that Bowman would portray the supporting role of Kit de Luca in the West End production of ''Pretty Woman: The Musical'' playing at the

from mid-November 2022. Bowman hosted the

2023 WhatsOnStage Awards The WhatsOnStage Awards, founded in 2001 as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are a fan-driven set of awards organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com, based on a popular vote recognising performers and productions of English theatre, wit ...

alongside

Laurie Kynaston Laurence Stephen Kynaston (born 24 February 1994) is a Welsh actor. He won an Evening Standard Theatre Awards, ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his performance in ''The Son (Zeller play), The Son'', as well as receiving a WhatsOnStage Award ...

and her ''

'' co-star Billy Luke Nevers on 12 February 2023 at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

. That evening, she also won the first gender-neutral WhatsOnStage Award for ''Best Performer in a Musical'' for her performance as

in ''

'' at ''

''. In their speech, she thanked her mother, best friend and cast of ''

.''

Stage

Filmography

Television

Radio

Podcast

Awards and nominations

External links

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Courtney Living people 1995 births 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Actresses from Lincolnshire Black British actresses English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses Musicians from Lincolnshire People from Boston, Lincolnshire