ABOUT
Kat Kleve is an actor, singer, and songwriter based in Bristol and London. With a background in musical theatre, pop and classical music, and inspired by visionaries like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Shaina Taub, she has a passion for storytelling through musical theatre and film.
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Born in Bristol with Scandinavian heritage, Kat was surrounded by classical music from a young age. Her father is the founder of Bristol’s professional orchestra, the ‘Bristol Ensemble’, with her aunt founding the education department ‘Preludes Music’, which now bring musical opportunities to over 4,000 school children in the West of England each year - both of which organisations Kat now works closely with in a variety of roles.
Kat is also the founder of The Theatre Cabaret, a regular event in Bristol showcasing professional musical theatre talent and new musical theatre writing from across the South West, with the aim to bring more professional opportunities to musical theatre creatives in the region.
AS A PERFORMER
After attending youth groups such as NYMT and Bristol Old Vic Young Company, Kat went on to train at the Guildford School of Acting, gaining a 1st degree in musical theatre. She landed her first professional job just before graduating in the original London cast of Once the musical at The Phoenix Theatre, directed by John Tiffanny and produced by Barabra Broccoli.
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Since then, Kat has performed in multiple productions and worked alongside the UK’s leading directors and theatre makers. Theatre credits include the West End Revival of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, directed by Emma Rice at the Empire Cinema, Haymarket, the original West End cast of Mrs Henderson Presents, a Bath Theatre Royal production directed by Terry Johnson, the No.1 UK tour of Cabaret alongside Will Young, directed by previous National Theatre Artistic Director Rufus Norris, and the actor-musician adaptation of Crazy for You at The Watermill theatre, directed by Paul Hart.
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Kat voiced the role of the ‘Tailor’ in the BAFTA Longlisted stop-motion animation film Salvation Has No Name, written and directed by Joseph Wallace. Kat has also appeared in the Carey Grant biopic Archie for ITVX, Eastenders for BBC studios, multiple short films, commercials and music videos.
AS A WRITER
In 2023, Kat performed, co-created, and composed her debut solo show TINK at Tobacco Factory Theatres in Bristol, followed by a run with Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023. Described as a ‘must-see’ by The Reviews Hub, listed in The Times and WhatsOnStage’s ‘top shows to see’ and nominated for a Broadway World award, it received huge critical acclaim with the Edinburgh run selling out and subsequently transferring to London at The Other Palace studio in October 2024.
As a songwriter, Kat has written music for animation, television, theatre productions, and bands across multiple genres. Kat was commissioned alongside film composer Youki Yamamoto to write for the Netflix series Sunshine Eyes. She has collaborated with alternative pop artists HAELOS, written songs for electro-pop band arroh and folk band Ark Royal, and her music has been featured multiple times across BBC Radio Stations.
She was recently awarded an Arts Council grant to support her as a composer and is currently writing songs for a new animation project for Sony and an upcoming Hollywood animation film. She will be releasing the studio album of TINK in autumn 2025 and is also co-creating and composing a full-scale musical, a two-hander play with music and a short musical film series for social media.
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Kat thrives in collaborative environments and is always looking to work and connect with like-minded artists and industry professionals. ​​​​