Veerle Casteleyn is a Belgian actress and ballerina. She played Jemima / Sillabub in several Cats productions, including the 1998 film.
Cats Credits[]
Antwerp - 05/1996 - 09/1996 - Sillabub
Cats: The Movie - 08/1997 - 09/1997 - Jemima
London - 10/1997 - 04/1998 - Swing (cover Electra, Etcetera, Jemima, Rumpleteazer, Victoria)
London - 04/1998 - 23/10/1999 - Jemima (cover Rumpleteazer, Victoria)
Dutch Tour - 20/09/2006 - 05/07/2007 - Swing (cover Electra, Sillabub, Victoria)
Dutch Tour - 06/07/2007 - 07/10/2007 - Sillabub
Career[]
| “ | We did CATS in Antwerp last year, and we wanted a little young thing, with a wide open face and we didn't think of her till the last minute, then thought 'Ah! We'll try to get Veerle', and she was free, so it was neck and neck. | ” |
— Gillian Lynne on Veerle's casting in the 1998 film.[1]
| ||
Veerle is a professionally trained ballerina, having studied at the De Koninklijke Balletschool van Antwerpen in Belgium. In addition to Jemima/Sillabub, she has also covered the roles of Electra, Etcetera, Rumpleteazer, and Victoria as a Swing in various productions of Cats. At the time of the film's release in 1998, she was portraying Jemima in the West End.
She has performed various other musical theater roles, such as Liesl in The Sound of Music and Louise in Carousel. Veerle also made television appearances in the Belgian courtroom dramas Flikken and De Wet Volgens Milo. She now teaches dance at the Diluna Dansstudio and choreographed their production of Cats in 2013.
Veerle speaks and has performed in several languages, including Flemish, English, Dutch, and French.
Biography (1999)[]
Training: Municipal Institute for Ballet, Antwerp, Belgium.
Theatre: Orphan in Annie (Royal Youth Theatre), Liesl in The Sound of Music (Royal Ballet of Flanders), Jemima in Cats (Antwerp), Revival of The Sound of Music, Several roles as Swing in Cats (New London).
Other: Jemima in Cats, The Video.
Performance Credits Theatre:
- Annie (Belgium)
- The Sound of Music The Sound of Music (Liesl, Belgium)
- Cats (Sillabub/Sylvani, Swing, Multiple Productions/Tours)
- The Sound of Music (Revival)
- Carousel (Louise, UK National Tour)
- A Little Night Music (Fredrika, European Tour)
- Romeo en Julia: van Haat tot Liefde (Julia, Belgium)
- Fiddler on the Roof (Chava, Belgium)
- Alleen op de Wereld (Adult Remi, European Tour)
- Dracula (Ensemble, Belgium)
- Mamma Mia! (Ensemble, Belgium)
- Les Miserables 2008-2009 (Ensemble, Netherlands Tour)
- Oliver (Ensemble/Charlotte, Belgium)
- Musical Droomvlucht (Ensemble, Belgium)
Television:
- Flikken (Elke De Brock) [Season 5, Episode 6: Sporen]
- De Wet Volgens Milo (Sonja, Main)
Gallery[]
Antwerp[]
Performance
Portraits
1998 Film[]
Performance
Promotion
Backstage
London[]
Etcetera (cover)
Jemima
Dutch Tour[]
Sillabub
Electra (cover)
Victoria (cover)
Rehearsals
Video[]
Trivia[]
- Her name, Veerle, is pronounced Veer-la.
- Veerle is the only cast member from the 1998 Film who is pictured on the VHS/DVD cover. She was in costume as Jemima, and the rest of the pictured actors were from the 1998 West End cast, which Veerle was also a part of.
- Some fans believe, having listened to her real voice, that Veerle wasn't dubbed for her spoken lines in "The Jellicle Ball", since the voices sound very much alike.
- Despite her voice being dubbed for certain parts of the film, she became a favorite among fans, appearing in multiple commercial posters and ads for the DVD release. This increased her character's popularity and meaning in the show.
- According to a fansite (which had personal contact with Veerle), it was Veerle's decision not to be cast as Sillabub in the 2006 Dutch Tour. She was originally a Swing, but ended up taking over the role of Sillabub in 2007 when the previous actor left.[2]
References[]
- ↑ CATS 1998 film - The Making of CATS The Video featurette
- ↑ https://veerlecasteleyn.tripod.com/id38.html