Biography
Callum trained at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, Stephen F Austin State University, Texas and Goldsmith’s University of London. He has been making theatre as an actor, writer and musician for over a decade in a variety of genres including musical theatre, live/performance art, immersive theatre, site specific theatre, folk/story-telling, classical texts, film and television. Most recently, his self-penned one man performances of Day of the Locust, God Is Dead... and I Killed Him, How Can I Help You? and Thirst have all been met with sellout crowds, as well as critical and audience acclaim.
Callum was a long-time member of Bob Carlton's award-winning ensemble of actor-musicians where he performed in countless productions including Godspell, The Great Gatsby, As You Like It, Treasure Island and Return to the Forbidden Planet. Since then Callum has performed in UK No1 tours, at fringe festivals, in films and and commercials and regularly records audiobooks as a narrator.
Callum is also a writer and, with his writing partner David Shopland, has seen multiple musicals produced professionally since 2009 in a variety of venues in London, Texas, Aberdeen, Bristol and even the National Theatre of China. Shopland and Hughes' musical Living Out Loud was live-streamed to over 250,000 people in 2018. They have also written pop songs for former Only Men Aloud star Ross Leadbeater and were comissioned to write the official anthem for the 2017 BRICS conference.
Callum has also composed the music for more than 10 different productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Fir Tree, Into Thin Air, Slasher, Drive Your Road and Furious: The Ballad of '72 to name a few. He also has extensive experience in voice acting and recording and runs a custom voicereel recording business.
Recent Projects
Day of the Locust
The sun is hot. The air is dry. You have come to California to die. Award winning multi-instrumentalist and Pleasance stalwart storyteller Callum Patrick Hughes rips apart Nathanael West's 1930's Great American Novel, rebuilding it with loop pedals, guitar drones and a soundscape of broken dreams and fading stardom.
Callum has just finished a run at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival performing Day of the Locust.
Cul de Sac - Omnibus Theatre
Callum performed in Cul de Sac at the Omnibus Theatre.
Suburban life, unfiltered: David Shopland’s new play is a wine-stained comedy-drama about the chaos behind closed doors.
"Callum Patrick Hughes shines as the socially awkward, geeky, sexually ambiguous Simon - an undeniable talent" - Theatre Weekly
Thirst
Jimi Hendrix. Kurt Cobain. Amy Winehouse. All sadly members of the infamous 27 Club. In July 2018, two months shy of his 28th birthday, Callum Hughes was nearly added to that list.
Join the acclaimed writer and performer as he takes you on a journey from a small Oxfordshire town to the bright lights of the Big Smoke as he attempts to discover who he is without looking through the bottom of the bottle.
Featuring music original and familiar, Thirst is both a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic.
This debut solo show charts the true story of Callum's journey through addiction, recovery, sobriety and ultimately… acceptance.
Thirst is also a joyous and uproarious look at life, family, theatre, religion and most importantly, the positivity of the pub.
So pull up a barstool, order Callum a 0% lager and listen to his incredible story...
Callum was an improvissatory pianist for award-winning physical theatre-maker
Dafne Louzioti in their piece It‘s Up to Met
The Nutcracker
Callum was composer and musical director for the Taunton Brewhouse's 2025 Christmas production of The Nutcracker (not the ballet). The show featured a reimagining of the timeless score through a lens of English folk music and actor musicianship.
You can read more about his composing and the show in an article from Brewhouse Live here!
How Can I Help You?
Callum's second solo show, How Can I Help You? played ot sellout crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe and has subsequently been commissioned by theatres and schools for future performances.
The Canterville Ghost
Callum has just finished a tour with Tall Stories Award-nominated show, The Canterville Ghost.
The show toured to Newcastle, Bury St Edmunds, Leeds, Bristol and Winchester as well as completing a four-week run at London's prestigious Southwark Playhouse
Callum was the musical director for There’s a City in My Mind by Steven Dykes At Rose Bruford College - featuring the music of David Byrne and Talking Heads…
God is Dead... And I Killed Him
Despite the yoga and therapy, Callum's past isn't done with him, and neither are the ghosts he conjured.
Through live underscoring, razor-sharp storytelling and a whole lot of holy sh't, Callum dives into belief, regret - and the things that refuse to stay.
Callum's incredibly personal 3rd one-man show played in the Pleasance Courtyard at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, gaining multiple 5 star reviews.
The Weaver - audiobook
Lending his vocal talents to more voice recording, The Weaver, the first part of the B. Scott Hoadley's Old Blood Saga is now available on Audible, read and performed by Callum.
Once Upon a Time in Frickley...
You can soon see Callum playing the murderous cowboy Louis Nickletooth in new Amazon series, Once upon a time in Frickley, produced by Noisy Red Cinema.
Callum wrote and performed two pieces in response to the concept of accelerationism, Fast and Slow and Slower, Slower…