Hala Atwa – Co-Producer
Hala is a freelance theatrical producer, practicing lawyer and the Arts Editor for the Melbourne arts website pretendpaper.com. She has produced a number of successful shows in the Melbourne Comedy Festival including ‘The Singlefiles’ at the Storeroom in 2003, ‘The Angry Mathematician’ in 2005 and ‘The Mathematical Revolution’ in 2006. Previously, she worked for three years in London and Paris where she developed her skills in marketing and event management.
Görkem Acaroglu – Director
Görkem completed the Victorian College of the Arts’ Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Art (Direction) in 2004, and the National Institute of Dramatic Art’s Playwright’s Studio in 2003. She has a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Theatre from the University of New South Wales, and a Master of Media Arts and Production (Film and Video) from the University of Technology Sydney. Görkem’s staged works include Still Waiting by Ally Collier; The Maya Project by Amy Dobson; The Habib Show by Görkem Acaroglu (funded by Arts Victoria and staged at Theatreworks), Fool for Love by Sam Shepard (Green Room Award Nomination – Best Production 2005); Have I None by Edward Bond; The Cow by Nazim Hikmet; Hardcover Hotel by Görkem Acaroglu and Love, Madness and Poetry which she wrote, directed and staged at the York Theatre in Sydney (written with a NSW Arts Ministry Fellowship). Görkem has worked as an assistant director to Simon Phillips at the Melbourne Theatre Company on Hannie Rayson’s Two Brothers; Mahir Gunsiray at Tiyatro Oyun Evi, Istanbul Turkey on The Round of Pleasure by Werner Schwab; Don Mahmouney at Sidetrack Studio Theatre on Citizen X; Basim Kahar at Sydney Art Theatre on The Maids by Jean Genet; and Bogdan Koca at Sydney Art Theatre on Mr Paul by Tankred Dorst. As a dramaturg, Görkem has worked with a number of writers: Willoh S. Weiland on Lens at 45 Downstairs; Anna Barnes on Silence Between The Tracks at La Mama’s Courthouse Theatre and Michele Lee on Kiss Me Where you Punch Me through Express Media’s National Mentorship Program. Görkem has worked as a freelance director for organisations such as Western Edge Arts, Shopfront Youth Theatre, Ashfield Municipal Council, Blacktown Youth Services, South Sydney Council, Fairfield Council, Western Sydney Area Health, Multicultural Arts Victoria, RC NW and Western Edge Youth Arts developing theatre and video works. In 2004, Görkem received the Australia Council’s Young Leaders Award. In 2007, she is a Storeroom Theatre Workshop Associate Artist, a Green Room Theatre Companies Award Panellist and a board member of Melbourne Workers Theatre.
Mark Tregonning – Actor (Father Welsh) / Co-Producer
Mark is a graduate of both Theatre & Film at the Victoria University of Wellington and the Victorian College of the Arts Drama School. He has appeared on stage and screen in New Zealand and Australia He devised and performed Gilgamesh (Uncle Semolina & Friends), which played in the Next Wave Festival and the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and will tour the UK, China and Sydney in October & November this year.
His other recent theatre credits include The UFO Show (Uncle Semolina) the Abduction from the Seraglio (Lyric Opera), Jet of Blood (Ignite Productions), In Other Words (Talya Chalef) and Impro Sundae (The Crew). TV credits include The Nation and City Homicide. Mark founded, produced, performed and hosted with the improvising group “ImproCo” at the Basement Café throughout 2003.
Luke Elliot – Actor (Valene)
Luke graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1991 and has worked consistently with theatre companies like La Mama, MTC, Playbox, Ranters, Chamber Made Opera, Hot House, Arena, Melbourne Workers Theatre, Theatre at Risk, Red Stitch etc. Luke has been nominated for Green Room Awards in, 1995, 1998 and 2008 and received a Green Room Award in 2000.
For the past few years Luke has been touring with productions such as “The Tank” (Salamanca Arts), “Game Girl” ,(Arena Theatre), “The Trade” (Hot House Theatre) and acting in the films “Noise”, “Little Deaths”, “Dugong”, and “The King”. Other film and television credits include “Roy Hollsdotter Live”, “Road to Knill”, “Life”, “Halifax”, Waiting at the Royal, Blue Healers, Stiff, Crash Burn, M.D.A, Stingers, Mercury, Phoenix, Holidays on the River Yarra, Correlli, State Coroner etc.
Ben Grant – Actor (Coleman)
Since graduating from NIDA (1990), Ben has performed for many independent production companies as well as Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare Theatre Company, La Mama Theatre, Link Arts and Radio National. Ben has also shown a strong interest in new work by performing in both Australian and international premieres including Nick Enright’s St James Infirmary in 1990, Jane Bodie’s Four Play in 2000, and The UFO Show by Uncle Semolina (and Friends) in 2005. In 2007 he has been seen in The Life and Deaths of Don Koyote (The Old Van), Shining City (Hoy Polloy), and The Glass Soldier (Melbourne Theatre Company).
Caitlin French – Musician
Caitlin provides Tzigas high-powered, soulful melodies and shimmering airs on her trusty fiddle, which she plays with such skill it is whispered that she learned her trade from Beelzebub himself (or at least one of his evil minions). Caitlin has appeared in a myriad of bands including Shivoo, Umanee, Reel High, Celtic Rogues, Keating’s Brew, Gea Mala, The Filthy McNasties and the Plastic Paddies. She has twice won the Maldon Folk Festival Fiddle Competition and twice the National Celtic Festival Fiddler of Dooney Awards, and festival-hops between Woodford Folk Festival, Port Fairy, Maldon, Queenscliff, Victor Harbour and the Ukrainian Fish Slapping Festival. She also musically directed and played in a short film called ‘Kid Kelly’ starring Judith Lucy and Dave Hughes.
Gemma Falk – Actor (Girleen)
Gemma is a diverse performer, having performed in theatre, film, contemporary dance, musical theatre, burlesque and cabaret. She is a graduate of AC Arts, Adelaide, earning an Advanced Diploma of Arts, Acting (2003) and an Associate Diploma in Arts, Dance (1998) Gemma has worked with Directors such as Peter Evans, Rolf De Heer, Rosalba Clemente, James Winter, Lynn Coleman and Peita Collard and Choreoraphers including Peter Sheedy, Xiao Xiong Zhang, Alexandra Graham and Kelly Alexander. Gemma Co- founded Adelaide theatre company ‘Floogle’ in 2002. Most recently, Gemma performed in Co-Opera’s Australian Tour of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ and Eagle’s Nest Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet.