A Midsummer Night's Dream { THE PLAYERS }


			Keith Agius Director & also playing Theseus/Oberon Keith graduated from NIDA in 1986. Since then he has worked extensively here and abroad as an actor, director and producer. Keith started directing in 1997 and productions include: The Golden Age (GPAC); the highly successful international tour to Dublin, London and NYC of Often I find that I am Naked, which he also starred in and co-produced; Pancake Tuesday (Short & Sweet 2004); A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 2006 Coogee Arts Festival and subsequent remount at Centennial Park (Night Sky) and The Comedy of Errors for the 2007 Coogee Arts Festival (Night Sky). Theatre credits as an actor include: Hamlet (Q Theatre); Woman In Mind (STC); Noel Coward in Two Keys and A Small Family Business (Marian St); Wogs Out Of Work (Australian tour); Romeo and Juliet (Performers Independent); The Adman and Heroic Measures (Playbox); Because You Are Mine (Red Shed); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet (Theatre UpNorth); Sleuth (GPAC); Often I find that I am Naked (Savage Wit); Alive At Williamstown Pier (Griffin); Much Ado About Nothing and most recently playing Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Centennial Park (Night Sky). Film/T.V credits include A Country Practice, Phoenix 2, Blue Heelers, State Coroner, White Collar Blue, All Saints, Fireflies and The Surgeon. Keith will be directing our forthcoming production of Twelfth Night for the 2008 Coogee Arts Festival.

			Lucy Miller Hippolyta/Titania Lucy trained in London after receiving a full 3 year scholarship to the ‘Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.’ She spent 2 years working at The Bloomsbury Theatre, Riverside Studios, Avondale Theatre and The Landor Theatre in London on productions such as Vinegar Tom, Schnitzlers Anatol and Blithe Spirit. In Australia she has worked with Night Sky Productions at Coogee as Olivia in Twelfth Night and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. She has performed in Young Australia Workshops Shakespeare On Trial for 3 consecutive years taking the Bards plays and performing all the Women into schools around Australia, directed by Chris Canute. Other productions include The Bridesmaid Must Die at Parramatta Riverside studios, Chris Canute’s National tour of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Film/TV include All Saints and the part of Isabel Macdonagh in Rebecca Barry’s documentary/drama The Macdonagh Sisters. She has worked with Timothy Daly as a resident actor at the Australian National playwrights Centre. She is also a part of the ensemble of actors at Parnassus Den. Lucy has also directed for Marian Street Theatre. In 2006 Lucy toured Australia with Shakespeare On Trial and performed in Night Sky Productions A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

			Antony Grgas Bottom Antony is a graduate of NIDA in Acting (1989) and Voice Studies (2000). He has performed in a variety of media over the past 15 years. Most will remember him as Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing and Malvolio in Twelfth Night, two of our previous productions at Coogee. Some of Antony’s TV credits include White Collar Blue and most recently Home & Away. Most of his time is spent coaching young actors in Voice and Acting. In addition, he works in the corporate sector improving the communication skills on executives. In 2006 Antony starred in Dinner With Friends at the Darlinghurst Theatre and in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Night Sky Productions.

			James Lugton Egeus/Quince James’ most recent stage appearances include The Frail Man for Lightbox/Darlinghurst Theatre, Romeo & Juliet for Alchemy Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing for Nightsky Productions, Bottom in Tony Taylor’s production of The Popular Mechanicals for Two-Way Productions, In The Blood for Queensize/ B Sharp, Picasso at the Lapin Agile for Fourth Floor Productions, Christopher Johnson’s Backpacker and Barnsey, The Harbour & You for The Darlinghurst Theatre, Twelfth Night for Vineyard Productions, Guildenstern in the rep season of Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead for Harlos Theatre, Navy Pier, A Perfect Ganesh and Cymbeline for Factory Space, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Angels in America, Arcadia and Lost in Yonkers for Phoenix Theatre. James also tours with his own company Eye of the Storm Productions, most recently Boo Too!, a collection of four one-act spooky tales (following up the original production Boo!). By coincidence, every tour venue so far has been a winery.

			Berynn Schwerdt Puck/Philostrate Berynn has worked in the theatre industry for twenty years as an actor, director and choreographer performing in The Crucible and Much ado about Nothing (STC), in the highly regarded Actors at Work False Face/False Heart program (Bell Shakespeare Co.), Bloody Poetry (Crossroads Theatre), The Imaginary Invalid and Macbeth (NIDA Co.), Kim Carpenter’s Hansel and Gretel, Strictly Cinders and Snow White and the Seventh Dwarf (Tilbury Hotel), The New Rocky Horror Show (subbing for Frankenfurter), Certified Male with Glynn Nicholas, Five Stories High for State of Play, the one-man show Homage by Tobsha Learner, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Pork Chop), Cargo (Riverina Theatre Co.), Terminus (East Coast Theatre Co.), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) touring Australia and abroad and many other theatre productions. He has appeared in numerous short films and features including Dead Heart by Nick Parsons and in television shows such as A Difficult Woman, Wild Side, Denton, Twisted Tales, A Country Practice, Comedy Inc and Young Lions. He played, directed and taught Theatresports (Belvoir St.), in schools and abroad for fifteen years and currently freelance teaches at the Actors’ Centre. In 2006 Berryn toured Australia with Shakespeare On Trial and performed in Night Sky Productuion’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

			Beccy Iland Helena/Robin Starveling/Mustardseed Beccy is a graduate from The Actors Centre Australia (The Journey). Beccy played Kate in the film Firestorm this year for Impossible Pictures UK. She was the Madame in Jean Genet's The Maids in 2005. She played Maggie in Nick Marchand's Mogadishu for Naked Theatre Company at the Stables Theatre. Beccy provided the voice for Ned Kelly's Irish mother in a feature-length documentary about Ned Kelly. Beccy played Cecile in Les Liasons Dangeruses at the New Theatre. At drama school, Beccy's roles included Martha in Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, Maggie in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Natalya Petrovna in A Month in the Country directed by George Ogilvy. Beccy will next appear in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor in the role of Carol. 52 Pick-Up at belvoir St theatre, directed by Paul Barry. Laughter On The 23rd Floor, directed by Alice Livingstone, role of Carol, at the New Theatre. Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, role of Contessa, directed by Josh North, at the New Theatre. Mule, role of Helen, directed by Nicholas Papademetriou, at the Seymour Centre.

			Rhys Robinson Demetrius/Tom Snout/Moth Rhys’ latest role was in Terrorism at the Darlinghurst Theatre, directed by Anthony Skuse. He played George in the New Theatre's production of Our Town directed by Lee Lewis. Also with Lee Lewis, he was the feisty bouncer Tom in Vicious Streaks, which played at the Darlinghurst Theatre in 2004. More recently he played Charlie in Breathing Corpses directed by Kate Wild which appeared in the first half of the Darlo’s 2006 season.Rhys graduated from Theatre Nepean in 2003.

			Brendon McDonnall Lysander/Cobweb/Francis Flute A Theatre Nepean acting graduate, Brendon has worked extensively as an actor, director and teacher. Most recently, Brendon completed a national tour playing Hamlet, Malvolio, Bassanio and MacBeth in Bell Shakespeare’s acclaimed 2007 ‘Actors At Work’ team. For Nightsky, Brendon played Dromio of Syracuse in ‘The Comedy of Errors’ last summer, as well as appearing in ‘The Dream’ at Centennial Parklands in 2006. Brendon’s other theatre credits include tours of ‘Hating Alison Ashley’, ‘Five Times Dizzy’ and ‘Hamlet’ for Theatre South; ‘King Lear’ for Harlos; and the role of Keith Shipley in the national tour of Morris Gleitzman's ‘Worry Warts’ for Monkey Baa/Glen St Theatre. Among Brendon’s directing credits are the world premiere of the verse comedy ‘Love's Triumph’ and ‘The Mystery Of Irma Vep’ for the Darlinghurst Theatre; ‘Falsettos’, ‘Search & Destroy’ and the Sydney premiere of Ben Ellis's ‘Falling Petals’ for new theatre; ‘Red Noses’, ‘The Visit’ and ‘Henry V’ for Theatre Nepean; ‘Out/Side/In’ and ‘From Here To There’ for ATYP; ‘The Tuesday Clan’ for Shopfront; the Australian premiere of the musical ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ for RTC, and the world premiere of the musical ‘Somewhere...’ by Kate Mulvany and Tim Minchin which was commissioned to open the new Q Theatre in 2005. Brendon was Festival Director for three consecutive Railway St Theatre Company Youth Theatre Festivals at the Q Theatre and is currently Director-In-Residence at Shopfront where he is devising and directing a new work called ‘The N.I.M.B.S’

			Emily Ayoub Hermia/Snug/Peasblossom Emily graduated from Theatre Nepean in 2005. She recently toured with Perform Educational Musicals' production of Back to Before for Book Week 2007. Previously she has performed with Night Sky Productions in the roles of Luciana in A Comedy of Errors and Hermia, Snug and Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Emily has toured with Brainstorm Productions performing the primary and high school shows Buddies and The Hurting Game and played Page in The Gelatinous Drool of Ignorance as part of the Short and Sweet Festival. During her time at Nepean, Emily’s roles included Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Angustius in The House of Bernarda Alba, Marie and Mother Metz in Red Noses and Fidelia in Widows.

			Guy Curd Musical Director – Cellist Guy is a principal cellist and Artistic Director of the Sydney Chamber Orchestra. He has performed in regional centres across Australia and most of the major metropolitan venues including solo performances at the Sydney Opera House. Guy has also toured internationally, giving concerts in such diverse venues as Covent Garden, London and The Hall of the Republic in Jakarta. He has performed as a soloist in concertos with the New Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Bono Philharmonic Orchestra, Balmain Sinfonia, the Sutherland Shire Symphony Orchestra and the Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra in Australia and with the West London Sinfonia in the UK. He has been with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra since 2001.

			Steven Meyer Flautist Steve Meyer is a versatile freelance musician trained at the Sydney Conservatorium where he graduated with the highest mark in his year for performance. He has studied with renowned flutists including Michael Scott, James Kortum, Robert Winn and William Bennett. Steve was a three time 2-MBS Young Performer and has received various awards for performances including a prize at the 1999 Gisborne International Music Competition and the first prize in the 1998 NSW flute championship. He has worked as casual musician for various Sydney ensembles including the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and has recorded for ABC Classic FM, 2-MBS FM and ABC and SBS TV. Steve’s dedication to new music has led him to collaborations with many emerging and established composers. He currently tutors at the Sydney Conservatorium High School and in 2007 was guest conductor of the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Chamber Strings. In 2005 Steve’s passion for study led him back to the Conservatorium to study cello with Susan Blake and was awarded his second degree in 2007.

			Rowan Smith Violinist Rowan has toured internationally with the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Knox Abbotsleigh Youth Orchestra of which he was concert-master. He has performed as a soloist in Japan, New Zealand, Germany, and the UK. He has performed in The Gaiety Theatre Opera Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland, and at the Edinburgh Festival and in concerts around the UK with Sigma Orchestra. He has participated in the Musica Viva In-Schools programme with CODA and in the Live Music Now program in the UK. He has played and toured with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra. Rowan studied with Suzuki master Misaki Nakamura. He gained his Associate of Music in 1995 and his Licentiate in Music with distinction in 1998.

			Saskia Vromans Production Manager Saskia is a graduate from Charles Sturt University. She has worked behind the scenes for both Theatre and Short Film in a number of roles as Stage Manager, Production Manager, First AD and Production Assistant. Her most recent credits include An Italian Straw Hat (ECTC 2007), Comedy of Errors (Night Sky 2007), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Night Sky 2006). The 2005 Coogee Arts Festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream introduced Saskia to the wonders of Night Sky. Saskia is delighted to be returning to the magic of Shakespeare in Centennial Park.

			Kate Williams Stage Manager Kate Williams recently graduated from Charles Sturt University with a degree in design for theatre and television, majoring in Stage Management. Kate has stage managed several productions including Love's Triumph, Stage Door, He Died with a Falaffel in his Hand and The House of Bernarda Alba. Kate has also worked on the television programs of Home and Away, Hi5 and Neighbours. Most recently, Kate has returned from stage managing Sister She at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival – UK.”

			Grant Buchanan Designer Grant Buchanan has a fashion background, and has been working in theatre for the last 5 years. His most recent production credits include Wardrobe Consultant for ‘The Emperor of Sydney’, Griffin Theatre. Wardrobe Maintenance for ‘Away’, Griffin Theatre. As Costume and Set Designer for Night Sky Productions, his credits include: The Coogee Arts Festival production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2006) and ‘ Much Ado About Nothing’ (2005). Grant is currently working on the 2007 Coogee Arts Festival production of ‘The Comedy of Errors’. Other productions that Grant has worked as Wardrobe Designer on include; ‘Assassins’, New Theatre. ‘Necessary Targets’, Darlinghurst Theatre. ‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’, Monkey Mountain Productions. ‘Into The Woods’, New Theatre. ‘Out in the Open’, Darlinghurst Theatre. ‘Handbag’, Focus Theatre. and ‘Little Black Book’, Bar me.

			Barry Watterson Producer

			Liam Fraser Technical Director
			Chris Richardson Technical Manager/ Operator Tracy Stubbs and Nikki Sundstrum Assistant Stage Managers Cello - Guy Curd, Clare Kahn, & Steven Meyer Flute - Steven Meyer & Rebecca Steel Violin - Rowan Smith & Heloise Pyne Musicians