presents between heaven and her May 6 - 17, 2015 La Mama Theatre Written by Dodo Gombár Translated from Slovak by Danica Haláková Directed by Lech Mackiewicz Performed by Majid Shokor, Katharine Innes and Reece Vella Journalist (voice only): Ubaldino Mantelli Music performed live by Brighid Mantelli Designed by Lara Week Lighting design by Shane Grant Sound by Max Schollar-Root Images byJustyn Koh An Auto Da Fe Theatre Company Production DIRECTOR’S NOTE by Lech Mackiewicz BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HER is a play about Love. About relationship. About Man and Woman. It is a very universal, poetic and yet a very brutal piece of writing. Very direct. And incredibly rich stylistically within it’s simple form. Pure pleasure to work on. It feels almost designed/written especially for the intimate La Mama space. So there is no coincidence that the Australian premiere of Between Heaven and Her takes place here in Melbourne’s most famous little theatre. I tend to think that “I fell in love” with Dodo Gombar’s play Between Heaven and Her. Yes, I believe that this is the most appropriate way to say it. I hope you feel the same way after seeing our production of it. Enjoy! Dodo Gombár: Playwright Dodo Gombár is a Slovak theater director and playwright. He studied directing at the Faculty of Performing Arts in Bratislava. Since 2000, he has worked as a freelance director in many European theaters, mostly Czech and Slovak. Dodo has staged over 60 plays including Faust, Three Sisters, Master and Margarita, Fiddler on the Roof, Lemonade Joe, and Cabaret or Outlaw Ballad. Since 2010 he has been the artistic director of the Švandovo Theatre Company in Prague. His play Between Heaven And Her premiered in 2012 in Budapest (Hungary), where Dodo directed it for the Thalia Theatre Company. Lech Mackiewicz: Director Lech is a Polish actor, director, and playwright. Lech is a graduate of the National Academy of Theatrical Arts (PWST) in Cracow, and the University of Technology, Sydney. He formed Auto Da Fe Theatre Company in Sydney in 1987. He received the NSW Performing Arts Scholarship in 1991; assisted Neil Armfield on the production of Diary of A Madman with Geoffrey Rush at Belvoir St Theatre; and collaborated with Tadashi Suzuki’s SCOT (Japan). Cate Blanchett’s first theatre production out of NIDA was Kafka Dances at the Stables Theatre, where Lech starred as Franz Kafka and Cate played his fiancée, Felice Bauer. Most recently Lech directed Tales of a City by the Sea for La Mama Courthouse, and his Australian play Ditto. A Story, in Poland. Lech’s plays have been published and performed in Australia, Poland and Japan. Majid Shokor: Technician Majid has been acting for over 30 years. He has won many awards in his home country of Iraq, where he was a member of the Iraqi National Theatre Company and the Iraqi Theatre Artists Syndicate. Since arriving in Australia in September 2001, Majid has twice been nominated for a Green Room Best Actor Award. His theatre credits include The Cool Room for Belvoir St Theatre, and In Our Name, presented by Company B. His screen credits include a guest role in City Homicide and an actor and cultural consultant in the feature film Lucky Miles. Majid was last seen at La Mama in the sold-out season of Tales of A City By The Sea. He holds a MA in Community Cultural Development from VCA / Melbourne University. Katharine Innes: Woman Katharine is a Melbourne based actress, whose film work has screened in festivals around the world, including A Single Guy (Daniel Johnson Films) Detroit International Film Festival, Love’s End (Dir. Rob Mond) LA Comedy Festival, and The Appointment (M. Bardolia) New York International Film Festival. Other screen highlights include feature films Crime & Punishment (January Films), and The Subjects (Instinct Entertainment). Katharine has an extensive body of work in theatre including two seasons with the Australian Shakespeare Company in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Jazz Angel at The Athaneum. Katharine will soon be appearing in The Subtle Art of Flirting at The Butterfly Club. Reece Vella: Man Reece graduated from The Actors College of Theatre and TV in Sydney in 2010. He has been acting professionally for the past five years, working with the likes of Lech Mackiewicz, Lex Marinos and Mario Philip Azzopardi. With a passion for new work, some of his latest endeavors include: the world premier of Il- Kappillan ta’ Malta in Malta, Everyman and the Pole Dancers at Metanoia Theatre, and the sellout Tales of a City by the Sea at La Mama Courthouse. Reece is delighted to be performing at La Mama since he romantically holds this place close to his heart as an institution of unquantifiable artistic and historical Australian value. Brighid Mantelli: Musician Brighid holds a Bachelor with Honours and Masters performance degrees from Melbourne University and also spent time studying in Austria and England. She has diverse performance experience—from touring Europe with Geminiani Orchestra to performing as a soloist in Mexico City. Her first experience of improvising was in front of a camera for SBS’s Red Light in Full Flight. Brighid loves to collaborate. In 2012 she composed original music for The Elephant Man, directed by Libby Tanner and last year worked with visual artist Danielle McCarthy to compose and perform for her exhibition Entanglement at FortyFive Downstairs. Lara Week: Set and Costume Designer Lara is a producer and designer for performance. In 2013, Lara completed her PG Dip in Performance Creation (Design) at the Victorian College of the Arts. Her design credits include: Tales of a City by the Sea (La Mama Courthouse), The Conference of the Birds (Centre for Cultural Partnerships), A Feat Incomplete (Old 505 Theatre) and Tzlilei Kesem (Israeli Opera). Since 2011, she has been associate producer for Tribal Soul Arts, producing decolonial arts programs and performances in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Netherlands, UK, and Australia. She is dedicated to creating spaces where people with different skills and perspectives can share ideas and produce work together. Shane Grant: Lighting Designer Shane has been Audio Visual Technician for St Kevin’s College for the past nine years. Prior to that he was Production Manager with Strange Fruit for six years and Technical Manager at Gasworks Theatre for four years. Shane is an accomplished lighting designer having worked extensively with companies like Ranters Theatre, The Torch Project, NYID and many others. Shane has a BA Dramatic Arts (Production) VCA from 1994. Shane is currently a company director of Metanoia Theatre and the technical manager of the Mechanics Institute theatre in Brunswick. Max Schollar-Root: Sound Designer From his roots in The Australian Theatre for Young People and the NSW Performing Arts Unit State Drama Ensemble, Max found his passion in musical performance and composition while studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He works as a band leader with his group Ungus Ungus Ungus, a multi-modal performance project combining live music, technology, and dance, and is presenting this work at festivals nationally. A registered Music Therapist, he currently runs early childhood music programs. He provided live sound tech and mixing for the sold-out season of Tales of a City by the Sea in 2014. Sarah Jane Robertson: Stage Manager Sarah Jane Robertson is a recent graduate of the QUT Technical Production course where she majored in Stage Management. This is Sarah Jane’s first production since moving to Melbourne and she would like to thank all the cast and crew for being so welcoming and for making her first show in Melbourne a very positive experience. Sarah Jane’s previous stage management roles include; Assistant Stage Manager Beauty and the Beast 2011, Production Stage Manager Into the Woods 2012, Stage Manager FLOODS A Travelling QLD Opera 2013 and Production Stage Manager ActingWorks QUT Acting 2014. Thank you to Sonya and James and the White House Justyn Koh Luigi and Rita Sammut Robert Mr Long Nicholas Mila Darren Vizer Little Red Riding Hood Alice from Wonderland Three Little Pigs Office Phone: (03) 9347 6948 | Office Hours: Mon – Fri | 10:30am – 5:30pm Level 1, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton VIC 3053 www.lamama.com.au | [email protected] | www.facebook.com/lamama.theatre Our sincerest thanks to the many volunteers who generously give their time in support of La Mama. La Mama’s Committee of Management, staff and its wider theatrical community acknowledge that our theatre is on traditional Wurundjeri land. The La Mama community acknowledges the considerable support it has received in the past decade from Jeannie Pratt and The Pratt Foundation. La Mama is financially assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council – its arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria - Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the City of Melbourne through the Arts and Culture triennial funding program.
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