Meet the Production Team
Anna Parr - Director
At the heart of my pedagogy lives ensemble. The strength of a team in any context can inspire confidence, diversity, and unity in the individual. Through large or small group discussions and creative exploration brings forth a feeling of security in that we are not alone. Workshops in rehearsal are a force for discovery, review, deconstruction, and consolidation of new and developing understanding. They can be nerve wracking, exciting, and comforting for many. Theatre is a powerful art form as a vehicle for discovery, where students young and old are able to embrace and build knowledge of social attitudes, values and traditions of all cultures and make personal contemporary connections to themes, narratives and global concepts. |
Liam F. Holohan - Assistant Director
This is my second year working on a production with Ms. Parr as her assistant director, and before that I worked on 2 plays with her as an actor. I'm excited at the opportunity we have, as a production team and cast, to develop a unique perspective on the already worldly famous play by Shakespeare - Macbeth - by setting the play in 13th Century China and loosely basing Macbeth on the emperor of China (and later China and Mongolia) Kublai Khan. I am also exceedingly enthusiastic at our staging which has been set in the round, as this unique (certainly unique to the typical theatre goer) staging allows for the audience to be intimate with the characters on stage. Which is incredibly important when working on a character dominated play such as Macbeth. I look forward to working with an amazing cast and I do hope you'll enjoy our performance! |
Manuel Garrido Freire - Lighting Designer
Staging Macbeth in the round is a extraordinary opportunity, not only for the actors but also for the designers. One of the main challenges that we face by using this stage configuration (in-the-round) is that we need to trigger the same emotions and engage the audience equally in every position around the stage. If the lighting designer fail to visualise how a lighting state would appear from certain angles, then what may appears to be a powerful silhouette for one audience member might become an uninteresting flat, front light for another sitting on the opposite side. Theatre-in-the-round can be challenging but also extremely rewarding. It’s wonderful to have a brave director like Anna and an extraordinary team of creatives pulling together this outstanding tragedy by William Shakespeare. |
Viki Cole - Prop Sourcing
This is the third year I have been given the privilege of working alongside the production team and cast. Anna hopes every year that, as a teacher of Psychology, I can help the student-actors develop their characters’ psyches, and yet I find I rarely need to. They typically have a sophisticated grasp of how to portray emotions and motivations way before I have had any input. I am humbled to see how hard they work and how creative they are. My other role involves researching the artifacts from the time period of the production, a real amatuer in the field of Dramaturgy, and then scrounging around local flea markets and charity shops looking for props. As always, I take my hat off to Anna and Liam who insist on a contextually authentic production that stays true to its time period. It continues to be rewarding. |
Theresa Chan - Costume Designer
“When it comes to creating magic onstage, everyone plays a part.”
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Mark Bradshaw - Music
At the heart of this composition project is the opportunity it affords for students to engage in a deep and meaningful creative process. In it, the exploration and learning brings together multiple dimensions and meta-dimensions of music.
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Nadiah Yusof - Production Administrator
I am truly blessed to be part of a talented, experienced and enthusiastic team and to work for a very positive and creative person as Anna. I provide production support and create the ticket as well as the programme. It is a great position and can be a lot of fun as you get to be involved in many aspects of the production. Shakespeare is normally based on text and is very wordy.
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Kazly Kas Kazan - Audio Designer
The annual drama productions are always the highlight of my calendar. They provide a valuable opportunity for both students and staff to test their capabilities and explore new techniques. The quality of the musical compositions and powerful performances from the cast in this year’s production challenge us as professionals to perform at the highest level.
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