8 (OCHO)
Inspired by a workshop held by Larry Moss (L.A. based acting coach, who is, amongst others, working with Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank and Helen Hunt) in 2009, Alessija Lause, Nikolaus Szentmiklosi and Andreas Schmidt decided to form a company and work on plays in a refreshingly new and unique way, continuing in the spirit of the workshop.
DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is their first production.
CAST
ALESSIJA LAUSE
Alessija, daughter of a croatian mother and a german father, was born in Germany in 1980 and grew up in both countries. She had her acting debut in the German children's TV-Show "Zap Zarap" at the age of six. Ever since, she has been acting in feature and TV films, as for example "Q and A" (D: Hans Steinbichler), "Tatort - Das goldene Band" (D: Franziska Meletzky), "Polizeiruf 110 - Stillschweigen" (D: Eoin Moore), as well as international theatre productions. She was cast member of the Argentinean theatre company "De La Guarda" and the Japanese Butoh-Company "Katsura Kahn & Saltimbanques". In 2011 Alessija was awarded Best Actress at "The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence" at the Edinburgh Fringe for her interpretation of Roberta in DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley (D: Andreas Schmidt). From 2006-2011 she also worked as a stunt woman for films like "Hanna", "Unknown", "Inglourious Basterds", "The International, "The Baader Meinhof Complex", "Pope Joan", "DON 2".
NIKOLAUS SZENTMIKLOSI
Nikolaus, son of a Hungarian father and a German mother, was born in Transsylvania in 1980 and grew up at the Bodensee in Germany. He was a successful spring- and highboard diver, before he decided to become an actor when he was 19. In 2005 he performed for the first time at the Vagantenbühne Berlin in "Cherry Docs" under the direction of Andreas Schmidt ("Sommer vorm Balkon", "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse"). Subsequently he took on a three-year engagement at the Badische Landesbühne Bruchsal. In 2009 he directed Chechov's "The Seagull" at the Theater Tiefrot in Cologne, where he also played the part of Kostja. In April 2010 he directed the successful British theatre production "Flhip Flhop" at the Postbahnhof Berlin. In 2011 he returned to the Vagantenbühne Berlin as Liam in Dennis Kelly's "Orphans. The same year, Nikolaus was nominated for Best Actor at "The Stage awards for acting excellence" at the Edinburgh Fringe for his interpretation of Danny in "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" by John Patrick Shanley (D: Andreas Schmidt).
CREW
DIRECTOR
Andreas Schmidt, born in 1963, had theatre engagements as an actor in Mannheim, Dortmund, Bonn and Berlin. After two nominations for the German Film Prize in 2003 and 2006, he won the German Film Prize in 2009 in the category "Best Male Supporting Actor" for Helmut Christian Görlitz' movie "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse". Apart from his work as an actor for TV and film, Andreas Schmidt also works as theatre director in Berlin. Among others, he staged the very successful „Shakespeares sämtliche Werke“ for the "Vagantenbühne Berlin", which has now been running for 13 years. In addition to that, he staged plays for the "Theater am Kurfürstendamm", such as Kristof Magnusson's comedy „Männerhort“ (with Bastian Pastewka and Christoph Maria Herbst), which had an audience of over 100.000 people by now.
STAGE DESIGN
Anja Wegener graduated as theatre painter from the "Staatliche Schauspielbühne Berlin". She had her debut in stage design in 2003 with „This is our Youth“ at the Vagantenbühne, Berlin. This was followed by „Die süßesten Früchte“ (2004) at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm, Berlin and „Cherry Docs“ (2005) at the Vagantenbühne, Berlin, all directed by Andreas Schmidt. A close and continuous collaboration with the "Bühnen am Kurfürstendamm" and the directors Andreas Schmidt, Jürgen Wölffer, Martin Wölffer, Helmut Baumann and Herbert Herrmann was established. Among others, she designed the stages for „Sugar Daddys“, „Männerhort“, „Der Menschenfeid“, „Die 7 Todsünden“, „Und abends Gäste“, „Das Apartment“ and „Vier linke Hände“. Furthermore she works as theatre painter for the „Stiftung Oper in Berlin – Bühnenservice“, and at the workshops/studios of the "Berliner Opernhäuser".
MUSIC
David Gärtner, born in 1982 in Berlin, member of numerous bands, composed the soundtrack for our production of DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.
We are happy to have Ivica Vrgoć, as our guitarist, on board at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011.
THE PLAY
Two fucked up individuals are washed up in a run down bar in the Bronx: Truck-driving, short-tempered Danny, whom they call “the beast” encounters Roberta - mother of a moronic son, fearless and constantly seeking for punishment. A perilous cocktail of dangerous closeness, violence, emotion and audacity clashes in John Patrick Shanley’s fierce and heartbreakingly funny comedy - with an outcome you’d never guess in your wildest dreams.
THE AUTHOR
John Patrick Shanley was born in the Bronx, New York in 1950 as the son of a telephone operator and a meat packer. The American Playwright, Screenwright and director of Irish descent won the Academy Award for his screenplay "Moonstruck" (1987), the feature film starring Cher and Nicolas Cage, as well as the Writers Guild of America Award for the category "Best Script“. 2004 he was eternalized on the Bronx Walk of Fame. His play „Doubt: A Parable“ won the Pulitzer Prize for Theatre in 2005, the Drama Desk Award as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. In 2008 the play was made into a feature film, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hofmann and Amy Adams; Shanley directed it himself. He directs his plays himself as well whenever he can.
Inspired by a workshop held by Larry Moss (L.A. based acting coach, who is, amongst others, working with Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank and Helen Hunt) in 2009, Alessija Lause, Nikolaus Szentmiklosi and Andreas Schmidt decided to form a company and work on plays in a refreshingly new and unique way, continuing in the spirit of the workshop.
DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is their first production.
CAST
ALESSIJA LAUSE
Alessija, daughter of a croatian mother and a german father, was born in Germany in 1980 and grew up in both countries. She had her acting debut in the German children's TV-Show "Zap Zarap" at the age of six. Ever since, she has been acting in feature and TV films, as for example "Q and A" (D: Hans Steinbichler), "Tatort - Das goldene Band" (D: Franziska Meletzky), "Polizeiruf 110 - Stillschweigen" (D: Eoin Moore), as well as international theatre productions. She was cast member of the Argentinean theatre company "De La Guarda" and the Japanese Butoh-Company "Katsura Kahn & Saltimbanques". In 2011 Alessija was awarded Best Actress at "The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence" at the Edinburgh Fringe for her interpretation of Roberta in DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley (D: Andreas Schmidt). From 2006-2011 she also worked as a stunt woman for films like "Hanna", "Unknown", "Inglourious Basterds", "The International, "The Baader Meinhof Complex", "Pope Joan", "DON 2".
NIKOLAUS SZENTMIKLOSI
Nikolaus, son of a Hungarian father and a German mother, was born in Transsylvania in 1980 and grew up at the Bodensee in Germany. He was a successful spring- and highboard diver, before he decided to become an actor when he was 19. In 2005 he performed for the first time at the Vagantenbühne Berlin in "Cherry Docs" under the direction of Andreas Schmidt ("Sommer vorm Balkon", "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse"). Subsequently he took on a three-year engagement at the Badische Landesbühne Bruchsal. In 2009 he directed Chechov's "The Seagull" at the Theater Tiefrot in Cologne, where he also played the part of Kostja. In April 2010 he directed the successful British theatre production "Flhip Flhop" at the Postbahnhof Berlin. In 2011 he returned to the Vagantenbühne Berlin as Liam in Dennis Kelly's "Orphans. The same year, Nikolaus was nominated for Best Actor at "The Stage awards for acting excellence" at the Edinburgh Fringe for his interpretation of Danny in "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" by John Patrick Shanley (D: Andreas Schmidt).
CREW
DIRECTOR
Andreas Schmidt, born in 1963, had theatre engagements as an actor in Mannheim, Dortmund, Bonn and Berlin. After two nominations for the German Film Prize in 2003 and 2006, he won the German Film Prize in 2009 in the category "Best Male Supporting Actor" for Helmut Christian Görlitz' movie "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse". Apart from his work as an actor for TV and film, Andreas Schmidt also works as theatre director in Berlin. Among others, he staged the very successful „Shakespeares sämtliche Werke“ for the "Vagantenbühne Berlin", which has now been running for 13 years. In addition to that, he staged plays for the "Theater am Kurfürstendamm", such as Kristof Magnusson's comedy „Männerhort“ (with Bastian Pastewka and Christoph Maria Herbst), which had an audience of over 100.000 people by now.
STAGE DESIGN
Anja Wegener graduated as theatre painter from the "Staatliche Schauspielbühne Berlin". She had her debut in stage design in 2003 with „This is our Youth“ at the Vagantenbühne, Berlin. This was followed by „Die süßesten Früchte“ (2004) at the Komödie am Kurfürstendamm, Berlin and „Cherry Docs“ (2005) at the Vagantenbühne, Berlin, all directed by Andreas Schmidt. A close and continuous collaboration with the "Bühnen am Kurfürstendamm" and the directors Andreas Schmidt, Jürgen Wölffer, Martin Wölffer, Helmut Baumann and Herbert Herrmann was established. Among others, she designed the stages for „Sugar Daddys“, „Männerhort“, „Der Menschenfeid“, „Die 7 Todsünden“, „Und abends Gäste“, „Das Apartment“ and „Vier linke Hände“. Furthermore she works as theatre painter for the „Stiftung Oper in Berlin – Bühnenservice“, and at the workshops/studios of the "Berliner Opernhäuser".
MUSIC
David Gärtner, born in 1982 in Berlin, member of numerous bands, composed the soundtrack for our production of DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.
We are happy to have Ivica Vrgoć, as our guitarist, on board at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011.
THE PLAY
Two fucked up individuals are washed up in a run down bar in the Bronx: Truck-driving, short-tempered Danny, whom they call “the beast” encounters Roberta - mother of a moronic son, fearless and constantly seeking for punishment. A perilous cocktail of dangerous closeness, violence, emotion and audacity clashes in John Patrick Shanley’s fierce and heartbreakingly funny comedy - with an outcome you’d never guess in your wildest dreams.
THE AUTHOR
John Patrick Shanley was born in the Bronx, New York in 1950 as the son of a telephone operator and a meat packer. The American Playwright, Screenwright and director of Irish descent won the Academy Award for his screenplay "Moonstruck" (1987), the feature film starring Cher and Nicolas Cage, as well as the Writers Guild of America Award for the category "Best Script“. 2004 he was eternalized on the Bronx Walk of Fame. His play „Doubt: A Parable“ won the Pulitzer Prize for Theatre in 2005, the Drama Desk Award as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. In 2008 the play was made into a feature film, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hofmann and Amy Adams; Shanley directed it himself. He directs his plays himself as well whenever he can.
