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Rockspeare Bios
Rockspeare Home | About | Bios |
Creatives
Director
Costume Design
Composer
Cast
Richard III
Edward/Tyrell
Buckingham
Anne
Elizabeth
Clarence/Mayor
Stanley/Murderer
Hastings
Catesby
Rivers/Richmond
Assistant Production Manager / Messenger
Biographies
Director
Lexi is a founder, Co-Producer and Co-Artistic Director of Lakespeare & Co. and a graduate with first class honours of London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She has previously directed Much Ado About Nothing for Lakespeare & Co. and regularly runs Shakespeare verse, monologue and audition workshops in Canberra.
As an artistic director of Lakespeare & Co., Lexi is passionate about training actors to the performance model and standard of London’s Globe to enable the poetry and prose of Shakespeare to be understood by audience members of all ages. She brings this passion, exacting standards and a wealth of experience to this exciting new production of Rockspeare: Richard III.
Lexi is a keen advocate and lobbyist for a National Theatre of Australia.
Costume Design
Fiona Victoria Hopkins again brings her fresh, imaginative costuming to the Lakespeare stage, having worked with the company on their Shakespeare by the Lakes productions of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Fiona is both an extraordinarily talented and accomplished Costume Designer and Actor. Her parallel talents have taken her around the world, having spent over 14 years in the UK and Europe before returning to her homeland back in 2014.
“I adore Shakespeare, character defines the costume, and vice versa. I always try to marry this relationship to my designs. I see my designs as a continuous work of art, and as the production moves through rehearsals so too will the costume design. I am a great believer that costumes are not just an item of clothing you put on, but a frame of mind you wear from within.“
Composer
Jay Cameron is a Scottish composer, musician and songwriter currently based in Australia whose passion is found in collaboration and telling stories or delivering a strong message relating to the human condition. Jay has performed as a session musician, and performed his own musical and showcase of musical theatre at he Scottish Arts Club in Edinburgh.
For Rockspeare, he has created a modern soundscape that captures the cacophony of battle, the pomp and celebration of victory, and the bitter mourning, and feverish dreams and nightmares of the protagonists of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
Richard III
Dene’s credits include landmark Australian productions as Malcolm Heslop in Muriel’s Wedding, Gavroche in the original cast of Les Miserables, Louis in the Tony winning revival of The King & I, and a critics award-winning performance in the television drama G.P.
Other career highlights include the title role in Oedipus, Paris in Romeo & Juliet, lead roles in Deviant Art, Sleeping Dogs Lie, and The Ice Season with Impulse Company London, PAN for MEAG and Jim Henson’s Workshop, All My Sons with the Sydney Theatre Company, and performing with John Goodman, Hayley Mills, Phillip Quast, Toni Collette, and Heath Ledger.
He has performed and co-created numerous award-winning advertising campaigns such as ANZ ‘Security’, Yellow Pages, Toyota Kluger, Sony, Fairfax and proudly alongside his eldest son in the original Googong (A.C.T) campaigns.
The youngest child of Pamela and Warren Kermond, Dene is a fourth-generation dancer, tapper, acrobat, singer and physical comedian – and a graduate actor of Theatre Nepean, Western Sydney University. Throughout his youth and adult career he has received critical acclaim for his work in productions including Twelfth Night as Malvolio, The Distant Home, A Country Practice, Home & Away, and Police Rescue, as Barney in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and alongside Max Cullen in Bartleby. In 2013, Dene received with his family the Life Education’s ‘Gold Harold Award’ for services to youth through the performing arts.
Dene is excited to work with the Lakespeare & Co in the title role of Richard III.
Edward / Tyrell
Christopher is a graduate of both the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS). He has toured the stages of Europe with Cate Blanchett, appeared with John Cleese at the SydneyOpera House, performed in a musical with Tim Minchin, danced the choreography of Meryl Tankard and directed Steve Smith, the Australian Test Cricketer, in a Television Commercial.
Christopher directed Lakespeare’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night and Sport For Jove’s 2020 production of… Twelfth Night. He was an associate artist with Bell Shakespeare Company between 1992-2006 and has performed in over 20 productions of Shakespeare’s work including the titular role of Hamlet, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, Angelo in Measure for Measure Antipholus in Comedy of Errors that was the first Australian production to tour to the UK. He has been nominated for a Green Room Award twice and a Sydney Theatre Award nominee three times.
Christopher been a regular character on many Television Series – Wild Boys, Soul Mates, Sea Patrol, State Corner and The Flying Doctors. His film credits include Predestination, The Rage in Placid Lake and The Nightingale.
As a screen writer / director, his short films “dik” and “No Budget” have won over 30 festival awards around the world including Palm Springs, Aspen and Best Screenplay at Flickerfest.
Buckingham
Adele most recently performed in Sport for Jove’s well received 2019/2020 Summer Season productions of Shakespeare’s “12th Night” and “Romeo and Juliet”, playing the roles of Olivia and Lady Montague respectively. In previous Sport for Jove productions she has played pivotal roles such as Desdemona (Shakespeare’s Othello), Helena (Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Joan of Arc (Shakespeare’s Henry VI part 1). In June 2019 she was also the lead in a new Australian work “Speak…easy” for Connecting the Dots theatre Co. In 2017 she toured the country with Shake and Stir Theatre Company’s award-winning adaptation of “Dracula”. Prior to that she was in Theatron’s production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”. She is a recipient of the International Actor’s Fellowship at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre London, as well as performing at the internationally acclaimed ‘Finbourough Theatre’, London, in an Australian production of ‘The One Day Of The Year’. Adele has also appeared in Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’, Bell Shakespeare’s “Players”, and Darlinghust Theatre’s “The importance of Being Earnest”. Adele is currently filming a lead role in an Australian feature film “Foxhole” and has appeared in various films including the Australian comedy feature “No Appointment Necessary”, and the recently released sci-fi “Harmony”. She also plays a lead in the soon to be released interactive feature film “Crossing Paths”. Adele has appeared in the short films ‘Ricochet’ (St Kilda Film Festival Finalist) and ‘Worst Date Ever’, for which she received a nomination for ‘Best Comedy Actress’ at the 2016 Houston Comedy Film Festival.
Adele has been a proud member of MEAA since graduating WAAPA
Anne
Lexi is a Co-Producer and Co-Artistic Director of Lakespeare, and a graduate with first class honours of London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She is reprising the role of Lady Anne which she has performed at the Globe Theatre, London, for the Wanamaker Festival.
Her Australian performances include ‘Viola’ in Twelfth Night, Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff in Secret City: Under the Eagle, ‘Marianne’ in Constellations, ‘Beatrice’ in Much Ado About Nothing, ‘Raina’ in Arms and the Man, ‘Miss Cannon’ in series 5 of Rake, Dame Enid Lyons in the re-enactment of her maiden speech, Journalist in Total Control and as the voice for Kerry McGinnis’ novel The Roadhouse. In summer 2019-2020 Lexi joined Sport for Jove company to appear as ‘Lady Capulet’ in Romeo and Juliet and ‘Malvolia’ in Twelfth Night.
Elizabeth
Lainie is so relieved and grateful to be working on R3, in the Nation’s Capital, at this difficult time. She is very proud to have supported the Lakespeare & Co team as a mentor in the 2020 season of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, and as actor in Sounds of Shakespeare at the Kambri Precinct as well as the Feb 2019 season of Twelfth Night playing Maria. Lainie is enormously proud to have recently joined the Lakespeare & Co team as Producer.
In 2019, Lainie worked with The Street Theatre on creative development projects for their First Seen – New Works in Progress program, and in two Alma de Groen plays: The Woman in the Window (Canberra Repertory) and Wicked Sisters (Papermoon productions). Prior to 2019, Lainie spent 18 months completing further study and training in Melbourne. She graduated from the full-time program at 16th Street Actor’s Studio, Melbourne in 2018 and went on to perform in the La Mama Autumn season of Allee Richards’ new play Survival.
Lainie was previously living and working in Canberra, where she performed in a number of productions for REP, Free Rain, the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre and Canberra Philharmonic. Lainie studies singing and voice with the marvellous Sharon Tree at Glengrove Studio. Lainie would like to dedicate this performance to the strong women in her life, and in particular to her Mum, and to her grandmother, who was also an Elizabeth (“Beth”).
Clarence / Mayor
Dr Duncan Driver is a founder and co-artistic director of Lakepeare & Co. and an artistic director of Canberra’s acclaimed Everyman Theatre, for whom he has directed several productions including Richard III (2010), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (2008), In Cold Light (2009), The Ides of March (2011), God (2012) and The Burning (2014), many of which contributed to Everyman’s numerous Critics’ Circle and CAT Awards. For Everyman, he has acted in Latin! or Tobacco and Boys (2009), Richard III (2010), The Laramie Project (2010), Breaker Morant (2012), The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) (2013) and Home at the End (2013). Other acting credits include ‘First Voice’ in Under Milk Wood (Canberra Rep, 2013), ‘Demetrius’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Centrepiece, 2013) and ‘Reverend Hale’ in The Crucible (Canberra Rep, 2015). For Lakespeare & Co. he co-directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018) and also starred as Benedick. He has twice won the Canberra Area Theatre Award for best actor in a leading role in a play (in 2007, for the role of ‘Richard Sherman’ in The Seven Year Itchand in 2009, for the role of ‘Dominic’ in Latin! or Tobacco and Boys).
Duncan carries a PhD in Literature, Screen and Theatre Studies from ANU and worked as a lecturer and course convener in the University’s English department. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Canberra and its Program Director for Secondary Education.
Stanley / Murderer
Katerina is an experienced Sydney-based actor now in Canberra, whose first Canberra based production was Shakespeare by the Lakes III: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, playing Titania. Katerina is an actor, singer, dancer with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Music Theatre from the Australian Institute of Music (AIM). She started her career as a Disney princess at Tokyo Disneyland and has since toured Australia performing in a variety of Theatre in Education plays with Starrs Productions and Class Act Theatre. Katerina has been a singer at Dirty Dick’s Theatre Restaurant and also for the children’s group Captain Bandanna, and in many pantomimes for Australian Global Entertainment.
Katerina’s stage credits include Cinderella in Into the Woods (Hornsby Musical Society), Adelle in Shakers (AIM), Viola in Twelfth Night (AIM), Luisa in The Fantastiks (Genesian Theatre), Eliza in My Fair Lady (Cameo Theatre Company), and Maggie in A Chorus Line (Bankstown Theatre Company).
Hastings
Heidi Silberman is an award-winning Canberra based performer, writer, director and educator. She has been performing improvised and scripted theatre for over 15 years. She co-created, performed in and directed The Home Front which received 4 and 5 star reviews at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and high acclaim for its Canberra season, before touring regionally. She is co-producer of Canberra Unscripted, the local festival of improvised theatre, and has created, directed and performed in improvised shows including Shakespeare with Zombies, BrideSQUAD and Femme Noire. Heidi’s scripted performance roles include Oberon in Lakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, various characters in Limbo Theatre’s The Good Doctor and Lindy Chamberlain in Moral Panic’s Canberra season of Love/Chamberlain.
Her short plays have been staged in festivals in Canberra, Sydney and Wagga Wagga. She recently co-wrote and co-directed the Rebus Theatre production A Tender Thing and her work in progress, “White Tulips”, was selected for the Street Theatre’s script development program, First Seen, in 2017. She has written for anthologies including The Sound of Silence (awarded the 2012 ACT Writing and Publishing Award for Nonfiction) and In God’s Hands (shortlisted for the Caleb Award for Poetry 2013). Her writing has also appeared online at Kidspot, Web Child, Her Canberra and Parenting Express and she is currently writing her first novel.
Heidi has taught drama and improvisation for Perform Australia (previously Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art), Rebus Theatre and Impro ACT. Heidi’s alter ego is Dr Peek-a-boo, a Clown Doctor with The Humour Foundation, and she is co-founder of local theatre company Chrysalis Theatre.
Catesby
Bojana is an actor and writer. Performance credits include Sounds of Shakespeare (Shakespeare by the Lakes, 2019), Much Ado About Nothing (Canberra Rep, 2016), Casanova (Canberra Rep, 2016) and The Great (National University Theatre Society, 2014). Bojana is also a radio presenter with ArtSound FM. She is currently undertaking postgraduate study in creative writing with Swinburne University.
Rivers / Richmond
Damon is a current student at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne, where he studies a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). Prior to this he appeared on several Canberra stages, including Canberra REP and The Street Theatre. He is also a proud co-founder of the independent theatre troupe Limbo Theatre. Notable performances include: Fragments and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (The Street); The Good Doctor and Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Limbo Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing and The Importance of Being Earnest (ANU); The Art of Coarse Acting and Neighbourhood Watch (Canberra REP); Sounds of Shakespeare (Lakespeare); and Pedagogy (HotHouse Theatre/Playwriting Australia). This is his second appearance with Lakespeare & Co.
Assistant Production Manager / Messenger
Morna is studying acting at the 16th Street Actors Studio in Melbourne. She has previously completed acting courses with the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney (January 2020), the Impulse Company UK in London (October-November 2019) and the Studio Acting Conservatory (then Studio Theatre) in Washington DC (June 2016-August 2017). In December 2019, she performed in a public showcase of final scenes from Rabbit Hole (David Lindsay-Abaire) and A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen) at the Actors Centre in London, directed by Jack Price. Morna is thrilled to be providing behind-the-scenes support and making a brief appearance in Lakespeare & Co’s inaugural winter show, Rockspeare: Richard III. This will be the first time Morna has appeared on Canberra’s theatre stage since her role as Paula in the Belconnen Community Centre’s 2008 production of After Dinner (Andrew Bovell).
