About ZARINA

 

Saman GIRAUD

 is an International award winning actress having won the ‘Best Actress Award’ for her performance in her first short film "M4-My Many Married Men", at the Delhi Shorts International Film Festival 2016. For the same film, whose critical acclaim and international recognition,  has accredited Saman the respected titles of director and producer. Her portrayal of XXX also won her  the ‘Honorable Jury Mention’ at the Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2016 and the Awardeo Award. 

 

Giraud was born in Vienna, Austria to Iranian parents and grew up trilingual. She spent the majority of her childhood living in her parent’s art gallery where she was surrounded by art and music. She started acting at age 13 at the Studio Moliere in Vienna where she got the male leading role in “Die Schlimmen Buben in der Schule” by Johann Nestroy under the direction of Susanne Pollak. A few years later,  at age 16, she got the leading role in “Trugbilder”,  a short Film by Jasha Novak and Nikolaus Pernecky.  Soon after she took part in the ZARA against racism commercial by Jochen Graf “3x45 Sekunden” which won Best Commercial Cannes Lion Shortlist. 

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When she finished her studies in “Theater and Film Sciences” at the University of Vienna, she moved to New York in 2007 to attend the acclaimed Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute where she studied under the direction of the late Irma Sandrey and Robert Ellerman.

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Saman Giraud remained in New York to  work on several US-independent films, such as the leading role in “Jasmine” by director Sean Davis and “Hamartia” directed by Loredana Gasparotto, various art projects and music videos, such “The museum of emotions” by artist Bill Hayward and “Fine Wine” by singer Ohene Cornelius. However, an accident in 2009 rendered her unable to work as an actor for nearly two years but her passion for acting and her love of the arts lead her to write. “M4  - My Many Married Men” which proved to be a prominent creative comeback to the screen. The film was picked by the Hollywood Entertainment Magazine "The Wrap" as one of "12 crowdfunded projects shooting for success".

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ABOUT MAHWISH

 

Denise Teipel was born to a Turkish father and a German mother in Vienna. After finishing her Media Management studies at the University of applied siences in St. Pölten, she studied acting with Heribert Sasse and Heinz Trixner in Vienna, receiving her diploma in 2010.

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Since then she has been working as a freelance artist in theatre and film, working both as an actress and a casting director and producer.In 2012 she was invited with the play DEUS EX MACHINA to the theatre festival Arada in Istanbul. She moved to Istanbul, started to learn Turkisch and played theatre there, among others BIRDS by Aristophanes, directed by Fabio Tolledi. Back in Vienna she worked on Sudabeh Mortezai´s film debut MACONDO, which ran in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014. 

She played the female leads in Felix Mitterer´s HEIM and Jura Soyfer´s DER LECHNER EDI SCHAUT INS PARADIES, both directed by Peter W. Hochegger.

 

While working on various film projects in the field of casting and research, among others several of them for the Ulrich Seidl Film, she wrote her first movie script as a participant of DIVERSE GESCHICHTEN, a program for script writers. In 2015 she worked on the documentary BROTHERS OFTHE NIGHT, directed by Patric Chiha, which was screened at the Berlin Film Festival 2016 in the Panorama section.

 

2015/2016 she played the role of ANAIS in the play HEROES at the Werk X, which later on was performed at several Off theatres in Vienna. She is the founder and head of the SpielBAR Ensemble, whose first production VITA & VIRGINIA premiered in April 2016. Recently she played at the Brick 5 in Slawomir Mrozek´s EMIGRANTEN, which was directed by Agnieszka Salamon. EMIGRANTEN up to now is the second production of the SpielBAR Ensemble. 

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ABOUT AFZAL

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Harmage Singh KALIRAI trained as an actor at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, London, and École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris.

 

Theatre includes: A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Wolsley Theatre) The Winter's Tale (Guildford Shakespeare Company), The Arabian Nights (Tricycle Theatre), Antony and Cleopatra (Chichester Festival Theatre), Cargo (Iron Oxide), Hijra (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Behsharam (Soho Theatre/Birmingham Rep), Arabian Nights (Young Vic & National Tour), Bravely Fought the Queen (Border Crossing), Riddley Walker & The Moonstone (Royal Exchange Manchester), My Beautiful Laundrette (Sherman Cardiff), Dick Whittington (Grand Wolverhampton), The Illusion (Old Vic), Passage to India (Redgrave Farnham), Doolaly Days (Leicester Haymarket).

 

Television includes: Emmerdale (ITV), Big School (BBC Comedy), Politician's Husband (BBC), Alan Partridge: Welcome To The Places Of My Life (Sky), Silent Witness (BBC), Spooks, (BBC), Taggart (STV), Casualty (BBC), Little Britain (BBC), The Bill (Thames), Outlaws (World/BBC), Peep Show (Objective), Emmerdale (YTV), Blue Murder (Granada), Holby City (BBC), Stan The Man (Granada), The Cops (World), Trial and Retribution (La Plante), A Touch of Frost (YTV), Hearts & Minds (Witzend), Medics (Granada).

 

Films include: Dalida (Bethsabee Mucho), Dark Matters 2: Raining Aliens (Wide Eyed Entertainment), Mischief Nights (Company Pictures), Guru in Seven (Balhar), Brothers in Trouble (Renegade), Paper Mask (Granada), Partition (Bandung), A Very British Coup (Skreba).

 

ABOUT ELI

 

Dave MOSKIN was born in New Jersey and grew up in New York City. He’s recently starred in the Lithuania tour of  Hair playing to crowds of over 2000, since starring in West Side Story, summer  2016,  Salzburger Fetespiele - amongst others. Previously he was in Vienna’s English Theatre  in Chickenshit, after playing Richard Ehrlich their in 2012’s Time Stands Still.

 

As a child performer he was in numerous theater, film and television productions including Oliver, Gypsy, The National Company of  The Rothchild’s  &  The Grassharp & Seesaw On Broadway.

 

Musical theater credits include Berger in Hair at the Raimund Theater, Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Footloose, Jekyll & Hyde, Vince Fontaine/Teen angel in Grease, and the Big Bopper in Buddy the Musical in Essen, Germany. Dave also sang the Rock Tenor part in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with the Tonkünstler Orchester NÖ at the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Festpielhaus in St. Pölten.

 

Theater Productions in Vienna include Jamie in Territory, Ben In IZ, Leon/Nick in Speaking in Tongues, Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen Of  Verona, A Christmas Carol, Charlie In Over The Threshhold, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Frank in How The Other Half Loves, Winston in 1984, Richard Ehrlich in Time Stands Still and Martin Sterneck in Gabriel Barylli’s Chickenshit(Butterbrot).Most recently he was in the criticaly acclaimed production of  The Invisible Hand at Theater Drachengasse. 

 

He is also the Producer of, and plays “Jake” in The Blues Brothers Are Back, touring Europe and appearing most recently in the Wiener Stadthalle.

 

Film credits include Tootsie, The Godfather, Manhattan, Im Weissen Rössl 2013 and Good Morning Kabul.

 

ABOUT the DIRECTOR 

 

Joanna GODWiN-SEIDL - the actress and director studied theatre in the United Kingdom. She has been running VIENNA THEATRE PROJECT since 2006.

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German language theatre directing credits include Mädchen Mit Den Schwefelhölzern workshop (Ronacher Theater); Hautnah (Patrick Marber) for Theaterverein Vision (OFF Theater) and Gefährliche Liebschaften (actress - OFF Theater).

 

Recent acclaimed musicals include Tick Tick...Boom! Marry Me A Little, Ordinary Days (Theater Drachengasse).

 

She enjoys choosing plays with social & political content; Dirt (Theater am Petersplatz), The Meeting (Black History Month/Theater am Petersplatz) to name a few. In 2014 she directed the hit play Topdog/Underdog (Theater Drachengasse), was pleased to receive rave reviews for Disgraced & The Invisible Hand  (2016) and starred in Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (Dialog im Dunkeln). Most recently she directed the sell out shows Sarg Niemals Nie (Theatercouch) and The Last 5 Years ( Brick 5).  The Who & The What by Ayad Akhtar, Theater Drachengasse is her third play by the author. She will next be attacking a play - to be announced - in Brick 5 May 2017.

 

 

About the ASST. Director

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DAVID RODRIGUEZ-YANEZ was born in Venezuela and graduated from the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität in 2015.

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He perfomed in the Tango-Opera Azrael and in The Drowsy Chaperone (ÖE) as Adolpho at Konservatorium Wien as well as Merkur in Orpheus in der Unterwelt. He also performed in The Phantom of the Opera at the Wiener Ronacher, in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Stadttheater Baden, in Das Vergnügen, Verrückt zu Sein at the Novomatic Forum Wien, in West Side Story (Chino) at the Felsenbühne Staatz, as well as the role of Abe in Disgraced,Theater Drachengasse.

 

He was singer (stand-in) at the Eurovision Song Contest at the Wiener Stadthalle, performed as Chester Brinson in Saturday Night Fever at the Summermusical Amstetten stage and Käfig Voller Narren Theater Jeder Vernunft (Berlin). David is also the author of Descent Into Youth which was staged in 2011. Most recently he featured in Carmen Cubana as Morales (Deutsches Theater München), Der Medicus – Das Musical (Ua, Schlosstheater Fulda) and Evita as Swing (Ronacher Theater, VBW). Whilst in Evita, David  co-produced the hit show The Last Five Years, at Brick 5, Vienna.

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