Lauren Noble
scriptwriter and director
Lauren is a qualified performer, scriptwriter, designer and director who specializes in devising theatre which does more than just entertain. She credits the character of Lucy in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as the role which began her journey from the school hall to the professional stage. That was in 2001 and she was just 11 at the time. Since then, Lauren has gone on to write and direct kids theatre shows such as ClueDon't! (2015), Timehop (2017), The Mixtape Factory (2018) and Footloose: The Remix (2019). She has also directed. acted and stage managed for festivals with plays like The Bench (2021) and The End (2021). Lauren's per passion for teaching is evident in the way educational opportunities are embedded in all of her methodologies for the stage. Lauren is also the founder and creative director of co|laboratory, a performing arts company which seeks to empower creatives of all ages through acts of innovative collaboration. Antigone Retold is the culmination of this ideology.
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Lauren advocates for the type of theatre that acknowledges its own responsibility: to shine the spotlight on aspects of that society. That's what Antigone Retold is. An opportunity to showcase feminism and the need for it using a blend of contemporary and classical stories that represent - to anyone listening closely enough - that we haven't really evolved much in our treatment of women in over two millennia! The arts is my chosen medium with which to fight for a better way...
Sashin Kandhai
choreographer
Sashin Kandhai, from South Africa, is a globally acclaimed film and stage choreographer, performing artist and TV personality. The 3-time Bollywood Dance Champion specialises in Indian semi-classical and folk dance, Bollywood dance and Afrobeat; he is also a trained fire artist and aerial silks performer. Sashin has performed in 12 countries across the globe and is the resident choreographer on the reality dance shows Dance Africa Dance and Dance Naija Dance on ZEE TV. He is the choreographer behind the hit South African movies Kandasamys 2 (Showmax) and Kandasamys 3 (Netflix), with his third film due for release in 2023. With 15 years of experience in the performing arts, Sashin has choreographed, directed and performed in multiple live shows, special events and stage musicals from his own directorial at the Sun City Superbowl (South Africa) to the Miss India Worldwide in Mauritius where he was also awarded for his work in the arts by CANMA (Cancer Association of Mauritius).
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As a choreographer and performer, the creative process leading up to the final showdown is always the most rewarding. Every project I take on must facilitate growth for me as a creative and should be a challenging and enriching experience. This is what I have loved most about the build-up to Antigone Retold. It has pushed me far out of my comfort zone as a choreographer and dancer and has allowed for an exceptional exchange of learning between myself, my director and my cast & crew. Lauren and I have known each other in our personal and professional capacities for many years and she has always been able to bring out the best in everyone around her creative space. I have found that working with her is a matured and professional experience which always adds immense value to my personal and professional growth. Dance has always been a powerful tool in storytelling and moving a narrative forward where words may fail, and I am thankful to have been able to add my choreographic influence to this experience. A special thank you to my fellow Dionysians Katherine and Sasha for being exceptional at what you do and for your creative input in the choreographic process.
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Vishal Kumar
dramaturg
Vish is a writer and actor currently studying Climate Change Finance and Investment at the University of Edinburgh. Theatre, however, was his first love. Originally Indian, he grew up in Dubai where he studied theatre and improvisation. Vish enjoys picking apart society’s weird and wonderful ways, and brings these ideas and critiques to his creative projects. He has been an enthusiastic part of Dubai’s local theatre scene, and is an active member of MTDXB, Dubai’s premier musical theatre group. Abroad, he served as dramaturg for Oxford University's Brasenose College 2019 Garden Play, where he was involved in everything from costume design to assistant directing. He is due to feature in a production of Bare: A Pop Opera in Edinburgh early next year.
Vish has been delighted to be a part of Antigone Retold from an early stage, as a dramaturg and member of the creative team. He particularly loved working closely with Lauren and Kirin in the development stages, and helping see through those big initial ideas into the final script. He is so grateful for the chance to learn from such amazing creatives, and is cheering the whole team on greatly from Edinburgh!
Katherine Jones
first dionysian
Katherine’s first performance was a tap dance to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse March at 6 years old, and she’s been chasing that high ever since. Her training encompasses ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance, and she is a graduate of the University of Cape Town’s Theatre & Performance program, in which she specialized in Dance Performance. Raised in Dubai, Katherine has previously been part of immersive Shakespearean productions here such as Romeo and Juliet (2016) and Macbeth (2017). Now a dance teacher, she returned to Dubai’s theatre scene this year, appearing in The 39 Steps and the Global Palette Theatre Festival. She has also worked with numerous Cape Town-based dance and theatre artists, most recently starring in Not Falling (2022), a tragicomic physical theater production.
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A lover of all things interdisciplinary and immersive, for Katherine, dancing in Antigone Retold has been the most exciting process. She loves the challenge of using movement and physicality to communicate what words cannot, and is so appreciative to Lauren for allowing the role of the Dionysians to be fully present. Working with Sashin and Sasha has been an absolute joy and she cannot wait for audiences to participate in the work that’s been created.
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Sasha Topic
second dionysian
Sasha is a dancer who started at a very young age. She was inspired to explore this industry further by being involved in plays, and has expanded her interests to also include choreography, directing, costume design and fine arts. She has been involved in a range of productions as a dancer and actress, and has written pieces about movement and music. She is now training to become a professional dancer.
​Sasha has taken the role as one of the dancers in Antigone Retold in which they explore a very abstract concept. Their characters aim to create a clearer, visual story for the audience through movement. They are known as ‘Spirare’ which is a Latin word for “to breathe or blow into”. These dancers experience a much different world as they are essentially ‘the messengers’ who get a set of tasks which they must complete… and once they do, they get to experience the real world as human until the next message which must be delivered. This role is definitely a challenge for Sasha as she has never been able to investigate something as ‘out of the ordinary’ as her character is, but she has been very motivated by this concept during the journey. Collaborating with the other two dancers, Sashin and Katherine, and the rest of the cast has been such a joy for her. They cannot wait to bring this show to life!
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