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The Awake Project team comes from different performing disciplines and arts all over Europe and even from Australia. It has taken years to find an ensemble that are so dedicated to their art and at the same time are willing to explore unknown territory and develop through learning from each other. One thing we all have in common is that we are passionate about what we are doing and that has taken us through some very interesting journeys in life. We proudly present the Awake Project team and our Associate Artists
Christopher Sivertsen (N) Founder & Director
Christopher is the founder and Director of the Awake Project. He has a Masters of Arts in Acting and was a principal performer with Polish theatre company Song of the Goat Theatre (Teatr Piesn Kozla) for seven years. Performances with the company included Chronicles (Edinburgh Festival, 2004) and Macbeth (RSC, 2007). He is Co-Founder and Associate Artist of Timberlake Wertenbaker and Irina Brown's Natural Perspective Theatre Company in London, and was the Music and Movement Director of their first performance Jenufa (Arcola Theatre, 2007). Other work includes Movement Director on Penthesilea and Director of Antigone (RADA), Associate Movement Director and Fire Performer on Bird of Night (Royal Opera House) Christopher has been collaborating with Maria Sendow since 1996
Maria Sendow (S) – Actor/Singer/Musician
Maria started her career as a principal actress and developer of Teater Slava in Sweden arranging and participating in numerous tours, performances and expeditions throughout the world. In 2000 she became a principal member of the Polish theatre company Teatr Piesn Kozla (Song of the Goat Theatre) where she continued to develop her skills in song, movement and music.
Pelle Holst (S) Actor/Acrobat/Juggler/Singer
Pelle Holst has been a principal performer with Gycklargruppen TRiX since 2002. TRiX has grown to be one of Sweden’s most popular show groups, doing fireshows and events for thousands of people all over the country. In 2007 he graduated from The Cultural Entrepreneur school. He has been nominated for the “Västerås City Pedagogy Award” and the “Peoples Health Institute Award” for his circus workshops with underprivileged children.
Oliviero Papi (AUS/I) Actor/Singer
Oliviero Papi is an Italian born, Australian theatre artist who transferred to Europe at the beginning of 2004 and since the beginning of June 2005, he has been based in Southern France. Oliviero trained in Australia and holds two degrees; English Literature and Theatre studies (theory) from The university of New South Wales in Sydney, and a bachelor of dramatic arts (practical) from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.
Hanna Björck (S) Actor/Singer/Cellist
Born in Sweden in 1986, Hanna is a cellist and musician/dancer – roles include Polly Peachum in 3Penny Opera and Inanna. She has assisted Christopher Sivertsen in workshops in London, France and Madrid. As well as in numerous projects in Sweden. She has been head of Music at the Waldorf Gymnasium in Uppsala, Sweden for two years (2006 & 2008)
Kristina Gonzalez (ES) – Design
Costume designer from Madrid, Spain. She has created the costumes for all of the Teatr Piesn Kozla’s (Song of the Goat Theatre’s) productions AFTER The Bacchae. Her work includes the latest Macbeth 2008 (a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company) that toured UK in 2010 and The Crucible co-produced by Teater Studio in Warsaw 2010.
Christoffer Rogerson (S) Actor/ Musician
Christoffer Rogerson is a musician and an actor from Västerås, Sweden. He is lead singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band Indifferent. In 1998 he started playing drums and has since done a number of recordings with different bands and artist in Sweden. He started developing his acting in 2002 at the Waldorf School where he was a student for 12 years. After graduating Christoffer studied acting at Bona folkhögskola in Motala. Workshops include Vårdinge By, Sweden with Kefas, and Au Brana Cultural Center in France. Christoffer studies history and political science at Mälardalens Högskola (MDH), and is a practitioner of the Korean martial art Hapkido. For the Awake Project Christoffer has participated in The Beauty & The Beast at Hockenheim for Mercedes Benz in 2008 and in an event at The Central Station in Stockholm for World Psoriasis Day arranged by Schwartz Communications. He is currently playing the Doctor in "JA é JA, é JA!?"
Guillaume Pissembom (F) Light design & Stage Manager
Guillaume works regularly as the Stage Manager for James Thiérée's Compagnie du Hanneton
Lucy Maycock (UK) Playwright, dramaturge, director
Lucy is the Artistic Director of The North Wall in Oxford. She wrote, facilitated and co-directed Peer Gynt with the entire Awake Project cast and 26 young aspiring performers from all over the UK in August 2011. See film here Lucy also edited our last version of AWAKE and is currently collaborating on Awake Projects next production.
Natalie Richarson (UK) Producer
Natalie has been an arts professional for 13 years and has worked in theatre management in venues across London including the Apollo Victoria, The Arts Theatre and Riverside Studios and most recently as senior manager for national touring company Trestle. She currently holds the post of Associate Producer for The Hat Factory arts centre in Luton. She programmes their studio space with theatre and dance, manages the associate artists scheme and commissions and develops new performance work.
Associate Awake Artists
The Awake Project consists of highly skilled artists deriving from many different genres and disciplines. When we work together we must strive to be awake. When combining voice, body, text, music, story, expressions, circus, lights and design, then theatre truly becomes a place where one has to be awake for unity to happen. Click to meet the artists
