Artists & Trainers

His novel, A FORGETTABLE MAN, has been re-published and a collection of essays called A ROLE FOR ARTISTS IN TROUBLED TIMES was published in January 2019. He has just finished a film called EXILE and is now filming THIS GOOD EARTH about soil, farming, food and health, and has recently prepared two exhibition of his work and is writing a new book of essays called LIGHT and Time, about photography and culture.

He has worked all over the world, including China and Mongolia, staged over 200 productions and won awards both at home and abroad. He has adapted novels for the stage, devised performances and translated the texts of several of his shows. He maintains a parallel career as a teacher. He was a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University and on the staff of LAMDA and currently teaches at several drama schools and theatre departments. He frequently gives courses on acting, directing, and storytelling which has become a strong focus of his work. He has written two books on acting, Different every Night and Then What Happens? which are on most theatre training syllabuses.

He has collaborated with many diverse companies such as Ballet Rambert, Rose English, Simon Vincenzi, DV8 Physical Theatre, Punchdrunk, Gecko Physical Theatre, David Glass Ensemble and many more. He also sings with Medieval Polyphony ensemble Graindelavoix, Electro Group Coil, Laniakea. For Gecko, François has performed in and helped create The Overcoat, Missing and Institute.

In 2010, together with musician and performer Alberto Massi, she founded Topi Dalmata company, then joined by Silvia Priscilla Bruni. Topi Dalmata specialises in devised contemporary theatre as well as in theatre for children; in 2014 they started teaching theatre courses (about 500 students in 2017-2018), conceiving educational projects focusing on youth empowerment, disabled people, integration, intergenerational exchange, development of skills and expression.

Since their beginning, Topi Dalmata aims to build a special relationship with the audience, involving them in a deeper connection with performers. They set up a small theatre in their own apartment, thus allowing artists to get in contact and to really speak with their audience through shared meals before or after the show. For five years, they have been organising the contemporary theatre festival Teatropia, which transformed into a permanent theatre season hosting both external companies and their students final shows.

Focussing on female empowerment for many years, Margherita and Silvia Priscilla have conceived a new storytelling project about the role of the bride and of women in Italy. After devising and performing for a couple of years, the project is renewed and deepened after the meeting with David Glass. Now “The Brides” is both a physical theatre performance and a broader social project aiming to involve women from all over the world, mixing their voices and expressions with an Italian community approach to theatre and sharing.

The company works in partnership with large regional cultural and educational institutions, as well as with David Glass Ensemble, promoting international networks and exchanges with Italy.

Margherita and Silvia Priscilla both lead the AB Project in Italy for the David Glass Ensemble.

After studying with the infamous storyteller and performer Marco Paolini, she developed her own storytelling style: a social and intimate voice to be shared thanks to a community vision and practice, as well as through the tools of fairytales, framed in a natural environment. In her Theatre/Nature method Silvia Priscilla mixes storytelling, mask construction and uses kitchen and food as tools to express and communicate oral Italian and German traditions, physical and devised theatre, as well as basic knowledge of the natural environment.

Over the years Silvia Priscilla has been studying and deepening her experience in theatre improvisation and impro matches, performing many shows both for children and adults and applying improvisation methods to her special storytelling technique. Since four years Silvia Priscilla is, together with Margherita Fusi, co-director of Topi Dalmata company, teaching yearly to over 500 people of all ages, from primary school age to elderly people. The company has been awarded prizes and funding for their intergenerational and community theatre.

Focussing on female empowerment for many years, Silvia Priscilla, together with Margherita Fusi, have conceived a new storytelling project about the role of the bride and of women in Italy. After devising and performing for a couple of years, the project is renewed and deepened after the meeting with David Glass. Now “The Brides” is both a physical theatre performance and a broader social project aiming to involve women from all over the world, mixing their voices and expressions with an Italian community approach to theatre and sharing.

Silvia Priscilla and Margherita both lead the AB Project in Italy for the David Glass Ensemble.

In 2018 she acted as movement director for Flabbergast on their immersive show The Swell Mob which received five-star reviews and an Editor's Choice award at 2018’s Edinburgh Fringe and directed a piece for the David Glass Ensemble in Beijing (The Waves; Gu Yin Theatre). She entered an ACE-funded research into Larval Mask with Making Faces Theatre and The Paleontological Society.

In 2019 she has worked as a movement director on HOME Mcr and ACE commissioned piece ‘SWIM’ with Liz Roberts; co-devised Babel Theatre’s new piece ‘The Fall’ at HOME; and in June 2019 directed Not About Nightingales for the Catford Broadway Theatre Arts Fest for charity The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust with a cast of twenty-three 16-18-year-old boys from St Dunstan’s College..

In April 2019 she produced a tour for her company in association with David Glass Ensemble with our show ‘Mortgage’ in which she plays the title role. The play toured Athens, London and Oslo. She is artistic director of Created a Monster and associate artist with Babel Theatre and the David Glass Ensemble.

As an actor with Denise Wong and David Glass, following his years as a freelance performer he formed physical theatre company Breaking Cycles. In theatre Benji has worked widely with such highly regarded companies as the David Glass Ensemble, Trestle Theatre, Theatr Clwyd and Black Mime Theatre. It was with Black Mime Theatre that Benji first became interested in directing.

Benji Reid has been creating visual theatre since 1994. His first production was directing Jonzi D’s solo of ‘Aeroplane Man’ circa 94/95, in 1996 and in he toured ‘Paper Jackets’, a one-man show he wrote and starred in. In 1998 Benji went on to direct his first main stage play, hip hop musical ‘Avalanche’ for Nottingham Playhouse – this became the foundation for Breaking Cycles.

In 2000 Benji curated ‘The Illness’, a night of hip-hop dance theatre in Sadler’s Wells, London. Benji hosted and performed ‘The Holiday’ supported by Jim Parris and DJ Bizness on the decks. Other performers on the night included Robert Hilton and Jonzi D and Abstract Dance (consisting of Mo Ideas and Frank Wilson). Directed Clockwork Orange for three nights at The National Theatre of England.

In 2005 Benji received the NESTA Dreamtime Fellowship, awarded to prestigious artists for their outstanding achievements and continuing development and was also nominated for the Art05 award for his work in the North West of England.

Other Theatre work includes, Too Clever by Half (Manchester Exchange/Told By and Idiot), Cyrano De Bergerac (Southwark Playhouse), Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe), Pidgin Macbeth (Piccadilly Theatre), Wiseguy Scapino/Macbeth (Theatre Clwyd), The Warp (The Roundhouse), Cat and Mouse Sheep (Odeon Theatre Paris), Aflea in Her Ear (Old Vic), Slave/Sland (Young Vic), The Bear (Latitude Festival). Penelope has always been extremely interested in Eastern European Theatre and has worked with directors in Romania and Serbia and looks forward to more thrilling collaborations.

Her opera designs have been seen all over the world; recently Entfuhrung and Billy Budd (Glyndebourne); Medea (ENO/Geneva) and Norma, Roberto Devereux, Cav and Pag, Anna Bolena, Don Giovanni, Satyagraha and Giulio Cesare at the Metropolitan Opera and Wozzeck at the Chicago Lyric. In Dance she is an Associate Artist for and regularly works with Matthew Bourne. Paule is a Royal Designer for Industry.

Since 2010 she has been working as a professional dancer/performer, playing roles both as a dancer and physical actress with different companies. Her longest collaboration is with Ruotalibera Teatro (Rome), where she was directed by Tiziana Lucattini in The little goats and the wolf (2010-16) and My child (2013-17), shows for children which were on tour in Italy and France.

Since 2015 she also work as an independent artist, creating site-specific short performances for urban spaces and museums. In 2016 she started to work on Kind of Alice, a project for a solo piece, with residencies in Italy, Croatia and Portugal (supported by Zagreb Dance Company, c.em. Lisbon, Staligut Teatro). In 2018 she presented Through the looking glass, co-produced by Con.Cor.D.A. (Community of Choreographers and Dance Authors, Siena/Pisa).

For the Ensemble, she performed in The Brides, and The Hysterics, and she is currently working on a new show for children, based Lewis Carrol’s “Through the looking glass” and co-produced by Ruotalibera Teatro.

Extensive Children’s Theatre performing, creating and devising with Travelling Light Theatre, WinterWalker, Polka Theatre and Big Wooden Horse. Television credits include 4 seasons of Bunny Galore’s Movie Nightmares. Audio work includes MarsCorp, The Bunker (Definitely Human Productions).

She performed in and choreographed ‘Semi-Monde’ in Bath and Santa Monica, LA. She wrote, produced and performed in ‘The Perfect Woman?’ in Bath Fringe Festival and plays Ada Clare and Miss Barbary in Bleak House which tours in September. Charlotte has also taught and directed at David Glass Ensemble’s partnered theatre in Chengdu, China - Marphy’s Playhouse.

In 2014 he co-founded and is Artistic Director of award winning physical theatre company Babel Theatre, their first play ‘You must be the one to bury me’ won the 2015 Best of Festival award at the acclaimed International Youth Arts Festival and was selected by New Diorama, Battersea Arts Centre and The Guardian to represent the best of UK small scale touring theatre in the A Nation’s Theatre Festival. In 2016 they were selected as part of the New Diorama’s Emerging Artists program and they are a supported company at HOME Manchester.

He has extensive experience in theatre education, and has developed a practice based in play and discovery of the ensemble which he has taught at some of the UK’s leading drama schools for the past three years.

As an Associate Artist, Joseph has assisted on Mortgage (Tristan Bates, London, 2019), is currently running youth classes and teacher training at Marphy’s Playhouse in ChengDu, China. He also teaches at the Sichuan Academy of Art on the BA in Theatre, where David and Joseph are working on a radical new adaption of Lord of the Flies as a graduation performance in 2020. In September 2019 Joseph has been invited by the Sichuan Modern Dance Company to deliver a Physical Theatre Masterclass as part of the Provinces Sichuan Contemporary Art Season.

Chelsey is co-founder of Moth Physical Theatre company, who are currently collaborating with the Museum of London Docklands on their new show 'Meet the Real Eastenders', which is touring schools in East London with low arts engagement. She has also just finished Puppet Making for Nick Barnes on 'Life of Pi' which opened at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield earlier this year. Chelsey has previously worked with the David Glass Ensemble at Marphy's Playhouse in China as a Director/Workshop Facilitator teaching Movement and Puppetry with young people aged 3-25.

He holds a Masters Degree in acting with Distinction from MMU. Teaching includes National Centre of Performing Arts Beijing, Drama Studio London, RADA, RSAMD, MMU, Rose Bruford, Italia Conti, Kingston College, Bral School of Acting, Au Brana, SITI Company NYC , ARTEL- LA, Lume Teatro- Sao Paolo, University Carlos III - Madrid, and KHIO in Oslo. He also conducts corporate leadership training and creative development workshops with some of the worlds leading businesses, and one to one coaching.

Currently an Actor in Norwegian TV series State of Happiness (Winner of best Script and Music at Cannes Film Festival 2018). Touring with Awake LOVE Orchestra to China and Sweden.

Directing Agamemnon at Italia Conti. Coaching and management training for Kienbaum (DE) and meet My Potential (F); Clients ST Microelectronics and Airbus. Physical Theatre teacher at Drama Studio London. Actor in I’m Purple Bitch, touring Sweden 2019 and movement teacher and director at Rose Bruford College. The Breathing Performer workshops will be conducted regularly at Fourth Monkey Actor Training in London.

With the Ensemble, Hester has taught children and trained teachers in Drama Education, as well as directed the first immersive production in the South West of China; The Forest (Marphy's Playhouse). She has been Assistant Director to David on multiple performances across Europe and Asia including A DEvine Comedy (UK), The Brides (Italy), Mortgage (UK) and City Of Darkness (Hong Kong, Indonesia). she is also an Associate Artist with Omnibus Theatre.

As a facilitator/trainer she has led workshops and arts projects with a diverse range of participants including teachers, the elderly, those affected by homelessness and unemployment, early years children, young people and those with special needs. She has taught across China, Malaysia, India, Canada, France and the UK.

Directing credits include: The Food Play (What About Kuching Festival, Malaysia), The Forest (Marphy’s PlayHouse, China), PEEP (LeeFest & The Stretch, UK) Colour and The Dream (Omnibus Theatre, UK). Performing credits include: What do we leave behind? (MAP Festival, Melaka, Malaysia), Seeds of Plastic (SACPA, Pelem, Indonesia), The Food Play (Poplar Union, London UK), The Dream (Omnibus Theatre, London, UK).

Varshini has a Masters in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She freelances as a drama facilitator working with SEN schools, dementia care homes and with young women with eating disorders.

She developed and ran a 7-week theatre project for abandoned and orphaned young girls in India. She recently coordinated and jointly produced a cross-collaborative theatre project involving women with refugee backgrounds in London and Lebanon.

Varshini has been trained and mentored by Jane Gilmer (NZ), Kamil Haque (SG) and David Glass (UK). Her stage credits include Star Spangled Girl (Yellowchair Productions), Nagamandala (HuM Theatre), A Second Life (Little Red Shop) and Blithe Spirit (StageClub Singapore). Her poetry can be found in the anthology, Words: Lost and Found (Coffee Stained Press). Varshini is passionate about using theatre as a platform to address social issues she cares about including displacement, women’s and children’s rights and human rights violations.

Varshini will next be seen in the one-woman show produced by The FK-Co Lab, ‘The Cardboard Kitchen Project’ part of the Camden Fringe, 19 & 20 Aug 2019.

He has been teaching at various establishments and running theatre workshops for over 10 years and has worked at Pauline Quirke Academy for 3 of them. In his development as a theatre practitioner, he strives to develop new skills and find new and inventive ways to teach and learn; and by being an industry professional, his teaching styles are forever changing and developing, giving his students the most current skills and styles of work being used today. He has a passion for developing the younger generation into becoming daring and creative individuals, while also nurturing those who need theatre to develop life skills.

He is looking forward to working further with the David Glass Ensemble as an Associate Artist.

Her work is based on equality, diversity and the power of creativity and performance to unlock and release the individuals potential to re-envision ones self and society. Melissa uses theatre practices in national campaigning, action on policy, and communication. She has facilitated forum theatre for HIV prevention, access to restorative justice, women’s rights, governance, sexual & reproductive health, interactive communication and dialogue for conflict resolution and relationship building, in places as diverse as Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Botswan.

She was Founder and Director of the cultural development programme Arts Lab, Zimbabwe. 2011-2012 And Co-Founder and Executive Director of creative NGO Nanzikambe Arts in Malawi from 2003-2011.

As a facilitator/trainer she has led workshops and arts projects with a diverse range of participants including teachers, the elderly, those affected by homelessness and unemployment, early years children, young people and those with special needs. She has taught across China, Malaysia, India, Canada, France and the UK.

Present work with the Centre for Creative Practice is consultant on the Human Drama Forum project for the British Council in Myanmar.

Her solo show Infinite Variety — based on Javanese folklore and myths — have been featured in Dixon Place’s Variety Arts series and HERE Arts Center’s Summer Series. She collaborated with an ensemble of women led by Giovanni Ortega on a three-year project of devising The Body Trilogy — an intergenerational manifesto by colored women about their bodies. Her piece Angel — which explores the life of household helpers raising an “orphan generation” in South East Asia — has been developed independently and with Pink Gajah Theatre. Elisabeth Gunawan has trained at New York University (B.A.) and RADA (M.A.)

Ling's festival performances include: Guan Du Arts Festival (Taiwan), Macau Fringe (China), Gwangju International Performing Arts Festival (South Korea), Kunsten Festival de Arts (Brussels), Brighton International Arts Festival (U.K.), Brighton Fringe (U.K.), Liverpool Physical Fest (U.K.) and Avignon Fringe (France).

Alongside performing, Ling teaches performance in Malaysia, China and France, she curated the 2012 and 2013 Kakiseni Arts Exchange (Malaysia), acted as the Producing Artistic Director of the 2014 Kakiseni International Arts Festival (Malaysia) and founded Now Theatre (Malaysia).

Aimee also took part in the research & development of CULTure with the Arcola Lab (Arcola Theatre) an ongoing project with Leading Light Collective. Her work in film includes; Poltimore, a collaborative devised movement short directed by Mary Steadman. Aimee is excited to reprise the role of Esther Summerson in the upcoming UK Tour of Bleak House as an Associate Artist of the Ensemble.

Jake first got the opportunity to work with David Glass in his final year of training, being apart of the original university production of Bleak House. This led to him being one of nine actors in the professional showcase of Bleak House at Bath Spa University. Jake is excited to get back in the rehearsal room with David and the rest of BH team for the mid-scale UK tour this September.

She is also an award winning playwright and director whose plays include Less Than a Year (2006), Walking Away (2007), Under Pressure (2008), Aquéro (2010), The Exeter Blitz Project (2012), The River (2014) and Rising (2016). In 2011 she completed a PhD in Performance Practice at the University of Exeter on the staging of personal testimony.

Helena is currently a lecturer in Drama at Bath Spa University and her research interests include personal narratives, education, youth arts, women’s studies, sociology and theatre.

In 2014 she became a member of the SOTA Theatre Faculty where she led the International Baccalaureate Career Programme. After three years at SOTA, Alessandra moved back to freelancing by teaching movement, acting and mask work at NAFA, ITI (Intercultural Theatre Institute) and HCAC (Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity). Alessandra is also part of ISTA (International Theatre School Association) pool of artists.

Upon receiving her degree in philosophy, Alessandra moved to London to study a Master in Contemporary Theatre at Brunel University and then continued with a two years full time training at Lispa, the London International School of Performing Arts - Jacques Lecoq training. During this time, she also studied Butoh dance, acrobatic and clownery. In 2009, she received a diploma in teaching adults and children at the City Lit school of London.

During her time in London, Alessandra gained significant experience as director and performer in the following fields: physical theatre, devise, dance theatre, site specific, opera, short films, voice over and teaching.

Some of her most notable collaborations include ‘The Pearl Fishers’ by Bizet and ‘Radamisto‘ by Handle at the English National Opera (ENO).

During her past 6 years in Singapore, Alessandra has also collaborated with Maya Dance Theatre company, RDG Production and has participated twice to the M1 Fringe Festival, receiving an NAC Creation Grant for her last creation ‘Under My Skin’ (Theatre Studio Esplanade 2017), developed within the Centre 42 artist in residence programme.

Alessandra is currently based in Europe, Italy. She is a David Glass Associate and an International School Theatre Association Artist.

He was appointed Assistant Professor of Music at Boston University, one of the youngest at the time, in 1985 to co-direct a music program in Singapore. He has been internationally featured as both composer and pianist in numerous concerts, institutions, conferences and festivals recently including the Performer’s Present Symposium, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (Singapore), solo piano recital of original works (Kathmandu, Nepal) Illinois Wesleyan University, the New Composition Festival (Bangkok), the Texas Music Teachers Association Convention, the Asian Composers League Festivals (New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines), Singapore Piano Pedagogy Symposium, the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Symposium (Melbourne), Across Oceans International Festival (Toronto), the Autumn Artist Festival (Houston) and the Hong Kong Asian Arts Festival, San Francisco State University, Hendrix College (Arkansas), University of Kansas, Concordia (Montreal), University of Houston and the Present of Orchestra Festival (Kyoto, Japan). He is also cofounder of OperaViva (Singapore) and currently lectures at LaSalle College of the Arts (Singapore). He was formerly composer-in-residence for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Sharpley’s honors include the Texas Music Teachers Association Composition Commissioning Prize, an American Cine-Eagle Award (October Garden), and the New York Film Festival Award Silent Hope). The film Gourmet Baby scored by Sharpley that has been featured in major international film festivals including New York and Los Angeles. Datura, a Singaporean film that Sharpley scored, won the Singapore International Film Festival Award for Best Short Film. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards and is featured on several commercial recordings.

Sharpley's compositions include orchestral works, opera, music for theatre, film and dance scores, chamber music, songs, and solo piano works. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg (Russia) Philharmonic, the Novosibirsk Philharmonic, the Sheffield Winds (Chicago), the T’ang String Quartet, the Young Voices of Melbourne, the Taipai Chamber Singers, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Bridges Collective (Melbourne) are some of the prominent ensembles that have performed and recorded Sharpley's compositions. He also collaborated with the rock group R.E.M., composing an arrangement for the song Lotus. His full-scale opera, Fences was premiered in Singapore (2012) to critical acclaim from around the world. His opera, Kannagi was restaged in 2014 also to international acclaim. Recently premiered works include Mandala (2013) for an ensemble of Chinese instruments, a song cycle based on Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’ (2014) which was later expanded into A Moment of Rest Upon the Wind (to be premiered in 2017), a chamber opera, The Tanglin Tree (2015), a chamber work called Singapore Dreams (2015), Stirrings: Scenes from a Rainforest for Chinese Orchestra (2016) and Native American Song Fantasies (2016) for solo piano.

As The AB Project's documentarian, Finn helps to inform members of the project's progression via blog posts, podcasts, interviews and more, as well as exploring the project's themes and issues. While he works primarily with The AB Project, he occasionally contributes to the development of some of the Ensemble's other ongoing projects.

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