Parallax

I am 17 and currently study AS level drama a City and Islington college. I have previously worked with the Suella Dance Studios, Bodens Agency and Jigsaw Performing Arts School. I played a Lost Boy in Peter Pan for three months at The Milfield Theatre and have had roles in The Bill and EastEnders. In the future I want to study economics or business and develop my understanding of drama by getting involved in many more plays, films and TV series.

I have been a YFA member for almost four years and I’m on the YFA Creative Board as an Artistic Director. My credits as a Young Friend include Or Nearest Offer by Tanya Ronder, two One-Act Play Festivals, two YFA Touring Companies and The Rashomon Effect directed by Selma Dimitrijevic. I am National Youth Theatre Member and performing at the National Theatre as part of the Watch This Space Festival. I was recently in a production at the Arcola Theatre called Clown Sex by Natasha Sutton Williams, as part of the 5 Boroughs festival.

I have partaken in many projects with the Young Friends of the Almeida since 2008. I was in the first LAB project, performing on the Almeida stage with the wonderful play Or Nearest Offer. My other passions are singing, producing, writing poetry and dancing. I am very much looking forward to the performances, are you?

I am 16 years old, from London and from a young age I have been interested in the performing arts. I love how much freedom and independence is allowed while acting, which encourages me even more to explore my creative side. Thanks to the YFA, I have never been more comfortable expressing my abilities.

Since joining the YFA last Autumn, I have appeared in the main-stage production The House of Bernarda Alba here at the Almeida. As well as being in Parallax, I am a member of the YFA marketing team for this year's Almeida Festival. I will be training with the National Youth Theatre in August before embarking on a B.A. in acting at Central School of Speech and Drama in October.

I have just recently completed my degree in Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. I have always had a keen interest in theatre, and a passion for acting and joining the YFA has enabled me to develop my acting skills and, most importantly, gain an insight in the theatre industry. Almeida Projects have given me the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals, allowed me to develop as an actor, and develop the confidence to pursue a career in acting.

I have been involved with LAB since October 2011 for the great opportunity to perform at the Almeida. I am currently studying at Identity Drama School. My previous experience includes performing twice at the Royal Festival Hall and being in a short film called The Cinema which was promoted at the Raindance Film Festival. In addition to Parallax, I am currently rehearsing a play called Through the Wire, detailing the story of the last absolute Monarchy in Africa, that of Swaziland.

It's felt like a lifetime, but I’m heading towards a year as a part of the family at the Almeida. I’ve spent my time with professional actors and directors and the amount of skills I have learnt I cannot describe in words

I take a special interest in theatre and have produced, directed and acted in two student-run productions at my sixth-form college, where I am currently studying for my A levels. Participating in LAB has helped me pursue this further by giving insight into the process of creating a piece of drama from scratch.

I have had many different acting experiences in the past including performing as part of Oval House’s Around the House; performing at the Lyric Hammersmith and Hoxton Hall. I have also had work experience at the BBC where I got to help make a show for Radio 1 and 1Xtra called East London Right on Track. I also love photography, music and writing in my spare time. In the future I hope to still be acting but as a profession.

I am currently doing my GCSEs and hope to go on to do Drama, Biology, Chemistry and French at A Level. I joined YFA to get more out of acting, to become more confident on stage. In the future I hope to become an actress, chemist, teacher or a director.

I worked with the Almeida through my time at college. It gave me an insight into some of the amazing work they do bringing young people into theatre, so after finishing my A Levels I joined the YFA. During the process of working on Parallax, I have gained more confidence, a variety of acting skills, the experience of working as part of a company. I’m enjoying the experience so far and can’t wait to perform to a live audience

I attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. I have been in productions at the Roundhouse Theatre, Oval House Theatre and was recently in Telling Tales here at the Almeida. I recently acted in an advertisement which won the MO Film competition and starred in a short film called These Moments which was entered into the Cannes Film Festival. I also write, and I am currently part of the EastEnders E20 writing school. I am thrilled to be performing in Parallax.

Last time I performed at the Almeida was with the amazing company Slung Low in 2010. I am super excited to be back this summer acting in Parallax with the LAB Company. I trained with the National Youth Theatre last summer and as well as taking part in various short film and projects over the past couple of years my ambition is to work in the creative world as an actor for theatre and film and as a writer and I am currently enrolled on the Royal Court Young Writers Programme.

I am 17 years old and go to LaSwap Sixth Form, studying Drama and Theatre Studies, English Literature, Human Biology and Chemistry. I have done many other drama activities over the years including two terms at Hampstead Theatre; playing a clown in a production called Scarlett’s Circus and a queen in a devised production. I also took part in a term of Roundhouse Drama - a school production of Much Ado About Nothing. This is my first year being involved in Almeida Projects and I’m enjoying it so far.

Natalie is Associate Artist at Hull Truck and was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill from 2007-2012. She trained at the Royal Court and National Theatre Studio and was awarded the James Menzies-Kitchin Trust Award for Young Directors in 2005. At the Gate, Natalie commissioned and directed Anthony Weigh’s new version of Lorca’s Yerma in co-production with Hull Truck, Lorrie Moore’s How To Be An Other Woman, Nancy Harris’ adaptation of Tolstoy’s novella, The Kreutzer Sonata (also at La MaMa E.T.C, NY), Sam Holcroft’s, Vanya, inspired by Chekhov’s original, and Alexandra Wood’s Unbroken, a dance-theatre response to Schnitzler’s La Ronde. Other directing credits at the Gate include Mark Ravenhill’s Women in Love and Anne Washburn’s The Internationalist.

Theatre includes: Merchant of Venice (Creation); After Miss Julie (Young Vic); Pericles (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Headlong, Hull Truck and Nuffield); Lucy Caldwell’s Guardians (Hightide Festival); Alexandra Wood’s The Eleventh Capital (Royal Court); Samuel Beckett’s Play and Not I (Battersea Arts Centre) and Amélie Nothomb’s Human Rites (Southwark Playhouse).

Rebecca is a past winner of The Critics' Circle Most Promising Playwright Award

Theatre includes: Essex Girls; Fair Game; Yard Gal (Royal Court); Delir'ium (Chichester Festival); Futures (Theatre 503); Dream Pill (Soho Theatre/ Edinburgh Festival/ Latitude Festival/ Greenbelt Festival)

Radio includes: Something Blue (for BBC Radio 4); A Good Doctor (for BBC Radio 4)

Film includes: Butterfly World (short)

Mila trained at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and Wimbledon School of Art

For the Almeida: The Door Never Closes; All The Little Things We Crushed

Theatre includes: Pub Quiz (New Writing North); Jelly Bean Jack (Little Angel Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (NT Education); A Day at the Racists (Finborough); The Juniper Tree (Goat and Monkey); King Macbeth(Reveal); Joined Up Thinking (Young Vic); Gills Around the Green (Eastern Angles); Ghost Town (Limbik); The Winter's Tale (Stamford Shakespeare Company); Much Ado About Nothing (Marlowe Society Cambridge); Ruckus in the Garden; Who You Calling a Superhero?; I'd Like to thank the Judges (Hampstead Theatre); Macbeth; Twelfth Night (NT Discover); Tombstone Tales and Boothill Ballads (Arcola); Jason and the Argonauts (BAC/ Schtanhaus); George and the Dragon (Schtanhaus); Pinocchio; The Little Mermaid; The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Kazzum); Unfolding Andersen (Theatre Rites)

Jackie graduated from the Jerusalem School of Visual Theatre. He is based in London and works internationally designing lighting for theatre, dance, music and opera.

Theatre includes: One Dimensional Man (Opla Companya); As You Like It (Curve Theatre Leicester); The Arab and the Jew (Gecko Theatre Company)

Dance includes: Lunatic (National Dance Company Wales); The Life and Times of Girl A (Scottish Dance Theatre); Dear Body B (Protein Dance)

David trained at Birkbeck University in Acting and is currently training with Almeida Projects & Central School of Speech & Drama in Applied Theatre:Facilitation with Young People

As assistant director, theatre includes: East End Tales (Southwark Playhouse Young Company); Fragments of You (Catford Boardway Studio)

As performer, theatre includes: Out of Reach (Frantic Assembly – Ignition Company); Imagine You’re Everyone (The Yard Theatre); The Arsonists (Southwark Playhouse)

I have been a YFA member for two years and sit on the Creative Board as part of the Artist Leadership Team. I love theatre; I love to watch shows but also to create them. I am particularly interested in directing.

I am a final year PhD student at Queen Mary, University of London. I became interested in theatre after moving to London and this is the first time I am taking part in the YFA LAB project. As part of my involvement with LAB, I have written a short play, to be the curtain raiser for Parallax (to be directed by Jasmin and Nerissa, Directing Pathways).

I have just graduated in Technical Theatre at ALRA. In addition to stage management, I enjoy set and costume design - recently I designed a double bill of teenage dramas in collaboration with Company of Angels. I am also a playwright - my play Let's Stay Young Forever concluded the Young Friends' One Act Play Festival.

This is my first project with the Young Friends and I have really enjoyed it! The experience of Parallax has been eye opening and the directing pathway has broadened my understanding of how a play is formed.