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Body in Space | Body in Space is a Theatre, Improvisation and Yoga company based at Fairfield House in Nelson, New Zealand. The Body in Space company, create, perform and teach.
Body in Space exists to provide people opportunities for growth through the experience of Theatre, Improvisation and Yoga. The company invites anyone passionate about connecting more deeply with themselves, with others and with the world, to train with them. |
| Daniel Allan- Co-artistic Director |  Daniel is a highly experienced improvisor, learning Theatresports™ from the age of 11, when it was first taking root in Christchurch. At the start of 2003 Dan was inducted into the Court Jesters company, the Improv wing of Christchurch's nationally regarded Court Theatre. Between 2003 and 2009, Dan performed regularly in New Zealand's longest running comedy show Scared Scriptless as well as a swathe of other improvised shows, such as Fairyable, Radio Haha and A Very Merry Scriptless. Dan was highly regarded by his peers and audience regulars, valued as much for his charming MCing as for his quirky character creations. In this time, Daniel had the chance to work closely with many luminaries of New Zealand Improv and acting including Ross Gumbley, Patrick Duffy and Greg Cooper. He has enjoyed short courses from internationally recognized tutors such as Keith Johnstone, Patti Styles and Tom McRory.
While Improv is his forte, Dan is also a highly accomplished actor, performing for the Christchurch Children's Theatre (Gruzzlefumit), University of Canterbury's Dramasoc (Cossi, The Graduate), Musoc (HAiR) and his own theatre company The Loopen Experiment (Fleet, Macbeth).
In 2005, Dan completed training as a secondary teacher and has taught Drama and English in three Christchurch secondary schools. He has also tutored school Theatresports™ and community improvisation for 5 years.
In 2009, Daniel traveled with Lisa, his partner in life and theatre, to Brisbane for a one month intensive with the Zen Zen Zo physical theatre company. This course consolidated his love for improvised movement and physical performance and he has been espousing the virtues of Viewpoints and Suzuki training to a group of community participants weekly throughout 2009.
In 2010, Daniel played Banquo and a whole host of other characters in the Body in Space physical/ Brechtian styled interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. He also played Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland and Red in Dan Bain's, A Paintbox of Clowns.
In 2011, Daniel performed in The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, was cast in Show Biz's, Spamalot, played Bowers in Ted Tally's, Terra Nova, performed in the Court Theatre's, Hansel and Gretel, as Mr Twit for the Body in Space/ Theatre Alive production of The Twits and was in Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses.
In 2012 thus far Daniel has co-wrote and performed in All the Fairy Tales You Know (and Some You Don't). He is currently in rehearsal for the Theatre Alive production of The 39 Steps.
Dan has also mounted a regular improvisational comedy show in Nelson called The Deep End. He is kept very busy running Body in Space, teaching and creating theatre. |
| Lisa Norriss- Co-artistic Director |  Lisa is a writer, director, performer and teacher of Theatre. She has been involved in Theatre for more than 20 years and has always known that this was her path.
Lisa grew up in Nelson but left when she was 18 to train in Performing Arts under Cameron Mattox at the Hagley Theatre Company (1999 & 2000). During this time she had two of her original plays performed, got a taste for directing and fell in love with Yoga and Physical Theatre.
Upon graduating, she traveled to Australia and Europe, returning to New Zealand to study at the University of Canterbury. Here she found an amazing forum for creating theatre and meeting like-minded people, including her love, Daniel Allan. During her time at Uni she wrote (Candela, Glockenspiel Dockyards), performed in (Candela), choreographed (HAiR, The Tempest) and directed (Alice in Wonderland) for Dramasoc and Musoc. She also managed to travel to Thailand and India whilst graduating with a BA in Philosophy, a BSc in Biology and a Graduate Diploma in Human Services.
In 2005, Lisa, Dan and three other friends formed the Loopen Experiment theatre company. The group worked together to create, perform, teach and tour theatre. During this time, Lisa wrote (The Gardener's Guide to Samsara, The Cellar, The Writer's Quest for More Than a Middle), performed (Gardener's, The Lover, Fleet), directed (Writer's, The Dumbwaiter, Macbeth) and produced for Loopen. The group traveled to South America in 2007. In 2008, Lisa and Dan formed Blackbird Theatre and continued to create, perform, teach and tour theatre. During this time Lisa wrote and directed Out of the Ordinary and Isolation.
Lisa is also a Yoga teacher and was trained in the Iyengar tradition in Christchurch by Richard Tweedie and in Rishikesh, India by Pankaj Sharma.
Since moving to Nelson in 2010, Lisa has been kept busy running Body in Space and directing a number of shows for the company. She has been involved, either as an actor or director, with the 3-player Body in Space version of Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, by Daniel Allan, Strange Mansion, Shakespeare's Macbeth, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), Ted Tally's Terra Nova, David Wood's adaptation of The Twits, Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses and most recently directed the Summer Show, All the Fairy Tales You Know (and Some You Don't).
Lisa is currently in India and will attend the Tantidhatri Festival in March. |
| The Body in Space Company |
| Charles Anderson | 
Charles is a writer and actor. He was awarded the QANTAS Media Award for Junior Newspaper Feature Writer in the Science/environment section and was runner up for the Junior Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year in 2010 and took out the Junior Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year for 2011.
Charles began his acting career playing a particularly convincing Mrs Higgins in a school version of My Fair Lady. Not much has changed since those days... he still likes dressing up and still likes speaking in a posh accent.
After a long hiatus from the stage, Charles rekindled his passion for performance in 2007 whilst studying at the University of Canterbury.
Charles played the psychopathic Francis Begbie in a critically acclaimed production of Trainspotting with the University's Drama Society (Dramasoc). Charles also acted in the Dramasoc production of The Graduate and was awarded the Madcap Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2008. It was during this time that Charles met Body in Space co-founder Dan Allan and an enduring friendship was formed.
When Dan moved to Nelson in 2010 Dan asked Charles if he wanted to act. Charles said: "Sure". Charles is a founding company member of Body in Space.
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| Douglas Brooks |  A longstanding love of drama has seen Doug involved with theatre since 1990. Although he originally trained as a biologist at Canterbury University he now teaches Drama, Music and Science at Waimea College. He was regional coordinator of the Tasman/West Coast Shakespeare Festival and takes improvised theatre at the school.
Some of Doug's theatre credits include, Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, Brien Friel's Lovers, Nelson's Summer Shakespeare and Free Load with the Independent Theatre. During his time in Edinburgh, he acted in the International Fringe Festival and his creative skills moved into the realm of film and television.
He established The Reel, a community cinema in Leith, Edinburgh and began acting for his own and student films. His film One Cold Night was awarded second place in the 24 hour Leith Film Festival. After working for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, he broke into the Scottish television industry as a runner for the BBC and the Scottish Media Group.
Back in New Zealand, his film company Brooklight assists with local television. His short film Space Junk won the MovieFest hobbyist section 2008 and went on to be highly commended at the Magma Short Film Festival in Rotorua, before winning best no-budget short film at the Big Mountain Short Film Festival. His successful Letting Go series of short films screened on Juice-TV, while his short film The Griffin Condition was a finalist in MovieFest 2009.
Doug is a founding Body in Space company member. He played the title role of Shakespeare's Macbeth in the Body in Space 2010 version that also toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2011. His most recent role was that of Edgar Evans in the Body in Space 2011 marquee show, Terra Nova, by Ted Tally.
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| Laura Irish |  Laura Irish had her first taste of theatre from a young age, acting in her local church plays and community theatre in Rantoul, Illinois, USA. In 2005, she graduated from Greenville College with a Bachelor's degree in English: TESL and Theatre. At university, her concentration was in acting and directing through the Stanislavski technique and vocal performance.
She went on to work for Missoula Children's Theatre as a Tour Actor/Director (The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) for their USA National Tour in 2005 and soon after, moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she worked as an improvisational actress for the comedy group, The Laugh Masters. She moved to New Zealand in 2008.
Laura was an actor (Cat/Dog, Plonka's New Plonk, FreeLoad, The Lorax) and director (The Lorax, Lashings of Whipped Cream) for Nelson's Independent Theatre during 2009 and started her own youth theatre company with colleague Debbie Long, Standing Room Only (Lend Me a Tenor) as well. Some of her other acting credits include: Arms and the Man, Ten Little Indians, Charlotte's Web, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Actor's Nightmare. She has also recently been working with Brooklight Film Productions co-writing and acting in The Letting Go Series and The Griffin Condition.
Laura is now a member of Nelson's newest professional theatre company, Body in Space. She was a Sheilah Winn 2010/ 2011 judge for the Tasman/West Coast Region and a Stage Challenge/J-Rock judge in May 2010.
Since joining Body in Space as a founding company member, Laura has been involved as an actor for Strange Mansion, played Lady Macbeth (and others) in Shakespeare's Macbeth and Kathleen in Ted Tally's Terra Nova. Laura also helped to direct Body in Space's 2011 Summer Show at Fairfield House, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) and acted in the Body in Space Nelson Arts Festival show, Metamorphoses.
Laura most recently acted in the Body in Space Summer Show, All the Fairy Tales You Know (and Some You Don't). |
| Kulai Nakaroti | 
Kulai is a founding company member of Body in Space. He is an actor, specialising in movement. He completed his training in performing arts in 1999 with the Hagley Theatre Company in Christchurch and moved to Auckland shortly after, to feature in a New Zealand television series, The Fence.
Kulai is known by children everywhere for his role in the children's video series, Let's Go and has worked with various companies creating and touring theatre for children.
Over the past 10 years, Kulai has worked with contemporary dance companies and choreographers in Christchurch, performing in venues such as the Southern Ballet Theatre.
In 2006, Kulai joined The Loopen Experiment and acted in The Writer's Quest for More Than a Middle. He, along with the other members of Loopen, devised the physical theatre show, Fleet, that toured to the 2007 Wellington Fringe Festival, around the South Island and over to South America.
Kulai is a physical theatre tutor and assists in the running of workshops for the public, in schools and for teachers in training.
Kulai is a father and moved to Nelson in 2008 with his beautiful partner, Rosetta and son Matai.
Since jumping on board as a core company member Kulai has played Jimmy in the Body in Space 3-player version of Alice in Wonderland and Amundsen in Ted Tally's, Terra Nova. Kulai is also an improvisor and has starred in The Deep End. |
| Bridget Sanders | 
Bridget brings a wealth of practical, creative experience to Body in Space. She is an artist, a prop maker, a costumer and a set designer and creator.
Bridget has a Bachelor of Arts in Combined Arts from her time spent studying in Leeds in the United Kingdom. Her degree includes Theatre and Dance studies which has formed a solid platform for her venture into the world of theatre. Bridget also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art, which she achieved through the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. She adds to that list, a PHD in keeping it all together for 20 years of marriage, parenting and mortgage payments whilst remaining faithful to the pursuit and potential of her Creativity.
Bridget is a Visual Artist at heart. She has exhibited widely using drawing, printmaking, stitching and found objects. She has been Props and Design assistant for Nelson Youth Theatre for many years.
In the Body in Space company, theatre, dance, art and music are brought together as one art form, suiting Bridget's passion for the invocation of other-worldliness; a rescue from dullness and mediocrity, and a reminder of the greater mystery of life.
Bridget recently designed and created the props, costumes and set for Terra Nova and created a very imaginative set of props for The Twits.
Bridget acted in Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses in the 2011 Nelson Arts Festival.
She has most recently created the props and helped to stage manage and create the set for All the Fairy Tales You Know (and Some You Don't).
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| Roger Sanders | 
Roger is originally from England. After studying art for three years he traveled extensively and has been involved in various music and storytelling projects. These include co-forming The Firebird's Feather and touring schools and community and art centres.
Since living in NZ he has performed both as an actor and musician in Nelson's Summer Shakespeare productions and was musical director for The Shakespeare Revels (2009).
Roger worked as an actor The Independent Theatre, performing in Made in
Transit, The End of the Golden Weather and Momento. He has created and performed the children's theatre shows The Coat of Patches, The Colours of King Balthazaar and Pirates at Founders for the Nelson Arts Festival.
Roger tours the country as a storyteller and performs Eastern European music with his group Ederlezi.
Aside from this he enjoys masks, street performance, improvisation, environmental sculpture, juggling, teaching guitar and Persian carpets.
Since joining Body in Space as a founding company member in 2010, Roger has played Robin Hood in Daniel Allan's, The Ballad of Robin Hood, Duncan (and others) in Macbeth, has featured in the Strange Mansion snippets, has played Wilson in Ted Tally's, Terra Nova, acted in The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) and the Narrator/ Musician in The Twits. Roger musically directed and acted in Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses in the 2011 Nelson Arts Festival.
Roger most recently acted in the Body in Space Summer Show, All the Fairy Tales You Know (and Some You Don't).
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| Luke Walton |  Luke was first introduced to theatre in Melbourne. He witnessed a range of forms in experimental theatres such as La Mama in North Carlton. As a young man, witnessing the violence and intensity of plays like The Removalists, Luke was very excited and deeply moved, he immediately wanted to perform himself. Luke returned home to New Zealand and attended Otago University, where he gained a BA in Theatre, English, and Anthropology.
Luke has been involved in a variety of theatrical genres, mainly in the Otago/Nelson region. He most recently performed in Macbeth with Body in Space (2010), Bouncers directed by Hugh Neill (2006) as well as American Buffalo, A Midsummer Nights Dream and Lemon Squeezer, all directed by Andrew Morrison. In 2008, he did promotional production work, playing the role of a gangster scooter rider for Vespa Scooters in Vancouver, Canada. He was also involved in theatre sports in this region.
Luke's preferred forms and genres are theatre of the absurd, improvisation, commedia dell'arte and theatresports™. He enjoys directing and coaching students in these particular forms and styles. For the last two years Luke has been Head of Drama at Nelson College. He has directed a variety of different shows including most recently: The Horror at Hellfire Hall, Cosi, and Dr Lazzo.
Last year Luke directed his senior Drama students in The Hot House by Harold Pinter and Bang Bang You're Dead by William Mastosimone.
The most enjoyable aspect in regards to teaching the performing arts for Luke is helping students to develop their ideas, creativity and self-confidence in their performances and in their lives. As a performer Luke aims to create interesting and dynamic art that affects the mood and perspective of the audience long after the curtain has dropped.
Since becoming a founding company member in 2010, Luke has played Macduff (and others!) in Macbeth, toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival and played Oates in Terra Nova. Luke has also shared his martial arts training with the company and has starred as an improvisor in The Deep End.
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| Nikkie Whitehead | 
Nikkie is the newest Body in Space company member.
Nikkie is an actor and teacher with many years experience in both of these fields. She was born in England and it was here that she did her initial theatre training. Nikkie is now a resident of New Zealand and is currently teaching at Wakefield School.
When Nikkie first arrived in New Zealand she moved to Queenstown where she set up a very successful theatre school. Upon moving to Nelson, Nikkie ran independent theatre classes for a time and also took up training as a counselor and as a primary school teacher.
Nikkie has been training as an improvisor under Daniel Allan since 2010 and performed her first show with Body in Space in 2011 as part of The Deep End at the Theatre Royal.
Nikkie brings a wealth of performance and teaching experience to the company. She performed at the Theatre Royal in The Twits as Mrs Mugglewump in August, 2011. Nikkie also performed in Flagons and Foxtrots with Theatre Alive in 2011.
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