About Us
Multidisciplinary Performance - Practice - Research
Our work takes inspiration from life as we see it, experience it and imagine it to be. Taking Movement and the Poetic Body as a starting point, as a flexible ensemble of performers, musicians, puppeteers, choreographers and visual artists we create a constant dialogue between our artistic forms and practises and strive to go beyond their boundaries blending Physical Theatre, Dance, Puppetry and the Visual Arts to tell stories that are relevant to a rapidly changing physical and social environment. We research and express the artistic vision of life within us and outside of us.
Since its founding year in 2013 the company has collaborated with various theatres (ex. Little Angel Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, etc) and festivals (ex. Voila Europe, Migration Matters, etc) in UK and abroad (ex. Castillo Theatre NY ) and been supported by The Arts Council and other funded bodies and cutlural organisations. In 2015 we’ve been a residency company at Institute Internationale de la Marionette researching Bunraku Puppetry for community development, in 2028 at Tholpavakoothoo Puppetry Institute in Kerala, India and in 2021 at Zero Point Theatre/Attis Theatre in Athens, Greece.
In 2017 we made our debut as company in Edinburgh Fringe with our puppetry show ‘Dark Matter’ and was a sold out show at Greenside Venues engaging intergenerational audiences including people living with dementia, carers and professionals raising awareness around End of Life and Dementia and opening dialogues for the taboo subject of death and dying.
We are currently developing an Arts in Health project in partnership with CNWL NHS service and Electra Untitled, A visual and Physical Theatre performance, funded by the Arts Council of England, under the mentoring of International Theatre Director Theodoros Terzopoulos and the Director Savvas Stroumpos integrating the ongoing practices of the company working with Devised Theatre, Embodied Materiality, Dramatherapy and the method of Terzopoulos to engage groups within the lgbtqi+ community and other communities affected by the trauma of domestic violence in the UK and Internationally.
Meet the Ensemble
Mayra Stergiou (She/Her)
Founder & Artistic Director
Mayra was born in Evia, Greece. She is a Queer Performer and Theatre/Opera Director. She trained in Lecoq Devised Theatre and Performance at London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and in Dramatherapy at University of Derby. She also trained in Bunraku Puppetry and collaborated with prominent artists such as David Glass, Robin Guiver (War Horse), Mem Morrison (Arts Admin), and with the Institute Internationale de la Marionnette as resident researcher. Over the years she has trained in a variety of Physical and Ritualistic Theatre Practices such as Theodoros Terzopoulos Method, Voice Coordination with Grzegorz Bral (Song of the Goat), Directing with Sergei Ostrenko, Choreographic Theatre with Enrique Pardo, Tholpavakoothoo Puppetry, in Martial Arts (Taekwon-Do, Wing Chun) and Contact Improvisation.
Recent Directing Credits include: Sisyphys Distressing by Metapraxis Ensemble, Two Heads on a first date (Chelsea Theatre), Maggie (Lost Theatre) and Assistant Dir. 'Fine and Dandy' (Arcola Theatre). She also works as Dramatherapist in social, health care, prison and mental health settings. She is teaching workshops on Devised Physical Theatre, Embodied Imagination, Bunraku Puppetry and has been a Visiting Lecturer at MA Dramatherapy, Roehampton University (2018). She is currently undertaking an Mphil Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Full CV: www.mayrastergiou.com
Mischa Alexander (He/Him)
Marketing Officer
/ Associate Producer
Mischa is a half-English, half Dutch Theatre Producer. He was born in London in 1998, moving to Amsterdam when he was one, and moving back to London when he was ten. He studied Theatre & Performance Studies (B.A) at the University of Warwick, graduating in 2020. He also completed an M.A. in Creative Producing at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2022. Mischa specialises in theatre producing, production management, and marketing for the arts. He has a particular interest in theatre engaging in contemporary social and political issues, whilst elevating the voices of artists and supporting their development and welfare. Previous credits include Beasts: Why Girls Shouldn’t Fear The Dark (Womxnxarts), The Manikind (Deadweight Theatre), SUS (Dilated Theatre Productions) Badgers Can’t Be Friends (Raving Mask Theatre). He has worked with companies and theatres, including the Soho Theatre, DARKFIELD, The Pleasance Theatre, and Kenny Wax Family Entertainment.
Gregory Emfietzis (He/Him)
Composer / Musician
Emfietzis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He has a degree in Music Science and Art at the University of Macedonia. He studied composition with Christopher Fox at Huddersfield University and with Fox, Richard Barrett and Jennifer Walshe at Brunel University.
His music has been performed by leading musicians and ensembles across Europe and North America. Recent performances include, the quintet Fear (not) premiered by ensemble WienBerlin at the Wiener Konzerthaus, the solo cello The Dark Art of Obscurantism -a commission by the London Sinfonietta- performed by Olly Coates, the opera The Darkness of Mistico staged at the Greek National Opera House (Athens), the solo piano DIY 1: the pianist & the lamp performed by Philip Thomas, and Sisyphus Victimised for 9 musicians and video projection premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Ensemble. Other groups he has worked with include Apartment House (UK), Asamisimasa (Norway), Greek Contemporary Music Ensemble (Greece), London Contemporary Orchestra (UK), Orkest de Ereprijs (Netherlands) and the Quasars Ensemble (Slovakia).
Sussie Fairbrother (She/Her)
Actress / Writer
Susie Fairbrother trained at London International School of Performing Arts. Theatre includes: 'Family Histories' (Bush Theatre); 'Antigone' (Riverside Studios and Cyprus International Festival of Ancient Greek Theatre); 'Medusa' (SHUNT); 'In the Wake Of' (Rich Mix); 'Trilogy' (BAC and Barbican); 'Kiss the Shadow' (Soho Theatre). Susie also writes and devises her own work.
Our Associate Creatives & Collaborators
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Depi Gorgogiani (She/Her)
Associate Dancer
Depi is a Dancer and Movement Director. She trained in Ballet and Contemporary Dance at Rallou Manou Professional Dance School in Athens. Depi holds an MA in Movement Studies from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. In 2016 she trained with Jasmin Vardimon Company. Aside her dance training she studied Mathematics at the University of Athens. Depi worked aside the choreographers Imogen Knight and Siân Williams and her theatre credits as choreographer include projects in the UK and in Greece. As dancer she has worked with the choreographers Jorge Crecis, Polly Bennett, Lucy Cullingford, Jo Meredith, David Lakein and Mariela Nestora being former member of her company YELP (2010-2012). She has performed at the Tate Modern for the Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey and she has collaborated with artists from other disciplines such as the visual artist Monika Oechsler. Depi has been part of the Vertebra Theatre Ensemble since 2017. She has also led dance and movement classes at The Place, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, Arts Ed, East 15 and other university departments in the UK.
Aurora Adams (She/Her)
Associate Puppeteer
Aurora is an experienced puppeteer, performer, Director and writer. having trained at the famous Little Angel Theatre and working in various forms of puppetry (table top, glove/rod, shadow, object and marionette) in theatre and on screen since 2014. Aurora is confident with lip-synch and monitor work. With a BA in English Literature and Film- Aurora wrote, directed and puppeteered the short puppetry film The Fishsticks in 2016. Aurora also wrote, directed and puppeteered the short sci-fi film Preservation in autumn of 2019. Preservation is nearing completion of post-production, but is currently on hiatus due to Lockdown.
Stella Evangelia Kasoumpi (She/Her)
Associate Performer /
Set Designer
Stella Evangelia is an Architect, Set Designer and a Physical Theatre Performer. She studied Architecture (University of Patras), at London International School of Performing Arts and “Improvisation & Performance Method” of Marina Mavrogeni. At the moment she studies at the Alexander Technique Center Athens. Clowning is her performing “gymnastic”. She is experimenting in the streets, in varieties and had trained with Gozde Attalay Kokkoris & Panagiotis Kokkoris, Esther Andre, Spymonkeys, John Wright, Mick Barnfather and Maria Pavlidi. She is practicing ballet, contemporary dance, acrobatics and had participate in workshops of Tapa Sudana, Norman Taylor, Song of the Goat, Kitt Jonshon, Jean Jacques Lemetre, David Glass, Stefan Metz, Kosta Philippoglou and received training in mask masking with Alfredo Iriarde. She has collaborated with with Vertebra Theatre (London), Lyrebird Theatre Company (Edinburgh), Up&Down Theater (New York & New Mexico), Ha! Theatre ensemble (Athens), Blue touch Paper&London Sinfonietta (London) and as a guest artist of Dell’ Arte International (California).
Jennie Rawling (She/Her)
Associate Puppeteer
Jennie is a puppeteer, actor and Associate Artist of Vertebra Theatre. She trained at East 15 Acting School, the Curious School of Puppetry and Little Angel Theatre, and has worked throughout the UK and in Australia, Sicily, Russia and Spain. Along with performing she is a drama workshop facilitator, and works in particular with non-native English speakers, teaching English through drama and puppetry.