Guy de Lancey (Actor & Director)

Guy de Lancey has been working in theatres in SA long enough to be able to recommend that they be turned into car parks. While leading figures in theatre retreat into their ass professorship’s and lottery money, leaving a void other than the politically correct, very like the 80’s which was excellently styled, apparently, or managements generally exploit the obedience training most “theatre makers” have choked on, he thinks working with the mechanicals, for free, is better than a stab in the eye with a blunt baguette.

Christopher Weare (Director)

Christopher Weare is the 'lunatic oldie' in a collective of equally mad Mechanicals. He has stated clearly that the work with The Mechanicals is 90% therapy and 10% craft but is addressing this imbalance alongside Scott Sparrow. He has directed BURIED CHILD, THE ZOO STORY, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, DECADENCE, COWBOY MOUTH, and FRANK 'STEIN for The Mechanicals. He has worked extensively with Alan Committie over the past eight years.  He recently directed Theatre for Africa's 21st anniversary production of RAIDERS OF THE LOST AARDWARK. 

Scott Sparrow (Actor & Director)

Scott has been working in theatre in cape town since 2006 and credits include The Zoo Story (fleur du cap best actor nomination) Decadence (Fleur du cap best actor nomination) The Birthday Party (Fleur du Cap best actor nomination) and Buried Child (Fleur du Cap best supporting actor nomination). He has recently shot two major series for ITV in the UK, The Runaway and Kidnap and Ransom. Other film credits include Death Race 2 (universal) and Long Street (Revel Fox). Scott is directing for the third time, having previously directed Ubom (under Janet Buckland) and Theatre for Africa (under Nick Ellenbogen). He is directing Cosi for the 2010 mechanicals season.

Luke Ellenbogen (Director & Actor)

Tinarie Van Wyk Loots (Actor)

Tinarie van Wyk Loots’ theatre credits include Amadeus, Faan se Trein, Doubt, Women Beware Women, The Tempest, Judith, Antony and Cleopatra and the Mechanicals’ (a.k.a. Banana Drama) Glengarry Glen Ross, Buried Child, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Birthday Party and Cowboy mouth. On local screens, she has been seen in e-tv’s Backstage, Orion, Geraldina II, Transito, Interrogation Room, Hansie, and most recently, Vallei van Sluiers. She also dabbled with The Poseidon Adventure, The Mojave Phonebooth, Silent Witness, When Shadows Burn, The Philanthropist and Sisters a.k.a. Women in Love.

Wilhelm van der Walt (Actor)

Originally from Bloemfontein, South Africa. Wilhelm started his Drama and Theatre studies at the University of the Free State where he completed his Honours in Acting. He then moved to Stellenbosch where he enrolled for a 2 year Masters in Acting at the University of Stellenbosch. Since his studies began he appeared in nearly a dozen professional stage productions all over the country. He recently performed at the Maynardville ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ production of Antony and Cleopatra and in Yasmina Reza’s ‘ART’ for which he received a Fleur du Cap nomination as most promising student.

Kate Liquorish (Actor)

Kate Liquorish is an actress, but also a real person.
Kate graduated with a BA in Theatre and Performance from UCT in 2006. She received a fleur du Cap nomination for 'most promising student' in 2005. She has since written two plays, namely 'One Woman, One Show' and 'The Cooksisters' which were performed in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. She has been a member of The Mechanicals since its inception in 2008 performing in 'Glengarry Glen Ross', 'Buried Child', 'The importance of being Ernest' and 'The Birthday Party'. Her film and TV credits include 'The Rainbow Warrior' and Hillside 2,3 and 4.

Isabel Martens (Actor)

Isabel Martens has been a fan of The Mechanicals for as long as they have existed and is thrilled to be part of their Lunatic Fringe season. Mephisto sees Isabel's return to the stage, after a ten year absence since her participation in the stage productions of The Mysteries and u-Carmen u-Khayelitsha. She is in awe of her talented fellow Mechanicals and the King Weare, and hopes against all hope that they'll ask her back next year... Isabel enjoys long walks on the beach, as well.

Emily Child (Actor)

Emily Child graduated Class Medalist, from the University of Cape Town in 2007 with a Theatre and Performance Degree, specializing in Acting. She won a Fleur du Cap as Best Student for her final year’s work.

Her recent theatrical  work includes the 2009 Mechanicals Repertory season  ( “The British Lines Tour”) in which she performed in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest - directed by Luke Ellenbogen as well as critically acclaimed  Decadence written by Steven Berkoff and directed by Christopher Weare for which she received a Best Actress Fleur Du Cap Nomination. Decadence won the popular FDC People’s Choice award in 2010. Emily held a supporting role in the multi-award winning feature film, Shirley Adams, directed by Oliver Hermanus, set to open in cinemas in August 2010 . She also features in Leon Schuster’s new film, Schucks Tshabalala’s Survival guide to South Africa. When not on set or stage, Emily works as an M.C. and voice artist specializing in accent work.

Daniel Galloway (Producer & Lighting Designer)

Stix fell in love with theatre by mistake. One day he was playing cricket, the next he was changing lightbulbs! Funny how these things work out. Since completing his degree (in Drama, not cricket) at Rhodes University he has designed many shows for both the professional and student theatre worlds. Some of his recent lighting credits include Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman, Rosencrantz & Guidenstern are dead (Both Chris Weare), The Kramer Petersen Songbook, Three Wise (r) Men, Die Ballade van Koos Sas (All David Kramer), The Mechanicals Repertory Season 2008 & 2009 and Waiting for Godot (Damon Galgut)

Carel Nel (Actor)

Carel Nel Studied Drama and theatre arts at the university of the Free State which he completed in 2007. He moved to Cape Town in 2008 where he has been freelancing for over 2 years. During and after his studies he has appeared in over a dozen professional theatre productions around the country. His latest theatre work includes Deathwatch, The Proposal and Die Begrafnis for which he won the SPAT(Sanlam Prize for Afrikaans Theatre) silver prize for best actor at the KKnK in 2008. He is currently working on two other exciting film projects. If acting doesn’t work out Carel’s plan is to become the next springbok flyhalf.

Roxanne Blaise (Actor)

Roxanne Blaise is a Cape Town based creative who works mainly in the theatre and film industry.  Recent theatre work includes Done London directed by Francesco Nassimbeni, Sister Breyani directed by Lara Bye and (In) Medea Resdirected by Aja Marneweck.  She has also appeared in various film and television roles and local and international commercials.  Roxanne graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BA in Theatre and Performance in 2004.

Andrew Laubscher (Actor)

Andrew Laubscher graduated from UCT in 2007 with a diploma in Theatre Performance. Since then he has been making a name for himself in the Cape Town Theatre world, as well as working on film and television projects. Andrew is best known for his leading roles in 2009 and 2010 seasons of Maynardville open air productions. He joined the Mechanicals in 2010.

Julia Anastasopoulos (Actor)

Julia Anastasopoulos is a Cape Town Based artist with a BA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Cape Town 2004. Besides her work in theatre and film, Julia is involved in the local design scene as an illustrator, designer and mural artist. She has most recently appeared in the second run of Done London a play written by Roxanne Blaise and Steven Pillemer, directed by Francesco Nassimbeni. Her other acting roles have included Ophelia in the Artscape’s Hamlet, The End of the Road an M-NET Film directed by Greg Latter as well as The Deal, a feature film directed by Steven Schacter.

Mark Elderkin (Actor)

Mark graduated from UCT Drama School in 2003. Since then he has appeared in numerous productions for stage, film and TV. His Theatre credits include 4 Maynardville seasons, The Secret Love Life of Ophelia, Bouncers, Blood Wedding, Mud River, Women beware Woman, Swazi, Done London and Betesda at the 2010 KKNK. TV and Film credits include Heartlines, Goodbye Bafana, Bay of Plenty, Wild at Heart and Special Forces Heroes. He is a past winner of a Fluer du Cap and FNB Vita Award. Having spent 2009 abroad he is thrilled to be back on stage with the coolest group in the land ... The Mechanicals.

Mbulelo Grootboom (Actor)

Adrian Collins (Actor)

Adrian Collins began his acting career in 2005 after graduating from UCT. He has had the privilege of working on many film and theatre productions including the first Hamlet to be performed at the Royal Shakespeare Companies Swan Theatre, directed by Janet Suzmann. His recent theatre credits include, Frank N Stein, Blasted, The Game, The Birthday Party and Antony and Cleopatra. The production of Mephisto marks Collins return as the character Hendrik Höefgen.

Deborah Vieyra (Actor)

Deborah Vieyra slept her way into The Mechanicals. She plans on infiltrating other organizations in a similar open-legged fashion, currently flirting with Sepp Blatter and Jacob Zuma.
 
And now for what she has been doing as a hobby in the meantime:

Deborah Vieyra graduated from UCT in 2005 with a BA in Theatre and Performance. Some of her theatre credits include Done London, directed by Francesco Nassimbeni (2010); The Tent, by Megan Choritz (2009); The Cooksisters, directed by Greg Karvellas, at The Old Mutual Theatre on the Square (2009); As You Like It, directed by Geoffrey Hyland for the Maynardville Open Air Theatre (2009); Puck's Story, directed by Ingrid Wylde (2008), a one-woman show entitled Hunt (2008); the educational theatre programme Hooked on Books (2007); and The Secret Garden at the National Youth Theatre in Johannesburg (2006). She has recently returned from Dublin where she performed The Myth of Andrew and Jo by Gideon van Eeden, receiving a nomination for Best Actress at the Absolut Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival

Louis Viljoen (Actor)

Louis Viljoen is a writer, director and part time actor for both the screen and stage. He has recently moved to Cape Town and has entered the theatre scene with grace and aplomb. His recent acting credits include The Bile Boys directed by Guy de Lancey and written by Louis Viljoen, as well as productions of Rocks, The Abusers and Guest all written and directed by Louis. He is currently preparing for the forthcoming production of COSI directed by Scott Sparrow and the second season of The Bile Boys directed by Greg Karvellas.

Jason Potgieter (Actor)

Mikkie-dené le Roux

Mikkie-dené le Roux is currently in her third and final year at UCT' s Theatre and Performance program. Recently, Mikkie-dené le Roux acted in Oscar Wilde's Salome as Herodias, mother of Salome and Queen of Judaea as part of the third year course curricular, directed by Geoffrey  Hyland. In 2009 she formed part of an all woman cast ensemble, Her Lips Moving . . . ( so to speak ) directed by Jacqui Singer. Mikkie-dené le Roux plans to further her studying in 2011 in the UK in acting for film.