Angelique Rockas

Angelique Rockas, South African born Greek actress single handed founded Internationalist Theatre starting as New Theatre, then New Internationalist Theatre, one of the the first theatre companies in 1981 in London to present great European classics like Genet's 'The Balcony ', Brecht's 'Mother Courage ' , Griselda Gambaro's The Camp , Pirandello's ' Liola ' directed and translated by Fabio Perselli with multi-racial and multi-national casts, which discombobulated some UK critics. Multi-racial casts with non-caucasian accents in drama classics were something unknown in the UK at the time. Athol Fugard was a patron. She had started a revolution. Great classical parts played include Medea at Theatro Technis, 'Miss Julie' with her own company Internationalist Theatre, a production which earned the praise of being the best production of this play of the past decade, Lady Macbeth, Tatiana in 'Enemies' by Gorky and to which Angelique invited the London cultural ataché of the then Soviet Union. They all came : a practice in glasnost pre- Gorbachev. Angelique has an honours degree in English Literature and a major in Philosophy from Wits University, Johannesburg, was an anti-apartheid activist, studied Acting at Cape Town University. Started an MA thesis on restoration comedy(unfinished) with the University of South Africa where she obtained a Post-graduate Teaching Diploma in English Literature and Drama. She is multi-lingual: English, Greek, Afrikaans, French, and pigeon Italian. Has her own film company Contemtptus Mundi Films and has written the film script 'Ayoni and Ismeta' set in the troubled Balkans. Has made films with Peter Hyams , Nicolas Roeg, Costas Ferris in Greece , as well as the lead TV role in 'Idees Fixees' directed by the well known Greek film director Theodoros Maragos. Turns down work all the time: they must be projects with some honour. The great Derek Jarman asked her to participate in 2 of his films that failed to find funding. . Her championing of Latin America drama like The Camp led to an interview with Vogue Mexico. Her first production of Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' with New Theatre is listed in Mark Wiggins book on 'John Ford' as one of the major productions of this play in the decade of the 1980s in the 20th century. Author: Sonia Hopkins