Who? Past and Present Teaching Artist and Creators
Theatre Amoeba is a vibrant multi-disciplinary physical theatre ensemble committed to dynamic performance, social and educational development projects. We are internationally based with past and present members from Korea, Japan, Lebanon, USA, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, Morocco and England.
Denise Rinehart (Wisconsin, USA/ Venice,Italy)- Denise is a Lecoq based devising theatre artist and pedagogue. Theatre has led her throughout the world including USA, England, France, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines and Poland and her plays have been performed in England, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Korea and the USA.
Denise is the founder and artistic director of Theatre Amoeba (read about Amoeba's projects here). Presently Denise is based in Italy where she gives pedagogical workshops to movement theatre students in Italy and Sweden while creating a unique movement in English program for little ones from ages 1-5, Inglese Giocando, which combines theatre play, mime and music with English. Beginning in October 2019 Denise is a part of the faculty at The International Institute of Very Very Serious Studies- a performance training program in Beirut Lebanon to develop the talents of experienced artists and send them out to use their skills to engage with communities. She also collaborates with with the Fondazione Sipario Toscana (La Citta del Teatro) in Cascina where she directed and performs in the show “Sh..We Have a Plan". Since 2016 Denise has been a part of the ClownMeIn Caravan project working as a Mentor, Dramaturg and Actor Trainer.
Sarah Liane Foster (Seattle USA)- trained in physical theatre and clown at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, at the Celebration Barn Theatre, and with Giovanni Fusetti.
Sarah worked with Amoeba in Italy as a devisor and performer for "The Adventures of Eleanor Gioconda". She creates, performs, and teaches clown and physical theatre in Portland, around the United States, and internationally. She has created six original movement-based theatre shows with the Nomadic Theatre Co. in Portland. Sarah recently spent 4 years as part of the teaching team at Helikos Scuola Internazionale di Creazione Teatrale in Florence, Italy where she taught movement. She enjoys walking on stilts, eating ice cream, and playing the trombone. http://www.nomadictheatre.org
Robin Guiver (London, England)- Robin is an Actor. Robin joined Amoebs on our Movment in Morocco Tour of "Rooftops". He also a Puppeteer and Movement Director and teaches and lead workshops in acting and performance skills. He has worked in Film, Television and Theatre (from the West End to the weird and wonderful Fringe) and has a strong background in the martial arts.
Robin Performed in "War Horse" at The National Theatre of London as well as a performer with the National Theatre's education department and the city ambassadors group (working with young refugees) on a new play called 'feathers in the snow' by Philip Ridley. He is also one of the founders of Swazzled Theatre in London where he is involved with the development of his physical project based on the British puppet show "Punch and Judy". In 2006 he completed the Advanced-Lecoq based actor created theatre program at LISPA. http://www.robinguiver.co.uk/
Robin Willis (North Carolina, USA) is a deviser, facilitator, director, and teacher currently based in Daejeon, South Korea. She is a teaching artist for Amoeba’s Imagination Workshop. Robin has lived, taught, and performed in the United States, South Africa, and South Korea. She is interested in theatre for social change and devised theatre with youth. Robin studied devising with Michael Rohd at Northwestern University. Later, she received her MA (Drama and Performance Studies) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she devised a film with youths who lived and worked on the streets of Durban, South Africa. Robin loves hot cups of ginger tea and helping people find their creative voices.
Juan Ayala (Madrid, Spain)- After finishing hi studies in architecture he dove completely in the theatre world. Juan was an actor/creator/teaching artist with Amoeba on our Movement in Morocco tour of "Rooftops".
For 5 years was part of the company THEIPUM, group of actors-creators. He specializes in physical theatre after attending Ecole internacional de theatre Jacques Lecoq, Hippocampe mime-corporel and LISPA. In 2001 he founded Colectivo DeCollage, theatre group searching for a bridge between formal abstraction and the stage (they present shows in Madrid, Paris and Venice). He has being working for several companies like: ATLAS THEATRE (Paris), LUÍS TORREAO (Paris) Emma Bernard (London) and has worked as a performer and workshop leader for Temple Theatre (UK), and has directed BE FESTIVAL’s education program, BE Next. In his work he combines performing and directing.
Anne Marie Guzzo (Wyoming, USA)- Her compositions have been heard at numerous festivals, including the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Cortona, Italy, performed by DuoSolo and her music for Theatre Amoeba's "Ci Piacciamo" was premiered at the Made In Woman festival in Bologna, Italy in June 2010.
The Adzel Duo commissioned and performed Guzzo’s new duo, Color of Honey, in their Carnegie Hall recital in June 2010. Her music has also been heard at the American Composers’ Forum New Music Salon in Minneapolis, the ArtPoint Festival near Frankfurt Germany in 2009, the 2007 International Cello Encounter in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium (OBFCS) performed by New York new music ensemble, Fireworks. Passionate about contemporary music, Guzzo directs New Frontiers, a yearly festival of new music at the University of Wyoming where she also teaches theory and composition. Guzzo earned her Ph.D. in theory and composition from the University of California, Davis.
Amy Mihyang Ginther (NY, USA)- Amy is an actor, writer, and voice/acting coach and is the founder and owner of Vocal Context. She is a devisor and performer in Theatre Amoeba's Jikji Theatre Project and a teaching artist for Amoeba's Imagination Workshop.
Amy has lived, taught, and performed in the US, UK (Edinburgh Fringe), Argentina, Czech Republic, Ireland, and South Korea. Amy has clients from all over the world as she teaches both in person in Seoul and remotely via Skype. She is currently using voicework as a tool of empowerment for adoptees, women, and people of color. Amy has her MA in Voice Studies (Distinction) from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London and her BFA (Honors) in Performance from Hofstra University.
Gwendolyn Rooker (Philadelphia, USA)- is an actor, clown, writer, and musician who holds a Certificate of Training from The Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theatre. Gwen joined Amoeba in Colombia for our "CreACTion in Colombia" residency project.
She grew up in Arizona and California. Now she resides in Philadelphia, PA where she works as an actor, creates and performs puppet shows, and plays coronet and guitar in the band, Acres of Diamonds. Gwen also serves on the board of a physical theatre company called Tribe of Fools. She has volunteered for Clowns Without Borders since 2006 and helped found and organize CWB USA Project: Egypt. Since then, she has returned to Egypt five times, performed in Louisiana, Sudan, Kenya, Colombia, and Haiti in order to provide laughter for children living within communities in crisis. Gwen always keeps chocolate in her pocket.
Tomoko Komura (London/Tokyo, Japan)- is an English-speaking Japanese actress, trained in Lecoq-based Physical Theatre (Master of Fine Arts from London International School of Performing Arts). She was the project and fundraising coordinator of Amoeba's Aceh Theatre Aid project. Since finishing her training in 2006, she has been working as a devising theatre performer for companies such as Temple Theatre and Theatre Temoin. She is also a current member of Kazuko Hohki's pop performance group "Frank Chickens". In 2010, Tomoko became the UK's first Japanese benshi (solo silent film live story teller) for Kenji Mizoguchi's "The Water Magician (1933)" shown at the Barbican Cinema in English. Her training includes: acting training at Theatre Group "OCT/PASS" in Sendai Japan, Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder US, and Directing Course at Stone Crabs Theatre in London.
Tomoko is also a qualified language interpreter, working for organisations such as the BBC, Arsenal FC, International Standard's Organisation, Universal Pictures, Barbican Centre (UK), etc. In 2012 she visited Incheon, Korea for an interpreting assignment.
Serena Brazabon (Dublin, Ireland)- Serina studied at the Lecoq school in Paris and completed the advanced year of training at LISPA in London. As well as being a talented actor she is a creative musician specializing in Irish Drum, Violin, Piano and Guitar. She joined Theatre Amoeba in Morocco as musical director, composer and live performer after working on the Original "Rooftops" in London. She played the character on Nan Saville on BBC's Tudors and has done a variety of work in Film and Theatre. Her theatre performances include Blue Beard at Camden People's Theatre London in 2007 and Carrie in Big Love at The Gate Theatre, London in 2006 .
Marcus Quiniones (Hawaii, USA)- After finishing the two year Lecoq actor created theatre program at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA), Marcus moved to Minneapolis, doing a remount production with the Guthrie Theater and Theater MU -the Midwest's foremost pan-Asian performing arts organization- entitled “Circle around the Island”, a full length piece he wrote, directed, and choreographed which he originally performed in 1999.
He has taught movement and theater for various groups including the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, the Guthrie Theater, and the University of Minnesota. Marcus also joined theatre Amoeba on the “Movement in Morocco” tour as both as a performer, musician and a teacher. Marcus presently is based in Hawaii where he is one of the founders of Samadhi Hawaii, an Aerial Dance Performance Troupe. He also teaches and performs Hawaiian dance, is involved in the growing of local agriculture and he loves the water.
Sabine Choucair (Beirut, Lebanon)-
Sabine Choucair is a Lebanese humanitarian clown, storyteller, and performer. With degrees in performing arts from London and social therapy from New York, she has been working with communities around the world for years, finding human stories and transposing them on stage or in film.
She is the Artistic Director of The International Institute for Very Very Serious Studies and is is a member of the International Company ¨Theatre Amoeba¨, "Infectious theatre" and the co-founder of clown me in “Clown me in”. Sabine was among 40 cultural leaders chosen to share their work at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017. That was very, very serious.
Sabine has been involved with Amoeba since 2007's tour in Morocco and has been working around the world with drug addicts, marginalized communities, and youth who live in difficult situations giving storytelling and clown workshops. Her ongoing digital video project in Palestinian camps with Al-Jana organization www.al-jana.org. aims to share, record, and give value stories through artistic expression, health and well being, and justice. Born and raised in Lebanon, during the war and post war, Sabine found that arts and theater were her only remedy and they helped her a lot in overcoming fear and distress caused by war. Since then, she decided to share her experience with everyone. clownmein.com
Seul Lee (Daejeon, Korea)- Seul graduated from Anyang Art High School and Cheongju University where she majored in Acting and was a member of Cheongju University Movement Theatre Lab, where she began her work with Denise Rinehart, Theatre Amoeba's artistic director. Presently she attends ÉCOLE INTERNATIONALE DE THÉÂTRE JACQUES LECOQ
Seul has worked with Theatre Amoeba as a workshop teaching assistant, as a translator and is a part of the Imagination Workshop. Seul is interested in volunteering and and participating in projects that offer opportunities for communities to be introduced to theatre. She recently visited India as a part of the “August India Project” tour with Yegrina which used performance art, documentary filming, and fieldtrip days for children who suffered from poverty. “Through my journey, I want to see and be a naive human and discover who I truly am in order to resolve the question- What does it mean to be human?”
Dorie Kinnear (London/California)- is the co-artistic director of Grafted Cede Theatre.
Recently Dorie brought “Nobody’s Home: A Modern Odyssey” to the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Other acting credits include Paper Balloon’s “NightLight” in London; Theatre Témoin’s “Jukai” in London and Santa Cruz, USA; Theatre Amoeba's “Rooftops” at the Theatrical Days of Chefchaouen (JTC) festival during the Movment in Morocco tour; Swazzled Theatre's “That's The Way To Do It” at the Brighton Fringe Festival and “Small Corners” in London; Blu Canyon Collective’s “CDQ/SOS” at the Sound Symposium in Newfoundland, Canada; and Infectious Theatre's “Icy Sparks” at the Performing the World Conference in New York. Dorie has taught numerous workshops internationally in Physical Devising and Movement. She is an avid dancer and has taught African dance classes with Higher Movement in San Luis Obispo, CA. http://www.graftedcede.com
Tae-Yeon Hwang (Seoul, Korea)-is a visual graphic designer and has worked with Nong Shim in Korea before moving to Czech Republic. His designs are visual designs focusing on creating visual identities, branding, calligraphy, illustration. He has worked in strategic visual design agencies as a designer since completing his degree. Tae-Yoon designs Amoeba's logos and was the lead designer for Theatre Amoeba's Morocco Tour. He is a music lover and he is very interested in combination music with images.