Theatraverse’s actors

Fiamma Bennett has been performing and devising dramatic and comic theatre for over 9 years and works in English, French, and Italian. She moved to Paris in 2008 and graduated from the International Theatre School, Jacques Lecoq in 2010. She stayed in Paris and continued to train, studying under Jos Houben, Paola Rizza, and Jack Waltzer.

She has played with some of her idols, including Jos Houben, Françoise Rivalland, Emily Wilson, Peter Brook and Rona Waddington, to name but a few. She has worked in some spectacular Parisian venues: Théâtre du Soleil, Lucernaire, and Les Bouffes du Nord. Her spectrum of emotions, her striking stage presence, and her comic talent have been expressed in a range of roles: Cordelia in King Lear, Hedda in Hedda Gabler, and the-girl-in-blue-tights-on-all-fours-with-coconuts-for-hoofs in Répertoire.

Although her heart belongs to the theatre, she is also drawn to the big screen. Since graduating, she has performed in a number of short films, and won the prize for Best Actress for the 24 hour Film Project in 2014 for her comic role in Kidnapping. She also filmed A Poem of a House for The National Trust.

Born in Amsterdam to an Indian father and a Dutch mother, Siva was brought up mainly in France, where he studied and worked in a variety of fields – including naval carpentry, IT, international commerce, and translation for NGOs – before beginning his onstage career.
After training for a number of years in the Paris region, Siva became a professional actor in 2002. With the Théâtre du Voyageur, he has played a wide range of roles in a dozen different plays, ranging from Shakespeare to devised plays inspired by non-theatrical texts.
As Siva’s career has progressed, he has been drawn to new challenges. He performed at Aurillac’s street theatre festival with Cie Grain d’ArtGile, and at Avignon summer festival with Cie Naphralytep.

With Theatraverse, Siva often performs in English: he played Jean in the bilingual adaptation of Rhinoceros, and The Man in Great Artists Steal, both of which were played at Edinburgh Festival. Siva develops and leads bilingual theatre workshops for children and young people, as well as for adults with Theatraverse.

Guillaume graduated from the International Theatre School, Jacques Lecoq in 2008 and has trained under Christian Carrignon at Théâtre de Cuisine, and Michel Chiron of CNR in Amiens, as well as Alain Gautré. He has also trained in Commedia dell'arte, object theatre, and singing.
Guillaume has worked extensively in the Picardy region, with the Théâtre du Lin, Cie Eclats d'Etats, Cie Car à Pattes, and Cie du Chahut (Oise). He performed recently in Pas de Pardon by Roger Wallet (Avignon 2015), and played Philinte in Le Misanthrope for Compagnie les gOsses.
He also works in the Paris region, notably performing in Faisons un rêve by Guitry, and for some televised series. He has been working with Theatraverse since 2011, and played Bérenger in Rhinocéros by Ionesco (Edinburgh 2012 – Belfast 2013).
He is the artistic director of Cie Grain d’ArtGile, which he cofounded in 2008; the company’s notable productions include Rhinos in the Street. Guillaume also directs and leads workshops for schools and for adults.

Mélanie began her performance training when she was fifteen, at the Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Châtellerault (France). During her three years there, her time with Roser Seguar and Isona Dodero encouraged her to focus on clown work. Meanwhile, she continued to develop her skills in dance, capoeira and circus performance.

Mélanie's interest in languages led to performances in Spanish (Les Anacroniques, Toulouse) and English (Fairground Theatre, Bristol). After two years spent in England, during which time she worked on a number of productions - including the devised performance of The Red Man (Tobacco Factory, Bristol, 2008) - Mélanie returned to France to complete two years of further training at the International Theatre School Jacques Lecoq.

Since graduating from the Lecoq school, she has been involved in the creation of 38, International Theatre Company, and has worked briefly with Teatr Piesn Kosna/Song of the Goat, in Poland. She is also part of Les Désaxés du Mambo, a clown project. She has recently been working on 38's latest production, an adaptation of Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, which was played at the 2012 edition of Théâtre du Soleil’s Festival des Premiers Pas. Melanie recently participated in a workshop with Complicite in London.

Mélanie performs in both French and English in Theatraverse’s Rhinoceros, in the role of Daisy. With Theatraverse she leads bilingual theatre workshops for all age groups.