Most outstanding for her significant contributions to the arts, in particular theatre, film and music, is New York City based actress, Aurèléa. Starring in yet another of venerated New York City Shakespeare company Stag & Lion's productions, The Tempest [March 17-27, Trinity Theatre 422 W 57th St Manhattan, dir: Joshua Koehn], what was especially fascinating was its imaginative casting of Aurèléa as the eye-catching Ariel.
Last month she starred at the Chain Theatre Winter One-Act Festival as a gay femicide victim, illuminating one of the 5 stages of grief in wounded, written by the impressive playwright, Sophie McIntosh [dir: Cassidy Kepp. wounded won the Audience Choice Award and was live-streamed internationally.
Aurèléa previously starred in 40th Street … A Story of a Life at the Chain Theatre, as Broadway resumed as well as featuring with Stag & Lion Trinity Theatre in the extended season of Macbeth.
Aurèléa stars in the intriguing forthcoming feature film by Origin Nile Studios A Good Accident [dir: Jibril Haynes] as its protagonist Treasure, filmed in Boston last year. Over just the past 9 months Aurèléa headlined three other new films: Hard Plastic, Method, and Lost Love.
We caught up with Aurèléa after The Tempest. Born in Melbourne Australia, Aurèléa has worked in NYC for the past 3 years. Prior to moving to the US, Aurèléa commenced her career in Australia with roles in both theatre and films. Starting off writing, producing and acting in original theatre productions, by 2011 she was starring as Hermione Granger in Wizardry Sorcery Fantasy [Harry Potter plays] at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.
The following year 2012 she featured in a resounding 4-star theatre review at the Adelaide & Melbourne Fringe Festival's for her performance in The Conference of the Birds. What followed were starring roles in theatre productions of The Princess and the Frog, The Man from Snowy River, Around the World in 80 Days, Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz, The Pirates of Penzance, The Blue One, The Dollhouse, and well as the start of her Shakespearean roots, starring as Viola in Twelfth Night, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet & Celia in As You Like It. She also appeared in many other productions including Europe by Michael Gow and [DIS]CORD by Ryan Enniss.
Yet a savant knows no bounds: in 2013 Aurèléa joined the National Theatre screen acting school performing in some 50 film versions of television series episodes, while also starring in NIDA [National Institute of Dramatic Art] productions of A Family Reunion and Come Play With Me, as well as several short films.
The previous year she had opened a solo singing concert which led ultimately to her touring internationally throughout the US (2013), New Zealand (2015), Japan (2016), and the UK and Ireland (2018) with the Young Voices of Melbourne and Exaudi. Aurèléa can be described as a true polymath of the performing arts: theatre/screen acting and singing aside - she has played piano since she was 3 and violin since 4, leading orchestra, chamber orchestra and quartets as Lead Violinist. Aurèléa was even lead singer and electric guitarist for rock band Trak in the late 2000s! Versatile to be sure - she also played cello, double bass, drums& clarinet.
Truly extraordinary ability cannot go unnoticed: from 2010 to 2018, Aurèléa won more than 15 awards for acting, drama and music, including over a dozen Excellence in the Performing Arts awards and 4 Outstanding Contribution to the Performing Arts prizes. She was awarded a Certificate in Screen Acting in recognition of her prior learning by the Australian College of Dramatic Art [ACDA] and was awarded a full ride scholarship by LA-based Howard Fine Studios to study Uta Hagen acting techniques at its Australian studio.
By 2016 Aurèléa had drawn international attention: American filmmakers Jibril Haynes and Vladimir Lafortune [Origin Nile Studios], cast her to star in the feature Sharon and the Sewing Circle filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon completion of a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy [AMDA] in New York City, Haynes and Lafortune had her back filming in Boston as the star of their forthcoming A Good Accident, set to be released on multiple streaming services later this year.
Aurèléa's original contribution to theatre arts is of major significance at this time in the US. In her own words:
"At the moment theatre is my focus, especially new works of theatre that are telling queer stories. I think that now, more than ever, there are so many beautiful queer pieces that need to be shared, and I am really passionate about pursuing those roles whenever I can. I've begun putting together a virtual theatre festival, especially featuring queer and female-led works, to give a space to those stories and the artists telling them."
Brett Robert Thompson, Lead Arts Writer
Brett Robert Thompson
http://www.aurelea.org/
artsfeaturesbrettthompson@gmail.com
