Orpheus - Cast
Tom Dixon - Orpheus
Tom is a fourth year undergraduate reading Biochemistry at St Peter's College, where he has also been a choral scholar for the duration of his time at Oxford. First infected with the singing bug at primary school, he went on to be a boy chorister (and eventually Head Chorister) at the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy aged 10-15. He first appeared on the musical theatre stage as Anthony in 'Sweeney Todd', but since coming to university has also performed in opera, leading to the solo roles of Unulfo in 'Rodelinda', Endimione in 'La Calisto' and the Sorceress in 'Dido and Aeneas'. Tom is also an accomplished orchestral musician, having played clarinet with OUO, OMO, OUPhil, OUWO and others during his time at Oxford. He also is a self taught flautist and saxophonist. Currently studying voice with Susan Young, and previously with Simon Sundermann, he has also participated in masterclasses with Tess Cahill and Mary King. Tom is always looking for new opportunities to perform, so was delighted to have been involved in 'Orpheus'. This production extended Tom's stage experience immensely, containing large monologues, and requiring interactions between actors in a way that is rarely encountered in operatic productions. The role afforded the opportunity to portray a large range of emotions, spanning joy and triumph to grief and despair. The superb direction of Lucy Rayfield and engaging script of David Maskell allowed these theatrical elements to surface and flourish, and Tom hopes to carry forward the experience he has gained to his future stage work.
Daniel Brinkerhoff Young - Aristeo
Daniel is an MPhil student in Philosophical Theology at Balliol College. When he’s not contemplating the relationship between theology and politics or the history of German philosophy, he can be found hiking, drinking tea, and probably chatting endlessly. Daniel is thrilled to have been able to participate in 'Orpheus' as Aristeo, the lusty, musical shepherd. Garnering sympathy for such a rude and ultimately dangerous character as Aristeo, he thinks, could only be done in the form of song: he very much enjoyed singing this pretty gloss as a sinister character. One whom, he might add, could really benefit from attending one of OUSU's sexual consent workshops.
Fiona Skerman - Bacchant
Fiona claims that her favourite line in the play was when she urges a fellow Bacchant to "pluck a sharpened stick", mirroring and mocking Orpheus' line "to pluck fresh flowers in the springtime". It was the perfect blend of sinister and mad which she envisaged of her character. In Oxford she researches the typical community structure of random graphs in her DPhil in Mathematics at Balliol College. She also enjoys practising and occasionally performing adagio-partner acrobatics. Last summer she played Feste in 'Twelfth Night' in the Balliol MCR production.
Anatolij Gelimson - Minos
Anatolij is a third year DPhil student in Theoretical Physics at Balliol College. Prior to acting Minos, the King of the Underworld, he has acted in drama classes at his school as well as in a theatre in his hometown. For the 'Orpheus' play, he enjoyed working with an amazing, inspiring team- but most of all enjoyed the experience of wearing eyeliner. He also hopes that the audience appreciates his valiant efforts of guarding the Underworld, merciless though he sometimes seems.
Vera Schafer - Eurydice
Vera is a second-year DPhil student in Atomic and Laser Physics at Balliol College, Oxford. She gathered some acting experience in the local drama club of her home town during high school. She greatly enjoyed playing the vast range of emotions of Eurydice during the Orpheus play.
Jean-Patrick Vieu - Mopsus
After three years of professional training at the Studio 34 in Paris, Jean-Patrick directed Jouanneau's 'Gauche Uppercut' both in Paris and at the Festival d'Avignon in 2008. He also directed the horror double-bill 'Soirée Vengeance' as part of the festival 'Ca bute à Montmartre' in 2009 in Paris. Still in Paris, he performed in Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin's 'Les Visionnaires' as well as Shakespeare's 'Pericles, Prince of Tyre' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Then, in Oxford, he directed Voltaire's double-bill 'Mahomet & Zaïre' (translated by David Maskell, the translator of 'Orpheus') in Mansfield College Chapel in 2011, and performed in Buffini's 'Dinner' at the Burton Taylor Studio in 2010, Strindberg's 'A Dream Play' at the Oxford Playhouse in 2011 and Bolt's 'A Man for All Seasons' at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in 2011. He also directed Musset's 'On ne badine pas avec l'amour' for Magdalen College School's Arts Festival in 2012, where he currently teaches French and runs a weekly drama workshop.
Gillian Bolsover - Proserpina
Gillian is a third-year PhD student at the Oxford Internet Institute. She’s never acted before but considers herself incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to be involved in the making of this play.