Angelique Rockas

Angelique Rockas (born in Boksburg, South Africa) is an actress, producer and activist. Rockas founded Internationalist Theatre in the UK with patron Athol Fugard. The company featured multi-racial and multi-national productions of great European classics starting in 1981. "a historic example of theatre work addressing representation in the most valuable manner" As an actress Rockas played roles that challenged casting cliches.
Career
Stage
"Rockas attracted admiration as an actress for her strong interpretation of roles".:Medea (play) with Theatro Technis 'Miss Julie' with her own company Internationalist Theatre. Other key performances are: Emma in The Camp by Griselda Gambaro and Annabella in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' which was also Rockas's first theatre production under the banner of 'New Theatre' directed by Declan Donnellan ,and now listed as one of the major productions of Tis Pity for the decade of the 1980's in the 20th century
Further stage roles include Carmen in 'The Balcony' , Yvette in 'Mother Courage ' ,Miriam in 'In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel' , Lady Macbeth , Tatiana in Gorky's 'Enemies'.
Work at London's Theatro Technis under the name of Angeliki : Io in 'Prometheus Bound', Myrrhine in 'Lysistrata', Paphlagoonia in the adaptation of Aristophanes 'The Knights' 'Oh Democracy', 'Dowry with 2 White Doves', and Kyproula in 'The National Engagement', all directed by George Eugeniou.
At the British Library
Angelique Rockas British Library archive at Western Manuscripts
The National Archives (United Kingdom)
Angelique Rockas
Film and Television
She played Ms Ortiki in Thodoros Maragos TV Film 'Emmones Idees' on Greek television ERT.
Films:
'OH BABYLON' directed by Costas Ferris roles of Nereida, and party reveller
'The Witches' directed by Nic Roeg , role of Henrietta,
'Outland' directed by Peter Hyams, role of Maintenance Woman.
Prelude
As stated in the British Library archives Rockas first production was Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore ' under the name of New Theatre in 1980 and was a prelude to her creating Internationalist Theatre. Declan Donnellan was commissioned to direct the play. "it is something of a triumph. Naked passion is as raw under a three piece suit as draped in Renaissance brocades". She herself portrayed Annabella as a sinister teenager and not the compliant passive beauty. Various accents from a Scottish, American and South African cast mixed seamlessly in this production as a start to the challenge of contemporary theatre mores
Productions of Internationalist Theatre
The company was first named New Internationalist Theatre then changed to Internationalist Theatre
In May 1982 at London's Theatre Space Internationalist Theatre staged a multi-racial production of 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Bertolt Brecht
", , whose attack on the practice of war could not-- with South Atlantic news filling the front pages-- have been more topical.." "The cast ..is made of experienced actors from all over the world and perhaps their very cosmopolitanism helps to bring new textures to a familiar dish ." Breaking racial casting barriers: Why is a Pakistani actor playing the role of the Pastor ? was the question posed by Time Out Magazine critic Malcolm Hay
In October 1981 Internationalist Theatre mounted a multi-racial staging of the 'The Camp' by Griselda Gambaro
In July 1982 in London's Bloomsbury Theatre Fabio Perselli directed the first English language performance of 'Liola' by Luigi Pirandello. with Internationalist Theatre's multi-racial cast "It opened with a satiety of womens' gossip. some of it not very easy to follow with the various accents of the New Internationalist Theatre. But it picked up wonderfully. The pleasures of the performance with its occasional songs based on ballads and tarantellas , lay in the village vitality, the lusty folk element. .and the children romped about deliciously. A very good evening of an unusual kind."
In June 1981 Internationalist Theatre revived 'The Balcony' by Jean Genet in London's Theatre Space with a multi-racial cast . Ellen Thomas played Irma and Angelique Rockas Carmen
In January 1984 the Internationalist Theatre's production of August Strindberg's 'Miss Julie' was characterized by the disruption of ethnic preconceptions with a "small,dark" Angelique Rockas depicting the title part in a performance of great depth
In March 1983 Internationalist Theatre presented a multi-ethnic UK premiere of Tennessee Williams' 'In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel' at London's New End Theatre .
In March 1985 Ann Pennington directed a multi-national production of Maxim Gorky's 'Enemies' in association with Internationalist Theatre , in London. One critic saw a parallel between the workers uprising in Enemies and the Miners Strike that had been running in the UK since 1984 " it is about the miners strike " UK miners' strike (1984-85). Gorky's "pseudo-populism" is done away with in this production by the actors speaking "without distinctive accents and consequently without populist sentiment" .Designed by Paul Brown , the cast included Madlena Nedeva, Nick Ellsworth, Angelique Rockas and Marilyn Flynn
Personal life
Rockas is a Greek Orthodox Christian. She continues her activism on several internet websites where she counteracts attacks on Christianity, offers free online education material , defends womens', Palestinian and Greek rights
References
Other websites
Angelique Rockas on the British Film Institute website
Angelique Rockas on IMDB
Angelique Rockas: bold theatre pioneer | The South African
Angelique Rockas and Internationalist Theatre London Theatre Archive
Angelique Rockas on Pinterest
Vogue Mexico Interview with Angelique Rockas
The South African Interview with Angelique Rockas
The Complete Unpublished Extract Of Angelique Rockas' South African Journey Used As Basis For Interview With The South African"
Actors from London
British movie actors
British stage actors
Greek actors
Living people
South African actors