Take A Bite

Alan Burgon is currently going into his third year at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), Glasgow. His previous work within the Academy include: Yasha (The Cherry Orchard) and Polixones (The Winters Tale). Up coming performances include: 'Hidden', in collaboration with the RSAMD and Vanishing Point, October 2007; Ugly Sister (Dame) in the RSAMD Pantomime, December 2007. Alan will be playing the role of Dion.

Paula Burnett trained at Queen Margaret University and graduated in 2007. Previous roles she has played are Lady Macbeth, Mrs Organ Morgan in 'Under Milkwood',Katherine and Anthony Dull in Shakespeares 'Loves Labours Lost', Death in 'Blood Wedding' and Travelin in 'Slave Island'. In this production Paula will be playing the role of Vera.

Anna Rylance Murdoch began her training initially with the Scottish Youth Theatre, before moving to London and working as a singer in jazz bars, and as a stage manager. Having caught the performing bug working on both sides of the stage Anna was accepted onto the Foundation course at E15 Acting School. A desire to train in Scotland led to her heading back north of the border to Queen Margaret, the only accredited Acting School in Edinburgh. Now officially at the end of her training during which she played many roles, including Diana in ‘Alls Well That Ends Well’, Leonardo’s Wife in ‘Blood Wedding’ by Lorca, Anne-marie Roche in ‘La Musica’ by Duras and the Landlady in ‘The Hired Man’ by Melvyn Bragg, this is Anna’s Fringe debut. She is delighted to be playing Vera in Take A Bite.

Stuart Nicoll was raised in St.Andrews, Scotland and trained at Fife College Kirkcaldy Pathead Arts before graduating from LIPA in 2005.
Whilst training in Scotland Stuart was involved in a wide range of physical theatre workshops and productions. In which he played Everyman in Everyman, Jeffrey in Godspell, The Captain in Dick Whittington and Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Whilst training at LIPA Stuart has enjoyed roles in the following: Richard III in the War of the Roses (adaptation), Danforth in The Crucible, Basanio in The Merchant of Venice, Seymour in The Little Shop of Horrors.
Other credits include: McTaggart in Red Night (The finborough), Dr Morrison in Mental Underground (Mary Seacole), widows (Unity Theatre), Radio credits include Rob in Cigarettes and Chocolate and Danny in Digging for Fire (Senheiser Studio) and Atholl Duncan in All my love (BBC Radio).
Stuart is delighted to be playing the part of Dion in this production.

Lorna Dalgarno, Director Supremo, about to be turned loose upon the world by Queen Margaret with a BA Hons in Drama and Theatre Arts. She previously specialized in Contemporary Performance in Action, but now directs contemporary pieces and works at devising. She has on past productions been choreographer, designer, and technician, in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Her creations given life include Lysistrata (QM), "this is how we say goodbye" (Highway Diner, Roxy Art House), Labyrinth (Corstorphine Hill), 2005 Edinburgh Fringe hit Intotalitaria. Her graduation project will be about how theatre can take back the horror genre - fear her!

Christine Meerman, publicity and beauty goddess, frolicked all over world, from Malaysia, to Damascus, to Cyprus before briefly coming to rest in St Andrews. Here she established the alternative music society Deviant Noise, with an immensely successful residency (over 250 regular paying members) in the Students' Association. Deviant Noise still thrives today! In addition she provides Vera's makeup out of her own online shop, Beauty Boxed, selling cosmetics, jewellery and electrical health and beauty products (get beautiful here). Be it promotions, music, theatre, or photography, there is very little this butterfly hasn't touched and made bloom.

Playwright Heather Morrow, a Canadian expat, found herself in Edinburgh during the Fringe three years ago and, to no one's surprise, fit right in. Her extensive back catalogue consists of plays performed and workshopped at the second-largest Fringe in the world - Edmonton Alberta's! - Workshop West and Theatre Network, all in Canada. She's done some acting and has been told she's good - is that a compliment if you only play wives who are greedy, bawdy or insane? She's also privileged to count among her mentors two Governor General Award-winners, Richard Sanger and Vern Thiessen.

Norbert Serban, our set designer, is an obviously brilliant artist from Hungary. He’s also part of the Adult Theatre program at the Gateway. Norbert graduated from Medgyessyference High School and Technical School of Visual Arts and the College of Nyiregyhaza in Hungary, specializing in painting.

Assistant Director and Stage Manager Alexis Thompson has just graduated from Queen Margaret University, with a BA Hons in Drama Theatre Arts on the directing specialism. She directed Euripides' The Bacchae, part of Metamorphosis at Edinburgh's Botanical Gardens (2006), and Theatre In The Dark, a devising project, and Idea's Lab at QMUC. She was assistant director on QMUC's Actors Showcase and Three Sisters by Brian Friel (both 2006) and Licketyspit theatre company's Molly Whuppie . Her placements include: Communicado's Memorandum directed by Gerda Stevenson (2005); BBC Radio 4 recording of The Strange Desire of Ms. Small directed by Lu kemp (2007); runner and shadow director on Scottish Hydro Electric commercial Curtains- Oops Crumbs (Gate Films Edinburgh, director Dave Mills, 2007).