ABOUT ME- TLDR
PHOEBE I ONLY HAVE TEN BUSINESS SECONDS TO READ THIS!
Ok, here:
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Phoebe Angeni is a highly ambitious, slightly wild, writer-director who is driven to make mythological, experimental, international, and socio-politically engaged theatre. She'll light up your damn rehearsal room, support collaborators to achieve their best work yet, and create some fantastic art you never dreamed could exist but now know you've needed to see for your whole life.
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University of St Andrews grad, Edinburgh Fringe regular, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Stella Adler Studio intensive alum.
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If you have time to check out one other page I would recommend IN DEVELOPMENT for my latest work or FESTIVALS for my past favourites.
For further info/qualifications please check out my CV!
ABOUT ME - DIRECTOR'S CUT
This brings us to Calypso, my first solo show: an eco-feminist site-specific piece that took place at a beach on the North Sea next to an 800ish year-old castle. No biggie. Calypso ended with me almost getting both hypothermia and arrested for alleged ‘debauchery.’ What a rush! Lucky for me, I had a permit, a bonfire, and Police Scotland stayed on the beach to watch the whole show (and enjoyed it, thank you very much!)
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I was hooked – a theatrical auteur.
ITHACA was my next solo-show-baby, and boy what a freaking monster. ITHACA was an autobiographical feminist rendition of Homer’s Odyssey, which I created pretty much entirely on my own at home during the height of the Covid pandemic. Despite its humble origins, ITHACA earned five-star reviews at my third Edinburgh Fringe (aka home away from home), praise from queen Lyn Gardner herself, and featured two weeks running in Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman.
I still have that newspaper on my wall.
People called me a goddess. It went to my head.​
almost there!
Once upon a freakin’ time there was a girl called Phoebe Angeni who was born in San Francisco, California. She was raised by an amazing mom through hella childhood trauma involving a hate club, over 17 doctors, a name change, and a lifetime restraining order. That girl is ME - what a start to the story!
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Of course, with this level of drama growing up, I wanted to be a performer. However, with a physical build that was due to become a plus-size woman pushing six feet tall, I was always typecast as older ladies and male leads. This got pretty old pretty fast because I like to do epic-operatic-heroine-shit on stage (even though I do look great with a moustache. Trust me.)
The best choice I’ve ever made in life was to piss off to Scotland for university. I ended up getting a kick-ass degree in English Literature at the University of St Andrews! I was also lucky enough to spend summers at intensives in London at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and in New York City at The Stella Adler Studio. I finally got to perform work that I found truly exciting. My favourite performance at St Andrews (and first Edinburgh Fringe run) was a gender-flipped version of Dionysus from Euripides’ BACCHAE. What’s not to love about leading a bunch of women to rip apart a man onstage! However, alongside the ongoing performance bug, I found that I needed more autonomy. I wanted to express my own voice – and I have a damn degree in writing after all!
keep reading!
After university, I worked for a while in the San Francisco theatre scene, pursued my passion for directing, and published a book of 99 feminist witchy poems. However, I eventually pissed off again to another country: Australia. I ended up working at the Sydney Opera House, because of course where else would I work? PLOT TWIST THOUGH. I got into an accident, flew back to San Francisco, and had to have an operation on my spine at age 30. Slay. This made me re-evaluate A LOT OF THINGS. Like how do I approach theatre as a chronically ill but highly ambitious lady who wants to do sexy world tours? And what the hell do I REALLY want to create? Here is my answer so far:
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I want to make art that I think is COOL - no more cotton candy shit that has no socio-political relevance and doesn’t make people think. I want to create spaces where people feel included, supported, and free to be themselves. I want to make WEIRD art. I want to make EXPERIMENTAL and INTERNATIONAL art. I want to make art that makes people say ‘wow that is boundary-pushing and edgy and slick-as-fuck with tight transitions, modern-yet-baroque level aesthetics, heavy mythological and poetic influences, deep psychological themes, and also why is someone always nude in her work?’ There’s always a good reason. I promise.
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I am excited for this new chapter for me. And I am excited for YOU, should you choose to come along for the ride. Take a peek at my current project: INCARNATE. It's going to be my best piece yet.
thank you for reading :)