Lumenis Theatre Company
About Us
Lumenis Theatre Company, founded in 2006 in London, UK by international practitioners has produced many shows in London, China and Singapore: new and existing text-based plays as well as non-text based work by emerging artists with a particular focus on multiculturalism and cultural integration. They produce theatre that is provocative and controversial, which calls for a fearless company willing to take creative risks. After serval years in Singapore and Asia Lumenis is now based in Colchester and intends to work with East-Anglia based theatres as well as seeking strong bonds with theatres in all regions of the UK
Our Team
Mary Mazzilli
Creative Director and Founder
She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Drama and Literature at University of Essex and her book Gao Xingjian's Post-exile plays out now with Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
Having graduated from the Royal Court (taught by Simon Stephens) and Soho Theatre, Mary has written several plays that have been staged in both UK and China. Her work has received good recognition in both countries.
Her most recent play, Priority Seating, a semi-verbatim play about migrants’ life in UK received Arts Council Funding and had a staged reading at the Mercury Theatre. Most of her writing touches upon multi-cultural and societal issues, such as dementia, social integration, and the difficulties met by marginalized groups such as the elderly and migrant communities. She enjoys experimenting with styles and language. Bright Azzurro Sea is her first ‘digital’ play.
Credits: Magical Chairs at Southwark Playhouse and at People’s Theatre as part of the Beijing International Fringe Festival (2011); Old Bags at the New Wimbledon Studio; Attempts on a Missing Chair (Old Red Lion, Camden People’s theatre) Wrong Sleep (Cock Tavern Theatre; Etcettera Theatre), Cavemen (Blue Elephant Theatre)
She shares her writing career with an academic interest in literature, she holds a PhD in Chinese Theatre and Comparative Literature at SOAS, London on Gao Xingjian and Martin Crimp‟s plays and has lectured in Chinese Theatre and Films at SOAS.
David Ahlbrecht
Producer and Founder
David is one of Lumenis founding members. David lived in Australia, Germany, Sweden and Italy and travelled across the continents. After studying Economics and Law, David has been a Legal adviser and Manager for several organisations in Germany.
He started to grow a passion for theatre visiting both big productions and several fringe venues all around Germany, which was sealed after seeing an epic performance of Goethe’s Faust (from Peter Stein) with Bruno Glans with Klaus Maria Brandauer as Mefisto.
David has produced all Lumenis shows. He was recipient of CTC British Council grant- 2011 and 2013 and was UK representative for AC Orange, one of the largest Chinese arts promoters. www.juooo.com.
David retrained as a psychotherapist and now works as a BACP registered psychotherapist and coordinates the adult bereavement service at a hospice in East Anglia.
Simon McCabe
Technical Director and Sound Designer
Simon's involvement in sound and music began in his native Dublin where he worked as a radio DJ. In recent years he has become an avid consumer of theatre in particular the work of German directors Thomas Ostermeir and Falk Richter.
Recent credits include Secret Boulevard at The Courtyard Theatre (Sound Design), Steve Reich's Three Tales at Riverside Studios (Technical Director), Apartment 2012 at The White Bear (Sound Design), The Wonderful World of Dissocia at City Lit (Sound Design).
For Lumenis he worked as Sound Designer on Old Bags at the New Wimbledon Studio in October 2010 and as a Stage Mananger and Light Designer on Casa/Magical Chairs at the Blue Elephant Theatre in May 2011.
He has recently successfully completed 1 year Post Graduate courses in Music Technology at Goldsmiths University and Technical Theatre at The City Literary Institute.