ROMAN POLANSKI Born in Paris in 1933, Roman Polanski war raised and educated in Poland where he attended Art School in Krakow and the famed State Film College in Lodz. Having made his stage acting debut at the age of fourteen, he continued to perform on the popular radio show "The Merry Gang". In his late teens, he appeared in Andrzej Wajda's film, GENERATION and in several other Wajda films before leaving Poland. In 1958, Polanski directed the short film TWO MEN AND A WARDROBE, and made three other short films: WHEN ANGELS FALL (1958), THE FAT AND THE LEAN (1958) and MAMMALS (1962). Polanski's feature film debut was KNIFE IN THE WATER (1962). Winner of the Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival, KNIFE IN THE WATER was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film and was featured on the cover of TIME-magazine. He made his English-language debut with REPULSION (1964), starring Catherine Deneuve, and then made CUL-DE-SAC (1965), which won Polanski the Best Picture prize at the Berlin Film Festival. His next film THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS or PARDON ME BUT YOUR TEETH ARE IN MY NECK (THE DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES), also presented Polanski in a starring role. Polanski marked his American directorial debut with ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay Adaption. In 1972, Polanski returned to Europe to direct his adaption (co-written with Kenneth Tynan) of Shakespeare's MACBETH, and in 1973, he directed Marcello Mastroianni in the absurdist comedy WHAT?
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1994 marked Polanski's return to Hollywood with CHINATOWN, Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay, and nominated for eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Though proven a master of such quintessentially American genres as the detective yarn and the supernatural thriller, Polanski returned to Europe for the 1976 film THE TENANT. Once again, he played the starring role (having previously played supporting roles in WHAT? and CHINATOWN), and co-wrote the script. Working exclusively in Europe since 1977, Polanski next filmed TESS (1979), which won Academy Awards for Cinematography, Art Direction and Costume Design. In 1986, he filmed the adventure spoof PIRATES which was Oscar-nominated for Best Costume Design. Polanski's next film, the 1988 thriller FRANTIC, with Harrison Ford, marked the first starring role of Emmanuelle Seigner, who also starred in his most recent film BITTER MOON. Seigner and Polanski was married in 1989. In his following film, the DEATH AND THE MAIDEN Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley were starring. In 1999 he was awarded with “Pris René Clair” (life award) by the French Film Academy. THE PIANIST made in 2002 was awarded BAFTA-prise (2003) - best film, BAFTA-prise (2003) - best director, Academy Award (2003) - best director, and was nominated for Academy Award (2003) - best film, Caesar-prise (2002) - best director, Caesar-prise (2003) - best director. In 2002 on the Cannes Film Festival he was awarded Golden Palm. In 2006 the European Film Academy honoured him with life award, which will be handed over at the gala of the European Film Prise on 2nd December 2006.
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SIMON EDIT , producer, theatrical manager and lawyer. She got a degree at the Faculty of Law of ELTE. She is one of the founding members of the Rock Theatre where she worked as a manager for 16 years. She is the producer of numerous musicals (Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Les Miserables, Hair, Chess, Rent, Fame, West Side Story, Anna Karenina) and Dorian Gray, which started the Rock Theatre's series of performances in West End. It was due to her work that the Rock Theatre had the oppportunity to perform their productions in many European countries. She is the producer of many (CD-) recordings. She founded the PS Management, the first musical management in Hungary. It plays an important part in the life of many talented singers, dancers and creative artists and composers, because PS Management assists them to get introduced to and appreciated by internationally.
The Management has been working on the premiere of the Vampires' Ball since 2004, which is, at the same time, the PS Production's first great private venture. The Management has commissioned the most outstanding artists of international fame so that a high standard artistic musical be born with the contribution of Hungarian performing artists.
GABOR RIVO Austrian conductor, composer and pianist, is of Hungarian origin. He is the head of the Musical Department of the Vienna Conservatoire. He has conducted numerous musicals in several European countries, among them: Pollicino, Mozart and Salieri, Alcina, Ludwig, The King and I, Nunnsens, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Anatewka and also some operettas. Gabor Rivo is the musical director of the Vampires' Ball, which is, at the same time, his first Hungarian commitment.
KENTAUR Graduated from the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Faculty of Painting, in 1988. After nine years of studying classical music, he was one of the founders of the new wave band called Satöbbi back in 1982 with which he released several singles and an album. In 1988 he released solo album called Új világ, under his Kentaur alias. The song Tűz on this album was a top hit for several weeks in Hungary. In 1996 he released his second album, Valaki az eltűnt városból. As for his music videos, he does the screenplay and directing, also works as the camera-man and contributes in the cutting as well. Since 1982 he has been designing record sleeves, concert posters and then after 1985 book covers and theatre posters as well. Since 1991 he has worked for several Hungarian and foreign (in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, USA, Australia, Philippines) theatres as set designer. Since 1996 he has been the visual designer of Friderikusz Productions. In 1994 he was awarded the best set design by the jury of Hungarian Theatre Critics Awards and also was nominated by the jury of Slovakian Threatre Critics Awards in 1996. Both in 2000 and 2003 he won the Dömötör Award for the best set design and in 2003 he was nominated for the Gundel Award that he finally won in 2004. In 2004 he published his autobiographical book to tell about his professional, artistic and musical life. In 2004 he established his new band and released the album Urban Stigma in November 2005.
MIKLÓS TIBOR had 104 premieres in Hungary and abroad over the past 30 years. He is the Hungarian lyricist of 18 Broadway and West End musicals, among which are such highly successful pieces as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, West Side Story, Hair, Les Miserables, Jentl, Miss Saigon, Rent and Fame. He has served the cause of the musical theatre in many ways - he has made 28 own adaptations and musical theatre pieces, had a twenty year-long experience as a theatre manager, directed a great number of plays, written the lyrics to the songs on 70 recordings as well as spotted talent. His book "Musical" was published in the autumn of 2002. It is on the history of musicals and was appreciated by experts, critics and the audience alike. Other books of his are: Keresem a szót, Keresem a hangot /I am looking for the word, I am looking for the sound/ (reports), Rock nélkül képtelenség/ It is Impossible without Rock/ (studies), Szívek melegében/ In the Warmth of Hearts (selected lyrics), Légy jó mindhalálig/Be good Man till Death (lyrics to the musical).
He was awarded prizes for his artistic achievement: Youth Prize, Jenő Huszka and Viktor Hugo Prizes. In 2004 he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Republic.
PÓKA BALÁZS got a degree at the Semmelweis Medical University and he took his special exam in radiology already as an opera singer. He has sung the most beautiful bariton parts at the Hungarian State Opera, performed in numerous opera houses of the world, among them the Scala in Milan, Venice, Bergamo and Palermo, sung in Madrid, Lisbon, Dublin, Wexford, Rome, at the Festival in Bregenz, Bergen( Norway), Zagreb, Prague, Sofia, Hamburg, Hannoverben, Bordeaux, Lyon, Liege, Nizza and other European towns. He sang the role of Pilates in the first oratorio-performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, George in the musical Aspects of Love, Molokov in Chess and and Old Csendbelenn in Cats.
CHRISS ELLIS
Chris has worked extensively in the West End, for the Royal Shakespeare, Royal National Theatre, Deutscher Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Welsh Theatre and Singapore Repertory companies and created opera designs for the National Musikteater Amsterdam, Den Norske Oper, the Royal Opera House, the English National, Welsh National, Scottish and Opera North companies.
Recent UK designs include: PRAVDA, 5/11, THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING for Chichester Festival Theatre ; SINGING IN THE RAIN (Sadlers Wells); ON YOUR TOES (Japan & Royal Festival Hall); UTE LEMPER IN CONCERT(Savoy); ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY (Old Vic); RENT (Prince of Wales); TABOO (The Venue), THE MYSTERIES OF SEX (Royal National); ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE, PIRATES OF PENZANCE (Queens); LA CAVA (Piccadilly); BRIEF ENCOUNTER(Lyric); H.M.S. PINAFORE (Savoy); SOUL TRAIN (Victoria Palace); BOYBAND (Gielgud); LOVE UPON THE THRONE (Comedy); THE MIKADO (Royal Festival Hall); FOLLOW MY LEADER (Hampstead); FOOTLOOSE (National Tour); UNDER MILK WOOD (National Tour); GINGERBREAD LADY (National Tour); MERCHANT OF VENICE, BLUNT SPEAKING (Chichester).
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CHRISS ELLIS
Also in the West End: TELSTAR (New Ambassadors), MACK AND MABEL (Piccadilly); PYGMALION (Shaftesbury); HENRY IV Parts 1&2, HENRY V, MASTERCLASS, HAIR (Old Vic); ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (Prince of Wales); IRMA VEP (Duke of Yorks), ME AND MY GIRL (Adelphi - also Broadway, Los Angeles, Australia), WEST SIDE STORY (Her Majesties) , BRIGADOON, HIGH SOCIETY (Victoria Palace), OLIVER (Albery), SIGNS OF THE TIMES (Vaudeville); LLOYD GEORGE KNEW MY FATHER (Savoy). At the Royal National Theatre : NATIONAL THEATRE OF BRENT, ST. JOAN, LORENZACCIO, THE ANCIENT MARINER, UNCLE VANYA, HIAWATHA, THE HYPOCHONDRIAC, SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, THE MAYOR OF ZALAMEA, ROMANS IN BRITAIN. For the Royal Shakespeare Company : THE VENETIAN TWINS, ROMEO AND JULIET, HAMLET, LOVE'S LABOURS LOST, MAYDAYS, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, A WINTER'S TALE, THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, BREAKING THE SILENCE, FAUST Parts I & II.
Chris has just designed "MY FAIR LADY" in Denmark, the new musical "THE FORBIDDEN CITY" at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre and SWEET CHARITY and PINOCCHIO for the new Teatro Della Luna in Milan.
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CHRISS ELLIS
Opera designs include: THE CHINESE CONJUROR (Almeida Opera); THE NIGHTINGALE'S TO BLAME (Opera North); ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (Den Norske Opera, Scottish), LA TRAVIATA, THE MAGIC FLUTE, THE JACOBIN, PETER GRIMES (Scottish); WOZZECK (Netherlands); A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Netherlands, Tel Aviv); JULIUS CAESAR (Scottish, Ludwigshaven, Montpellier); DONNERSTAG AUS LICHT (ROH), THE GAMBLER, LA TRAVIATA, CHRISTMAS EVE (ENO); HANSEL AND GRETEL (ENO, Netherlands, La Fenice, BBC); FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD (Welsh, Scottish, Vancouver).
Current theatre projects include DANCE of the VAMPIRES (Budapest); MAN of LA MANCHA (Edinburgh Lyceum); FILOSA (Jeanetta Cochrane,London)
Chris also runs an architectural lighting practice specialising in historic churches and period houses and won Live Magazine's Silver Award for Lighting Designer of the Year 2000 for his work on SOUL TRAIN and BOYBAND.
