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Varia is the founder and director of Variations Theatre Co. as well as the Managing Director of Mustardseed Productions Inc. – a developmental theatre company for children and young people. She is an Actress, Drama Teacher and an Attorney-at-Law. Varia gained her Postgraduate Diploma in Acting from the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey. She holds a Diploma in Education and a Diploma in Performance Arts Teaching (Level 4) from Stagecoach Theatre Arts School in the UK.
Varia’s local performances include Simone's Place, Girl on Fire, Party Time, The House of Landship, The Black Jacobins, Vagina Monologues, Blithe Spirit, Macbeth and For Colored Girls… While abroad, she has performed in An Absolute Turkey, Way of the World and Twelfth Night. In film, she has featured in local productions such as The Kite Flyer, Holding On, The Final Truth and Hit for Six!
Varia does extensive voice-over work for radio and television commercials and has performed and been the Voice Director for a short television animation production for children called Playground Politics. She enjoys working with children and young people, using drama techniques to address social concerns. She is a member of the Barbados Association of Drama Educators and a 'Theatre-in-Education' practitioner.
As a development consultant, teacher, activist and artist, Varia's main objective has been to develop a non-traditional, participatory training programme that facilitates the development of important life skills including critical thinking, negotiation, conflict resolution, assertive behaviour and effective communication skills for young people through the use of drama and theatre techniques.
General acting range | 20-60 |
Height | 5’ 4’’ |
Weight | 135 lb |
Hair Colour | dk brown |
Eye Colour | dk brown |
Radio, television and internet voice recordings include work with some of the following agencies:
Voice over Heinemann Educational – publication called Let’s Work with English
Production | Character | Director |
---|---|---|
Tales of an Obeah Man | Shelly | Russell Watson |
Sounds of Resistance | Old Doll | Alison Sealy Smith |
Party Time | Vernette | Winston Farrell |
Girl On Fire | Rasheeda | Simon Alleyne |
Simone’s Place | Solace | Russell Watson |
The House of Landship | Mavis | Winston Farrell |
The Stand | Tayl Regus | Alison Sealy Smith |
Macbeth | Witch | Glen Walford |
For Colored Girls… | Lady in Purple | Esiaba Irobi |
Blithe Spirit | Mrs.Bradman | Glen Walford |
Vagina Monologues | various | Thom Cross |
Waiting | Nicole | Jimmy King |
The Confession | Elizabeth Sobers (lawyer) | Merle Niles |
Black Jacobins | servant | Harclyde Walcott |
Animal Farm | Mollie | Tina Millington |
Guildford School of Acting | ||
Twelfth Night | Viola | Peter Thomson |
Black Snow | Polixena | Toby Sedgewick |
Absolute Turkey | Lucienne | Tim Hardy |
Production | Character | Director |
---|---|---|
The Kite Flyer | Paula | Thom Cross/Sean Russel |
Holding On | Mya | Laura-Lyn Hutchinson |
Final Truth? | Shannah Antoine | Thom Cross |
Hit For Six! | Janel Wilson | Alison Saunders-Franklin |
Accents | Foreign Languages | Singing | Dance |
---|---|---|---|
Barbados (native) | Conversant in French | Mezzo Soprano | Contemporary jazz |
Caribbean - Various | Caribbean folk | ||
RP (UK) | Calypso/Dance Hall/Reggae | ||
Gen. American (mid-west) | |||
French |
Year | School |
---|---|
Nov 2015 | Rockschool Level 4 – Diploma in Performance Arts Teaching (Distinction) – Middlesex, UK |
Nov 2015 | Stagecoach Theatre Arts, Surrey, UK – Teacher Training in Performing Arts – ADPA Unit 1 (Associate Diploma in Performance Arts) (Distinction) |
2014-2015 | Barbados Community College – Diploma in Education (Theatre Arts) |
July 2008 | Guildhall School of Music & Drama – Summer School Programme in Acting in Shakespeare & Contemporary Theatre |
2001 - 2002 | Guildford School of Acting (GSA), England - PGDip (acting) |
1997 - 1999 | Council of Legal Education, Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad - Legal Education Certificate (LEC) |
1993 - 1997 | University of the West Indies, Barbados - LLB |
Excerpt from 'A Day in a Bajan Life'
Directed by Pelle Hybbinette
Produced by Penelope Hynam and Sea Weaver Productions Inc.
Girl on Fire
Simone's Place
House of Landship
The Stand
Holding On
Macbeth
Story Telling
Drumming
I am a Bajan. Born and grew up in the tiny island of Barbados. Land of many blessings. Small communities. Beach culture. Soca & Tuk music. Hot sun. Cricket. Sugar cane. Rum. Ackees. Fast talking. Slow walking.
My journey is not without its twists and turns. I love the arts completely – all of them. I wanted to be a fine artist when I was in secondary school. I love creating things from nothing. Love to cook. Love to draw. Love to sing. Love music. Love to dance. Love to learn. Love to laugh.
When I wasn’t sure what to do with my life I studied law and became a lawyer. The kind of lawyer with a passion for the arts. The kind of lawyer that hates suits but loves an argument. I discovered that what it was I loved about the law was its quest for justice. This is at my core. I am a feminist.
I have since hung up the suits and now I get to do what I absolutely love most. That which I have always done. I act. To inhabit the lives of many and transmit their stories for an audience – to share their truths and untruths, is my chosen art.
When I am not acting, I am doing another one of my loves – sharing my creative energies with the fabulous young people of Mustardseed Productions. They give me such joy and vigor. This is how I learn and hone my craft. They remind me to play honestly and I see through them how we are shaped and complicated by social constructs and constraints.
So that’s me in a nutshell…
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