Golden Thread's Fairytale Players

If you would like to book a performance at a school or other events, please contact lanie@goldenthread.org.

The Girl Who Lost Her Smile--2008

Featuring Sarah Al-Kassab, Lily Balsen, Monica Cappuccini, Qayyuma DiDomenico, Carol Ellis, Vida Ghahremani, Lanie Wieland and Torange Yeghiazarian.

Directed by Carol Ellis 
Backdrop designed and painted by Termeh Yeghiazarian
Costumes by Sarah Al-Kassab
Props and construction by Sarah Al-Kassab, Carol Ellis, Garret Westfal and Lanie Wieland
Choreography by Lisa Tateosian
Technical Director: Kayumars Hakim

Inspired by a poem from Rumi’s Mathnavi, The Girl Who Lost Her Smile features Golden Thread’s Fairytale Players. Presentational concept & additional dialogue by Torange Yeghiazarian . Persian Poetry by Fedowsi from the Shahnameh or King’s Book of Kings. Originally developed and co-directed by Dariush Irannejad.

Artists:

SARAH AL-KASSAB is a long-time performer and costume designer.  She is of Jordanian/Scottish-German background, has traveled to Jordan and lived in Thailand.  Sarah loves dancing, and has studied many disciplines.  She also works as a costume designer, a party entertainer and an actor.

LILY BALSEN is originally from Chatham, NY and made San Francisco her home last year. Since arriving in the Bay Area, she has performed with Word for Word, FoolsFURY, Cutting Ball Theatre, The Collegiate Players, and El Gato del Diablo. In Washington, DC she performed with the Olney Theatre Center, the Potomac Theatre Project, Rorschach Theatre, and Theatre J. Lily is also a teaching artist with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and the Marsh Youth Theatre. She holds a B.A. in Drama and Classical Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont.

MONICA CAPPUCCINI is of Italian descent, and was born and raised in London, where she fell in love with theatre at an early age.  She spent 25 years running her own adventure-travel business, during which time she traveled the world over--from India to South America, West Africa to Yemen.  Now based in the Bay Area, Monica is re-claiming her passion--the stage!

QAYYUMA DIDOMENICO is a world traveler recently settled in the Bay Area.  She has studied many dance disciplines from around the world, and is also a stilt-walker, juggler and an acrobat.  Her diverse performance background also includes Commedia dell'arte and she learned to fire-dance on the Thailand.

CAROL ELLIS received her MFA in Theatre from Columbia University in 2004.  She has worked in California, Massachusetts, NYC, and around the world
in Poland, Bulgaria, Russia, and Chile. She has taught courses and workshops at San Diego State University, Stanford, and Columbia University.  In the Bay Area, she has performed with Golden Thread Theatre Productions, Three Wise Monkeys, SF Playwright's Center, and The Berkeley Play Cafe and has directed Children's Theatre for Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences and Golden Thread's Fairytale Players.  She enjoys creating puppets and masks, spinning fire poi, and is the founding artistic director for The Ochlos Theatre Workshop since 2004.

VIDA GHAHREMANI began acting in film as a teenager in Iran where she established the standards of stardom. Vida is an associate artist of Golden Thread where she performed in Abaga and Nine Armenians. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, Vida has performed in numerous Iranian and American films, most recently one by Wayne Wang.

LISA TATEOSIAN (Choreographer) has worked on past productions with Golden Thread as a choreographer (Love Missile, Learn to Be Latina) or as an actor (ReOrient 2004.) Lisa has been a performer and choreographer with many Bay Area companies, including CTA/ Crossroads, Actors Ensemble in Berkeley, Khadra International Dance Theatre, Ballet Afsaneh and Opera Piccola. She has used her diverse dance, music and theatre background as a Teaching Artist at several Bay Area schools and studios.  Lisa recently returned from New York, where she earned an MA in Educational Theatre at NYU. Like many theatre artists, Lisa enjoys wearing many hats, from performer to stage manager, and hopes to do so for the rest of her life!

LANIE WIELAND caught the performing bug at an early age...and quickly realized theatre was the perfect way to blend her love of performance and art.  An actor, singer, dancer and designer, Lanie also has a passion for creating and working with puppets and masks.  While living in Turkey, she studied Turkish shadow puppetry.  She has also worked with Bread and Puppet Theater.

SIMIN YAHAGHI was born in Iran and moved to Italy to study music and theatre.  She has performed with several theatre companies around Europe.  She has performed in theatre festivals in Bologna and Egypt (with Golden Thread Productions).  Simin works as a radio producer and a yoga instructor.  She loves to sing, dance, play the Daf and make animal and bird noises.

TORANGE YEGHIAZARIAN writes, directs and acts for the Theatre. Among her plays are Call Me Mehdi, Waves, Dawn at Midnight, Behind Glass Windows, Abaga. A native of Iran and of Armenian heritage, Torange is the founding artistic director of Golden Thread Productions.

KARIM ALRAWI (Author) was born and raised in Egypt , and lived in England from an early age. Some of his earliest plays were performed at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal Stratford East. He taught at the American University in Cairo , becoming active in the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights. Now living in North America, Alrawi has had productions at a number of theatres in Canada and the US including Deep Cut, produced by Golden Thread Productions.

If you would like to book a performance at a school or other events, please contact lanie@goldenthread.org.

For more information about becoming a part of the Fairytale Players ensemble, please contact Carol Ellis, the program coordinator at mikrol1989@gmail.com.

The Girl Who Lost Her Smile--2007

Featuring Suha Araj, Ava Bayani-Kazerouni, Nojan Bayani-Kazerouni, Jen Colasuonno, Carol Ellis, Vida Ghahremani, Sahar Hojat, Tehmina Khan, Sena Soleimannejad, Torange Yeghiazarian, and Chelsea K. Zephyr.

Backdrop designed and painted by Termeh Yeghiazarian
Props and construction by Garrett Westfal
Technical Director Kayumars Hekim

Inspired by a poem from Rumi’s Mathnavi, The Girl Who Lost Her Smile features Golden Thread’s Fairytale Players. Presentational concept & additional dialogue by Torange Yeghiazarian . Persian Poetry by Fedowsi from the Shahnameh or King’s Book of Kings. Originally developed and co-directed by Dariush Irannejad.

Artists:

SUHA ARAJ likes to get her hands dirty in art, film, acting and anything else that combines a little movement, thought and heart. She has preformed with Golden Thread and Darvag theatre groups in San Francisco . Her films and art installations focus on identity and displacement have shown both locally and internationally.

JEN COLASUONNO is a versatile performer, choreographer, collaborator and teacher. If anyone asks how she became a performer she says that it was through pure exploration and play! Jen has performed partner balancing acrobatics, physical comedy, acting, singing, dancing, aerial arts, puppeteering, fire arts and circus sideshow internationally - as a soloist and as part of a troupe: www.jencolasuonno.com

CAROL ELLIS holds an MFA from Columbia University . She has worked in Poland , Bulgaria, Russia , Chile , California , Massachusetts , and NYC. She created the role of Tia Choco in Tortilla Moon, a new play for children that debuted at the World Children's Theatre Festival in San Diego , CA and at the Centre de Cultura in Tijuana , Mexico . She founded The Ochlos Theatre Workshop in 2004.

VIDA GHAHREMANI began acting in film as a teenager in Iran where she established the standards of stardom. Vida is an associate artist of Golden Thread where she performed in Abaga and Nine Armenians. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, Vida has performed in numerous Iranian and American films, most recently one by Wayne Wang.

SAHAR HOJAT Born in Iran , Sahar lived in Paris where she studied Greek and French theatre. In the US , she has concentrated on dance and reciting Persian poetry. She is a principal performer with Ballet Afsaneh and studies Kathak with Padit Chitresh Das. She was in Golden Thread Productions’ Island of Animals , and is happy to be back in theatre.

TEHMINA KHAN is a poet and educator with a long time interest in storytelling and children's theater. As a parent, she has taught science, puppetry and storytelling to preschoolers. She speaks Urdu, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese and loves to learn new words. She lives with her family in San Francisco .

TORANGE YEGHIAZARIAN writes, directs and acts for the Theatre. Among her plays are Call Me Mehdi, Waves, Dawn at Midnight, Behind Glass Windows, Abaga. A native of Iran and of Armenian heritage, Torange is the founding artistic director of Golden Thread Productions.

CHELSEA K. ZEPHYR is a performer, director, teacher, and writer. Upon her arrival to the Bay Area in 1996, Chelsea founded Splash Circus, a local youth circus-theatre troupe based in Emeryville. Currently, Chelsea directs original productions, teaches theatre arts and juggling, and performs locally. She most enjoys Commedia dell’Arte, club passing, and her son, Julian. Not in that order.

Also Featuring AVA and NOJAN BAYANI-KAZEROUNI and SENA SOLEMANNEJAD, past participants of Golden Thread Productions’ Theatre Camp. Thank you to the Solemannejad, Bayani & Kazerouni families for their support.

KARIM ALRAWI (Author) was born and raised in Egypt , and lived in England from an early age. Some of his earliest plays were performed at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal Stratford East. He taught at the American University in Cairo , becoming active in the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights. Now living in North America, Alrawi has had productions at a number of theatres in Canada and the US including Deep Cut, produced by Golden Thread Productions.

If you would like to book a performance at a school or other events, please contact lanie@goldenthread.org.

For more information about becoming a part of the Fairytale Players ensemble, please contact Carol Ellis, the program coordinator at mikrol1989@gmail.com.