Andy McQuade | Artistic Director & Co-Founder | 2012 Best Director (Theatre) – Fringe Report Andy McQuade (BGTD, Young Vic Genesis) is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Second Skin Theatre, with over 30 professional directing credits. Previous work includes the acclaimed and controversial production of Salome by Oscar Wilde (‘Wilde would surely have approved!’ HAM & HIGH), Knuckleball by William Whitehurst (‘Fringe theatre at its finest‘ THE MORNING STAR), Poe: Macabre Resurrections (‘There is no show like this anywhere’ BROADWAY WORLD), which received unanimous critical acclaim and united six of London’s leading fringe directors in one of the oldest churches in the UK; the UK Premiere of Mario Vargas Llosa’s ‘La Chunga’ for which he was awarded ‘Best UK Theatre Director following the production’s sell-out West End transfer in 2012; and the London premiere of Doug Wright’s Quills (‘Quills is a knockout’ FIVE STARS, REMOTE GOAT). He has starred in, directed and produced shows in South Africa, Serbia, Edinburgh, London, New York and California. In February 2018, he directs ‘Little Swan’,a short play about Anna Pavolva, as part of the Inks Festival in Los Angeles which celebrates female playwrights.
William Whitehurst | Company co-Founder & Writer In Residence William is the author of numerous dramatic works which have been produced in major markets in the UK and the US, including Edinburgh, London, New York and Los Angeles. Awards include the Hollywood Fringe Encore Award 2016 (Cockroach Dialogues); Best Play and Best Overall Production, San Francisco International Fringe Festival 2008 (Knuckleball); finalist, Alliance Theater of Atlanta’s Kendeda Playwriting Competition 2005 (He Who Outruns Rainstorms); Best Play, Eclectic Theater’s Hurricane Season of One Acts, Los Angeles, 2004 (Menage a Trois); and first place, Theater League of South Florida Annual New Plays Prize 2002 (Mosshead). William holds an MFA in Creative Writing/Drama from Florida International University and an MFA in Theatre and Dramatic Writing from the University of Southern California. He is a co-founder (with Andy McQuade) of the Second Skin Theatre Company. He currently teaches drama, history and English at the French International School of Hong Kong.
Nika Khitrova | Company Co-Founder and Director of Social Media Marketing (UK & US) Nika was born in Moscow, Russia, just before the fall of the Soviet Union – having emigrated to London as a young child she had the unique first hand perceptive of two very opposite cultures. Her theatre training in London has led to over twenty productions and many leading roles, taking her to the Edinburgh Theatre Festival as well as South Africa and Belgrade. She was the recipient of ‘Best Actress’ at The London Solo Fest, a celebration of solo performance pieces.
She additionally majored in Design for her BA Hons at the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s University of the Arts London and has gone on to work both on and off stage, producing designs for many of Second Skin Theatre’s acclaimed productions.
Since relocating to Los Angeles, Nika has been performing in TV and Film, with credits include series regular Showtime series Submission, My Crazy Ex, The Evil Things as well as award winning independent films such as Headshots, Goldman, The Case of The Missing Case and The Abolisher. When she is not acting she runs devising classes for actors as well as Social Media strategies for actors and film and theatre producers.
Asia Lynn Pitts – Producer (US)
Asia Lynn Pitts, a Las Vegas native, majored in both Theatre and Music at the College of Southern Nevada. In May of 2016 she completed the two-year Professional Workshop at the prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC. Upon graduating she completed her first Solo-actress play Mouthy Bitch by Dennis Bush at the 2016 Hollywood and Las Vegas Fringe Festivals. Shortly following she stepped in as the lead actress, Tea, in Cockroach Dialogues by William Whitehurst for its Encore production at the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival. She performed her second Solo-actress play, The Horla written by Andy McQuade in the 2016 NoHo Fringe Festival which was nominated for several awards. She has performed in several college productions, including lead roles as Crystal Allen in The Women by Clare Boothe Luce, as Molly in Below the Belt written by Dennis Bush, and as Muffet Di Nicola in Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein. Asia took on the lead role as Starr in the World premiere of Thanksgiving which won several awards at the 2017 Hollywood Fringe Festival including the Beyond Bechtel-Wallace Award and Unleashed Award. Asia appreciates the power of the theatre to expose audiences to different human experiences and she looks forward to being able to do a variety of challenging, enlightening, and inspiring work as she moves forward with her career. She hopes to one day own and operate her very own Theatre/Theatre company. This will mark her very first role as a Producer. She is thankful to her Mother for passing down her strength, passion, and ability to endure.
Ana Ines Jabares | UK Designer Ana Ines is a recent graduate from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Over the last year she has worked in opera, ballet, and theatre, both experimental and site-specific. Ana Ines also studied at the Facultad de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, specializing in painting and in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo where she had her first experience with scenography. She was the designer for Second Skin Theatre’s production of The Christmas Dinner and for Sappho …in 9 fragments.
Vasiliki Syrma | UK/ Athens Costume Designer Vasiliki completed postgraduate studies in textiles at Goldsmiths University of London and costume design at the London College of Fashion. Her professional experiences include RNT of London, National Theatre of Greece, Second Skin Theatre (London) and several fringe productions in London and Athens (latest work: Dead Pile by Laura Jacqmin, Old Vic Theatre New Voices, director: Alex Crampton and Two Gentlemen from Verona by W. Shakespeare, Knot Gallery, Athens).
Anna Sbokou | UK/ Athens Designer Anna studied at the Bartlett UCL (MSc Light & Lighting) and at Goldsmiths (Theatre Production-PACE). Previous credits include numerous theatre productions, dance festivals and site-specific productions in London and abroad. In 2009 she was awarded Young Lighter of the Year by the Society of Light and Lighting. Anna became resident Lighting Designer for Second Skin Theatre in 2010.
Sarah Crocker | UK/US Designer Following an MA in Postcolonial Theory at Goldsmiths, Sarah has worked as a lighting designer and technician at multiple venues including The Brockley Jack, The Dreyton Arms, and The Space. She was the lighting designer for Second Skin Theatre’s Quills, The Christmas Dinner, and Sappho …in 9 fragments.
Luca Romagnoli | Resident Sound Designer (UK) Luca is a Sound Engineer with an extensive live music background, both in-house and touring. He has collaborated with Second Skin Theatre on La Chunga, Poe: Macabre Resurrections, Quills, The Christmas Dinner, and Sappho …in 9 fragments.
RESIDENT ACTORS
Stephen Connery-Brown Since completing an Acting post-graduate degree in 2006 at East 15, Stephen has acted in many short films and corporates, and also toured in several stage productions throughout Britain and Europe. He was most recently seen as the Fallen Preacher in Second Skin Theatre’s Poe: Macabre Resurrections and as Josefino in the West End transfer of La Chunga, by Mario Vargas Llosa. He played the role of Doctor Royer-Collard in Second Skin Theatre’s production of Quills by Doug Wright.
Victoria Grove Victoria trained with Actors’ Company, London, National Youth Theatre and ACT, Brighton. Theatre credits include: the title roles in La Chunga and in Sappho …in 9 fragments (Second Skin Theatre), Helena/Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Orange Tree Theatre; Future Me (RADA), The Inconsiderate Aberrations of Billy The Kid (Bedlam, Edinburgh), Medea 4.0 (Cock Tavern Theatre), A Patriot For Me (New Players Theatre), Cinderella (Civic Theatre), The Women (King’s Head Theatre), and Shakespeare Marathon: The Histories (The Scoop). Television/ film credits include Lynda La Plante’s Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia and the feature The Decoy Bride.
Bryan Kaplan Bryan graduated from the prestigious British American Drama Academy and now performs in leading roles on a wide variety of theatre, television and film projects. He received rave reviews and critical acclaim for his role as Ross in the Second Skin Theatre production of Knuckleball by William Whitehurst at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recent theatre credits include: Eightythree Down (“Best Play” Now Magazine) by Stephen J. Brantley (Under St Marks, New York), and Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell (New York Theatre Workshop). In 2012, he was nominated for the Robert Pastorelli “Rising Star” Award for his role in Fray, and won “Outstanding Lead Actor (Best Actor)” at the Brooklyn Film Festival. He is currently working on a one-man show of Hamlet, being directed by Julia Stubbs Hughes, in London 2012/2013. Kaplan has done several staged readings at The New Group (NY), The Rattlestick Playwrights theatre (NY) and the Lee Strasberg Theatre (Los Angeles).
Nika Khitrova Nika studied Drama and Physical Theatre at the Anglo Russian School of Drama. She has appeared in numerous productions around the world including in South Africa and at five Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. Theatre credits include roles in Gene Brewer’s K-Pax (World Premiere, London, 2006), Nabokov’s Lolita, Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, Ghelderode’s School for Buffoons, Pushkin’s Little Tragedies, Whitehurst’s Rasputin, Wilde’s Salome, Sartre’s No Exit, Mario Vargas Llosa’s La Chunga. Nika recently won the Best Actress award at the London Solo Festival for her role in LaBute’s one woman show, Medea Redux. She played the role of Madeleine in Second Skin Theatre’s production of Quills by Doug Wright.
Laura Pradelska With Second Skin Theatre, Laura starred in William Whitehurst’s Knuckleball. She was awarded 2010 “Best Actor” by Fringe Report, and was nominated for “Best Female Performance” for the 2010 Off West End Awards. In 2011, Laura played ‘Quaithe’ in Season 2 of Game of Thrones.
Corin Rhys Jones Corin trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He has performed in a wide range of theatre, from known classics like Waiting For Godot and The Seagull to more obscure works by Ghelderode and Radzinsky. His one-man-show, Valentine’s Day, was met with international acclaim. With Second Skin Theatre he has played Iokanaan in Salome, William Shakspur in Shakespeare Incorporated, and Lituma in La Chunga.
