The Dentist's Chair - Bios

Jacob is an Arts Foundation Laureate and is a founding partner of Indian Ink. He collaborated to create Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair and The Guru of Chai and has performed them throughout New Zealand and internationally.

Jacob has won "Best Actor" in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for 'The Guru of Chai'. He has also received an accolade for acting excellence and was nominated for the Stage Award for Best Actor at the Edinburgh Fringe. Jacob has featured on New Zealand TV series (Outrageous Fortune  and Shortland Street).

Jacob's family originates in Kerala, Southern India. He was born in Malaysia and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four. Jacob has a degree in microbiology, a teacher’s diploma and is a graduate of Toi Whakaari – The New Zealand Drama School.

Justin is a founding partner of Indian Ink and collaborated with Jacob Rajan to create the company’s works: Krishnan's Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist's Chair and Guru of Chai.  Indian Ink's productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and Three production of the Year Awards in New Zealand. Justin has produced numerous national and international tours.  He is Deputy Chair of Q Theatre and has been heavily involved in its development from the beginning. In 2008 he received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre. Justin is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School and University of Auckland.

Jacob is an Arts Foundation Laureate and is a founding partner of Indian Ink. He collaborated to create Krishnan’s Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist’s Chair and The Guru of Chai and has performed them throughout New Zealand and internationally.

Jacob has won "Best Actor" in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for 'The Guru of Chai'. He has also received an accolade for acting excellence and was nominated for the Stage Award for Best Actor at the Edinburgh Fringe. Jacob has featured on New Zealand TV series (Outrageous Fortune  and Shortland Street).

Jacob's family originates in Kerala, Southern India. He was born in Malaysia and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four. Jacob has a degree in microbiology, a teacher’s diploma and is a graduate of Toi Whakaari – The New Zealand Drama School.

Carl is an Auckland based actor. He trained at Chelsea School of Art in London and at the Central School of Speech and Drama and has extensive experience on both stage and screen.  His film credits include I’ll Make You Happy (dir Athena Tsoulis) for which he was nominated for Best Actor at the 1999 Nokia NZ Film Awards, Whole of the Moon (dir Ian Mune), No Way Out, Queen City Rocker, Rushes and the TV drama series Rude Awakenings. Other credits include Mataku, P.E.T Detectives, Street Legal, Xena Warrior Princess, City Life, and Hercules. Recent stage appearances include Head (2005 Chapman Tripp winner for most original production),  King Lear (Downstage), Hamlet (Watershed), Romeo and Juliet, Savage Hearts, Ladies Night, Yo Banfa, The Bed Show, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The House of Doors, Camels, and Laundry Warrior.

Carl has worked with Indian Ink on The Dentist's Chair and The Pickle King (George Reaper in the 2002 NZ tour).

Over the past 25 years, Peta has specialized in cross-disciplinary theatre. She joined INdian Ink for The Dentist's Chair. She began working in dance and physical thetare with the Sydney based company Darc Swan. In New Zealand she has worked as an actor in Shona McCullagh’s works - Fare Up a Floral Explosion; The Human Garden and Douglas Wright’s – Forbidden Memories and Inland (International Festival 2002). Peta co-directs Nightsong Productions, whose most recent show Head was part of the 2007 Auckland Festival and won the 2005 Chapman Tripp award (most original production). Peta’s screen credits include - This is not a Love Story (dir Keith Hill), The Footstep Man (dir Leon Narby). Her TV credits were extensive. 

Sadly, Peta died on 21 July 2010 following treatment for a brain tumour.

Mia was the 2005 winner of the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award’s Actress of the Year for her performance in Bash, by Neil Labute, directed by Shane Bosher. She has appeared in numerous stage productions – she was Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Marge Sherwood in The Talented Mr Ripley, Crystal Allen in The Women and Alison in Look Back In Anger. In 2006 she starred with Cliff Curtis in The Holy Sinner, by Inside Out Productions for the NZ International Arts Festival.

Mia’s film credits include Toa Fraser's acclaimed film, No 2 (winner of the Sundance Audience Award) for which Mia won the 2006 New Zealand Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Charlene. Mia recently starred in The Tattooist, directed by Peter Burger and has just completed the short film, This Is Her, directed by Katie Wolfe.

Mia is a graduate of Victoria University in Wellington and has a BA in English Literature and Theatre & Film.

Gareth is Wellington based actor and a graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. The Dentist's Chair is his first project with Indian Ink.

With interests in comedy, singing and music, he has this year been touring country music comedy show The Lonesome Buckwhips (Winners Best Comedy Fringe 07) in the NZ International Comedy Festival to critical acclaim. He also recently played Charlie, in the Olivier Award winning play Stones in his Pockets and co-wrote, produced and directed live radio show On the Wireless. In 2006, Gareth travelled to London to work with leading British comedian Steve Coogan (I’m Alan Partridge, A Cock and Bull Story, Saxondale) and his company Baby Cow Productions. Plays include Macbeth, Richard III, Hamlet, Cymbeline, The Seagull, Peer Gynt, Stones in his Pockets.

David has worked with Indian Ink since 2004. He composed, musically directed and performed the music for The Guru of Chai, for which he won the "Most Outstanding Composer" award in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

The Dentist’s Chair,  he was nominated for “Most Outstanding Composer” at the 2008 Chapmann Tripp Theatre Awards.

He also performs the music and sound effects for The Candlestickmaker and Krishnan’s Dairy in NZ and abroad and has worked on Red Leap Theatre’s production of The Arrival, which premiered at Auckland Festival 09. David is a jazz graduate of the Wellington Conservatorium Of Music and composes and performs in many different musical settings: jazz, blues, improvised music, country, bluegrass and original projects.

http://www.myspace.com/davidwardmusician

Isaac Smith has recently completed a Bachelor of Jazz Performance majoring in Double Bass from the New Zealand School of Music. His experience in theatre and live performance range from work with Ake Ake Theatre Company (shows include Our Secret Garden and Lari Tomsin; One Youth's Tragedy and musically directing the circo-arts performance of Ship Song for the 2007 Capital E Children's National Arts Festival); Redmole (shows include This Unquiet Planet & Radio Shade:Project Antigone) to directing and composing music as a part of the Wellington International Jazz Festivals and collaborations with Mumbai based Bollywood artist Vaishali Samant as a part of the 2007 Crossings Contemporary Indian Culture Festival.

Isaac has also been involved with the Massey University Textile Department researching an interface between dance, composition, improvisation and textile. Isaac frequents the Wellington jazz and creative music scene performing solo, and in larger ensembles directed by himself or in projects led by other creative forces in the Wellington music scene

Murray has been dramaturg on all of Indian Ink’s productions. A poet and founder of Town and Country players (NZ),  Murray is the Professor of Drama at Auckland University where he heads the Drama course.

Jeremy Fern has been designing for theatre and contemporary dance for the past 7 years.

Companies include Black Grace Dance Company (Surface, Human Language, Objects), Massive Theatre Company, (Up Close Up Loud), Silo Theatre Company (Clockwork Orange, Take me out, Plenty, Bare, Three days of Rain, The Real Thing, Based on Auckland, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore) and 88 in the Shade (The End of The Golden Weather

John has worked on all of Indian Ink’s productions. With over 30 years experience John is a leading designer with an extensive portfolio of work including designs for NZ Opera, Auckland Theatre Company, The Large Group and many others.

David has worked with Indian Ink since 2004. He composed, musically directed and performed the music for The Guru of Chai, for which he won the "Most Outstanding Composer" award in the 2010 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

The Dentist’s Chair,  he was nominated for “Most Outstanding Composer” at the 2008 Chapmann Tripp Theatre Awards.

He also performs the music and sound effects for The Candlestickmaker and Krishnan’s Dairy in NZ and abroad and has worked on Red Leap Theatre’s production of The Arrival, which premiered at Auckland Festival 09. David is a jazz graduate of the Wellington Conservatorium Of Music and composes and performs in many different musical settings: jazz, blues, improvised music, country, bluegrass and original projects.

http://www.myspace.com/davidwardmusician

Justin is a founding partner of Indian Ink and collaborated with Jacob Rajan to create the company’s works: Krishnan's Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist's Chair and Guru of Chai.  Indian Ink's productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and Three production of the Year Awards in New Zealand. Justin has produced numerous national and international tours.  He is Deputy Chair of Q Theatre and has been heavily involved in its development from the beginning. In 2008 he received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre. Justin is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School and University of Auckland.

Justin is a founding partner of Indian Ink and collaborated with Jacob Rajan to create the company’s works: Krishnan's Dairy, The Candlestickmaker, The Pickle King, The Dentist's Chair and Guru of Chai.  Indian Ink's productions have won numerous awards including two Edinburgh Fringe First Awards and Three production of the Year Awards in New Zealand. Justin has produced numerous national and international tours.  He is Deputy Chair of Q Theatre and has been heavily involved in its development from the beginning. In 2008 he received a Kaupapa Oranga Award for his services to theatre. Justin is a graduate of the John Bolton Theatre School and University of Auckland.