Angelique Rockas

Angelique Rockas
Angelique Rockas in the role of Medea (1982)
Education	University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town
Occupation	Actress: stage and film, founder of and theatre prcatitioner Internationalist Theatre, activist
Years active	1978-present
Known for	The Witches, Oh Babylon!, Emmones Idees

Angelique Rockas is the South African Greek London based actress, who with her company Internationalist Theatre (initially called New Internationalist Theatre ) instigated multi-racial and multi-national theatre productions in the London of the 1980`s, beginning with a revival of The Balcony by Jean Genet. In a letter of support Athol Fugard endorses the formation of "internationalist theatre" and accepts to be a member of the company`s advisory board. Madeleine Jay in her BBC French Service (part of BBC World Service ) broadcast review of The Balcony affirms the value of an internationalist theatre.Michelene Wandor in her preview for Time Out of the company`s performance of Griselda Gambaro`s The Camp (1967 play) describes the company`s "internationalist casting policy " as an "exciting risk". Interviews with Rockas in print and online about the founding of Internationalist Theatre were published in Eleftherotypia, The National Herald, Vogue Mexico,Dagens Nyheter, the Cape Argus, The South African, Hellenism.net, and The Greek Reporter. Rockas also has the distinction of being one the few women theatre practitioners in Britain during this decade.

As a stage actress, Rockas first came to public attention for her portrayal of the roles of Emma in Griselda Gambaro`s The Camp (1967 play) , "encarna magistralmente el dificil papel de Emma", BBC Latin American Service (now BBC Mundo); Tom Vaughan of The Morning Star described her performance as `searing` and of `great power`; Jenny Vaughan of Spare Rib as `stunning` and `electrifying`; as Euripides`s Medea (play), Ned Chaillet, writing for The Times was struck by the wrath of Medea erupting in "the dangerous passions of Angelique Rockas ", and Rosemary Say of The Sunday Telegraph lauded Rockas` performance as "fiercely agile "; Camden Scanner declares "Angelique Rockas in the central part gives us a barefoot performance of great power",;[Link to Live performance of Angelique Rockas as Medea ]; in the title role of August Strindberg `s Miss Julie her portrayal impresses not only for the "huge dimensions of the character" suggested, but also "Ms Rockas` performance adds profundity and power .. most original performance", Jo Stanley of the Morning Star.