CREATOR
Anna Danshina
Anna knows a lot about strutting the boards, as she is a 2016 graduate of the Drama Centre London, Central Saint Martins, where she studied to be an actress. Anna has gone on to be a multi award-winning actress and screenwriter.
She is the winner of five best Actress awards for playing Lana in the feature film Love Possibly which received 40 awards overall at International Film Festivals. Her feature film The Bromley Boys was number one in Comedy and the overall number five best selling DVD on Amazon.
She appeared in the feature drama Cordelia where she played Natasha alongside Johnny Flynn and Michael Gambon. She appeared in the feature film break where she played the role of Alena alongside Rutger Hauer, in his final Film, and Luke Mably.
Anna was born in Siberia and grew up in Saint Petersburg. She was awarded the Hill scholarship to pursue a masters degree at Oxford University where she was the President of the Oxford University Russian Society. Before becoming a professional Actress, Anna worked in international relations and diplomacy, being the head of public diplomacy campaigns at the British Embassy in Moscow. She speaks English and Russian fluently, and some Italian.
Like Billy Shakespeare, as well as being a writer she is a successful entrepreneur.
CREATOR’S STATEMENT
When I was about ten years old, I was very ill and spent three weeks in hospital. In the ward next to mine was a young boy who had lost his genitals. Nobody really explained why it happened, but I remember being confused and emotionally affected. I kept wondering: What does your life become after something like that? How do you grow up? How do you exist in a body that has been changed forever? That question stayed with me.
Years later, as an anthropology student, I came across the history of castrati - a phenomenon that existed across cultures for thousands of years, first as punishment and then as “art.”
What shocked me wasn’t just the brutality, it was how normal it was and even celebrated. And then I realised that we never stopped doing this, we still sacrifice bodies for fame and success in modern show business. It just became quieter and more Instagram-friendly.
This show is about show business before show business existed.