Cast Biographies
International cast
DAMIAN CHRISTIAN-HOWARD
Damian was born in France and raised in Italy, Portugal and Morocco. It was whilst studying at an American High School in Morocco that he was cast in his first play. However, it was only several years later, in London, that Damian was finally able to pursue his vocation and dream of becoming a professional actor.
Credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (UK Tour), The Tempest (UK Tour), Taming of the Shrew (Marlow Theatre & Chalkfoot Theatre Arts), La Ronde Improvised (Fluxx Theatre Co, Warwick Arts Theatre), All the World’s a Stage (Italy Tour), Henry IV Pt 1 & 2 (Principal Theatre Co). Lead roles in Save The World (Cannes 2007, winner: 43 international film awards including two Best Actor Awards for Damian), MTV Aids Awareness and Altoids ‘Invention’ (USA, 2008).
DUNCAN FOSTER
Prior to pursuing a career on the stage, Duncan spent many years traversing the globe. He has studied classical theatre, improvisation and clowning. He also wrote and performed his own one-man show: I Will (an original take on the life of Shakespeare). He is now a performer and teacher in the United Kingdom, Spain and the Far East, specialising in Comedy Impro, Playback Theatre and Forum Theatre. A keen musician, Duncan wrote and performed the live music for Big Telly’s dramatisation of Oscar Wilde’s A Picture of Dorian Gray.
Credits include: The Boat That Rocked (Working Title Films, dir Richard Curtis, release 2009); Jason in Medea (Company Collisions); Macbeth (SYPT); Papa Please Get the Moon For Me (Travelling Light); Pinocchio, (Colour House Theatre); Henry V (Fast and Loose), The Gruffalo (Tall Stories/Kenny Wax).
PAYAM HOSSIENIAN
Born in Tehran, Payam began his acting career at the age of 19, when he joined the national broadcasting organisation of Iran (IRIB) as a radio drama actor, lip-synch voice-over specialist, presenter and host. He also regularly appeared on stage at Tehran City Theatre. Payam was invited to work in different parts of the media, where he developed one of the most admired voices in Iran. In 2006, Payam moved to the United Kingdom to pursue postgraduate studies in Theatre and Performing Arts.
Credits include: Macbeth, WAR, The Three Sisters, The Old Dagger, (all for Tehran City Theatre); The Trial; The Great Gatsby; The Fall of the House of Usher; Genghis Khan; War and Peace; The Green Mile; The Cherry Orchard; Henry V (voicing Derek Jacobi); The Remains of the Day (voicing Anthony Hopkins), The Matrix (voicing Hugo Weaving), (IRIB).
DINA MOUSAWI
Born to an Iraqi father and Ukrainian mother, Dina grew up in Baghdad. In 1986, her family moved to Bradford in England to escape the perils of the Iran-Iraq war. Her professional acting career began at ten when she took the lead in the television show The Prime Minister’s Brain on ITV. She has continued to work extensively in TV, film and theatre.
Credits include: The Marriage of Figaro, The Tempest, Journey to the West (all for Tara Arts); The King & I; West Side Story (Alhambra Theatre, Bradford); Cold Feet (Granada TV); Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC); Wilderness Edge (Granada TV); King of Bollywood (I Dream Productions); Asylum (Maximize Productions); Freedom Fighting: Capoeira (Satellite Productions).
GUY RHYS
While washing dishes for a living, Guy attended a weekly class held by Contact Theatre in Manchester. He was encouraged to quit his day job and work at acting full time. After three years of working at Contact and several other fringe companies in Manchester, Guy was accepted to study at the prestigious Drama Centre London under the tutelage of Christopher Fettes.
Credits include: Dalziel & Pascoe, Outlaws, Holby City; Sorted, Doctors (all for BBC); Emmerdale, The Bill, Fat Friends, A&E, The Last Detective (all for ITV); No Angels, Fallout (for Channel 4); A Streetcar Named Desire (Theatre Clywd); Romeo & Juliet (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Ramayana (National Theatre / Birmingham Rep); Othello (Nottingham Playhouse); The Dorm (Extreme Motions / Universal Pictures).
KIRSTEN SHAW
Kirsten gained her BA (Hons) degree in Drama at Hull University and went on to do a postgraduate course in Acting at Guildford School of Drama. Since graduating she has worked extensively in theatre and has toured several countries including Turkey, Albania, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Ireland and the United States. She has also been fortunate to perform in the ancient amphitheatres of Ephesus and Aspendos.
Credits Include: Peter Pan (Kensington Gardens and Tour); Totally London (Comedy Theatre, West End and The Orpheum Theatre, NYC); Trojan Women, Hippolytus and Medea (all with actors of Dionysus); Romeo and Juliet (Ireland Tour); Widows (Yvonne Arnaud); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Affa Theatre Company); The Bacchae (directed by Complicite’s Marchello Magni).
National cast (USA)
AREEBAH AJANI
Areebah Ajani grew up in Sugar Land, Texas with her parents, younger sister, Aroosa, and grandmother. Areebah has loved watching and participating in theatre since elementary school and is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in ALI TO KARIM, which melds her interest in the performing arts with her interest in religion. She will be a sophomore this fall at Brown University and will concentrate in the humanities.
ADIL LAVJI
Born in Toronto and raised in South Florida, Adil began acting and performing at his high school and participated in numerous plays with the Bucks’ Theatre Company at Deerfield Beach High School where he was elected the Drama Club President.
Credits include: This is Where We Came in by Alan Ayckbourn; The Ugly Duckling by A.A. Milne; The Comedy of Errors by Shakespeare; Ubu by Jeff Goode; I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick; The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux; Kismet by Joann Leonard; Invisible Friends by Alan Ayckbourn.
NOREN PANJWANI
Noren is a first generation American with Indian roots. She was brought up with her parents, two siblings, and extended family and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Noren has always put a creative spin on life, looking forward to the spotlight and soaking up the thrill of performance. Noren exemplifies the characteristics of being an ambassador of Islam, a daughter to great parents, a sister to her siblings, and a motivator to many others.
ASIF SAYANI
Asif has enjoyed acting ever since college, where he played Conrad in Much Ado About Nothing. He also played Aakash in Reincarnation, a coming-of-age story about Indian Americans struggling to find their identity in the Western hemisphere, produced by Shunya Theatre. His last performance was with the National Council’s Cultural Arts Program, in which he played the lead role of Chen Shah in A Journey Along the Silk Road. Although he is a professional attorney, Asif hopes to continue to pursue a prosperous career within the arts.
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