Silvana's Biog.

Silvana was born in Syracuse, Sicily to Sicilian parents. At the age of six Silvana, and family, none of them speaking one word of English, set off to live in Australia.

They settled in Melbourne, where Silvana grew up and was educated. She completed her Higher School Certificate in English, English Literature, Eighteenth Century European History, Human Development & Society and General Maths. The following year she was accepted at Victoria College Rusden, enrolling in Drama, Media Studies and English. At the same time Silvana became a member of St Martins Theatre in South Yarra. There she was cast in her first semi-professional production, "Runaways" directed by Malcolm Robertson.

At St Martins she undertook many workshops in voice, acting, text and movement, as well as performing in various productions, from Shakespeare to a newly composed "techno pop opera" called Cosme.

Along with her acting, Silvana also pursued her singing, and was Lead Singer with various bands. Her vocal styles ranging from contemporary to jazz, soul, blues, rock and funk. She also developed a strong harmony ability. Her main Singing and Voice Training was with Will Conyers (who was a student of Graham Clarke) who taught her the Bel Canto technique.

Silvana worked with many theatre companies in Melbourne, and played a variety of roles, as diverse as Marco Polo to The Giant’s Wife, from the Figurehead of a Ship to a Femme Fatale.

Silvana decided to consolidate various aspects of her work and abilities gained thus far by applying for a place at the John Bolton Theatre School in Melbourne. John had been a teacher at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Seeing a need to expand certain aspects of actor training, John founded his own theatre school, which very quickly became highly respected and regarded, and much sought after course. Silvana was accepted into the yearlong intensive course and successfully completed all aspects of the work, which included script work, character work, mask work, music, improvisation and creating and devising pieces for presentation.

About this time Silvana joined the Flying Pig Theatre Company, which presented regular improvised Theatresports shows and seasons. She took part in various workshops with other company members-who included Siobhan Tuke, Geoff Paine, Russell Fletcher, Christine Keogh-and became a regular performer with the company, performing in a number of their shows, including the Classic Cup and Christmas seasons.

Silvana also co-founded two theatre companies in Australia. Firstly, Princeless Productions, in which she was a performer and writer. Princeless produced two very successful Children’s shows,

“Jack and the Beanstalk”, and “The Owl and the Pussycat Meet Long John Silver”. She was also the co-founder of POWOW Theatre, a company that came out of the graduates of the John Bolton Theatre School, and quickly gained critical attention after their first production of

“See Saw”.

Inspired by the work covered and learnt at the John Bolton Theatre School, Silvana decided to travel to London to study with Phillipe Gaulier. Phillipe had been one of the main sources of inspiration for John Bolton, as John had been a student of Phillipe’s at Le Coq in Paris.

Silvana then decided to move to London, and has since performed in various shows and short films.

From August 2000 to September 2002, she played the role of Nemisia, The Gypsy Queen, the Lead Female Singing/Acting role with the “Circus of Horrors”. She took part in two theatre tours with the Company and performed at venues such as the Lowry in Manchester, Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, The Brighton Centre and the Dartford Orchard Theatre. Highlights also included a four week season at the Roundhouse Camden and a tour of Holland, performing at the Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall and Arnham Rijnhal.

Her third and final season with the show was a five week run that played to sold out houses at The Stockton Riverside Festival, and The Edinburgh Festival, where it received 4 and 5 stars from

The Scotsman and The Edinburgh Evening News respectively.

Since then Silvana has taken part in various workshops at The Actors Centre London, working with tutors such as Gillian Hawser, Harry Burton, Edward Kemp and Christiane Hille.

In January she played many transformed criminals in Kresimir Supek’s futuristic short film about the nature of criminal rehabilitation, “An Eye for An Eye” for the New York Film Academy. Most recently, in March, she played Maria The Baker, a heartless money-grabbing killjoy, in the short film

“Delphine, The Baker’s Assistant” by Lyndon Ives of Bingo Productions.

In February Silvana also set up her own company, Siren Song Enterprise, which premiered its first offering “Mermaids” at the Brighton Festival in May.