our team
Our team
Robert Brazil, USA
Artistic Director
Robert is from Boston and received his MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College in New York. But he couldn’t resist love and adventure, so he moved to the City of Light. While he dreamed of being an astronaut exploring the galaxy, he was swayed by an actor he met in a school workshop when he was young and chose the much more reliable career as an actor. Bringing imagination, theatre and community to children is what makes him tick. He wishes for his students to imagine all the possibilities. Shakespeare and musical theatre are his favorite to perform. You may think he only loves to be silly and laugh but he also has a daring side that pushes him to dive with as many different species of sharks as possible. You will most likely recognize him from an inordinate number of shows, not least of which Animal Crackers, Thumbelina and My Mum’s Generation.
Jane Rony, UK
Artistic Director
Jane is from England where she received L.A.M.D.A. awards but she then boldly ran away with a French man where a new world of mouthwatering cheeses awaited. If she weren’t an actor, you’d find her at a theme park, bringing the magic and fun to life! She hates Tuesdays but on all other days she believes all our languages (spoken at home, heard growing up, spoken a little or a lot…) play an essential role in intellectual growth and developing emotional intelligence. Drama is the perfect way to explore and celebrate these languages! She’s proud of her work ethic and feels fulfilled knowing her work truly makes a difference where it matters. Her kids are her best achievement but she will soon be following her dream of working with the elderly. She wrote Thumbelina and performed in shows such as Gulliver’s Travels and soon as Cindy Rella in Cinderella Steps Up!
Alexandra Tomko, USA
Artistic Director
Alex is from California but the travel bug bit her early on. Musical theatre made her fall in love with the stage and she trained at The Bridge Theatre Company in London. She then came to France for its jaw-dropping architecture and rich history. Her favorite things are food (the sweet kind), movies (the sweet-and-sour kind) and spending time with family and friends (the zesty kind). She believes we can all make this world a better place and she wishes to make a positive impact. She could have been an interpreter at the UN in another life. Instead, she wrote The Wicked Witch of the Waste and Cinderella Steps Up! You might recognize her from her performance as Helen in Dr. Seuss & Co or Lina in Thumbelina. However, her favorite role is being a mom.
Dario Costa, Australia
Dario is from Australia, where he travelled through the desert as a magician’s assistant. He was even cut into three pieces (don’t ask! A magician never reveals his secret!). His dream came true when he was accepted to study at the prestigious Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris in 1992. If the acting bug hadn’t bitten him, he would have been a lighthouse keeper or a zoologist. But thankfully not, or he would have never married a beautiful French woman and had two delightful children. His ambition of becoming a successful playwright is well under way thanks to What The Dickens, Jekyll and Hyde and Voyage to Australia. You may also recognize him from Poe Pourri or as the Queen in Snow White’s Black Heart (to name but a few).
Alexander Burnett, UK
Alexander, not to be mistaken for Alex, is a real global citizen as he is from the UK and the US! He came to France to train at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq and for the food bien sûr. If he weren’t an actor, he’d be a journalist and he’d be reporting on his own successful co-created swimming-themed show The Crawl. It was seen by nearly 1,000 people this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe. His next big dream is to compete in a triathlon. He’s training for it by joining the cast of Cinderella Steps Up as sassy “Step Sista” Krystal Klear.
Charlie Colburn, UK
Charlie moved to Paris from the UK to taste the delights of French wine, cheese and bread – and to train as an actor at Le Cours Cochet Delavène. In another life, he was an astronaut, hanging up there with the real stars! Charlie is very proud of all his work as a Lego master: buildings, vehicles, a pirate ship! Those are some of his best memories. But he’s a discreet person and will never be caught chatting your ear off about them. Probably to no one's surprise, someday, he’ll climb to the top of Mount Everest! In the meantime, he keeps busy co-leading international research projects about the importance of Theatre in Language learning.
Charlotte Donnelly, UK
Charlotte is from England where she trained at the Drama Studio in London. She moved to France for a bit of adventure—and ended up building a life here with her smashing family, all while still doing what she loves: performing! If she weren’t an actor, she’d like to have been a comedian or a writer - anything that involves making people smile. Having a laugh with other people is one of her favourite things in the world so she tries to make her work fun and full of energy. Her ambition is to use her work to help people feel creative and cheerful! She has been acting with Drama Ties for quite a few lovely years now and you will have seen her perform in My Mum’s Generation, she was also Bella in Bella, Stella and the Beast and Haydi in The Wicked Witch of the Waste.
Joseph Marshall, UK
Joseph comes from England and has many different trainings under his belt, one of them being the Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Even though he could have been a chef or a guitar player, he proved that dreams really can come true when he enchanted many children (and older dreamers) during his time working at Disneyland Paris. His biggest triumph however was mastering the noticeably intricate Romance language that is French. He loves reading books about the craft of acting, even more so than plays themselves! Awaiting his big break in a musical production, he shares his talent with Drama Ties. Along with performing in many shows, such as Gulliver’s Travels and The Wicked Witch of the Waste, he wrote My Mum’s Generation and is now directing Cinderella Steps Up.
Hanna Pyliotis, Australia
Hanna is from Australia and as she caught a plane to Algeria many moons ago to meet her mother’s family, she got sidelined on her return and France adopted a new fabulous actor! She stayed and trained at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier. That said, if she weren’t an actor, she’d probably be wealthier, but much less entertained. Hanna’s proudest triumph is giving up butter. Her next big adventure is to go on a writing retreat so she can finish her new play! Also, she hasn’t really given up butter… Her wonderful creativity brought you Hansel & Gretel, The Pied Piper, Animal Crackers and Bella, Stella and the Beast.