Bio

Christopher Vened

                       As an actor-mime, writer, and director.

Christopher Vened aka Krzysztof Szwaja was born May 31, 1952 in Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Poland.

He grew up in Międzygórze, a beautiful mountain resort in Lower Silesia. His mother, Weronika, ran a private hotel for tourists. His father, Jan,  a survivor of concentration camp, was an economist and worked for the state. He has two sisters, Irena, who is a lawyer, and Marzenna, who is an orthodontist.

He started his stage career in the Wrocław Music Theater as a dancer in 1972.

In 1974, he joined the Wroclaw Pantomime Theater, the world famous avant-garde theater, founded and directed by Henryk Tomaszewski, and became an actor-mime. He had an illustrious career in the company, performing leading roles, often cast in the parts of gods, monsters, and lovers. The dual role of Guest-Dionysus in the production of Arriving Tomorrow brought him stardom. He also distinguished himself in the roles of the Medium in the production of The Menagerie of Empress Filissa, the Monster in the production of Mr. Twardowski, Paris and Homunculus in the production of Dr. Faust, the Satyr in the production of Hercules and Hebe, Boy II in the production of La Dispute, and Galahad in the production of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He also performed the role of An Enemy in a film for Norway TV, Smith. In 1977, he was awarded the Brown Spire in Wroclaw for Best Performer.

He regularly toured internationally and participated in the prestigious theater festivals in the world. While on a tour with the Wroclaw Pantomime Theatre in Germany, Martial Law was declared in Poland on December 13, 1981. In protest, Christopher defected to the West. In this heroic but reckless act, he lost everything, namely, his prominent position in the Polish Theater, and began his life anew in the West.

He lived in West Berlin for two and a half years, where he taught mime and choreographed shows in the Transformtheater. His classes had a considerable following. Students were coming to attend them from all over Europe. In 1983, he founded Impulse: Movement Theater, whose members were his students, and produced Sechs Uhr Morgan, a choreodrama inspired by Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, which he directed and choreographed. It was performed in Kreuzberger Tanzfabrik.

In April 1984, he immigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where he taught in acting studios and choreographed performances in various theaters. 

In 1985, he was awarded the Los Angeles Drama-Logue’s Critic’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theater for choreography in the production of Voyage to Arcturus at the Odyssey Theater. During this production, he met his future wife, Rebecca Robertson, who was an actress in the company.

In 1987, Christopher moved to Seattle and became the founder of Drama Studio. There he focused on teaching and exploring acting and movement techniques. He taught Character Study, Scene Work, and Movement for the Actor classes. For his classes, he wrote A Character Chart and made a video with Plastic Exercises. He also directed Private View by Vaclav Havel, and The Maids by Jean Genet.

In 1994, Christopher returned to Los Angeles where he now lives with his wife. He taught Character Study and Movement for the Actor classes at UCLA and also couched and supervised the students’ productions for about ten years. He also taught workshops at various other schools around the country. He continues to direct and choreograph shows in various theaters. He has written fiction, plays, and essays.
 
In 2000, Heinemann Drama published Christopher’s book In Character: An Actor’s Workbook for Character Development. In this book he describes his acting method, on which he started to work already in Seattle. It is a psychophysical method in the sense that it unifies the external and internal approaches into one system. It is also a thorough method of character study.

In 2002, Christopher wrote his first biographical short story The Knife in a Curiosity Shop Window (4,697 words.) He continues to write short stories.

In 2003, Christopher was the movement director for the production of Faust at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.

In the fall of 2007, Christopher directed Dracula at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach.

In 2010, Christopher wrote a biographical play, An Interview with Myself. Its first public reading/performance took place in March 2012 in Seattle.

In the fall of 2011, Christopher was a speaker at a theatrical symposium in Poland about Henryk Tomaszewski’s Wrocław Pantomime Theatre. His 25 pages biographical essay My First Pantomime that he presented at the symposium was published in the prestigious literary monthly Odra in March 2012.

In the fall of 2012, a Christopher’s biographical essay, Playing Dionysus, was published in the academic journal The Polish Review.

In December 27, 2013, Human Identity, a one-man show written and performed by Christopher Vened opened at Co Ho Theater, Portland, Oregon.

In January 5, 2014, Human Identity, a one-man show written and performed by Christopher Vened premiered at The Lounge Theatres, Los Angeles.


In March 2016, My First Pantomime, Part III of The Theatrical Memoir Written by Christopher Vened is published in the literary monthly Odra.

In Fall, 2016, Christopher did stage movement for  Greek Project, that was produced in the Acting Conservatory of OCSA

In Spring, 2017, Pursuit of Happiness, a choreodrama written, choreographed, and directed by Christopher Vened was presented as a school project in the Acting Conservatory of OCSA

In Fall, 2017, Christopher was a choreographer in the OCSA Acting Conservatory’s production, Our Town by Thornton Wilder

In February, 2018, Defection, Part V of The Theatrical Memoir Written by Christopher Vened is published in the literary monthly Odra.

In September 8, 2018, Infidel, a play written and directed by Christopher Vened opened at Whitefire Theatre, Los Angeles.

In fall, 2019, 3 Stories, a play written and directed by Christopher Vened, premiered at Studio Theatre, in the Acting Conservatory of OCSA

In spring, 2021, Christopher finished rewriting his one-man show, Human Identity under a new title, A Quest for Human Identity.

In December 2021, Christopher made a six parts podcast: Theatrical Memoir: An Interview with Myself  – produced by the Polish Theatre Institute in the USA,  performed by Isa Laskowska and the author, and realization of sound recording by Olga Szulc.

Part I :   MOJE POCZĄTKI TEATRALNE [My Theatrical Beginnings]

Part II :  MOJA PIERWSZA PANTOMIMIMA [ My First Pantomime]

Part III : JAK STAŁEM SIĘ AKTOREM PANTOMIMY [Becoming an Actor-Mime]

Part IV : DIONIZYJSKA GRA [Playing Dionysus]

Part V :  MOJA UCIECZKA NA ZACHÓD [Defection]

Part VI :  IMIGRACJA DO BERLINA [Immigrating to West Berlin]

In July, 2022, Dionizyjska gra [Dionysian Frenzy], an essay written by Christopher Vened Szwaja is published in the quarterly, Format Literacki – Wroclaw

March 26, 2023, Return of Ordonka, a play written by Kazimierz Braun, directed by Christopher Vened, and produced by the Polish Theatre Institute in the USA, opened in The Kosciuszko Foundation, New York

In July, 2023, Pantomime: The Art of Silence [Pantomima: sztuka milczenia], an essay written by Christopher Vened Szwaja is published in the quarterly, Format literacki [Format Literally], Wroclaw

in Fall, 2023, Impossible Choice, a short story written by Christopher Vened Szwaja is published by The American Bystander Comedy Quarterly

November 10, 2024, A Theater Manifesto of An Old Man, a short film by Christopher Vened, is screened in the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles
Work in Progress:

Collection of short stories 


Medusa: A Tale For America, a screenplay

Infidel, a screenplay based on a Christopher play of the same title

Gilgamesh, a screenplay, based on the Sumerian epic of the same title



References [edit source]

  1. ^ https://thisstage.la/2014/01/searching-for-human-identity-within-a-solo-show/. LA Stage Infidel by Christopher Vened (2018)
  2. ^https://bonniepriever.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/infidel-offers-hope-in-the-name-of-god-the- whitefire/. Bonnie Priever Curtain  Up.  2018
  3. ^http://tolucantimes.info/theatre-reviews/dogmatic-beliefs-create-a-prison-for-faith-in-whitefire- theatres-deep-infidel/. M. Jarrett Christensen. “Dogmatic beliefs create a prison for faith in Whitefire Theatre’s deep ‘Infidel’” 2018
  4. ^http://nohoartsdistrict.com/theatres/theatre-reviews/item/5932-the-whitefire-theatre-presents-infidel. Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros. “Infidel” 2018
  5. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8QfzGgu5kw. A TV interview about Infidel
  6. ^ https://thisstage.la/2014/01/searching-for-human-identity-within-a-solo-show/. “Searching for Human Identity Within a Solo Show”. @This Stage. LA STAGE ALLIANCE. January 6, 2014
  7. ^ https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-review/review-human-identity-united-solo-festival. Human Identity at the United Solo Festival. Jack Mauro. StageBuddy. September 28, 2014
  8. ^ https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-polish-director-looks-to-core-of-stokers-story-2007oct17-story.html. Polish director looks to core of Stoker’s story for stage “Dracula’”. By Patricia Morris Buckley. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Oct. 17, 2007
  9. ^ https://newsblaze.com/entertainment/theatre/dracula-takes-a-bite-at-north-coast-repertory-theatre_3069/. Dracula Takes a Bite at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. By Robert Hitchcox. October 22, 2007
  10.  ^ https://patlauner.com/review/curtain-calls-216/.. All I-Day Suker by Pat Launer. Curtain Calls. 10/26/07
  11.  ^ http://turbula.net/theater/07-11-halloween.php. “Dracula” by Carol Davis. San Diego Turbula.November 2007
  12.  ^ https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/polishreview.57.3.0029?seq=1. Playing Dionysus:  An Interview with Myself by Christopher Vened. The Polish Review.  Vol. 57, No. 3 (2012), Publish By: University of Illinois Press.
  13.  ^ https://e-teatr.pl/krzysztof-szwaja-vened-jak-stalem-sie-aktorem-wroclawskiego-teatru-pantomimy-a214803 . e-teatr-pl.  Krzysztof Szwaja-Vened: “Jak stałem się aktorem Wrocławskiego Teatru Pantomimy”.  Miesięcznik Odra. March 3, 2016.
  14.  ^https://okis.pl/w-styczniowym-numerze-odry/.  Krzysztof Szwaja-Vened: MOJA UCIECZKA NA ZACHÓD. Miesięcznik Odra. January 1, 2018
  15.  ^ https://instytutksiazki.pl/czasopisma,9,odra,6,odra-1-2018,79.html. Krzysztof Szwaja-Vened: MOJA UCIECZKA NA ZACHÓD. Miesięcznik Odra. January 1, 2018
  16.   ^ https://www.amandadianne.com/post/2018/10/27/review-of-in-character. amandadianne.com
  17.   ^ https://www.heinemann.com/authors/1403.aspx. Heinemann
  18.   ^ https://benawimutoqid.simplicityhsd.com/in-character-book-31074nb.php. In Character by Christopher Vened, Open Library
  19.   ^ http://encyklopediateatru.pl/artykuly/219285/krzysztof-szwaja-vened-jak-stalem-sie-aktorem-wroclawskiego-teatru-pantomimy. Encyklopedia Teatru Polskiego

    20.  ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMRp65BphPg&t=2906s. La Dispute, Pantomime

21. https://www.polishtheatre.org/podcast-1 Polish Theatre Institute Podcast

External links

http://www.dramastudioonline.com – Official Website

http://www.christophervened.com/ – Official Website

https://www.polishtheatre.org – Polish Theatre Institute in the USA – Cooperation

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