Kiruna Stamell
Encyclopedia
Kiruna Stamell is an Australian actress. She was born in Sydney, Australia at the Royal Woman's Hospital and diagnosed with restricted growth (dwarfism
).
, Australia
, where she learned ballet
, contemporary dance
and tap. In 1994, she won the South Pacific Silver Star Tap Dancing Championships and in 2000 tap danced at the opening of the Sydney Olympics with the Tap Dogs
. While studying dance, theatre and film at the University of New South Wales
, Stamell developed a passion for theatre and acting. In the summer holiday of her first year, she got her first major role when she submitted herself for extra
work in the film Moulin Rouge!
. Her initial casting as an extra led to the part of La Petite Princess being created especially for her. Following this, she performed with some of Australia's leading theatre companies, including her role as King Duncan in Macbeth
for the Sydney Theatre Company
and Cordelia in King Lear
for Round Earth. She has also appeared in the Australian short film Love Hurts as Cupid
.
In 2005, Stamell received funding from the Australia Council
which brought her to England, where she studied Shakespearean and Jacobean plays at LAMDA. While this was initially intended to be a short summer in England, Stamell obtained a number of professional stage roles in the UK, performing with Quarantine Theatre Company and Graeae Theatre Company
and she renewed her interest in dance with a secondment to CandoCo
. She was generally well reviewed for her work in Graeae Theatre Company
's production of Whiter Than Snow playing a young actress who wanted to break with stereotype and play the role of Snow White. Although otherwise filing a mixed review, Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote: "...the show raises interesting questions about humans' constant attempts to improve on nature, and as the diminutive heroine, Frieda, who longs to be Snow White but is always cast as a dwarf, Kiruna Stamell is outstanding." Stamell also toured extensively throughout Europe with Campo
(formerly known as Victoria), with their production of 'For All The Wrong Reasons'.
Stamell debuted on British television in 2009 when she appeared as Phoebe Tunstall in the six-part BBC
drama series All the Small Things
, and has made appearances on EastEnders as Sandra Fielding.. She most recently starred in Cast Offs for Channel 4
.
Kiruna remains based in England
. She is a frequent guest presenter on the BBC's Ouch Podcast. She has long been involved in the disability arts movement and was an original co-founder of Atypical Theatre Company in Australia.
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
).
Life and career
Stamell first learnt to dance at the age of 3 in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where she learned ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, contemporary dance
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
and tap. In 1994, she won the South Pacific Silver Star Tap Dancing Championships and in 2000 tap danced at the opening of the Sydney Olympics with the Tap Dogs
Tap Dogs
"Tap Dogs" is a tap dance show, created by Australian dancer and choreographer, Dein Perry. The original production of the show had its world premiere in January 1995 at the Sydney Theatre Festival in Australia....
. While studying dance, theatre and film at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Stamell developed a passion for theatre and acting. In the summer holiday of her first year, she got her first major role when she submitted herself for extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
work in the film Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
. Her initial casting as an extra led to the part of La Petite Princess being created especially for her. Following this, she performed with some of Australia's leading theatre companies, including her role as King Duncan in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
for the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
and Cordelia in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
for Round Earth. She has also appeared in the Australian short film Love Hurts as Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
.
In 2005, Stamell received funding from the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
which brought her to England, where she studied Shakespearean and Jacobean plays at LAMDA. While this was initially intended to be a short summer in England, Stamell obtained a number of professional stage roles in the UK, performing with Quarantine Theatre Company and Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company is a British organisation composed of artists and managers with physical and sensory disabilities. It was founded in 1980 by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson and named after the Graeae of Greek mythology...
and she renewed her interest in dance with a secondment to CandoCo
CandoCo
Candoco Dance Company is a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, founded in 1991 by Celeste Dandeker and Adam Benjamin. Dandeker, who had previously trained with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, suffered a fall whilst dancing on stage...
. She was generally well reviewed for her work in Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company
Graeae Theatre Company is a British organisation composed of artists and managers with physical and sensory disabilities. It was founded in 1980 by Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson and named after the Graeae of Greek mythology...
's production of Whiter Than Snow playing a young actress who wanted to break with stereotype and play the role of Snow White. Although otherwise filing a mixed review, Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote: "...the show raises interesting questions about humans' constant attempts to improve on nature, and as the diminutive heroine, Frieda, who longs to be Snow White but is always cast as a dwarf, Kiruna Stamell is outstanding." Stamell also toured extensively throughout Europe with Campo
Campo
Campo is Italian, Portuguese and Spanish for "field".In the city of Venice the word Campo designs a square, regardless of her size; Piazza San Marco is the only exception being the only urban space called a piazza instead of Campo....
(formerly known as Victoria), with their production of 'For All The Wrong Reasons'.
Stamell debuted on British television in 2009 when she appeared as Phoebe Tunstall in the six-part BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
drama series All the Small Things
All the Small Things (TV series)
All the Small Things is a British television programme, produced by the BBC and created and developed by Debbie Horsfield. Following the lives and ambitions of a church choir and its members, the programme began airing on 31 March 2009 and ran for six episodes. The programme frequently features...
, and has made appearances on EastEnders as Sandra Fielding.. She most recently starred in Cast Offs for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
Kiruna remains based in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She is a frequent guest presenter on the BBC's Ouch Podcast. She has long been involved in the disability arts movement and was an original co-founder of Atypical Theatre Company in Australia.
Film and television
- Moulin Rouge!Moulin Rouge!Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
... La Petite Princess (dir Baz Luhrmann) - Cast Offs... Carrie (dir Miranda Bowen)
- EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
... Sandra Fielding (dir Richard Platt) - All The Small ThingsAll the Small Things"All the Small Things" is a song by American pop punk band Blink-182. It was the second single released from the band's third album Enema of the State...
... Phoebe (dir Cilla Ware) - Life's Too ShortLife's Too ShortLife's Too Short is an observational sitcom series, created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is described by Gervais as being about "the life of a showbiz dwarf", with Davis playing a fictionalised version of himself. Gervais and Merchant appear...
... Amy
Stage
- A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
... Starveling (dir David Thacker) - Whiter Than Snow... Frieda (dir Jenny Sealey)
- For All the Wrong ReasonsFor All the Wrong Reasons"For All the Wrong Reasons" is a 1982 single by The Bellamy Brothers. "For All the Wrong Reasons" was written by David Bellamy and became The Bellamy Brothers fifth number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart...
... Femme Fatal (dir Lies Pauwels) - King LearKing LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
... Cordelia (dir Richard Davey) - "Here's to the Small Minded""...(dir Matt Noffs)
- The MaidsThe MaidsThe Maids is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed...
... Claire (dir Paul Barry) - GraceGrace-Film:* Grace , a 2009 horror film* States of Grace, a 2005 drama film- Games :* The Game of graces, a 19th century game for young girls* Tales of Graces, a 2009 Tales of game by Namco Tales Studio- Literature :...
... Deviser/Performer (dir Richard Gregory) - Preserving the Apple... Rai (dir Nikki Heywood)
- MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
... King Duncan (dir Benjamin Winspear)
External links
- Kiruna Stamell at Spotlight
- Atypical Theatre Company