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Elena Carapetis

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Elena Carapetis
Born
Whyalla, South Australia
OccupationActor
Years active1987–present

Elena Carapetis is an Australian actress and writer based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is best known for her role as Jackie Kassis in Heartbreak High, as well as numerous other television series and theatre roles. As a writer, her plays and screenplays often feature the experience of Greek migrants to Australia, as well as Greek mythology and feminist themes.

Early life and education

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Elena Carapatis was born in Whyalla, South Australia. She spent some years in Port Pirie as a child, before the family moved to Adelaide.[1] Her maternal grandparents were Greek Cypriot migrants to Australia,[2] with her mother arriving at the age of 11. Her father is of Greek Australian descent, with his forebears having migrated around the 1910s. She grew up with a large extended family, and worked in her family's restaurant when she was 12.[1] She remained especially close to her brother Jon.[3]

She started ballet lessons when she was around four years old on the recommendation of a doctor, to help her flat feet. She went on stage for the first time as a ballerina in a "chorus of baby chicks", in a performance of Peter and the Wolf in Port Pirie Town Hall.[3]

She graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney[1] with a Bachelor of Dramatic (Acting) in 1996.[4]

Acting career

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Returning to Adelaide after graduation, Carapetis was employed by the State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA) and also by both the Adelaide College of the Arts and Flinders University as a lecturer.[2]

Stage

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Carapetis has appeared onstage in numerous productions. Apart from STCSA, she has worked for many well-known Australian theatre companies, including Bell Shakespeare, Windmill Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Vitalstatistix, Brink Productions, Malthouse Theatre, and Belvoir.[5]

Her first public performance was in Tonight We Improvise at the University of Adelaide's Little Theatre on 10 June 1987. This was followed by appearances in Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth, also at the Little Theatre, in 1988.[6]

In 1990, she appeared in The Courtyard of Miracles at the Lion Theatre, Adelaide].[6]

In 1993, Carapetis performed in As You Like It at the Little Theatre, Adelaide.[6]

In 1997, she appeared in Features of Blown Youth at the Queens Theatre, Adelaide.[6]

In 2002, she performed in Parthenon Air at the Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville, Sydney.[6]

In 2004, Carapetis appeared in a production of Translations[7] and Hot Fudge with the State Theatre Company of South Australia.[8]

In March 2005, Carapetis first performed in It's A Mother! at the Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville,[6] as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney.[9] She would return to this show in 2006 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival[10][11] and in 2007 as part of Melbourne's Arts House program.[12]

In 2006, Carapetis again performed in Translations, this time at the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne[13] and the Beckett Theatre, Southbank. In the same year, she appeared in 4:48 Psychosis at The Queens Theatre Stables, Adelaide.[6]

In 2007, Carapetis played in Assassins, Triple Threat, and This Uncharted Hour.[6][14]

In 2008, she appeared in Helly's Magic Cup at The Space, Adelaide.[6]

In 2009, she appeared in The Things We Do For Love[6][15] at the Dunstan Playhouse.

In 2010, Carapetis performed in Ruby Bruise at the Waterside Theatre, Port Adelaide.[6]

In 2011, appeared in transumer: deviate from the norm at the Waterside Hall, Port Adelaide.[6]

In 2012, she played all "the other roles" in the play Truck Stop, including a doctor, counsellor, mother, and grungy teenage boy.[16][17]

She played one of the lead roles in Theatre Republic's The Bleeding Tree,[5] which was first staged at Tandanya in 2020, and again in 2022, after the hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia, at the Space Theatre.[3]

Films and TV

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Carapetis has acted in several feature films, including Look Both Ways (2005) and Bad Blood (2017).[18] She featured in a small but effective role in the 2009 Adelaide film Offside.[1]

She is also known for her work in television series, including Heartbreak High (1998–1999), All Saints (2000–2009), and The Hunting (2019).[18] The Hunting won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-Series/Telemovie in the 10th annual Equity Ensemble Awards in 2020.[19] She also appeared in the first series of Aftertaste (ep.4, February 2021), as Vassiliki.[20][21]

Voice

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She has worked extensively as a voice-over artist on advertising campaigns, including for Commonwealth Bank, Sunday Mail, and Stone's Ginger Beer, and for corporate videos.[22]

Writing

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Carapetis cites American playwright Arthur Miller as the writer who has influenced her most in her writing.[1]

Stage plays

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Carapetis wrote the stage play Helen Back in 2011, which is about "the commodification of beauty and the pressure on women to remain beautiful and youthful".[1] The play made the shortlist for the Jill Blewett Playwright's Award[23] at the 2012 Adelaide Festival Awards[24][25] and was performed in Adelaide and Melbourne.[6]

Her play The Good Son had its world premiere at the Bakehouse Theatre in April 2015. Presented by The Other Ones, it was directed by Corey McMahon, and featured Eugenia Fragos, Renato Musolino, Adriana Bonaccurso, and Demitrios Sirilas.[26][27]

The Gods of Strangers, set in Port Pirie, is based on the oral histories of Greek, Cypriot and Italian people who migrated to regional South Australia after World War II. It was staged by the State Theatre Company South Australia in 2018,[28][29] playing at the Dunstan Playhouse in Adelaide as well as in Port Pirie. It was also filmed by local production company KOJO and intended to be shown by Country Arts SA in regional cinemas in 2020, but it was later shown online owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Australia.[30]

Carapetis' rewritten version of Antigone, described as a response to the original written by Sophocles, portrays a feminist theme. The play consists of a series of monologues and vignettes, which together rail against the silencing and devaluing of women in society. The play was produced by the State Theatre Company of South Australia, directed by Anthony Nicola, at the Odeon Theatre in Norwood in June 2022.[21]

Film and TV

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In 2007, a script written by Carapetis was selected out of 1,700 submissions as an episode of the 25x5min series Marx and Venus on the SBS.[31]

Carapetis wrote and directed the short film Blame the Rabbit, which was shown at the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival.[32] Based on the Greek myth of the Gorgon and described as a cautionary tale, it is intended as "the first of a trilogy based on a Greek myth or tragedy that looks at the objectification of women".[33]

Current occupation

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As of January 2024, Carapetis is working as a story consultant at producer Lisa Scott's film production company Highview Productions, based at the South Australian Film Corporation. She has been commissioned to write a major work for STCSA's 2024 season.[5]

Personal life

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Carapetis loves dogs and as of 2022 has a labradoodle. She loves reading, knitting, music (especially Kate Bush), and cooking Greek food for her friends.[3]

Filmography

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Feature films

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Short films

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  • The Pyjama Monologues (2012) – Helen[34]
  • Dusk (2008)[35]
  • Frames (2004) – Eva[36]

TV

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Carapatis, Elena (14 February 2013). "Interview with Elena Carapetis". Adelaide Screenwriter (Interview). Interviewed by Sheppard, Henry. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Untold migrant stories reawakened on Port Pirie stage". South Australian News. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Carapatis, Elena (19 August 2022). "'I wanted to give audiences that feeling of being seen and understood'". SALIFE (Interview). Interviewed by Rice, Zoe. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. ^ "All Alumni". NIDA. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024. (Search by name)
  5. ^ a b c "About". Highview Productions. 22 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Elena Carapetis at AusStage
  7. ^ "Translations – The Adelaide review". Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  8. ^ "Hot Fudge – State Theatre Company of South Australia". Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Greek Festival of Sydney". Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  10. ^ "It's A Mother! – Melbourne International Comedy Festival". Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  11. ^ "It's A Mother! – Sidetrack Performance Group". Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  12. ^ It's A Mother! – Melbourne
  13. ^ "Translations – Malthouse Theatre". Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  14. ^ "This Uncharted Hour – The Adelaide Festival Centre". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  15. ^ The Things We Do For Love – Dunstan Playhouse
  16. ^ Australian Stage, 9 June 2012
  17. ^ Schoolgirls play who dares sins – The Age, 18 May 2012
  18. ^ a b Elena Carapetis at IMDb
  19. ^ "'The Family Law,' 'The Heights' and 'The Hunting' win Equity Ensemble Awards". IF Magazine. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Australian Television: Aftertaste: episode guide: 1.04". Australian Television Information Archive. 30 October 1998. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b Mead, Rachael (2 June 2022). "Theatre review: Antigone". InDaily. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  22. ^ International Casting Services & Associates
  23. ^ Keen, Suzie (23 June 2020). "Listen up for some cutting-edge drama". CityMag. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  24. ^ Readings – 7 February 2012
  25. ^ The Australian, Books prizes: let the games begin Archived 14 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine – 6 February 2012
  26. ^ Keen, Suzie (25 March 2015). "Adelaide actress pens an 'Australian tragedy'". InDaily. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  27. ^ "The Good Son | the Bakehouse Theatre".
  28. ^ McLean, CJ (17 November 2018). "Theatre Review: The Gods of Strangers". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  29. ^ Carapetis, Elena (17 January 2019). "The Gods Of Strangers". State Theatre Company. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  30. ^ Marsh, Walter (19 June 2020). "The Gods of Strangers to return for online season". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Marx and Venus – a script written by Elena Carapetis" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  32. ^ "Blame the Rabbit". Adelaide Film Festival. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  33. ^ Keen, Suzie (20 October 2023). "SA screen talent shines in these three intriguing new films". InReview. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  34. ^ IMDb – The Pyjama Monologues
  35. ^ IMDb – Dusk
  36. ^ IMDb – Frames
  37. ^ IMDb – Poh's Kitchen
  38. ^ IMDb – Wicked Love: The Maria Korp Story
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