How are you all in the New Year? Because it looks like the world is on fire and the lyrics of my song are getting more and more true every day unfortunatelyโฆ
On the 1st of February at 5pm me and Yavenirie Amok are playing in Hope and Anchor in Islington a gig organised by The London Music Showcase!! Itโs our first time with this lovely promotor and we will be doing a bit different theatrical music set so please come to this modern ritual and experience some fantastic sounds from:
Please make sure you are booking a ticket for our band, not a general admission !!!
Also recently weโve got a review of our new song Obelisque Queen !!!
Some rather fantastic words from Ana Exposito appeared in popular music magazine Loud Women leaving us shocked and thrilled!! And that title!!! Check some more of it – full review here:
I am happy to finally share that the 2025 ended up on a high note for me!
I received a Best Actress 2025 Annual Award on Bridge Fest film festival in Vancouver for our film We Go Again by Jolliffe Productions along my co-star Charlotte Chiew and Annabelle Lanyon who received the award in Supporting Actress category.
Our film also received the Annual Award for Best Screenplay- congratulations Tom! ๐๐.
Canโt wait for the release date later this year ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ
Also on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok as music for your posts and stories!
Feel free to let me know what you think!!!
I am here for all the feedback!!!
Also please give my band Yavenirie Amok a follow on all the platforms you can โ it will help us get a momentum and let as many people as we can know about the new song:
If youโd like to write a review of Obelisque Queen song or play it on your playlist or radio show โ please get in touch!!!!
Just remember that:
Obelisque Queen song snarls at the decay of modern society. In a blasรฉ, gold-plated, wallowing in a pomp and splendour court rotting from the inside out, truth is the one thing nobody wants to hear. Only the artist dares to spit it back in their faces โ a debased royal jester, beaten down for every word yet growing louder, sharper, unstoppable. A rebel voice rising from the gutter to shake the kingdom awake.
And Yavenirie Amok is here to jolt people out of their sleepwalk, to rattle the stiff cages of social norms, to lure you out of your comfort zone and into something strange, raw, and unforgettable. We make music which crawls under your skin and rearranges your soul.
IF THAT IS YOUR THING โ GO GIVE IT A LISTEN!!!!!
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All the best for the New Year everyone, have a blast!
I had new headshots and full body shots made by Jennifer Evans recently.
She is very good to work with, fair price and a quick turnaround. She is based in Lewisham and you get to do some pictures outside and some inside. I am very happy with the results.
The Witcher 4 is out! It was a pleasure to be part of this scene! Very inspiring acting wise and generally fun ๐
Watch the episode 3 especially, my favourite character of the Priest is doing an amazing job, just like in the books ๐ป
Those 3 days in the fields on Farnham were also incredible because of the beautiful location of Waverley Abbey and itโs famous monastery ruins with an ancient tree. Unforgettable memories !
Sword fighting with vikings, punching faces, getting punched, kicking demons, spitting and eating fire , shooting arrows at lost hikers and breaking bones while dancing nicely on the graves of my enemies – thatโs me in my full potential ๐คฃ Enjoy some action scenes from my recent films!
In my reel I cut the scenes from Viking Revenge, Cannibal Troll, Defenders Eternal, and Salty Fist features, from We Bring The Breed dance show, Something Is Coming and Blight music videos, Gold dance show and from some pro clips of performing my fire show.
This last week was absolutely crazy – I filmed my acting/dancing role as Aaliyah on โResonant Bloomโ film by Qinwei Hu and Jingjing Li. Absolute dream of a job with beautiful locations, great crew, brilliant acting partner and a challenging and emotional part.
I also worked as an intimacy coordinator on โHunger Beneath the Moonlightโ film by Francesco Gabriele , such a great team to work with!
Part of the week were also a gig with my band Yavenirie Amok , training my dance solo in a park and a murder mystery event where I played an actress (!) and a suspect in a murder of a famous painter.
Tired but so grateful for a full week of performing.
Also – please sign up to my newsletter if you want to get updates on my adventures :
I am so happy to announce that I have been cast as Aaliyah in the film Resonant Bloom by Qinwei Hu and Jingjing Li.
Filming is underway in some beautiful locations like the Rose Theatre in Kingston where I get to live my dream of dancing on a big theatre stage. The film should be out later this year.
Big thanks to the producer, director, all the crew and my dancing partner Ruby.
Also another announcement – I am playing with my band Yavenirie Amok our last gig this summer in Biddle Bros in Hackney on the 18th of July. Itโs a free entry so please come along if you fancy some original mystery rock music.
From a behind the scenes still to a poster: DONALD BIT ME feature by Darryl Kelly is coming out this year so brace yourselves!
Great poster art by Brianna Miller!
The film is on a finish line of the post-production.
Written and directed by crazy fantastic Darryl Kelly, the whole thing was shot with amazing cast and crew quite a while ago in south-west London. I will not disclose our location just yet so I donโt give away the plot line but just wait for the trailer ๐
And yes thatโs me holding a man-puppet ๐
Watch this space for more info and sign up to my newsletter for extended behind the scenes updates of making movies and shows, reviews, news and real life talk: zuzatehanu.co.uk/subscribe
I share more via email than on social media!
Also: I am playing a gig with my band on the 29th of June in The Good Mixer in Camden, for more info go to Yaveniriemusic.wordpress.com
My agent is sadly closing doors of her agency so I had to jump ship pretty quickly ๐.
In this industry you never know what will happen tomorrow. You think you have a solid agent one day and the next they have to close business because itโs so tough out there and you have 2 weeks to find a new agentโฆ.
I am very grateful to Mel from Chaos Acting Management for all her hard work and her coaching and support. Thatโs what happens quite often in this industry – a change. We need to be ready for it.
But this time also the situation is teaching me something new. Last time when I left my agent in very different circumstances I was in a state of panic, I felt like a failure and from this space of mind I sent almost 100 emails looking for a new representation and I had NO positive response. Mel responded to my pity-post on Twitter ๐ and took me in. I was so grateful because she was the only one who decided to give me a chance in that moment and it helped me just feel better about myself and the industry as a whole.
This time was completely different. From the moment I heard the agency is closing I felt that itโs gonna be alright ๐. I sent around 10 emails and although no one responded I still felt itโs fine and it will resolve itself somehow. Then the day before agency closing came and my dear friend (thank you ๐) when heard I m still without new representation offered to contact his agent. The next day I got signed, it took a 1-minute phone call :-). So I didnโt even miss a day.
Different mindset ๐different results.
I am now represented by Imperial Artists Agency, very honoured to be part of the team and to have Robert as my agent ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ.
Feeling also very grateful for this smooth transition and looking forward to new adventures ๐๐๐๐ค
This Saturday the 26th of April I am playing a gig with my band Yavenirie Amok organised by amazing @bandupuk community at The Victoria in Dalston.
Weโll be playing completely different songs this time, a special , more folky and experimental set so if you heard us before do come again!
Tickets are ยฃ10 online, they are cheaper online than on the door so book in advance if you want to come please, it will also help us with organising the gig ๐
Yesterday I was sent a great article – interview with Teodor Dore, the composer of Rachmaninov Variations album on which I read a letter from an Ukrainian refugee.
I am so grateful for the mention and for Teodoreโs kind words, this project is very special and close to my heart because of the w*r and the obvious social and political consequences of it all.
Please listen to the whole album if you get a chance:
The article came just before the World Theatre Day which is also a very special day for me as it took me a long time to call myself an actress and see myself as part of the performance industry. So itโs a good reminder where I got in my journey.
Sending you all warm wishes with a bit of a holiday vibe going on ๐
I was awarded BEST ACTRESS on Bridge Film Festival in Vancouver in Canada for our film WE GO AGAIN!
Our movie also won Best Feature and Best Screenplay and my acting partner Charlotte Chiew and Annabelle Lanyon won awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress!
I am very happy and proud to be part of this production, well done to all involved and big love to my fellow actresses, actors , our writer and Producer Tom and director Oliver from Jolliffe Productions for making it happen!
Tomorrow March the 7th at 2:30pm Uk time I will be live on Quest Radio, on Shrimp Radio program, talking about my band Yavenirie Amok, they will also play our song Fire, tune in!!
The album Rachmaninoff Variations by Teodor Dore is out now! New found pieces by Rachmaninoff plus four letters from refugees with the last one on track number 7 read by me ๐ I had a pleasure of working on this inspiring album last year with a fantastic group of artists, big thanks to Victoria and Teodor for choosing me to read this beautiful and very moving text. I hope this work brings inspiration and hope for freedom to all!
From Teodor Dore: The album that began to take shape in Barcelona in 2022, inspired by the diaries of Sergei Rachmaninoff, was recorded a year later at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. It has now been released under DAG Classical, the largest classical music label in South America.
The albumโs launch was celebrated worldwide as part of an international tour. My heartfelt gratitude to every member of the team who stood by me throughout this entire journey!
โIn art, to understand something is to love it,โ Rachmaninoff once wrote. May love and art be the driving force that unites us all!
My song FIRE by my band Yavenirie Amok will be on a radio tonight at 8-11pm Uk time!!
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS!!!! Tomorrow Tuesday the 25th of February 2025 is the day our song will be played on a radio FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! The lucky โฆ
Finally a thorough and in-depth review of our show The World Of Yesterday. I wasnโt even surprised when I read it and saw that the reviewer from the Eastern European Arts platform Izba Arts, on the contrary to many others that came to see our show, was not confused, surprised and resentful by our show but approached it with curiosity, open mind and experience and knowledge of a different types of theatre making.
Eastern European influenced theatre differs greatly from the Western, especially British one and what I often came across in my own as well as other Eastern European theatre works is this incomprehension of the ways itโs made and tools that are chosen to make it. If the story is non linear, even a little bit surreal and varies from a typical script-based story telling it is met with bewilderment and often dismissed. I blame the lack of context, especially historical, cultural but also perhaps low exposure to variety of theatre making in a whole world which would loosen a bit the traditional format through which the Eastern European creators are perceived.
The differences between the Eastern and Western European theatre and the reasons for it are a great subject for a next blog post which is coming shortly so watch this space.
I am playing tonight with my band Yavenirie Amok in The Beehive in Bow, London at 6pm.
Book your ticket if you want to catch us playing my original songs tonight โฅ๏ธ
The whole interesting story of booking this gig is coming in the next post on my bandโs newsletter! Right now I want to express my gratitude to all the people supporting us, sharing our music, signing up to our Newsletter and reaching out to us with the words of advice and support.
I am also so happy to be seeing some of you tonight. Thank you so much for buying the tickets, remember that we are playing at 6pm and only for 30 min so if you come at 6:30 you will miss us ๐
We are the first in the line up and after there are 6 amazing bands so come early and stay for a beer with us to listen to all of them!
We finished The World Of Yesterday play just a week ago and the life is already speeding up, pulling me in so many different directions that itโs hard to stop and reflect on what actually happened that week.
Well we played a show, twice!
The space was small, much smaller than we expected and were used to but we made it work (somehow).
Was it stressful? – obviously.
Was it amazing to be on stage again and become many different characters, and sing and dance, and almost cry, and be part of this moving machine which is the company, even only for one hour – absolutely.
Thatโs what itโs like in this business.
Often uncomfortable, never perfect, never 100% how we want it to be, always under rehearsed, with lots of pressure, last minute changes and green room dramas.
But we do come back to that place on stage, to that moment, to this feeling. We never have enough of it. Even if we are frustrated – it passes and then we try again and again.
And we dream about big stages with strong lights, full audiences and spatial mirrored changing rooms, we dream about it being our one and only, well paid job.
And we do it underpaid or for free, in tiny cupboard changing rooms, with one mirror for 10 people and one toilet, with 15 minutes at the end for changing, packing costumes and all the set up of the microscopic size stage, we do it anyway, because itโs LOVE.
The World Of Yesterday was a very short meeting of more than 10 talented people with dreams of a life different than their own. People of synchronised passions, of enough space inside themselves to compromise, be patient, let go and handle rejection, and enough energy to keep going, offer their own thoughts and feelings, deal with stress and dramas and still, despite everything, love what they are doing.
Is it incredible ? – yes
Is it impossible? – yes it is.
All actors and other creatives know what I mean but I feel that we are not talking about it enough with the wider public.
With the people who often look at us from an outside, who come and enjoy the show but maybe donโt know exactly how that happens that it comes to life. Who donโt follow us on our every day journey to rehearsals through the chains of tube and trains, through frustration and revelation moments. But mostly trains.
Who often donโt know how many times we wanted to give up, kick this life in a butt and slide into a comfort of a 9-5 bank job.
And how many times we didnโt and all those times made this show happen.
All those times we didnโt give up created a moment for all of us to share on that one evening.
This post was supposed to be about reviews because for many years I chased the reviewers for their feedback, for this star of validation of our temporary creation.
Because I thought that the art to be shown publicly has be GOOD, in opinions of others GOOD. That reviewers needed to like our play, announce it online on their blogs and then it would matter, then we would be welcomed in the circle of artists who are allowed to create MORE.
But that was before, years before even.
Now, after all the effort and life troubles of recent years, I am proud and grateful that we can just DO it, that we can make it happen. I know so many people donโt have that luxury.
Between everyoneโs jobs, lack of funding for arts, lack of time and lack of money in peopleโs pockets to buy a ticket we still managed to create a show in a few months, perform it on a festival and sell it out on the last night.
Itโs a success despite what anyone thought about the show. Itโs a success because it was made, it had an imprint on our material plane and in peopleโs minds and hearts and wasnโt, like in so many other cases, just a thought, just an unfulfilled dream and thatโs it.
My big and warm thanks to our director Anya Ostrovskaia for making it happen and to all the cast and crew for sticking with her.
Last show of The World Of Yesterday is done!! Thank you everyone for coming to watch us โฅ๏ธ Special thanks to my friends Malwina and John who came to support me despite the cold weather and middle of the week kind of evening.
Big thanks to the whole amazing cast Adam Hypki, Zora Owen, Yanina Hope, Abraham Kleinman, Tanya Lyalina, Pini Brown and our director Anya Ostrovskaia, producer Jack Carr, designer Shahaf Beer, movement director Mari Camiloti, costume designer Carolyn Corben and photographers Valya Korabelnikova and Lucyna Kaniecka.
Also thank you Paulina Palian Design for the beautiful dress that I am wearing in the show.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to Voila Festival for choosing our show, that was my first time performing as part of the festival and also first time in Camdenโs People Theatre.
It was a pleasure working with you all!
I am not sure what are the further plans for the play but I will keep you updated if there are any more performances.
Last two shows of THE WORLD OF YESTERDAY directed by Anya Ostrovskaia are coming to Camdenโs People Theatre as part of the Voila Festival on the 19th and 20th of November at 7pm, tickets are almost gone so if you want to come better hurry and get them now ๐
We are back with The World Of Yesterday by Anya Ostrovskaia in Camdenโs People Theatre on Voila Fest on the 19th and 20th of November, get your tickets now if you want to see our show!
British Urban Film Festival Awards evening was very touching and eventful!
Thank you for the invitation and nomination for the Best Script Supervision for our film The Intruders by James Kentfield, so proud of all the cast and crew!!!
Thank you James and Pat for inviting me to come along โฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธ
Our film WE GO AGAIN started a festival run with a selection for Direct Monthly Online Film Festival this month ๐ Big thanks to the organisers and well done to all cast and crew ๐๐๐ More festivals coming next year!!!
The Intruders film by James Kentfield in which I play the role of Zuzanna will be screened in Genesis Cinema in London as part of British Urban Film Festival on the 23rd of October at 8:30pm. Big congratulations to all cast and crew!!!
We finished our run of The World Of Yesterday on Camden Fringe!!
Big thanks to all the cast Adam Hypki ,Zora Owen, Yanina Hope, Nadav Antman Ron, Tanya Lyalina, Pini, our director Anna Ostrovskaia and producer Jack Carr, movement director Mari Camiloti and costume designer Caroline, it was great working with you!
Also huge thanks you to Liberal Jewish Synagogue and Artfix London for offering their space for rehearsals and to our wonderful photographers @valya_korabelnikova and Lucyna Kaniecka , thank you to Eddie Saint-Jean, @lostintheatreland for reviews and interviews and to The Courtyard Theatre and The Camden Fringe for having us ! โฅ๏ธ๐๐
Very grateful to every single person who came to see our show!
One of the roles I am playing in the wartime drama The World Of Yesterday is Theodor Herzl, come to see us perform for just 2 more evenings at The Courtyard Theatre, part of The Camden Fringe, donโt miss it! Pictures by Lucyna Kaniecka
Day 3 of The Camden Fringe is done, 3 shows to go! Itโs been an emotional few weeks building up to the Premiere of The World Of Yesterday but now we are more grounded and settled in our show ๐
I recorded this song with my band Yavenirie Amok Singing: Zuza Tehanu, Guitar: Tomasz Brajter, Drums: Jan Folga, lyrics based on writing of Stefan Zweig, Eastern European arranged folk song
We are performing The World Of Yesterday in 3 days!!!
Come to The Courtyard Theatre on the 20-25 at 6pm to find out what is this all about.
20-25 August at 6pm in The Courtyard Theatre part of The Camden Fringe , based on writings of Stefan Zweig directed by Anya Ostrovskaia with amazing cast @zora.owen @nadav_antmanron @yaninahope Adam Hypki and @lyalyatanina
Today in a beautiful ceremony we said goodbye to dear Johnny Tait who passed away tragically on the 2nd of July.
Johnny was the writer and director of Naked Truth, the last play we worked together on, his passing cut short our big plans to take it to Bedford Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and West End.
Stage was his huge love and passion but life had other plans, you never know whatโs going to happen tomorrow.
Rest In Peace Johnny, thank you for the time we spent together, working on your last play and performing it on stage, grateful to meet you and to work with you. You and your work will never be forgotten!
We paid a tribute to Johnny and his work in my recent interview led by Adrian Doughty – you can watch it here:
Take a look at our beautiful poster for WE GO AGAIN drama feature. The music score and the whole post production is now in the works getting ready for 2025 festivals so watch this space for updates! Written by Tom Jolliffe, Directed by Oliver Jolliffe of Jolliffe Productions With Charlotte Chiew, Annabelle Lanyon, Amy Jim and Nathan Shepka.
From the audition tape to being cast in this political and unapologetic controversial play based on the writings of Stefan Zweig, a play that provokes and rises uncomfortable issues of division, nationalism and hatred that are also so vividly present in our modern times. Come see us!
We wrapped another day of filming of #DJKill in Islington Studios on the hottest day of the year! This time I was doing a movement direction for the fight scenes. It was great to work with our lovely team again Peter Irving, Caroline Oakes, Andrea Rose, Tristan Pretty, DOP Jim Groom and director Anton Makon.
I just got cast in a new theatre project coming to Camden Fringe this August!!! Very happy!
I will reveal all the details together with a poster for my latest film in my tonightโs interview led by Adrian Doughty! Come to YouTube at 8pm tonight everyone!!! Going live in 2 hours! ๐๐๐
This Wednesday the 17th at 8pm Uk time I will be interviewed by Adrian Doughty on The Uk Comedy Chanel. We will talk about my life, my work and we will also pay tribute to late Johnny Tait , writer and director of my last play who had his interview with Adrian just a few weeks ago.
We wrapped the filming on We Go Again drama! Our feature is now going into post production slowly taking its final shape.
It was an amazing experience working with Tom and Oliver Jolliffe @jolliffeproductions and with amazing actresses Charlotte Chiew @charlottechiewvoiceover Annabelle Lanyon @annabellelanyon and Amy Jim @amy.jim.actress .
I feel we really made something special, a story about a relationship but also about a neurodivergent people struggling with life and with each other. Watch this space for more updates.
Zapraszam serdecznie na mรณj wywiad na ลผywo 15go Lipca o godzinie 20:00 czasu polskiego (19:00 w Uk) prowadzony przez Sylwiฤ Kaczmarek z Laboratorium Meisnera w ktรณrym opowiem o mojej metodzie pracy i zdradze pare sekretรณw jak buduje postaฤ i przygotowuje siฤ do pracy nad filmem bฤ dลบ sztuka teatralna.
Ustaw przypomnienie na YouTube ๐
I will have a live interview with Sylwia Kaczmarek from Laboratorium Meisnera in which I will talk about my work and my preparation for the role in film or theatre. I will also share a few tips on how to build the character and work on the script before going on set, stage or filming a self tape.
The interview will be in Polish but will be available to watch with English subtitles shortly after LIVE.
Here is an interview with Tom Jolliffe, the writer and producer of our feature WE GO AGAIN in which I play MARIE.
I was waiting to work with Tom for a good few years and Iโm happy that it finally came to fruition in such an incredible project!
Tom is also talking about his other projects Cinderella Revenge that is having a global release around the world right now and Baby in The Basket which is entering festival stage.
I am very happy to finally share that I have been cast in the lead role of MARIE in โWE GO AGAINโ lgbt drama feature written and produced by Tom Jolliffe and directed by Oliver Jolliffe along my wonderful colleagues Charlotte Chiew, Annabelle Lanyon (Legend by Ridley Scott ๐), Amy Jim and Nathan Shepka.
Filming is underway and should be finished by the end of summer. Truly grateful for this opportunity as I feel we are creating a beautiful and profound story.
Come to Biddle Bros in Clapton, Hackney on the 23rd of May for a free gig! I am playing with my band Yavenirie Amok . We are headlining two fantastic bands Japanese Sports Bra and Ditsea Yella. Start at 8pm!
Big thanks to Nick from Sad House Daddy for inviting us to play!
Last Saturdayโs show of Naked Truth in Welwyn Civic Centre was a huge success! Almost sold out, full audience and well received! Check out great pictures below!!
If thatโs not going to bring you to our show then I donโt know what will! The Assassin is waiting for you along the rest of the characters of Naked Truth play on the 4th of May in Welwyn Civic Centre, we are opening at 7pm and there are still some tickets left.
Itโs only 30min by train from Kings Cross so come along to the beautiful countryside to watch our dark comedy about a modern celebrity culture before we go to Edinburgh Fringe.
So much is happening right now! Our play Naked Truth is opening on the 4th of May in Welwyn Civic Centre and here is a nice little article about us in Welwyn Hatfield Times ๐
Also there will be an appearance of our writer/director Johnny Tait on BBC3 radio this Friday the 19th at 8:20am where he will be chatting about the play and our future plans for it so tune in and buy your ticket if you want to see us before we go to Edinburgh Fringe ๐
Zuza Tehanu 