KESTREL FARIN LEAH

is an interdisciplinary performer and director and co-founder of Physical Plastic theatre project with composer and sound artist Yiannis Christofides. She has shown original work at Los Angeles venues such as: REDCAT; Human Resources; Blue Roof Studios; and Concord Space, as well as Rialto Theatre (CY); Theatro Polis/NiMAC (CY); On Bodies Festival (CY); Theatro Dentro (CY); Polyxoros Synergeio (CY); The Vail International Film Festival (US) and The Garage (US). She is a recipient of the New Music USA award for Physical Plastic’s devised work ALARM and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant for the solo work Touch(ed). She has participated in residencies including: The Watermill Center (US); Passerelle Centre d’art contemporain (FR); Knockdown Center (US); Theatro Polis/NiMAC (CY); and Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts (CY).

Kestrel has performed in such venues and festivals as Lincoln Center (US); REDCAT (US); 3LD (US); Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art (US); DO DISTURB at Palais de Tokyo (FR); Le Grand Palais (FR); Centre Pompidou, Malaga (ES); Nicosia International Festival (CY); Theatro Polis/NiMAC (CY); Denver Art Museum (US); BlackTina Festival (US); LAX Festival (US); Fahrenheit/FLAX Foundation (US); and Irondale Center (US).

Among the artists she has collaborated with are WaxFactory theater company, B. Dunn Movement, and LIDA Project; directors such as Paris Erotokritou, Maureen Huskey, Zoe Aja Moore, Kim Rubenstein, Kameron Steele, and Sheila Vand; and visual artists Julie Bena, Patty Chang, Dara Friedman, Emily Mast, Liz Toonkel, and Duchamp-prize-winner Julien Previeux (Kestrel was a primary collaborator on the awarded work What Shall We Do Next).

Kestrel has also appeared on television and in a number of independent/art films, starring in Emily Dean’s award-winning sci-fi short Andromeda.

She holds an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts (US) and a BS in Film and Television Production from Boston University (US). She dedicated 10 years to the Suzuki Method of Actor Training in the US and Japan, and is a qualified teacher of the methods of Theodoros Terzopoulos. She has taught for institutions and initiatives such as Rose Bruford College; Open Up EU; CalArts; The Watermill Center; Dancehouse Lefkosia; Tanzhaus Luzern; Nea Kinisi; and Cyprus Chamber of Fine Arts.

Kestrel’s writing on performance has been published in Riting journal and The Theatre Times, and is included in the book BEING WORK by Insert Blanc Press.