Fusion Directors
Ben Douglas
Ben Douglas, is the founder and creative director of Fusion.
Ben started out in show business at the age of six, working in the theatre, on advertisements and as a television presenter. He won rave reviews playing the Butler Drake in 'Annie' and presented Owl TV with Michaela Strachan as well as acting in 'The Labours of Erica' with Brenda Blethyn. After training at Arts Educational and the Rambert School of Ballet he worked as a dancer before being snapped up by Granada to be their social commentator on Livetime and co-present Sixtalk with Esther Mcvey. He also presented Perfect Parenting with Sharon Davis. In 1999 Ben expanded into the printed media and is now a fixture on the international party circuit, reporting from such glittering events as the Oscars, the Venice Film Festival and the Baftas. He is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, OK! Magazine, Hello, the Sunday Times and many others. As a lifestyle commentator and friend of the stars he has been the subject of articles in numerous magazines including Elle, In Style and The Stage. Along with 'It Girl' Clare Beckwith he was an Ambassador for the British Luxury Council. A passionate campaigner on youth issues, he was until recently a member of the London Appeals Board of the NSPCC.
Shanthini Venugopal
Shanthini Venugopal has been in the theatre industry for over 20 years. She is a singer, actor, director, and teacher. She has free-lanced as a producer, stage manager, props and front of house for various theatre companies in Malaysia since 1981. She attended theatre training courses at Odin theatret in Denmark in 2001 and 2005. Her own theatre company The Jumping JellyBeans (JJB), was formed in 2000 specializing in productions for children.
JJB's work is supported by Nestle Malaysia and HSBC in the Arts.
JJB has performed extensively throughout Malaysia, England, Denmark, Australia and has participated in International Children's Theatre festivals in Iran, Singapore, India and Germany. She can also be heard on radio and TV commercials doing voice-overs and jingles. She acted in the Hollywood movie 'Anna and the King' co-starring with Jodie Foster and Chow Yuen Fatt in 1999. She shares her theatre training with students with learning disabilities, Multi Media University and International schools. The Jumping JellyBeans work with special needs was recognized by the theatre community in Malaysia and they were awarded the Cameronian Awards for 'Best Community Arts project' in 2005 sponsored by The British Council Malaysia. As part of the prize, JJB had the opportunity to spend 10 days in the United Kingdom working with theatre groups there who did similar work with special needs youth and adults. This was a great opportunity for a cultural exchange and JJB brought back a wealth of information upon their return and incorporated some of these training techniques.
She also conducts theatre workshops and seminars for adults. Shanthini is a pioneer member of The Instant Cafe Theatre Co. since 1989 and still performs in their revue type shows.
Sabera Shaik
Sabera Shaik is a well-known Malaysian Theatre figure who has acted in diverse roles in the performing arts in Malaysia, Singapore, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Bali. Sabera is considered one of the most versatile actresses in the country, having performed in a wide range of works.
Following some years of ensemble acting, Sabera Shaik now concentrates on directing major productions, and acting in one-woman plays in which she excels. She has been hailed as a sensitive and mesmerizing actor, expert in a range of emotional roles and situations.
For her 2006 international tour of India and Indonesia, she has chosen a trio of challenging works:
In the Name of Love, by the acclaimed dancer Ramli Ibrahim, is a trilogy of one-woman plays (Sarasa, about Mother Love; Mak Su, about the love of a Mak Yong dancer for her art; and Deena, about her love of Bridge, Chocolate and Toy-Boys!) written especially for her, dealing with obsessive love in its various forms.
Her own theatre company, Masakini Theatre, began by producing some of her own written works which have had a powerful impact on theatre in Malaysia. "Lady Swettenham" (Sabera Shaik) in two separate productions, was hailed as 'world class', and "My Bollywood Summer" (Sabera Shaik), which introduced a cast of young experienced actors, dancers and singers into the genre of the "musical", was acclaimed as a major breakthrough for Malaysian theatre.
Recent productions have been Alan Bennett's "Habeas Corpus" in which she took the role of Mrs Wicksteed, and "Happy Days", a joint production with an associate theatre company, and which joined the international celebrations for the Samuel Beckett 100th Anniversary Year in 2006. This was in conjunction with two intense weeks of Beckett Workshops with Irish Beckett expert Sarahjane Scaife, funded by the Irish Embassy. Sabera Shaik's latest production was URMI, based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, which she also will direct. This spectacle which she directed garnered very positive reviews from all quarters.
Her major productions are sponsored by HSBC and also the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
Frequent visits to Europe, America, India and Australia have enabled Sabera to have a rare overview of international theatre activities for creative work, acting, design, lighting, costumes and general mis-en-scene.
How Wei Thing
Wei is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
She started her professional career as an accountant in the United Kingdom. Since then her experience has included working with a merchant bank and various global sales and marketing companies.
Kim How
In her span of 20+ years of working experience mainly in the sales and marketing capacity, Kim has the opportunity to be associated with local and multinational companies dealing with products and services in the hospitality industry and consumer products that include household, beauty and children's educational tools.
Until recently, Kim was a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. Having spent most of her working years in a people-oriented industry, she is also well versed with event organising and coordination work.
Being a mother of three lovely children, two in universities and one in secondary school, Kim has always been passionate that children learn best through structured play and she believes that performing arts is one of them.
