The Swan, The Werewolf and Gianpiero

A dark, physical, absurd, tango-themed comedy performed across multiple venues in upcoming months.

 

A backstage breakup between tango partners spirals into total chaos when Roxana ends her relationship with Mateo five minutes before their performance.

Their argument erupts onto the stage, where Gianpiero, an eccentric “artistic genius” of a director (and allegedly a descendant of Julius Caesar), decides to transform the disaster into his greatest masterpiece.

Gianpiero casts Mateo as a werewolf, Roxana as a swan, and begins manipulating them in front of a live audience.

What follows is a gloriously unhinged collision of Argentine tango, carefully crafted conspiracies and pure theatrical madness, led by a director who bows while the actors call an ambulance.

 

 

Poster design - Gabriela Lewandowska

Performances Dates & Tickets

Collab Theatre - 15th July at 20:00

Join us for a preview, followed by a Milonga.

Etcetera Theatre - 22nd-24th August

Performing as part of the Camden Fringe Festival

Playground Theatre - 12th & 15th November

Part of the official selection for Voila Festival

Cast & Director

James Wilkinson

Gianpiero

James Wilkinson is a Londoner born and raised. He studied medicine at Cambridge and currently works as a doctor in London. His passion for tango was sparked in his student years. Since then, he has travelled all over the world to share his love for the art form. Amongst other things, he likes to sing, perform comedy improv and occasionally bangs the drum at a Samba school. He performed as Gianpiero on stage at the Etcetera theatre in 2024 and also in the short film "Sleep".

Agata Nielsen

Roxana

Agata is an actress, writer, producer and the founder of Drama Queen Studios. She is the writer of  "The Swan, The Werewolf and Gianpiero". Last year, her short film "The Therapy Session" premiered at Raindance, where it won multiple awards. She's now working on her feature film script with Gregory Scott and other multiple projects. She's also applying her dance expertise to a new immersive play "Tango Night".

Esteban Mereles

Mateo

Esteban Mereles, italo-argentinian artist based in London. In 2019, he produced "Unlucky", the film screened in several film festivals around the world. He currently has a short film as writer-director) in post-production, "Not There". In 2023 he took part in "Tourmented Tango" and in 2024 “The Swan, the Werewolf and Gianpiero”.
His short film "Sleep" received an Honourable Mention in the category Best Short Short at the New Renaissance Film Festival 2025. "TangoxBallet" (writer-director) was selected for the 16th LANAFF in 2026.
He is currently working on an immersive experience looking to explore our future relationship with AI in our spaces.

Simon Coulthard

Director of the Play

Simon Coulthard is a British choreographer and director whose career spans performance and creative leadership across musical theatre in the UK and US. He began as a performer in major West End and national theatre productions during the 1990s and 2000s, appearing in shows including Grease, My Fair Lady, Mamma Mia!, Guys and Dolls, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Following a move to the United States, he transitioned into directing and choreography, with recent credits including Carousel and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton, Florida, and Vincent Simone's Tango Passion in 2025. He is represented by the Gilbert & Payne agency.

Extract from SWEETIES 2024