MANNY'S STORY
Manuel (Manny) Esteban Asztalos was born in 1961.
Formerly a semi-professional sunbather and rock musician, but now an academic and playwright best known for his 1993 play, Fossils.
Currently, he is the adjunct professor and academic dean at a private college when not standing in as a body double
for Billy Connolly.
FAVOURITE PASTIMES:
Enjoying his espressos with his gourmet chocolates.
Eating copious amounts of Chinese food and passing out for hours on end.
Collecting via eBay, which luckily Manny was introduced to by his best friend and number two cousin. Unfortunately, this has led him to develop AECD, Acute Eclectic Collector's Disorder which to this day he still suffers.
CAREER:
A graduate of Macquarie University, Manny spent his early career with
ATN Channel 7, on the production team for iconic Australian shows such as A Country Practice, Sons and Daughters, and Romper Room (his favourite). This was followed by an eclectic range of activities including production work with the government film unit, Health Media Productions, freelance camerawork and two years as drummer for the 1980's pub-rock band, Spyglass Guest.
A few years later Manny decided to write his first full-length play,
Déjà Vu in 1986, followed by a series of successful one-act plays:
Three Blind Mice (performed at Sydney's Bay Street Theatre in 1988)
Lady Lazarus (a short play based on the poetry of Sylvia Plath)
Take Five (performed in 1989 at the Festival of Human Values in Malaysia)
His one-act plays have been extensively performed, with many winning awards in Australian and international drama festivals. In 1988 and 1989 respectively, Manny also wrote two Theatre in Education plays, Learn Not To Burn (on skin cancer awareness, how ironic) and How On Earth, a play focusing on environmental issues. He also wrote a short film commissioned by Sydney Water (Brads Rad Adventure) which has now become a cult classic.
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