The Mora were the largest tactical military unit of the Spartan army. Mora is also a type of 19th-century Swedish longcase clock, as well as a Costa Rican drink consisting of blackberry juice, water and sugar.
But most importantly MORA is our theater company.
MORA is the amalgamation of our names Laura Hooper and Mark O’Neil, a husband and wife* writing and performing partnership from London, UK. (*We’re not really married). We tried a few different name combinations but LORK rhymes with DORK and MARKA sounds like a permanent ink pen. We also liked the way it sounds if you say it in an Italian accent…. we like-a theater and would like more-a of it.
“It was such fun to see my house transformed into a performance space, or rather, I should say, Sylvie Cranshaw’s kitchen. Sylvie cooked us up some delicious hors d’oeuvres, and then served it up with drama and humor! So glad to have had the MORA experience in our home.” Kitchen host, Brooklyn, November 2011
“Crumbs! Sylvie is an extraordinary cook, hostess and raconteur. She welcomes her guests into her home, her kitchen and her heart.” Audience member, Brooklyn, November 2011
Laura Hooper
Laura Hooper trained at East 15 Acting School in London, UK and HB Studios in New York.
Laura has ten years of professional experience performing in an array of British TV, film and theater productions. Television highlights include playing a girl with remote control legs in the BBC’s comedy sketch show Sorry I’ve Got No Head and being directed by David Baddiel (made famous by the BBC’s The Mary Whitehouse Experience) in Channel 4’s comedy detective show Titmorsch. Memorable theatrical moments include playing the Queen of Persia at The Kourian Ampitheatre in Cyprus; devising The Girl in the tango-inspired production Hothouse at The Arcola; bringing to life a host of characters for Miramax Films in Covent Garden’s HMV; improvising a show in a tent at the One on One Festival at the Battersea Arts Centre; and playing The Bride in Teatro Vivo’s first production of Supermarket Shakespeare in, um… a supermarket! A Teatro Vivo Creative Associate, Laura has produced and performed twelve of Teatro Vivo’s productions.
Laura developed, managed and performed in The Soubrettes, an a capella girl group that hosts private functions in a surprising, fun & vintage style. Laura also works as a choreographer for many UK theater companies. She is an ex-British Rhythmic Gymnastics champion.
Mark O’Neil
Like most people, Mark O’Neil began making stuff up during his childhood. His short stories, monologues and theater pieces have been performed in various venues in England, including the Blue Elephant Theatre, Waterstones bookshop in Central London and a flower shop in Hither Green. ‘A separation’, a piece of experimental fiction, was published in issue 3 of 20×20 Magazine in 2010. He is part of the Brick Lane writers circle in London and is currently writing a play a week under the tutelage of Julie McKee at HB Studios.
Previously their joint work has been created as part of UK based theater collective Teatro Vivo. But with Mark and Laura both now based in New York, they have decided to continue to work together as MORA.
For more detail about the show, visit the About section
