My story
Angus Temrak is an Australian-born artist whose work bridges storytelling, performance, and craftsmanship. As an actor, writer, producer, and mask maker, Angus uses his diverse background and international experiences to create theatre that connects cultures and provokes thought. Passionate, curious, and driven by a desire to tell meaningful stories, Angus blends creative intuition with practical know-how to turn ideas into reality.
Born in Australia but quickly moved to the countryside of Thailand. Angus grew up in a household shaped by contrast: a business-focused, strict Thai father and a kind, sensitive Australian mother. After his parents' separation, Angus and his mother returned to Australia, where he spent his childhood in a small coastal town. There, he struggled to fit in — his darker skin and dyslexia set him apart from his peers, but these early challenges sparked his creative journey and his pursuit of an unconventional path.
Angus attended four different schools, including Catholic, Steiner, public schools, and early education in Thailand. Despite his clashes with traditional education, his hunger for knowledge led him to Japan on a one-way ticket, where he worked in the countryside, learned Japanese, and later moved to Tokyo. There, he began acting in commercials and on TV before traveling through Southeast Asia and returning to Australia to study at the Sydney Theatre School. He completed a two-year diploma in performing arts. Facing a competitive industry, Angus began producing his own theatre work, creating opportunities for himself and others.
His dedication to his craft led him to Italy, where he studied at the Atelier theatre school under master mask maker Matteo Destro. There, Angus learned the art of mask theatre, inspiring him to write and stage a reimagined Greek tragedy that was well received in Sydney.
His performance journey began in community theatre, where he worked across roles as a stage manager, street performer, and actor. He went on to train at Sydney Theatre School, performing in a range of classical and contemporary works, including Macbeth, Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet. This period established a strong foundation in text, ensemble work, and disciplined stage practice.
​
A pivotal shift occurred when Angus travelled to Europe and encountered mask theatre. Deeply inspired by its expressive power and physical precision, he undertook formal training in Italy at the Atelier School, studying under renowned mask-maker and pedagogue Matteo Destro. There, Angus learned the complete process of traditional mask-making—from clay sculpting to stage application—developing an understanding that masks are not static objects but instruments of movement, rhythm, and transformation. He continues to study with Destro and regards him as a long-term mentor.
​
​
​​
Returning to Australia, Angus took the bold step of creating and producing his own one-man mask theatre work: a reimagining of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. Rare within the Australian theatre landscape, the production blended myth with personal reflection, using mask and storytelling to explore fate, identity, and generational trauma. The work was produced independently in Sydney and praised for its originality, emotional depth, and theatrical clarity.
​