It's A Small World After All: Yure Covich

by carol

Yure Covich graduated in 2002 with NIDA fellow alumnus Alex O’Loughlin. Yure went on to earn his DipEd degree (Diploma in Education). He continues to live and work in Australia while Alex relocated to Hollywood. The two have remained good friends.

After reading about Yure, I now believe he has to be one of the busiest people in the country.

Holly Austin & Yure in Cloud Nine

Yure & Natasha McNamara in The Illusion

Yure has worked regularly as a tutor at NIDA and continues to act and direct around Australia. His acting abilities are often praised. In the 2010 production of Woyzeck,  a reviewer happily reported that “Yure Covich as the Drum Major is incredible, all blistering self confident hot machismo.” But don’t think he is all work and no play. Cast as Jack the Dog* in the 2002 premiere of Country Music, during rehearsal Yure (as the dog) pretended to hump other cast members legs - a joke he played with the same level of hilarity over and over and over again.

His teaching experiences include tutoring at NIDA, working with Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara Desert, and training teachers in Spain. As a member of The McDonald College faculty, Yure teaches acting and has directed the North Strathfield graduation plays. He is also a workshop facilitator for Medical Drama.

Representing NIDA, Yure has participated in the Michael Leslie Pilbara Performing Arts Program in that remote region of Western Australia. The program brings industry professionals from all over Australia to the Pilbara to run workshops in dance, acting, creative writing, and film for young people in these communities, including the indigenous population. Yure visited Karratha to help direct a play that a group of students had created by themselves for a Youth Arts Festival there.

"These are some of the best kids I've worked with,” stated Yure. "They're professional, they've got respect, they've got talent, they've got confidence, and they're not full of themselves like a lot of city artists."

Yure’s teaching extends beyond stage, film and TV acting. A children's charity, the Starlight Foundation, sponsors entertainers who portray Captain Starlight, a welcome visitor to hospitals who cheers up sick kids.

NIDA workshops for Captain Starlights help them learn movement, voice projection and how to improvise funny skits. Mostly they learn how to let go of their inhibitions so they can take children out of their hospital beds and into a fantasy world.  Captain Starlights play to a tough crowd. Many of the children have been in the hospital for months -- even years -- and some are terminally ill.

"If they believe what they are doing, the kids will believe it," says acting coach Yure Covich. "They can take them into a castle or a pirate ship, or into the belly of a whale."

So what are some of the “mad skills” Yure has to offer?

With a natural Australian accent, his Croatian background probably helped his accent skills which include American Standard, Bronx, Brooklyn, Californian, Caribbean, Cockney, English, French, German, Irish, Japanese, Mid Western, Russian, Scottish, Spanish, and Western.

Yure can demonstrate his language prowess in a baritone singing voice while performing stage combat, juggling, fencing, or abseiling.

There is one talent of Yure’s that I don’t believe has been seen onstage thus far in his career, he plays the Didgeridoo.

FEATURE FILMS:

2010	Mace in PANIC AT ROCK ISLAND; Channel 9 / Tony Tilse
2010	Sandanski in RED ROG; Kriv Stenders
2007	Math teacher in THE BLACK BALLOON; Black Balloon Productions / Tristan Miall
2005	Hans - German Cop in FEED; Feed Productions / Brett Leonard (Also starring Alex O'Lachlan)

TELEVISION:

2006	Isaac Crawford in ALL SAINTS;  Channel 7, Various
2005	Pascal in HOME & AWAY;  Channel 7, Various
2004	Jim Fitzpatrick - maintenence man in ALL SAINTS;  Channel 7, Various
2003	Guest Role in ALL SAINTS;  Channel 7, Cath Roden
2003	Guest role in COMEDY INC;  Crackerjack Productions, Various
2003	Soldier in 7:30 REPORT;  ABC

STAGE:

2010	Drum major in WOYZECK;  B Sharp / Netta Yaschin
2009	Dave in AT THAT MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED;  Old Fitzroy / Sarah Doyle
2006	THE ILLUSION;  Darlinghurst Theatre / Damien Millar
2004	Clive/Cathy in CLOUD NINE;  Darlinghurst Theatre / Damien Millar
2004	Garry in OUT IN THE OPEN;  Focus Theatre / Peter Netell
2003	Various in SIMON CREAN, THE MUSICAL;  Tap Gallery / Imogen
2003	The Bloke in 81% ARE HAPPY;  NIDA-Directors / Brooke Webb

VOICE OVER

2003	Character narration for COLOUR OF WAR - THE ANZACS;  Paul Rudd / Anita Shechan

COMMERCIALS:  KFC, Daily Telegraph, Mountain Dew, Lipton Iced Tea, Evian.

STUDENT STAGE WORK:

2002  The Muscleman/Detective; Robert Zucco; NIDA; Helmut Bakaitis
2002  Jack The Dog; Country Music; NIDA; Tony Knight/Julia Cotton
2002  Clifford; The Treatment; NIDA; Mark Gahl
2001  Yakov; Fruits of Enlightenment; NIDA; David Berthold
2001  Pericles; Pericles, Prince of Tyre; NIDA; Anna Volska
2001  Tusenbach, Three Sisters, NIDA, Nick Enright
2000  Barney, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, NIDA, Kevin Jackson
1999  Oedipus, Oedipus Rex, Intimate Theatre
1999  Francis, The Golden Age, Stonnington Theatre
1999  Anton, Queen Cat, Carmel and St Jude

* Somewhere there is a picture of Yure as Jack the Dog. Let us know if you can find it!