Confessions of a Nymphomaniac

Tjasa Ferme is a versatile theater and film actress whose destiny in the performing arts manifested very early on.

Born and raised in Slovenia (the country that gave the world the legendary avant-garde band Laibach and the maverick philosopher Slavoj Žižek), she started performing almost as soon as she could walk. The daughter of a rock musician, she has often been joining her father on stage as a band mascot, dancing and playing a tambourine.

Acting became more serious interest during her early school years. “At the age of eight, I was cast as an evil witch in a school play, and from the very first reading I channeled my character with such complete immersion and intensity that my teacher immediately proclaimed that I was a natural actress material,” recalls Tjasa. “For me, the experience was so magical that I could only describe it as existing on a divine frequency– and, mind you, I was a child raised in a completely secular home, with no idea of sacrum ever instilled in me.”

A childhood fascination became a profession when it came to choosing a career for the grown-up life. Tjasa was accepted to the Master program in performance at the prestigious National Acting Academy (AGRFT) in Ljubljana, where her early performances quickly attracted local and national recognition. She was awarded the Sever’s Prize for classical theater roles in 2005-6, and in 2006, a Vesna Award (the Slovenian equivalent of an Oscar). Her career quickly took an international turn: she appeared in film and theater projects produced in Germany, Italy, Brazil and France. The watershed moment in her professional journey came in 2007, when Tjasa moved to New York City to pursue acting.
“Having traveled extensively throughout Europe I was constantly being told everywhere that I should go to NYC, that I’m such a New Yorker,” she explains. “I think that my personality feeds on the fast pace, excitement, constant opportunities, and diversity of New York. I’m a sucker for this city. It’s like an asshole boyfriend who you just can’t break up with…”

The most important new territory opened for Tjasa in the U.S. when she developed an interest in playwriting and found her voice as a writer-performer of solo and ensemble pieces based on personal experiences and unusual New York stories. Her first fully developed piece was Cocktales: Confessions of a Nymphomaniac, directed by Kira Simring, which premiered at NYC’s The Abingdon Theatre in 2012. A NYC critic described Tjasa’s writing for this work as “nothing short of brilliant.” The show ran for several weeks to sold-out houses and was later produced in Miami and shown as part of Art Basel. 

Tjasa is currently working on two new solo projects, based on original scripts she wrote and is producing: My Marlene – a story about legendary actress and chanteuse Marlene Dietrich, and Wild Child In The City – an absurdist comedy chronicling her quest to find a livable apartment in New York City, and Tjasa’s first collaboration with the acclaimed immersive theater director Ana Margineanu. Wild Child In The City is partially based on material written for the piece entitled Adventures of a Slovenian in New York, presented as a workshop at solo@thecell and directed by Diana Basmadian.

Tjasa Ferme (Brief Breasts) in More Than Snow: Webisode Two/5: Out White Out