2023 WINTER LAB

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BOOK, MUSIC & LYRICS

Andy Freeborn is a writer, composer, performer, and pianist. Since completing a Bachelor of Music (Music Theatre) at the Australian Institute of Music (2018), some of Andy's credits are: ‘Spiegelesque’ (Kermond Creative), ‘Miracle City’, ‘Eireborne’ (AUS Tour 2022), ‘100 Years of Magic’ (Disney), ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘The Decay of Lying’ (Jess Ramsey - NIDA), and original works, 'Alice', 'Death to a Butterfly', 'Brand New Dress'. Andy's autobiographical cabaret was awarded Best Emerging Talent and nominated for Artistic Merit in the Newcastle Fringe Festival 2023, and is set to tour throughout 2023-24. Photo by Blake Condon.

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DIRECTOR & DRMATURG

Jess is a multi-disciplinary artist who directs, writes, performs, and practices dramaturgy through a neurodivergent and queer lens. Their work involves creating new works, blending artistic forms, and blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Jess is completing an MFA in Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where they wrote and directed The Decay of Lying, an interdisciplinary piece based on Oscar Wilde's essay. Jess also directed the music video The Job I Took, which premiered live on Rage; A short play by Caryl Churchill, and assistant directed a live cinema adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull. Photo by Minzoet.

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SCRIPT CONSULTANT

Flick is an artist and independent producer. Under FLICKFLICKCITY, Flick looks to produce new works that embrace spectacle as political movement, that are bold and experimental, and that think specifically about the impact of process as artmaking. In Naarm, they’ve produced works with Theatre Works, Motley Bauhaus, Midsumma Festival, Melbourne Fringe, and Frenzy Theatre Co. Flick is also a writer, with their most recent show SLUTNIK™ presented at Midsumma, Melbourne Fringe, and Adelaide Fringe throughout 2022-23, with the much anticipated sequel (SLUTNIK™ 2: Planet of the Incels) slated for the Theatre Works mainstage season in 2023. Flick is currently studying a Master of Theatre (Dramaturgy) at the Victorian College of the Arts, is a member of the Green Room Theatre Independent Theatre Panel, and a writer in the 2022/23 Theatre Works SheWrites Collective. flickflickcity.net

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ACTOR

Lucy Ross holds a Bachelor of Arts(Music Theatre) from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2017. Since then she has had a varied theatre career appearing in musicals such as Anyone Can Whistle (Mrs Schroder), We Will Rock You (ensemble) & The Mystery Of Edwin Drood (Narrator/Stage Manager). She has also relished the opportunity to work on new Australian work, Alice’s Adventure by Andy Freeborn, where she played the Queen Of Hearts. Lucy is passionate about working on new works and helping Australian writers make their mark in this industry.

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ACTOR

Michael is a non-binary MENA performer with an extensive presence in the independent theatre scene in films as well as being a part of workshops for new, up and coming works with some of Australia’s leading creatives. They played a leading role in the sold out season of “Teeth and Tonic” as a headliner for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. They have also performed as a lead in HomeGrown Aus. Michael most recently performed as Caliban in Melbourne Shakespeares’ “The Tempest” and is about to be a part of their production of "Julius Caesar". They are a graduate of Showfit under Matthew Frank and Kath Tonkin, and have recently graduated from Howard Fines Acting studio.

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ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Em Tambree is a queer, non-binary emerging director & producer. Em undertook intensive Musical Theatre training at Centrestage, SHOWFIT & received their Diploma of Music at The Australian Institute of Music. Since studying, their body of work has grown and evolved to reflect experience in almost every aspect of theatre-making; including vocal pedagogy, acting, directing, producing, design and stagecraft. The evolution of their craft was founded by their lived experience navigating the industry as a disabled artist.

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ACTOR

Teo is an actor and creative person living in Naarm who has been a part of projects including jagged little pill Australia, Turn up the volume (abc) and crazy fun park (abc), they have training and experience in Music Theatre from the Victorian College of the Arts.

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WRITER

Alex grew up in Tasmania, where he worked as an actor and writer for 'is theatre' and the Tasmanian Theatre Company, as well as The Village and ATYP interstate. He moved to Melbourne to study acting at VCA from 2009 to 2011, and since then has performed, mainly as a theatre actor, across children's theatre, contemporary and classical text. He was nominated for best supporting actor in a musical for his role in The Legend of King O'Malley at the Seymour Centre in Sydney. He studied screenwriting at RMIT and gained the Film Victoria award for Highest Graded Student. He currently works as script coordinator and in writer's rooms for Netflix. Photo by Ciaran Sullivan.

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DIRECTOR

Domenica is an actor, director and musician based in Naarm. An acting graduate from both the VCA and Sydney Theatre School, Domenica has trained across Australia & UK. Domenica’s credits include pool (no water) (dir. Leticia Cáceres), Elizabeth in Guerilla Sabbath (dir. George Lazaris), Carter in Earthquakes in London (dir. Sarah Goodes) and Mia in Snore (dir. John Kachoyan). They made their directing debut at Midsumma 2023 with Protein. Domenica’s film credits include Uncanny Fantasies (dir. Ada Tzinis) which screened at MIFF in 2022, and independent feature film In The Meantime (dir. Nicholas Anthony), currently in post-production. Photo by Cameron Grant.

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INTIMACY CONSULTANT

Margot is an actor, intimacy professional, director, devisor and educator, originally trained as an actor at the VCA. She has performed with MTC, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Arts Centre Melbourne, La Mama, and fortyfive downstairs, amongst others, as well as in various tv series. Margot trained as an intimacy professional with IDC (USA) through an MEAA-Equity Foundation scholarship, and works as such in stage, screen and educational contexts. Margot has had an extensive teaching career, both in Melbourne and the USA. She is represented by Ian White Management and has been a member of Actor’s Equity. https://margotfenley.com

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ACTOR

Sarah has worked on many plays, projects and short films including Oh No! Satan Stole My Pineal Gland (Melbourne Fringe), The Great Australian Play (Montague’s Basement) and SLAP. BANG. KISS. (Melbourne Theatre Company). They were recently in the short film House of Whoreship directed by Holly Bates. They are a queer actor with an Anglo-Indian background and are a member of the MEAA.

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SCRIPT CONSULTANT

Rinske has over 40 years' experience as an actor trainer, director, and theatre maker. Until recently, she was a lecturer in Acting (Actor's Body) for VCA Theatre, University of Melbourne. She works in the independent performing arts industry in a range of capacities, as director, movement coach, performance mentor and dramaturge. Rinske also works across academia, business, community organisations and the performing arts as an experienced communication and presentation consultant, specialising in relational, spatial, vocal, and non-verbal behaviour.

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DRAMATURG

Casey Gould is a Naarm-based theatre director and dramaturge. His work encompasses theatre, musical theatre, cabaret and physical theatre. His work has won Green Room awards, Fringe awards in Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh and toured extensively throughout

Australia and overseas. He graduated from the University of Ballarat with a degree in Music Theatre and has since been back to direct students at Ballarat and continues to teach and lecture alongside his creative projects. He spent two years working in London participating in the Young Vic directors program and observing at the National Theatre. Casey is also a founder and co-company director of Music Theatre Workshop. He is passionate about creating new work, helping writers develop their work and collaborating on new projects.

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ACTOR

Megan Scolyer-Gray is a Melbourne/Naarm based actor, singer and writer. In 2022 Megan Debuted her first play "Teeth and Tonic" during the Melbourne Fringe Festival to a sold out and extended season. Megan wore many hats during this time being producer, writer and also playing the role of "Frankie". It was a vibe. Since graduating Showfit in 2016 Megan has worked on a number of new Australian works across both theatre and film. Some of these include originating the role of ‘Werneke’ in ‘Moonlite’, playing 'Tiffany’ in ‘Motormouth loves Suck-face” at the La Mama Courthouse and 'Rosa' in the new concept musical 'The Breaths In Between'. Most recently she spent 2 weeks workshopping and performing the new Children's Educational Musical "Filter Fun Park". Megan is an empathetic and compelling artist with a passion for creating important and authentic work. She is a body positivity/body neutrality advocate and hopes to take over the world some day, big butt and all. She is also a children's entertainer, lover of Cacio e Pepe and has a cat named Lucifer Grink. He is a menace.

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ACTOR

Nina Tischhauser is a graduate of the Acting for Screen and Stage Program at Capilano University in Vancouver. She has continued her ongoing training and appeared in various shows throughout Vancouver, Toronto and has also toured with West Australian Theatre Company, Fine Edge Theatre. After moving to Melbourne a few years ago, Nina has continued to sharpen her craft by training with Kim Krejus at 16th Street Actors Studio. Nina is excited to get amongst the creatives in this new city she now calls home.

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CREATOR & PERFORMER

she/they) Growing up as a mixed race child in a newly post-apartheid South Africa, Kali’s approach to art making is influenced by her ever-evolving understanding of her own identity. With a background in theatre, music and classical dance, Kali made her Australian theatre debut in the two-hand musical comedy ‘Wanda & Mel’ in the Melbourne Fringe Festvial (2017) & the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (2018). Her recent credits include working with Frenzy Theatre Co. on their ensemble devised work ‘PIPER’ (2022), and playing Fanny Price in ‘Lovers Vows at Mansfield Park’ with 24Carrot Productions directed by Sharmini Kumar (2023).

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ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Alex Jackson is a charismatic and bold performer known for his powerful voice and love of fancy socks. You may have caught him recently tearing up the stage as Björn in SOS The Australian ABBA Tribute Show, or singing as part of Brooklyn Runaways’ Bowie Ball. While training in musical theatre at Theatre Blacks (2020/21), he performed as a Broadway Unplugged Backing Vocalist (Be You Inc), and continued to hone his skills as a guitarist. Upon graduating, he was cast as Daniel in Sowing Seeds (Gasworks Arts Park) in early 2022, and Glen in Rain Falling on the Abattoir (Cracked Actors Theatre).

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GUEST CONSULTANT

Budi Miller is a Lead Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and Director of Advanced Training for the Fit maurice Institute. He is Co-Artistic Director of the Theatre of Others. He is an UNESCO designated master teacher of mask work. He was the Head of Acting, at Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. He has been an actor-director-writer teacher in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, Hong Kong , Taipei, Australia, Malaysia, India, and Indonesia since 1992. He is the first African American ceremo nial mask dancer of Bali. He has coached and inspired the work of Emmy and Academy Award-nominated performances and seasoned professionals of stage and screen. He coached Michelle Williams for her Academy Award nominated performance in Ang Lee's movie Brokeback Mountain, Jonathan Majors Lovecraft Country: HBO, Ant Man III: Marvel Universe and collaborates with Julian Elijah Martinez (Wu-Tang: An American Saga: Hulu). He has had the privilege of coaching and inspiring actors in many mediums: Broadway, HBO, Netflix, Showtime, major international film markets and theatres around the world, and the Indonesian Film Festival (Judge, 2020).

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DRAMATURG

Margot Morales is a writer, performer, and director. Their experimental cabaret IN THE LIKELY EVENT OF FOREVER, won the Green Room Award for Best Writing in Cabaret and received an artist development award from RISING. Their queer digital adaptation of Eros and Psyche, PSYCHE404ERROR, won Best Work in Festival at Melbourne Fringe 2021 and was nominated for a Green Room Award in Experimental Practice. Margot is currently an Artistic Associate at Melbourne Theatre Company where they’ve also worked as Assistant Director and presented their own play at Cybec Electric. As a director, they've directed CLUB NITE at Miscellania and AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS with Antipodes Theatre Company for Midsumma. 

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MENTOR

Shamita Siva is a multi-faceted performance artist and theatre maker specialised in movement. While completing her BA Performing Arts at Monash University, she gravitated towards physical theatre and Butoh practices. Shamita has trained at Stella Adler AoA Los Angeles, AAFTA, Brave Studios, and 16th Street.  Recent theatre credits include The Marvellous Life of Carlo Gatti (Wildefang), Mara Korper (Citizen Theatre), Let Men Tremble (The Danger Ensemble), Nosferatu (Malthouse) and Crocodiles (Elbow Room). On screen, she has won Best Supporting Actor awards in films Dashboard Dogs and Someone Else.  Recent feature films include FOE, La Famiglia, and the upcoming Coconut. Her own written and produced dance film, Twin Flame will premiere in January 2023.

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WRITER

Akansha Hungenahally is a performer, activist, and song-writer with a passion for diverse storytelling in Australian theatre. Since completing a Bachelor of Music Theatre in 2019, Akansha has performed in Be You Productions' 'Ordinary Days (Claire), Victorian Opera's 'A Christmas Carol' (Fan, Belle, Martha), and Australian Shakespeare Company's 'Romeo and Juliet' (Juliet U/S). She is proud to have also featured in the 2020 video phenomenon ‘I Need You To See Me’ by Vidya Makan, the 2021 MICF production ‘Sri Lankan Fire Team’, and participated in Antipodes Theatre’s 2021 Winter Lab with a phenomenal team of IBPOC creatives. Photo by Andrew Raszevski.

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DRAMATURG

Rue is a Melbourne-based writer, performer, and journalist. She's had experience writing and developing scripts for both the stage and screen. Most recently, Rue served as the co-writer of the MICF2021 show 'Sri Lankan Fireteam: The Power of Song'. She also served as a writer and correspondent on Channel 31's 'The Leak', and wrote and performed in 'The Melanin Monologues' in the Melbourne International Fringe Festival in 2019. Currently, Rue is working as a digital content specialist. She's passionate about promoting diversity in the arts and strives to continue producing inclusive creative projects.

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DIRECTOR

Malith is a first-generation Australian-born actor f Sinhalese descent. He has worked extensively in the performing arts industry, both on stage and for the screen – as well as being an experienced improviser and comedian. Most recently, Malith has begun his foray into creating his own work, through independent theatre productions including Fifi’s Fifth! and Sri Lankan Fireteam: The Power of Song. As an actor, some of Malith’s credits include Jacques in As You Like It, nomnomnom (Melbourne Fringe), Jack Irish (ABC TV), Why Are You Like This (ABC TV), Slant (Exile Entertainment) and Summer Love (Gristmill). Photo by Julian Dolman.

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ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Tahlia is a mixed Australian/Papua New Guinean actor who graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre in 2022. Tahlia is bold in her offers as an actor and has the ability to add a specificity to every role she plays. Her fierce take to acting is supported by her sensitivity, vulnerability and curiosity as a person and takes this into every role. Some of Tahlia’s notable theatre credits include ‘Brittany and the Mannequins’ (Fever103 Theatre), 'Sacred but Filthy' (dir. Sarah Austin), 'AKA' (dir. Rinske Ginsberg at Melbourne Fringe), and 'No Laughing Matter' (dir. Tahlia Jameson, presented at MUSE Festival).

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MOVEMENT/FIGHT CONSULTANT

Lydia is a trained performer, writer and director with a strong background in dance and martial arts. Lydia earned their black-belt in taekwondo at the age of fourteen, won the Australian National Championships for sparring, and then went on to train in ballet full-time.  Because that’s a really obvious career progression… Lydia completed a Bachelor of Acting for Stage and Screen (Federation University’s Arts Academy), where they continued dance training and first began to use their martial arts skills on stage. Since 2021, Lydia has been honing their stage combat skills while performing in very combat-heavy children’s theatre shows. Under the tutelage of Kyle Rowling’s Action Acting Academy, Lydia has become skilled in both hand-to-hand and armed combat, including swords, staffs and daggers. Lydia is in their third year of touring shows as Fight Captain and Dance Captain and has also joined the Lion Heart Dance Company Collective in 2023. Lydia is passionate about physicality and movement in performing and prioritising safety above all else.

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ACTOR

Sebastian Li is a Chinese-Indonesian/Australian theatre and film actor. He is a graduate from The VCA with a BFA in Acting. There, he was awarded the Grace Marion Wilson Trust Scholarship for Excellence in Acting. Sebastian appeared as Chen in SBS mini-series 'New Gold Mountain', and has performed extensively with Melbourne Shakespeare Company in their outdoor summer productions. He toured with the show 'How to be a Person When the World is Ending' to the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, followed by a subsequent season at Theatre Works. Most recently, Sebastian has performed in 'Climbers' by Elly D'Arcy at Fortyfive Downstairs.

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ACTOR

Prashanti trained in Music Theatre at the Australian Institute of Music graduating in 2018. In 2019 she completed a British Diploma of Music Theatre at Associated Studios Australia. Most recently, Prashanti made her Independent Theatre debut as "Carly" in COCA Productions' "Reasons to Be Pretty". Quote from 'Theatre Thoughts Australia' Review on her performance of Carly: "Standout however is undoubtedly Prashanti Middling. With a criminally underwritten character she manages to bring such a light to every scene she is in, and brings a genuine sense of self-reflection to LaBute’s work. With great physicalisation, vocalisation and characterisation, the character of Carly becomes a unique joyful light in every scene." Prashanti has also recently filmed TVCs for Coles Online, Oral B and Toyota. In 2020 Prashanti became one of the Music Theatre panellists for the Melbourne Green Room Awards. Prashanti aims to bring her youthful energy, a fresh perspective, and diversity to the role.

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MENTORING DRAMATURG

Shamita Siva is a multi-faceted performance artist and theatre maker specialised in movement. While completing her BA Performing Arts at Monash University, she gravitated towards physical theatre and Butoh practices. Shamita has trained at Stella Adler AoA Los Angeles, AAFTA, Brave Studios, and 16th Street.  Recent theatre credits include The Marvellous Life of Carlo Gatti (Wildefang), Mara Korper (Citizen Theatre), Let Men Tremble (The Danger Ensemble), Nosferatu (Malthouse) and Crocodiles (Elbow Room). On screen, she has won Best Supporting Actor awards in films Dashboard Dogs and Someone Else.  Recent feature films include FOE, La Famiglia, and the upcoming Coconut. Her own written and produced dance film, Twin Flame will premiere in January 2023.

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ACTOR

Maori playwright, actress and artist. Takatāpui , Kikki is making moves in Naarm and is proving to be one of the most important voices in her field making art with a Pasifika voice. Based on Boonwurrung country, her notable works here in Naarm include, And She Would Stand Like This as HECUBA for Antipodes Theatre Company (ATC) and most recently starring in Travis Alabanza’s BURGERZ for Theatreworks. She is currently writing two new works. A “play with songs” called MY GOD, SHE’S A WOMAN and a play called STUCK. Both to be staged in 2024. 

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MENTORING CULTURAL CONSULTANT

Rhys Velasquez is an artist, advocate and award-winning casting director, known for their passion and expertise in creating a more inclusive and equitable performing arts industry. Rhys began their professional journey studying musical theatre at the Arts Academy in Ballarat, graduating in 2013. Rhys founded Evolution Casting in 2021 to become a positive force of change in the performing arts industry and beyond. Since its launch, Evolution Casting has fast become a celebrated industry-shaker, known for creating exciting and contemporary casting designs. In 2023, Rhys won the CGA Award for Best Casting in a Theatre Production for their work on Choir Boy (NTofP). Rhys’ other casting credits include work with Belvoir, Hayes Theatre Co, Griffin Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Antipodes Theatre Company, Joshua Robson Productions and many more.

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WRITER

Sophie Smyth is a neurodivergent writer, singer, actor, and sometimes dancer who is “funny as fuck” (Time Out Melbourne). She holds a BA in Music Theatre and eventually, a Tony Award. For now though, she’s happy with her Green Room Award for Best Writing in a Cabaret (for The Aspie Hour) and AWG’s Monte Miller Award (runner-up for Unloveable).  She creates autobiographical work balancing precariously on the twisted knife-edge of comedy/tragedy, while also debunking misconceptions and smashing stereotypes (yes, I am disabled AND hot, we do exist). She is passionate about disabled access and inclusion, authentic representation, making you laugh.  Photo by Andrew Raszevski.

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ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Conor Beaumont is a performer, writer and composer based on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Following study at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and Patrick School of the Arts (PSA), Conor has contributed to the development of several new works of musical theatre, including a staged reading "Murder Is An Art" (Dir. Gabrielle Ward), for which he was performer, writer and composer. Later this year, he will release “Romantics”, a new musical theatre work fully realised as a concept album.

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MUSIC CONSULTANT

Jack Burmeister is a composer who is passionate about finding synergy between his work and other forms of media, believing that music should work to heighten the viewer’s overall experience. Jack uses elements of orchestral, acoustic, electronic, and choral textures to create diverse sonic soundscapes to enhance the atmosphere and mood in any given work. Melody is a key musical characteristic that Jack explores; working to build and enhance melodic devices over the duration of a piece. Jack aims to compose music for film, television, animation, dance, and theatre whilst performing with his band around Melbourne. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music (Interactive Composition) from the Victorian College of the Arts.

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MUSIC CONSULTANT

Red Herring, aka Agnes Whalan, is a musician, poet and performance artist based in Narrm. Originally from Wiradjuri country (Orange, NSW). Their practise spans over a range of mediums including video work, music production, writing, tattoo and visual art. They are a member of post-punk outfit Hexdebt, and solo project Red Hrrng.

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WRITING CONSULTANT

Michele Lee is a multiple award-winning and critically acclaimed Hmong-Australian writer, known for her sharp ear and wit, creating character-driven stories often from the perspectives of imperfect women. Across stage, audio and live art, her works include Rice (2022, 2021, 2017), Security (2022), Single Ladies (2021), Going Down (2018), The Naked Self (2018, 2016), Talon Salon (2014, 2013, 2012) and See How The Leaf People Run (2012). For screen, Michele wrote on TV shows Hungry Ghosts (2020) and Retrograde (2020), and wrote two 6 x 2-minute stories released on TikTok (2022). Her sex-romp memoir Banana Girl (2013) is published by Transit Lounge. 

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WRITING MENTOR

Amy May Nunn is an award-winning, non-binary, queer and neurodiverse writer and theatre-maker, living in Naarm and originally from the UK. Their work has been featured in numerous publications, including Voiceworks, Verandah, Metre Maids and Award-Winning Australian Writing. They are a two-time recipient of the Mathew Rocca Award for poetry, winner of the Express Media Award and the John Marsden Prize. Amy’s plays have been nominated for the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award, the ATYP foundation commission, and the Canberra Youth Theatre Emerging Playwright Commission. Amy graduated the full-time program at 16 th St Actors Studio and their MA in writing for performance at the VCA. Their desire to tell stories through a queer and feminist lens led to them co-founding Dirty Pennies Theatre Project, a company dedicated to fostering and developing new work by women, queer, trans and non-binary artists. They are a current participant in the Midsumma Pathways Programme, a member of the She Writes Collective and an Associate Artist alum at Theatre Works. Their last play, ‘Lemon Tree on Dreg Street’, premiered at Theatre Works earlier this year as part of Midsumma Festival.

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MUSIC MENTOR

Rainer Pollard is a freelance musician, Music Director and educator based in Melbourne. He is a highly sought after music director (for both musical theatre and cabaret), accompanist, vocal coach, pit musician and arranger. Rainer currently works as a sessional lecturer, vocal coach and musical director at Federation University in Ballarat. Some of his credits include “Chicago”, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, “Urinetown” and “Cats”. His cabaret work includes shows such as ‘The Aspie Hour’, ‘Ovariacting: a Period Cabaret’ and ‘Comma Sutra’. He is also part of the duo that runs ‘Fab Friday’ at the Butterfly Club in Melbourne on Friday evenings.

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EMBEDDED ACCESS MENTOR

Andi Snelling is a multi-award-winning performer, writer, and director and an Australia Council for the Arts Future Leader. She holds a BA (French & German)/Dip. Creative Arts (Theatre Studies), University of Melbourne and an MA Acting, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London. Her career highlights include: Edith in Picnic at Hanging Rock (BBC), Brinda in Neighbours (Fremantle Media), Ensemble in Crazy for You (London Palladium), Inflight Voice for Qatar Airways and her four critically-acclaimed solo shows, with Happy-Go-Wrong and type-a-poet still touring nationally. Andi also runs her own creative coaching business, Kick Up The Arts.

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WRITER

Holland Brooks is a multi-award-winning American-Australian writer, director and theatremaker with a “nasty streak”. She is a 2022 graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) program and is currently undertaking her Honours developing an updated system of content warnings specific to abstraction in live performance. Most recently, she was spotted as the writer/director of Bad Feminist and director of The State for The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights 2023 program. Holland is passionate about work that is queer, political, intersectional, and challenges theatrical convention and possibility. Photo by Andrea Lim.

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ACTOR

Conor Beaumont is a performer, writer and composer based on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Following study at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) and Patrick School of the Arts (PSA), Conor has contributed to the development of several new works of musical theatre, including a staged reading "Murder Is An Art" (Dir. Gabrielle Ward), for which he was performer, writer and composer. Later this year, he will release “Romantics”, a new musical theatre work fully realised as a concept album.

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ACTOR

Nathan is a Naarm based creative who moved from Canberra to study a Diploma of Musical Theatre, and an Advanced Diploma of Dance at APO Arts Academy/DanceWorld and completed their studies in 2015. Their most recent stage credits include a swing for Lockstock and Cladwell, as well as learning an ensemble track during the run, in Urinetown (Soundworks), Kevin in In The Heights (OCPAC) and Stanford/Ensemble in Bright Star (Pursued By Bear) Prior to that, their theatre credits include Mark in Altar Boyz (PEP Productions) and a member of the Ensemble in Rent (James Terry Presents.)

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ASSOICATE ARTIST & ACTOR

Emily has been training since the age of 7 and started studying full time Musical Theatre at Patrick School of the Arts in 2020. They have a strong passion for performing and creating having written their own short children’s show titled Emily & the Dragon with the help of Homegrown Aus. Emily has loved being able to workshop Silver Tongue in the room with incredibly talented and inspiring creatives, as well as bringing the character Silver to life. Emily can also solve a rubik’s cube in under one minute.

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ACTOR

A Melbourne-based actor, Will has an emerging career in theatre and screen. His credits include Our Father (2019), for which he received a UHT Award, Machinal (2020) and The Winter’s Tale (2020) at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2022, Will was nominated for Best Actor in the Oceanic Region at the Septimius Awards for his performance in the short film he also wrote, Call Me Puritan. In 2023, Will performed the one-man show Protein as part of the Midsumma Festival, co-directed Issy Carney’s Stinking Hot Trash as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and will star in Hugo Kohler’s much anticipated short film Flide. Will is also an aspiring writer, and his work has been published in the Geelong Writers’ Anthology, Farrago Magazine, Vertigo Magazine, and through The Wheeler Centre. Will’s practice currently centres around flawed characters and ugly truths, with a particular interest in creating compelling and entertaining stories that incorporate sociological themes to re-imagine well-known narratives.

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DRAMATURG

Jonathan Homsey is a choreographer and curator working from the positionality of a Queer Person of Colour based on Wurundjeri country.Originally an award-winning dancer in jazz and street dance during the naughties in Southern California, he is humbled to be a community leader in so-called Australia for the past decade galvanising people together to dance. From Footscray Community Arts, Melbourne Theatre Company to Melbourne Museum, Jonathan specialises in platforming Street and Queer-born dance forms to cultivate empowerment for sexually and ethnically diverse young people. He is a recent Green Room award winner for I Am Maggie, a commission with Melbourne Fringe Festival and Arts Centre Melbourne. 

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ACTOR

Alex Jackson is a charismatic and bold performer known for his powerful voice and love of fancy socks. You may have caught him recently tearing up the stage as Björn in SOS The Australian ABBA Tribute Show, or singing as part of Brooklyn Runaways’ Bowie Ball. While training in musical theatre at Theatre Blacks (2020/21), he performed as a Broadway Unplugged Backing Vocalist (Be You Inc), and continued to hone his skills as a guitarist. Upon graduating, he was cast as Daniel in Sowing Seeds (Gasworks Arts Park) in early 2022, and Glen in Rain Falling on the Abattoir (Cracked Actors Theatre).

She/Her

ACTOR

Tahliais a mixed Australian/Papua New Guinean actor who graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre in 2022. Tahlia is bold in her offers as an actor and has the ability to add a specificity to every role she plays. Her fierce take to acting is supported by her sensitivity, vulnerability and curiosity as a person and takes this into every role. Some of Tahlia’s notable theatre credits include ‘Brittany and the Mannequins’ (Fever103 Theatre), 'Sacred but Filthy' (dir. Sarah Austin), 'AKA' (dir. Rinske Ginsberg at Melbourne Fringe), and 'No Laughing Matter' (dir. Tahlia Jameson, presented at MUSE Festival).

She/Her

DRAMATURG

Michelle is a performer, writer and theatre artist. After graduating from the National Theatre Drama School, Melbourne and the William Esper Studio, NYC, Michelle spent 5 years writing, directing and performing in Berlin, Germany. During this time she created and produced 2 well-received works - FIREWATER, English Theatre Berlin and AND THEN SHE BECAME A CHAIR, ACUD Theatre. Fascinated by the shadow self, Michelle’s productions are often confession turned fiction. Autobiographical in origin, her work seeks to investigate and unpack the various layers of her experiences through intuitive metaphor, questionable realities and surreal humour.  Michelle is currently performing in THIS at Rising Festival, directed by David Woods (Ridiculusmus). 

They/She

ACTOR

Ziggy, Jewish, Greek, QuEeR, Libra sun, Libra moon!??!) graduated the NIDA BFA (acting) in 2020 with a certificate. They also worked with and learnt from some really cool people: Jim Sharman (Twelfth Night), Leticia Caceres (SIX), Priscilla Jackman (Ghosts), Miranda Middleton (Amelié - the first ever Australian stage adaptation). Since the institute Ziggy debuted the role of ZAN in Feminazi at Belvoir’s 25A, Shoshana in A is for Apple with Griffin Theatre, Nikki in How to Defend Yourself at The Old Fitz Theatre (Outhouse Theatre Co.). Ziggy also had her writing debut at TheatreWorks Naarm in Pear-Shaped which they also performed in as the role of FRANKIE. Ziggy also toured with The Bell Shakespeare Players in 2022 and worked as a clown on Opera Australia’s Ernani. 

They/Them

GUEST CONSULTANT

Em Tambree is a queer, non-binary emerging director & producer. Em undertook intensive Musical Theatre training at Centrestage, SHOWFIT & received their Diploma of Music at The Australian Institute of Music. Since studying, their body of work has grown and evolved to reflect experience in almost every aspect of theatre-making; including vocal pedagogy, acting, directing, producing, design and stagecraft. The evolution of their craft was founded by their lived experience navigating the industry as a disabled artist.

She/Her

SCRIPT CONSULTANT

Keziah is a playwright and dramaturg. In 2023, her adaptation of FW Murnau’s NOSFERATU, as well as HOUR OF THE WOLF, a new immersive show created with Matthew Lutton, will both premiere at Malthouse Theatre. She has won Sydney Theatre Company’s Patrick White Playwrights Award and has been shortlisted for the Griffin Award, the Martin-Lysicrates Prize, the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award and the Max Afford Award. Her credits include: POONA (Next Wave, 2021), CONTROL (Red Stitch Actor's Theatre, 2019), HELP YOURSELF (MTC's Cybec Electric, 2019), LUNA (VCA, 2019), and HER FATHER’S DAUGHTER (Hotel Now, 2018).

They/Them

WRITER

Tomas is a multidisciplinary artist born on Dharawal Country, Wollongong, and acknowledges the Dharawal People's sovereignty, and their continued connection to lands, skies, waterways and culture. Tomas is a graduate of the VCA, and since has worked in a range of capacities: from singing backup vocals for Patti Lupone at Hamer Hall, to leading the Green Room Award winning play When The Light Leaves as Dan (La Mama). Tomas is also a composer and writer, with their work having been performed for Aus Ballet with Orchestra Victoria, and The Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra for The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. They are currently workshopping their play threadbare, premiered on screen in the ABC/Hoodlum Productions series In Our Blood, and performed back-to-back seasons at the Hayes Theatre Company in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hayes Theatre Co.) and Metropolis (Little Eggs Collective). 

He/Him

ASSOCIATE ARTIST

A Melbourne-based actor, Will has an emerging career in theatre and screen. His credits include Our Father (2019), for which he received a UHT Award, Machinal (2020) and The Winter’s Tale (2020) at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2022, Will was nominated for Best Actor in the Oceanic Region at the Septimius Awards for his performance in the short film he also wrote, Call Me Puritan. In 2023, Will performed the one-man show Protein as part of the Midsumma Festival, co-directed Issy Carney’s Stinking Hot Trash as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and will star in Hugo Kohler’s much anticipated short film Flide. Will is also an aspiring writer, and his work has been published in the Geelong Writers’ Anthology, Farrago Magazine, Vertigo Magazine, and through The Wheeler Centre. Will’s practice currently centres around flawed characters and ugly truths, with a particular interest in creating compelling and entertaining stories that incorporate sociological themes to re-imagine well-known narratives.

She/Her

GUEST DRAMATURG

Miranda Middleton is an award-winning director, writer, and choreographer with a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). Miranda’s most recent directing credits include ‘Pear-Shaped’ (Theatre Works), ‘Lemon Tree on Dreg Street’ (Theatre Works), ‘SENSER’ (Theatre Works), ‘Not Today’ (Seymour Centre), ‘PASH’ (Melbourne International Comedy Festival), ‘Sowing Seeds’ (Gasworks Arts Park), and ‘Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody’ (Theatre Works).  In 2022, Miranda was the Assistant Director of the new musicals ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’ at Melbourne Theatre Company and ‘The Lovers’ for Bell Shakespeare. Miranda is currently the Resident Writer at Theatre Works.

She/Her

DRAMATURG

Hailing originally from Eagle Lake, Texas, Sara is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a BA in Music Theatre. Her TV experience includes a recurring role in City Homicide (Seven Network) and a 5th Grader in the second season of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, with Rove McManus. Sara also appeared in the US thriller Knowing, with Nicholas Cage. Her stage credits include the Australian tour of Little Britain Live, Billy Elliot (Louise Withers), Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof (TML Enterprises), Kate, Gus and the Other Kids (Fringeworld Festival), Oklahoma! (Black Swan State Theatre Company), Paw Patrol Live! (Nickelodeon and Life Like Touring) and Driftwood (Umbrella Productions, Chapel Off Chapel) More recently, Sara appeared as Jane in the Melbourne Fringe and Adelaide Fringe Festival productions of The Beep Test, which garnered four Green Room Award nominations in 2023.

They/She

DEVISOR

Ziggy, Jewish, Greek, QuEeR, Libra sun, Libra moon!??!) graduated the NIDA BFA (acting) in 2020 with a certificate. They also worked with and learnt from some really cool people: Jim Sharman (Twelfth Night), Leticia Caceres (SIX), Priscilla Jackman (Ghosts), Miranda Middleton (Amelié - the first ever Australian stage adaptation). Since the institute Ziggy debuted the role of ZAN in Feminazi at Belvoir’s 25A, Shoshana in A is for Apple with Griffin Theatre, Nikki in How to Defend Yourself at The Old Fitz Theatre (Outhouse Theatre Co.). Ziggy also had her writing debut at TheatreWorks Naarm in Pear-Shaped which they also performed in as the role of FRANKIE. Ziggy also toured with The Bell Shakespeare Players in 2022 and worked as a clown on Opera Australia’s Ernani. 

They/Them

DEVISOR

Willow is an emerging queer creative and actor. They are a  multi-Green Room Award nominee including;  ‘Best Year’s Work’ encompassing their work in 2019; playing Paulette in Legally Blonde (James Terry Collective), Pearl White in Ghost Quartet (Antipodes Theatre Co). Their cabaret, Death of a Demi Diva, was also nominated for Best Original Music and Best Music Direction. Most recently, Willow performed at the 2022 Brisbane Festival in a month-long residency focussed on community activation and empowerment with Finucane and Smith’s Travelling Dance Hall and starred as Medea in Steven Mitchell-Wright’s Medea: Out of the Mouths of Babes at TheatreWorks.

She/Her

BOOK, MUISC & LYRICS

Abigail is an Australian actor, writer, composer and theatre maker. She specialises in queer theatre, environmentalism, feminism, comedy, music, and reinterpreting texts of antiquity. It is her mission to create and be a part of the telling of stories that champion justice and humanity. As of 2021 she is a graduate of the Victorian Collage of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre Making. Photo by Lachie Woods.

She/Her

DRAMATURG

Originally a performer in Perth, Trudy was the Artist-in-Residence for the Midnite Youth Theare Company moving on to become a director, choreographer and production manager. In there roles, she travelled to the UK, Canada and Singapore. Prior to her move to Melbourne, Trudy coordinated and taught into the diploma of acting at WAAPA. Trudy is passionate about developing new Australian works. She is a contributing writer for the new Australian musical, WAGs, and directed its workshop development in Melbourne. Most recently, she directed Urinetown at the VCA, and Malacañang/Montgomery for Melbourne Theatre Company's Cybec Electric program.

He/They

ASSOCIATE ARTIST

Nathan is a Naarm based creative who moved from Canberra to study a Diploma of Musical Theatre, and an Advanced Diploma of Dance at APO Arts Academy/DanceWorld and completed their studies in 2015. Their most recent stage credits include a swing for Lockstock and Cladwell, as well as learning an ensemble track during the run, in Urinetown (Soundworks), Kevin in In The Heights (OCPAC) and Stanford/Ensemble in Bright Star (Pursued By Bear) Prior to that, their theatre credits include Mark in Altar Boyz (PEP Productions) and a member of the Ensemble in Rent (James Terry Presents.)

He/They

ACTOR

Hugo Gutteridge is an actor and theatremaker based in Naarm/Melbourne. Hugo graduated with Acting Company 2021 from the VCA. Hugo has been involved in many performances, including the James Brennan’s ‘The Chat’ which premiered at Sydney Festival in 2019, the Green Room Award winning production ‘Shadow Piece’ by Tedious Theatre in 2020, most recently, ‘Promiscuous/Cities’ directed by Alyson Campbell in 2023. As a creative, Hugo has a healthy love of fantasy and magic realism which informs their desire to make works of storytelling that break the rules of reality, moving away from naturalism and into the absurd and hyper dramaticized.

She/They

ACTOR

Milo Hartill aka That Fat Diva is a Melbourne-based, Perth-born, actor, model, performer, host and anti-racism, queer and radical body acceptance advocate/activist! She is a proud African-Australian, fat, queer woman and as part of this, is passionate about discussions of inclusivity and diversity in her chosen areas of work and industry. In 2021 Milo graduated the Victorian College of the Art’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre and WAAPA’s Diploma in Musical Theatre in 2018. Whilst at VCA Milo won the Lionel Gell scholarship and was a finalist in the inaugural AOC initiative. You may have seen Milo recently as Woman 1 in Hayes Theatre Co’s The Lucky County, written by Vidya Makan, Jules in FANGIRLS at Sydney Opera House and in Virginia Gays Cyrano at Melbourne Theatre Company. 

She/Her

ACTOR

With a diploma in screen acting (Film and Television Institute) and a BFA in Music theatre (Victorian College of the Arts), Kaori’s on screen credits include a series regular on the Australian soap, Neighbours as Jasmine Udagawa, appearing alongside Nazeem Hussain on his comedy skit show, Orange Is The New Brown as well as playing Tessa on NBC series, La Brea. On stage, Kaori was part of the original Australian cast of David Bowie’s musical, Lazarus playing the role of Maemi presented by The Production Company. In the Sydney Theatre Company’s return season of White Pearl, written by Anchuli Felicia King and directed by Priscilla Jackman, Kaori played the role of Ruki. In 2023, Kaori is excited to be joining the cast of The Dismissal written by Laura Murphy, Blake Erickson and Jay James Moody which has been on hiatus since lockdown.

They/Them

ACTOR

Mitch is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts in Music Theatre, and has a deep passion for acting. Mitch joined the Melbourne Shakespeare Company troupe in 2016 and performed in their critically acclaimed productions of The Tempest, A Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night. Music Theatre credits include leading roles in Jersey Boys and Priscilla; Queen of the Desert (Creative Studios by NCLH). Mitch also created and produced Duets for the Melbourne Cabaret Festival and independently launched their one-person show Feeling Good: The Michael Bublé Tribute Show in 2022.

They/He

ACTOR

Hailing from Aotearoa New Zealand, Elliot Melbourne based performer and writer, who made the move across the Tasman in 2020 to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Passionate about theatre making and with an adoration of comedy, Elliot is not only the class clown, but the whole circus.