THIS BITTER EARTH

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WRITER

Harrison David Rivers is the winner of the 2018 Relentless Award for his play the bandaged place (New York Stage & Film). Selected plays and musicals: When Last We Flew (GLAAD Media Award, NYFringe Excellence in Playwriting Award), Sweet (AUDELCO nomination for Best Play), Where Storms Are Born (Berkshire Theatre Award nomination for Best New Play, Edgerton Foundation New Play Award), Five Points (MN Theatre Award for Exceptional New Work, BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Award for Best New Work), and This Bitter Earth (MN Theatre Award for Exceptional New Work, Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Production). Harrison was the 2016 Playwright-in-Residence at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and is an alum of the Public Theater's Emerging Writers' Group.

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DIRECTOR

Dean Drieberg has over two decades’ experience in theatre, advertising and events. In 2019, Dean co-directed Sunday in the Park with George for Watch This, receiving two Green Room Award nominations for Best Direction and Best Multimedia Design. In 2021, Dean will co-direct Into the Woods with Sonya Suares for Watch This and will direct a reimagined production of Dial M for Murder for Smoke & Mirrors Productions. He also completed the AUS/NZ tour of Madiba the Musical and Matador at the Sydney Opera House. For StageArt, Dean directed and designed Bare and the Australian Premiere of Memphis, was Associate Producer for Falsettos and Company Manager for the Australian Premiere productions of The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, and In the Heights as well as Spring Awakening, Titanic, and Saturday Night Fever. Dean has worked on over 20 national tours including The 39 Steps, Bombshells and Australia Day. Dean produced numerous advertising campaigns and major events, recently New York Fashion Week and Project Runway USA. Dean is a member of MEAA’s Equity Diversity Committee, The People of Cabaret Council and is an advocate for theatre that is inclusive of Bla(c)k, Indigenous, people of colour, artists with a disability and LGBTQIA+ artists.

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READER

Tomas Parrish was born on the stolen land, Dharawal Country, and acknowledges that sovereignty was never ceded. Tomas studied at Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) completing the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre). He was the recipient of the Nancye Hayes Scholarship which he used to further his studies in London. Credits include The Music of AR Rahman (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra 2017), Vivid White (Melbourne Theatre Company 2017), A Chorus Line (VCA 2018), Patti Lupone - Don’t Monkey With Broadway (Patti Lupone 2018), Into The Woods (VCA 2018) and When The Light Leaves (La Mama Theatre and Citizen Theatre 2019).

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READER

Lyndon Watts has toured Australia with Sweet Charity (Luckiest Productions, Neil Gooding Productions and Tinderbox Productions), Anything Goes (GFO/Opera Australia) Singin' in the Rain as the ‘Beautiful Girl Production Tenor’ in the Australian/Tokyo production, Disney Theatrical’s Aladdin, Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Melbourne Theatre Company), internationally as Bernardo in West Side Story (Opera Australia, GWB Entertainment and BB Promotions) and recently in A Chorus Line as Paul (Darlinghurst Theatre Company). Lyndon is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), a proud member of the Equity Diversity Committee and a board member for We the Industry.

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PRODUCER

Brandon is the Artistic Director for Antipodes Theatre Company. Melbourne credits: GhostQuartet, #Really?! with Mel andPeppy, Bowie Ball,Mad World, From: New York, For: Him.NYC credits: the world premieres of Only You Can Prevent Wildfires, Happily After Ever (also Edinburgh Fringe), and Gordy Crashes for RicochetCollective (which he also co-founded)and several projects as resident producer with The Orchard Project andThe Drama League. Favorite directing credits include The Last Five Years, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Shape of Things, and Big Love. @midwestrunaway