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Artist of the Month

Since 2023, we have been making it our mission to highlight a new artist from the Australian theatre scene each month.

This individual could be a performer, director, writer, reviewer, sound designer, musician, lighting designer, set designer, stage manager and so on.

If you feel like you’d know someone who would be perfect, contact us or hit us up on our socials @theatrethoughtsaus.

November - Olivia Vásquez

Actress, singer, and songwriter

Olivia Vásquez is a proud Chilean-Greek Australian actress, singer, and songwriter, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music, and proudly represented by AMM. She stars in the Stan Original series Watching You, playing the role of Tess. Olivia made her feature film debut in Thor: Love and Thunder and voiced Gabriella in Like a Photon’s The Sloth Lane / A Sloth Story, now streaming on Paramount+.
 
Olivia appeared as Arabia in Moulin Rouge! The Musical Australia and has become synonymous with the iconic Vanessa in In The Heights, portraying her in every critically acclaimed Australian staging of the production. Her stage credits also include the Australian premiere of The Bodyguard The Musical, Anathema in Good Omens The Musical and Rosalia in Opera Australia’s West Side Story on Sydney Harbour and most recently Cairo in We Are The Tigers at The Hayes Theatre Co.
 
A standout on The Voice Australia Season 10, Olivia turned all four chairs and joined Team Jessica Mauboy. She then went on to release her debut album Godly Ties, which she co-wrote and co-produced, and has since showcased her dynamic vocals on stages across Australia and internationally – from cruise ships to cabaret and film sets. Her music can be heard in the feature film Carmen & Bolude, in which she also plays the role of Juanita, available to watch on Netflix. Alongside fiancé and co-creator Jake Tyler, Olivia is one half of Duo JOVÉ. The duo is proudly signed with Blackburn International for cruise ship guest entertainment.
 
Olivia is fast becoming one of Australia’s most exciting talents. Passionate about telling stories that celebrate diversity and empower underrepresented voices, she merges her love of music and storytelling with authenticity and heart. From Triple J airplay to film soundtracks, nu-jazz collaborations to Vogue spreads, Olivia is building a body of work as rich, diverse, and impactful as the woman behind it.
Instagram

My Story

What inspired you to do performing as your career?

I grew up watching all kinds of movies and listening to music across every genre, completely enthralled by the worlds and characters I was exposed to. I always felt deeply connected to the stories I watched, and eventually realised that compassion and connection are gifts, and that being an artist has always felt like my calling.
 
I initially dreamed of becoming a recording artist, then a movie star, and eventually found myself exploring the world of musical theatre. I was around 16 when I saw Wicked on a school excursion at the Capital Theatre, and I remember being completely blown away. I thought, “I’m going to do THAT!” Having since spent the past decade doing what I love and performing at that very same theatre in Moulin Rouge! The Musical feels like such a special full-circle moment.
 
I’ve never wanted to limit myself to one medium, which is why I’ve explored film, theatre, cabaret, songwriting and producing my own music. I’ve also been incredibly lucky to have a wonderfully creative and supportive mother who has always encouraged me to follow my dreams.
 

What have been the highs of your career so far? What have been the lows?

There have been so many highs, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. Some standouts include working on the television series Watching You, working with Taika Waititi on Thor: Love and Thunder, and portraying Vanessa in In The Heights across several productions over the past eight years. More recently, creating and performing alongside my fiancé, Jake Tyler, through our own creative business, Duo JOVÉ, has been incredibly rewarding. Honestly, there are too many moments to name, and what a blessing that is!
 
The lows have definitely been there, too. Rejection is never easy, but I like to think of it as redirection and sometimes even God’s protection. Self-doubt and I are no strangers, but delusional confidence is also a very good friend of mine! I try to approach life with a “what if it does work out?” mentality.
 
This year has been particularly challenging, both physically and mentally, after undergoing two surgeries for my shoulder and ruptured ACL. It forced me to step away from performing and prioritise healing and recovery. Although difficult, it’s taught me a lot about patience, perspective and giving myself permission to slow down.
 

What do you feel is “your voice” in the theatre industry?

I’m really passionate about telling stories that celebrate diversity, create connection and empower underrepresented voices. I think storytelling has such an incredible ability to challenge perspectives, create empathy and give people a sense of belonging.

Having been in the industry for around 10 years now, I feel increasingly passionate about using my voice and platform to advocate for greater representation and to be part of telling stories that matter. I want to continue contributing to work that challenges the status quo, celebrates different perspectives and makes people feel seen.
 

What helps to keep you grounded in a changing industry?

Surrounding myself with people who genuinely love me, support me and want the best for me, regardless of what is happening professionally. My cats certainly help, too! And nature. There’s something about getting outside, disconnecting from the noise and remembering that there’s a whole world beyond the industry that keeps everything in perspective.
 

Where do you see yourself going/want to go next?

Well, firstly, Jake and I are putting on a one-night-only performance at the beautiful Eternity Playhouse on November 20 called The JOVÉ Experience, so preparations for that have been incredibly exciting! We’ve been working hard on creating something that feels very much like us, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone. So, please come along!
 
Beyond that, I really want to keep growing as an artist, challenging myself creatively and collaborating with incredible people to tell meaningful stories across film, theatre and music. I’d love to continue exploring opportunities internationally, too.
 
I love to create, and I don’t think I’ll ever want to limit myself to just one avenue. There’s still so much I want to do, learn and experience. So, for now, I’ll keep following the things that excite me, creating opportunities where I can and seeing where life and art take me!

 

Contact

Instagram: @ olivia_clare_vasquezBook tickets to see Olivia and Jake at the Eternity Playhouse on November 20 below.Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/the-jove-experience-one-night-only

Our Artists of the Month Gallery

Wondering who we’ve highlighted in the past? Scroll through our gallery of artists below!

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Lily Hayman

(she/her)

Lily Hayman is a young writer, director and producer who lives and works on unceded Gadigal Land. She is the current Young Leader and Associate Producer at Shopfront Arts Co-Op, and one half of the all-female team behind Purple Tape Productions. Having received a Bachelor of Performance and First Class Honours (Theatre) at the University of Wollongong, Lily has since created and presented two fully realised productions: Fledgling (KXT 2022, MerrigongX 2021) and The Infinity Mirror (Shopfront ArtsLab 2021, BrandX Flying Nun Residency 2022). She has worked as Assistant Director to Margot Politis with Milk Crate Theatre and has been a member of the Harness Ensemble of artists with and without disability since 2021. In 2023 Lily is looking forward to directing Expiration Date and Party Girl as well as developing her own works Preparing for the Inevitable and Perfect Match.

Maeve Hook

(she/her)

Maeve Hook is a queer director, writer and actor, and co-founder of TART Theatre Collective. Maeve has a rich performance history in circus and is a BFA Acting graduate from Queensland University of Technology. In the final year of her studies, she received the Jennifer Blocksidge Memorial Award, allowing her to train with Shakespeare and Company (Massachusetts USA) post-graduation. She has several independent performance credits, some of which include the title role in ‘Anna Bella Eema’ (Dir. Anja Homburg), Mercutio in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Dir. Shaz Mullens, Fresh Theatre) and the lead in Queer historical short film ‘Ballad’ (Dir. Roe Bonnici). Maeve was a chosen playwright for ATYP’s Emerging Playwrights National Studio (2021) and is currently a part of She Writes at Theatre Works (2022-2023). Her directing work has most recently been seen by national and international audiences with the 2022 tour of ‘POLES: The Science of Magnetic Attraction’.

Hayden Tonazzi

(they/him)

Hayden Tonazzi (they/he) is a theatre and musical theatre director, and creative producer based in Gadigal. A graduate of the NIDA MFA Directing program, this year they commence their appointment as Artistic Associate with the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), after being an Associate Artist at the Kings Cross Theatre (KXT).As Director, their play credits include Shack by George Kemp for ATYP, Tell Me Before The Sun Explodes by Jacob Parker for KXT, the Australian Premiere of Significant Other by Joshua Harmon for The New Theatre, This Genuine Moment by Jacob Parker for La Mama & The Old 505. Their musical theatre credits include Miracle City by Nick Enright for NIDA, Carrie: The Musical for The Depot Theatre, Parade at The Seymour Centre, and The Hatpin at The King Street Theatre. This year they will be developing a new work titled Pickled (كبيس) for PYT Fairfield, creating a new youth-devised work titled Stop. Drop. And Listen. for Shopfront Arts, and directing a new Australian play, The Last Train To Madeline by Callum Mackay for Fever103.

Tyler Fitzpatrick

(she/her)

Tyler (she/her) is a stage and production manager, producer, lighting designer and theatre maker currently based on unceded Dharawal Land. She graduated with distinction from the University of Wollongong, earning the Merrigong Theatre Company Production Prize. Tyler has been the Production and Operations Manager at Shopfront Arts Co-Op since 2020 and services arts organisations as a Production Associate with The Paperjam Partners. With Paperjam, she has production managed Jailbaby and Pony (Griffin Theatre Company, 2023), A Practical Guide to Self-Defense (National Theatre of Parramatta/Merrigong Theatre Company, 2022), Nothing (NTofP, 2022), and Dust (Milk Crate Theatre Company, 2022).

Sarah Carroll

(she/they)

Sarah Carroll (she/they) is an award winning Pasifika queer and neurodiverse writer, performer and producer working on Dharug Land (Western Sydney). Sarah has two successful one woman shows under her belt, ‘Cherry’ (Sydney Fringe Award Winners and Hollywood Fringe Nominee) and ‘Unkissed’ (Developed with Shopfront – ArtsLab). They also run their own production company Sour Cherry Productions that has successfully produced works in the indie theatre scene and fringe circuits.

Brea McCarthy

(she/they)

Bria McCarthy (she/her) is a Wiradjuri/Irish writer and theatre-maker working on Dharug and Gundungurra land. In 2019 she wrote and directed her debut play ‘A Game For Flies’, which played at PYT Fairfield. In 2022 her debut manuscript ‘Finding Liminas: The Sudden Tree’ was shortlisted for the Text Prize 2022.

https://briamccarthy.com/cv/

Almitra Mavalvala

(she/her)

Almitra (She/Her) is a Sydney-based, Persian Pakistani, performing artist, writer, composer and independent producer. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music (Music Theatre) from the Australian Institute of Music. Almitra’s theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof (Willoughby Theatre Company) & Kinky Boots (Packemin Production). She was also part of the Feminist Comedy show ‘Tough Titties’ as a featured musical artist. Her screen credits include, a short film, ‘Red Lantern’ (Noah Films, Supporting Female Lead)

https://www.almitramavalvala.com/

Eleni Cassimatis

(she/her)

Eleni Cassimatis (she/her) is a Sydney-based actor, and a graduate of the Actors Centre Australia. Eleni’s theatre credits include productions of Macbeth, Hamlet, The Comedy of Errors and In A Nutshell for Bell Shakespeare. She was also a member of Bell Shakespeare’s national touring company The Players in 2020 and 2021. ​Eleni’s voice work includes the indie short Time Stamp. Eleni is a proud MEAA member.

http://www.elenicassimatis.com/

Em Tambree

(they/them)

Em Tambree is an emerging director & producer based in Naarm. Em undertook intensive Musical Theatre training at Centrestage, SHOWFIT (2016) and received their Diploma of Music for Musical Theatre at The Australian Institute of Music (2019). Post graduation & disability diagnosis, Em Tambree's exploration into accessibility within the industry led them to develop experience in almost every aspect of stagecraft.They founded TART Theatre Collective with Maeve Hook in April 2022; an independent theatre company focused on the untold, misheard, and/or ignored stories from underrepresented voices and communities (Company in Residence 2023, The Motley Bauhaus).

Ava Madon

(she/her)

Ava is an Actor and Singer graduating from Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. Her work spans theatre, musical theatre and television. She was most recently seen in Sport for Jove’s I Hate People/Timon of Athens, a production praised by the Sydney Morning Herald as “the pinnacle of Shakespeare in Sydney this century”.Her other recent stage credits include If/Then (Neglected Musicals), Venus and Adonis (Sport for Jove),The Lucky Country (Hayes Theatre Co.), Macbeth, Othello (Sport for Jove), Merrily we Roll Along (Hayes Theatre Co.), Bells are Ringing (Neglected Musicals), Titanic the Musical: In Concert (The Marrollo Project) and Cinderella in Into the Woods with both Belvoir and Watch This, for which she was nominated for a Greenroom Award.

Aloma Barnes

(she/her)

Aloma Barnes is a distinguished costume and set designer, actively contributing to both theatre and screen. With a foundation in fashion design, marked by a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mumbai, India, Aloma's passion for storytelling through attire and settings propelled her to pursue further education at the London College of Fashion. There, she completed her Master’s degree in Costume Design for Performance, honing her skills and artistic vision.​Her career trajectory includes notable roles, such as a costume designer for various theatre productions in London and a design intern for an Amazon Prime web series in Mumbai.

Jess Zlotnick

(she/her)

Jess is a multi-disciplinary creative living and working in Sydney. She has experience as a writer, director, designer, artist, and musician. Jess graduated from the University of Sydney in 2019 with a double major in Gender Studies and Theatre and Performance Studies. Jess is passionate about diversity and challenging stereotypes through theatre and storytelling.

https://jesszlotnick.com/

Ziggy Resnick

(they/she)

Ziggy graduated the NIDA (BFA acting) in 2020 where they worked with and learnt from many inspiring and change makers and artists: Jim Sharman (Twelfth Night), Leticia Caceres (SIX), Priscilla Jackman (Ghosts). Since the institute Ziggy starred in Girls in Boys Cars (Riverside, dir. Priscilla Jackman), Feminazi (Belvoir’s 25A), A is for Apple (Griffin Theatre), How to Defend Yourself (Old Fitz Theatre) and The Eisteddfod (Old Fitz Theatre). Ziggy also toured with The Bell Shakespeare Players in 2022 and worked as a clown on Opera Australia’s Ernani.

Solomon Thomas

Solomon Thomas' work explores the intersection between the physical and digital in theatre, experimenting with how theatre and film can co-exist in a live context. He works as a director, performer, puppeteer, and video designer and is driven by how these practices meet formally. His recent works include POV (Belvoir 2024), Oh Deer! (Rising, 2023), Sex Magic (Griffin 2023), UFO (Griffin 2023), Autotune (Brand X, 2022), The Sucker (Brand X, 2021) and What the Ocean Said (Opera House, 2022). Solomon is a core member of re:group performance collective, who’s work Coil had a national tour with Arts on Tour and was also presented at the Opera House, Mona Foma, PACT and Next Wave.

Zoë Hollyoak (she/her)

Zoë is a Director and Creative Producer who has worked across a range of organisations, including Performance Space, Performing Lines, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA. She holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making) from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Zoë runs essential workers, a Sydney-based Performance Making Group.

Morgan Moroney (he/him)

Morgan Moroney (he/him) is a lighting and video designer working across theatre, opera, dance and installation. A graduate of NIDA, Morgan received the 2020 APDG Emerging Designer for Live Performance Award for his design on GHOSTS (NIDA). Morgan has been nominated three times for a Sydney Theatre Award in Best Independent Lighting Design, winning in 2023 for COLLAPSIBLE (essential workers). He won the 2023 APDG Award in Lighting Design for CLEANSED (Redline Productions). In 2024, Morgan was the recipient of the Michael Northen Award for emerging Lighting Designers, administered by the Association for Lighting Production and Design in the UK. Morgan is one half of independent theatre contingent essential workers.

Ursula Martinez

Writer, performer and comedian, Ursula Martinez is probably best known for her internationally acclaimed and now-infamous cult magic striptease act, Hanky Panky. A star of Olivier Award winning smash-hit cabaret show La Clique she co-created C’est Barbican which also won an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.​​Raised in Croydon, she began wowing the crowds with her comic suburban flamenco extravaganza Viva Croydon, described by Attitude magazine as “One of the funniest and most original acts on the London cabaret scene”.​Ursula had a huge hit at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival with her highly original theatre show Family Outing, starring herself and her parents which subsequently toured to Europe, the UK and Australia.

Courtney Monsma (she/her)

Courtney Monsma is a musical theatre performer and actor born and raised in Australia. Courtney has been performing since she can remember from a very young age and that love has thrived. The power to inspire and empower audiences through storytelling is something she is passionate about.​Courtney graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre. She is currently performing in the role of Glinda the Good Witch as part of the national tour of Wicked. She is most known for her breakour role of Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen Australian Tour, playing opposite the original Australian Elphaba, Jemma Rix. ​​Raised in Croydon, she began wowing the crowds with her comic suburban flamenco extravaganza Viva Croydon, described by Attitude magazine as “One of the funniest and most original acts on the London cabaret scene”.​Ursula had a huge hit at the 1998 Edinburgh Festival with her highly original theatre show Family Outing, starring herself and her parents which subsequently toured to Europe, the UK and Australia.

Maybelline San Juan (she/her)

Maybelline is pretty, witty, and funny-but that’s her burden to carry. Like Hannah Montana, she’s both a rising arts producer and emerging artist.Currently the Associate Producer at Sydney Festival, she brings the “Art of Summer” to life each January. Known for her commitment to diversity, accessibility, and sustainability, Maybelline was celebrated as one of Adelaide Festival Centre’s 50 Stories in ‘Celebrating 50 Years’.Maybelline made her artistic debut in the prestigious ‘Class of Cabaret’ at the 2018 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. In 2024, she returned to the stage as a versatile stand-up comedian and cabaret performer. Currently, she is a 2024-2025 artist-in-residence at Shopfront Arts Co-op’s ArtsLab, while regularly featuring on Sydney’s comedy circuits. Maybelline has also showcased her original work at Hayes Theatre Co.’s and with Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.

Ren Williams (she/her)

Ren Williams is an Australian film & theatre actor, having trained with Honours at the Flinders University Drama Centre. Also specialising in directing and writing, Ren is a co- founder of independent theatre company ‘CRAM Collective’.After graduating in 2020, Ren made her directing debut in 2021 with Deadset Theatre Company's show 'Truck Stop' along with winning State Theatre Company SA's Young Playwright Award for her play 'Modified'. In 2022 Ren performed and produced The CRAM Collective's world premiere 'Something Big' (Dir. Connor Reidy), following their sold- out show of 'New World Coming' - a show created in 5 days. Later that year she also performed as five different characters in Kinetik Collective's StateSide show 'Kill Climate Deniers’ (Dir. Clara Solly-Slade). In 2023, Ren starred in the one-woman show ‘Guthrak’ (Dir. Matthew Briggs) at the DreamBIG festival, the USA tour of Bluey’s Big Play (Dir. Rosemary Myers) and Windmill Pictures’ ‘Beep and Mort’ Season 2.

Jennifer Trijo (she/her)

Jennifer Trijo is a Filipino singer, actor, and multi-instrumentalist. She is a graduate of UNSW (Bachelor of Music and Education) and a proud member of the MEAA.Jennifer’s professional theatre credits include: Baruska in Once (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Janelle Woods/Shirelle, Beautiful – the Carole King Musical (Matt Ward Entertainment); Ms. Mendoza, The Deep North (South Australian Playwrights Theatre); Hua Mulan/Pocahontas/Badroulbadour, Disenchanted (Mad About Theatre); and Kim, Miss Saigon (LWAA | Michael Coppel). Jennifer is a regular featured artist at the OzAsia and Adelaide Fringe Festivals.

Nikita Waldron (she/her)

Nikita graduated from NIDA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2017. Her theatre credits include: the upcoming Amber (The Old Fitz), Girls in Boys Cars (National Theatre of Parramatta), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Sydney Theatre Company), What the Ocean Said (Sydney Opera House), Rules for Living (Sydney Theatre Company), Kindness (Griffin Theatre), Lord of the Flies (Sydney Theatre Company), Mosquitoes (Sydney Theatre Company), The Wolves (Belvoir St Theatre), An Enemy of the People (Belvoir St Theatre), girl friend (Belvoir’s 25a) and Youth & Destination (KXT). Her feature film credits include The Bystander Trials, Palm Beach and Top End Wedding. Her TV credits include the upcoming Stan series He Had it Coming, Home and Away, The Letdown and Random and Whacky.

Vaishnavi Suryaprakash

Vaishnavi is an actor, dramaturg and Bharathnatyam dancer. Born in India and raised in south-west Sydney, she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art with a BFA (Acting) in 2017.Vaishnavi’s theatre credits include Nayika: A Dancing Girl, Counting and Cracking (Sydney & UK Tour), Life of Galileo, and Sami in Paradise (Belvoir Theatre); Grand Horizons, White Pearl, and Julius Caesar (Sydney Theatre Company); What The Ocean Said (Sydney Opera House); Moby Dick (Sport for Jove); and Blue Christmas at KXT for New Ghosts Theatre.For her performance in Counting & Cracking, Vaishnavi received a Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role as “Young Radha”.

Claira Prider (she/her)

Claira Prider is an arts reviewer and actress based on Gadigal land. After receiving a Bachelor of Music in voice from the Elder Conservatorium, and Honours in classical singing from WAAPA, she found herself having to pivot away from her opera dream because of health challenges. Post disability diagnosis, she directs her passion for live performance and exceptional artistry into arts reviewing as well as pursuing screen acting secondary to her day job. Through writing for OutinPerth, Scenestr and Theatre Thoughts, she's been lucky enough to review countless worldclass performances, including productions by Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir Street Theatre Company. In a society that's not equipped to aptly or easily support artists with varying visible and invisible disabilities to the extent needed to be meaningfully involved in a performing capacity, she's passionate about participating in, reviewing and supporting productions that are accessible to the wider community of artists.

Fraser Morrison

Fraser Morrison is a Sydney-based actor hailing from the far north coast of NSW. He studied in a variety of skills across drama, dance and voice, before landing at École Philippe Gaulier in Paris to focus on clowning.He has since worked across Sydney’s prominent theatre companies including the Old Fitz (The Eisteddfod, How to Defend Yourself), KXT (Dumb Kids, Cherry Smoke, Natives), ATYP (The Resistance, M.Rock) and Darlinghurst Theatre Co. (Remembering Pirates). His screen highlights also include ‘The Last Days of the Space Age’ (Disney+), ‘The Family Law’ (SBS), and ‘Oi’ (CIMP Prod.) which premiered at MIFF. Fraser recently starred in the solo show ‘Cruise’ with Fruit Box theatre, which saw a sold out season at KXT and garnered rave reviews. He is currently in rehearsals for Belvoir’s ‘Grief is the Thing with Feathers’ which plays from the 26th of July to the 24th of June.

Eliza Soriano

Discovered amongst thousands of auditionees from an open call, Eliza is fresh from her professional debut with the original Australian company of Hadestown, playing Worker 1 and Eurydice.She is a proud Filipina-Australian who was born and raised in Melbourne and soon, she will be taking the stage at the Sydney Opera House with the cast of RENT!

Artist of the Month Theatre

Simon Fairweather

Simon has worked as a performer and creative in many of Australia’s most loved musical theatre shows. He started dancing at a young age under the guidance of Suzanne Martin and trained at the Victorian College of theArts prior to making his Professional debut in 2005 at Tokyo DisneySea. Simon’s Music theatre credits include: Fender/Link cover, Hairspray (RCCL), Fred Casely/Dance Captain, Chicago (RCCL), Dance Captain, Saturday Night Fever (RCCL), Kingsmen Swing, King Kong: Live On Stage (Global Creatures), Ensemble/Cover Willie & Subway Ghost, Ghost: The Musical (GWB Entertainment), Dance Captain/Cover Brit, We Will Rock You (RCCL), Ensemble, Carmen (Opera Australia), Assistant Dance Captain, TheWedding Singer (David Venn Entertainment), Dance Captain/Swing, Hamilton (Michael Cassel Group), Ensemble/Cover Santiago, Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Global Creatures). Simon is a proudly a member of MEAA and represented by Random Management.

Jordan Shea

Jordan Shea is an award-winning writer, teacher and performer. Training at the VCA (Writing) and the University of Notre Dame (Theatre, English and Education), his work as a writer is highly regarded. Awards include: the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2025, the Philip Parsons Fellowship (Belvoir) and the Notre Dame Distinguished Alumni Award.His play They’re not listening won the Writing NSW Fellowship and was runner up for the Australian Theatre Festival’s New Play Award (NYC). His writing work includes: Malacañang Made Us (Queensland Theatre), Kasama Kita (Belvoir 25a), The House at Boundary Road, Liverpool (Old 505) One Hour No Oil (KXT/kwento – co writer), Ate Lovia (Red Line/kwento). He is the recipient of grants and funding from the Ian Potter Cultural Trust and Create NSW.  Simon is a proudly a member of MEAA and represented by Random Management.

Anusha Thomas

Anusha Thomas is an actor, theatre-maker, and singer whose work spans stage, screen, and music. A qualified lawyer as well as a NIDA graduate, she brings both intellectual rigour and creative curiosity to her practice.Anusha was recently in the Australian production of Hamilton (Michael Cassel Group) as an onstage understudy for Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy/Maria. Her stage credits include a sold out season of The Lucky Country (Vidya Makan and Sonya Suares) The Dismissal (Squabbalogic), Metropolis (Hayes Theatre/Little Eggs Collective), The Lost Boys (Seymour Centre/Little Eggs Collective), and Aurat Raj (Belvoir 25A). She has also developed new works as a performer/devisor across multiple independent projects.

Brittany Goh

Brittany Goh is a 19-year-old performer, content creator and aspiring disability advocate living on unceded Gadigal Land. After moving to Australia from Aotearoa, New Zealand, she began training in singing, acting and dance, hoping to bring visibility to disabled performers in the Musical Theatre industry. Since moving to Sydney, she performed as Beth March (Alternate) in Little Women (Company of Dramatic Arts). Most recently, Brittany was accepted into the NIDA Diploma of Musical Theatre (Class of 2026), making her the first wheelchair user to be accepted into the program to study, and the first wheelchair user to begin studying a tertiary Musical Theatre program in the country. Brittany was also offered a place at Brent Street’s Diploma of Musical Theatre. As an autistic wheelchair user, Brittany strives to use her platform on social media to give hope to other aspiring disabled performers and raise awareness and understanding about disability, both in and out of the performing arts.

Cassie Hamilton

Cassie is a transgender writer, performer, and director based on Gadigal land, working across theatre, film, and new musical development. Her practice centres queer storytelling with heart, humour, and theatrical ambition, often blending intimacy with spectacle.As a director and dramaturg, Cassie has worked with companies including Griffin Theatre Company, The Old Fitz Theatre, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, and Bearfoot Theatre. She is a founding member of the Trans Theatre Collective, with whom she dramaturged and directed No Love Songs for Lady Basses at the Old Fitz, and she will direct Afterglow by Sheanna Parker Russon at Griffin Theatre Company in 2026.She is also the co-founder of Bearfoot Theatre, a company dedicated to producing original queer works.

Diego Ratemales

Diego is a Chilean-Australian actor and fight choreographer based in Sydney/Gadigal with a B. Performance from Theatre Nepean’s final graduating year in 2008.Recent credits: The Comedy of Errors, Betrayal, Timon of Athens (Sport for Jove), Furious Mattress (Legit/25A), A Very Expensive Poison (New Theatre), Labyrinth (Flight Path). Diego has also spent the last 15 years in professional wrestling as a wrestler, trainer and most recently Ring Announcer for Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA)

Sarah Bowers

Green Room Award-nominated writer Sarah Bowers is a Melbourne-based actor, director, music director and educator, and a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts Music Theatre program.In 2025, she toured her solo cabaret Sarahtonin across Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, following its Judges’ Pick win at Melbourne Fringe and a 2026 Green Room Award nomination for Outstanding Writing, Cabaret.Sarah is passionate about developing new work and collaborating with like-minded artists to create bold, engaging and accessible theatre experiences.

Ruby Blinkhorn

Ruby is an award-winning writer, dramaturg and theatre-maker working on Gadigal land.  A graduate of NIDA's Master of Fine Arts (Dramatic Writing, 2025), her work uses comedy as a Trojan horse for hard-to-talk-about subjects, producing poignant social commentary on corruption, loss, and human connection. Her debut play, 'Cadaver Synod', a sexed up Vatican tragedy, premiered at KXT on Broadway in May, following a sold-out reading at the Old Fitz’s New Works Festival.

Amy Zhang

Amy Zhang is an in-demand choreographer and movement director based on Gadigal Land (Sydney). Her work spans across film, tv, theatre and live performance. Her work is grounded in Chinese ways of knowing and storytelling through experimenting with the intersections of street style foundations and contemporary frameworks.Amy’s work has caught the eye of many, choreographing for global brands such as Hermes, Cartier, Nike, Calvin Klein as well the likes of Rita Ora, The Veronicas and Pnau Pnau. Her work has been featured at Australian Fashion Week, on Channel 10, ABC, SBS and Nowness. She has also collaborated with Google to curate an AI dance app that was presented at Google I/O annual developer conference in Los Angeles.

Bridie Connell

For theatre, her writing credits include The Plan (and Other Plans), a dramedy co-written with Grace Rouvray that premiered at Hothouse Theatre in 2024 and was subsequently published by Currency Press, and the satirical pop musical Fuccbois: Live in Concert, which is currently on at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.Performing credits include Fuccbois: Live in Concert, the Australian version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, sketch shows We Interrupt this Broadcast (Ch 7) and The Moth Effect (Amazon), feature film Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Pieces of Her (Netflix) and many more. Bridie is a former national improv champion, world improv championships finalist, and is a regular fixture in the comedy rooms of Sydney with her unique blend of character, musical and improv comedy. She has twice been invited to Vancouver as a featured performer and teacher in prestigious improv festival The Heat.

Jenny Guigayoma

Jenny Guigayoma is a 2025 graduate of the NIDA BFA (Singing Actor) and was most recently seen as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (Hayes Theatre, dir. Julia Robertson). Previous to that, she played Chastity in Everyone Knows I’m A Pervert (KxT, NIDA Festival). In her time at drama school her credits included Luisa in Nine (dir. Dean Drieberg), Ashlee in Dance Nation (dir. Nigel Turner-Carroll) and Michael Darling in Peter Pan (dir. Ben Schostakowski).She also completed the WAAPA Diploma of Musical Theatre in 2022 and has participated in moved readings for Slanted Theatre (2025-2026)and The Hayes Festival of New Works (2024-2026).

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