GLENN SHEA
Writer & Director
Glenn Shea (Wathaurong/Ngarrindjeri) is an acclaimed, award-winning playwright (including recipient of the State Library of Victoria R.E Ross Trust Development Award and Play Writing Australia Script Workshop Selection Award), director and performer and was the first Aboriginal person to graduate NIDA with a degree in Dramatic Art. Glenn is a retired frontline Koorie juvenile justice worker from Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, where he wrote the WEP, a full-time education and development program as well as a ten-day cultural gathering camp around the boundaries of Country for Aboriginal adolescent people who came into contact with the criminal justice system.
Glenn is the recipient of the 2020 NAIDOC Award for Elder and Respected Person Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative for outstanding cultural/program service to community. Glenn also works as an actor, and is the First Nations Producer at La Mama Theatre.
Glenn’s personal experience working with children within the criminal justice system and his lived experience as a Stolen Generation child have informed the powerful story, An Indigenous Trilogy. It has been in a cultural development for over two decades, receiving accolades at various stages. It will culminate years of research, sensitive community outreach, presentation to Elders and young people, careful planning, consideration for First Nations stories, song and dance and artistic development into an epic presentation.
TESSA SPOONER
CREATIVE Producer
Tessa grew up on Ngunnawal country with Yirrganydji family on her mother’s side and lives and works on the land of the people of the Kulin Nation.
Tessa has over 12 years of experience in the arts/theatre industry specialising in producing, developing and implementing cultural programs and events in order to welcome, champion and assist visiting and collaborating makers of theatre in realising their work to its greatest potential, whilst bringing empathy and agency to the artistic process.
Her fine-art back-ground informs her theatre-making, which she has avidly been pursuing since completing Fine Art at The National Art School. Some key theatrical highlights include Production Designer on Men, by Brendan Cowell, Tiny Remarkable Bramble by Jessica Tuckwell and The Return by Reg Cribb; as well as producing BEAMS Art Festival in Sydney.
DR KIRSTY REILLY
director of three magpies perched in a tree
DR. KIRSTY REILLY is an accomplished performing arts practitioner, educator and academic. She has over thirty-four years professional experience nationally and internationally as an educator, theatre director, choreographer, movement director/choreographer, theatre maker and artist.
Rielly holds a Doctorate in Cultural Alliance and Relationship building in First Nations Intercultural theatre practice. She works within the arts and education industry, corporate businesses and the public sector building understanding of First Nations storytelling methodologies, communication, and intercultural relationality learned from personal experience. As mother of two Ngarrindjeri/Wathaurong children, she has 30 years of lived experience and learned understanding of the reality of navigating intercultural daily life for Aboriginal people in Contemporary Australia. Involved as a family member of community and an artist in First Nations theatre over those decades this privileged position has afforded Kirsty deep insight.
As a graduate from The National Institute of Dramatic Art Australia (NIDA) and a Gloria Payton Fellowship recipient, she has trained and worked with companies and mentors including Theatre de Complicite, Monica Pagneux, Philippe Gaulier, Sydney Dance Company, DV8 and Belvoir St Theatre Sydney. She works as a performing arts practitioner, educator and mentor in acting institutions, theatre companies, film and television training studios and universities. These include NIDA, Melbourne University (VCA), The Conservatoire of Scotland, Deakin University, Actors Centre Australia, Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), Sydney Theatre Company (STC), Belvoir Theatre Company (Sydney), La Mama Theatre (Melbourne), 16th street Actors Studio, Grace Acting Studios, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Australian Opera (AO).
LUCY PAYNE
ACTOR, MAsTERPIECE & SOME
SECRETS SHOULD BE KEPT
Lucy Payne is a performer and theatre-maker born and raised on unceded Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. An Indigenous Trilogy is her professional debut. During Victoria’s 2021/22 lockdowns she performed as part of several online productions including Hey is Dee Dee Home? A Punk Rock Sitcom and in corporate training videos for domestic violence caseworkers. In her final year at the Ballarat Arts Academy in 2020 she performed the roles of Abigail Williams and John Proctor in a gender-bending production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, directed by Gary Abrahams. Other previous work includes lead roles in Brontë by Polly Teale and Everyman adapted by Carol Anne Duffy. Lucy is currently working towards accreditation as an Intimacy Coordinator with Intimacy Directors & Coordinators International (IDC). She is a proud MEAA member.
SYD BRISBANE
ACTOR, MASTERPIECE & SOME
SECRETS SHOULD BE KEPT
Syd graduated from Flinders Uni Drama Centre in 1983. Throughout his nearly 40 years in the industry, Syd has had the great honour to work with many First Nations artists and storytellers. Once again, it is a great privilege to collaborate with Glenn Shea in bringing Masterpiece to life.
Previous shows with La Mama include Cat at Melbourne Fringe in 1997 (Green Room Nomination), Lucky 2005, Squizzy 2006, Coranderrk We Will Show Country co-production with Ibijerri 2010-16, & Ryan 2015 (Green Room Nomination). Other theatre highlights playing Manuel in Fawlty Towers Live national tour working with John Cleese, Victory at STC directed by Judy Davis, He Stumbled with The Wrestling School U.K. directed by Howard Barker, Because The Night at Malthouse directed by Matt Lutton, Macduff in Macbeth Australian Shakespeare Co directed by Glenn Elston, and K Box at Malthouse directed by Bridget Belodis.
Film credits include Silent Partner, Boxing Day, Dirt Music, Red Dog True Blue, Dead
Letter Office, Epsilon & Bad Boy Bubby.
TV credits include Black Snow (Stan), Shantaram (Paramont +), Aftertaste Season 2 (ABC),
Stateless (Netflix), Bloom (Stan), Glitch (Matchbox), The Worst Year of my Life
AGAIN (ABC 3), & Conspiracy 365 (Foxtel)
BRODIE MURRAY
ACTOR, SOME SECRETS SHOULD
BE KEPT
Brodie is a Wamba Wamba playwright and performer, of Scottish Australian heritage. A 2020 graduate of WAAPA in Aboriginal Performance, he is the recipient of the Best Emerging Indigenous Artist Award, the Young Creatives Award, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2021), and the Australia Council for the Arts First Nations Emerging Career Development Award, First Nations Arts Awards 2022. In May 2021, Brodie’s play Soul of Possum premiered at the YIRRAMBOI Festival directed by Beng Oh, with dramaturgy by Declan Furber Gillick. Brodie performed the role of warrior, Dindi, in YIRRAMBOI Festival. His play Billy’s Choice debuted at Melbourne Fringe and was adapted for film by cinematographer Davide Michielin, directed by Rachael Maza, with dramaturgy by Geoff Kelso. Brodie performed the role of Billy. He was a writer for ILBIJERRI’s ‘10 in 10’ 2021 script commissions. His new play for Deadly Fringe, The Whisper, debuted at this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival, irected by Maryanne Sam, with dramaturgy by Mari Lourey and Glenn Shea. He is an Alumni of the Melbourne Theatre Company First Peoples Young Artists Program and was a writer for their 2022 First Stage playwrights’ program.
NICOLE NABOUT
ACTOR, SOME SECRETS SHOULD
BE KEPT
Nicole has just finished filming The Clearing for Disney+. Last year she was in season 3 of Jack Irish, and Because the Night at The Malthouse. Her theatre credits include Good Muslim Boy (Malthouse/QTC), Secret Bridesmaid’s Business (Playbox Theatre), Oil and Wakey Wakey (Red Stitch), and Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Australian Shakespeare Company). Nicole has worked extensively in TV including Jack Irish, Mustangs FC, Newton’s Law, Nowhere Boys, The Librarians, Upper Middle Bogan and The Time of our Lives (ABC TV), Offspring (Channel 10), and in film including Three Dollars (Arena Films) and Angel of Mine (Garlin Pictures).
VALENTINA SEREBRENNIKOVA
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Valentina sees herself as a Visual Storyteller with a broad spectrum of her practices, from Production and Costume Design to Fine Art. With her past experience of collaboration with international and multicultural creators, she explores her potential as an intercultural bridge. Through her work, she aims to enrich herself as well as diversity in Australian arts.
She has worked internationally on various scales of productions, her rich portfolio represents her from different angles: drama, dance works, opera, film and TV.
The highlights of her works and achievements include; over 30 theatre productions, as Production and Costume Designer; permanent Designer position in Sly Rat Theatre Company, working in art departments for feature films, TV and short films as Production and Costume Designer, APDG award for Best Costume for short film, APDG award for VCA short films as Best Production Designer and holding exhibitions in collaboration with La Mama and Metanoa theatres.
Valentina is proud to be a part of the show and privileged she’s been able to help visually tell First Nations stories.
BRONWYN PRINGLE
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Bronwyn Pringle has worked around Australia as well as internationally as a Lighting Designer (and other roles) in venues that have ranged from The Princess Theatre, a London West End Nightclub, a warehouse in Buenos Aires, and a woolshed in Glencoe. But La Mama is her spiritual home for experimentation. Design highlights from over 80 productions at La Mama include Yarn, Closed for Maintenance, Aviary, Beneath and Beyond and Songbirds and Angels. Bronwyn received the 2020 Green Room award for Technical Achievement plus two Green Room Awards for Lighting Design, including for Alias Grace (Malthouse Theatre 2004) which began as her first design in La Mama in 1999.
DANNI ESPOSITO
SOUND DESIGNER
Danni is a non-binary Green Room nominated Sound Designer and Composer from Naarm/Melbourne. They specialise in sound design and composition for theatre, immersive works and film. Danni’s most notable credits include sound design and composition for Stay Woke (Malthouse Theatre); Overflow (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); The Sound Inside (Melbourne Theatre Company); Malthouse Theatre’s 2020 Season Launch; Hydra (Double Water Sign Theatre). SLUTNIK (Midsumma Festival); Guerilla Sabbath (Midsumma Festival); Cactus (La Mama Theatre); Punk Rock (Patalog Theatre); Slut (The Burrow); The Dream Laboratory (Essential Theatre); SLUTNIK™ (Midsumma Festival); Treats (Fever103 Theatre); Land (Three Fates Theatre Company); Never Said Motel (Writers Festival, OK Motels); Adam (Midsumma Festival); Tram Lights Up (Bighouse Arts); Western Edge Youth Arts (WEYA – In School, Artist In Residency). Danni is a design graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production). Danni is a current panel member of the Green Room Theatre Companies Panel for 2022. Danni is a proud alumni of MTC's industry leading Women in Theatre program and as an advocate for the arts, Danni is driven to champion gender equity in technical design fields.
SIMON BOWLAND
PROJECTIONIST
Simon (He/Him) is an independent visual artist/designer based in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia), living and working on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Worrung people.
Throughout a 20+ year career, he has gained extensive experience developing work acrossthe creative arts sector. Simon’s art is cross-disciplinary and is often based on using the whimsical and the absurd to engage an idea. Traditionally based in manual and hands-on techniques he has expanded into projection and visual augmentation of performance spaces.
Simon’s artistic practice occupies the intersection of sculpture, illustration and digitaltechnology. As a visual artist, he has exhibited works in a range of independently run group shows across Melbourne since 2005. He has a strong eye for detail for all types of sculpture, design and illustration. This includes mediums such as clay sculpting, resin and metal casting, paper sculpture, timber concept furniture, illustration, animation, digital projection and 3D digital modeling. His academic credentials include; a Bachelor of Arts (Industrial Design), Master of Fine Arts (Live Production) as well as an onlineMasterclass in Graphic Design and Master Class in Projection Art (Centre for Projection Art).
MERRYN APMA DALEY
ARTIST
Merryn Apma Daley is from the Western Arrernte people, Alice Springs. She is from the stolen generation and reconnected with her family 35 years ago. Merryn has worked in Aboriginal affairs for over 30 years at grass roots level and in government, advocating for her people. A business owner on the Sunshine Coast QLD, she is the recipient of the Centenary medal for her services to Aboriginal community in Victoria and won the “Women Means Business” biennial award in 2009. A recognised artist with art hanging all over the world, Merryn paints her journey and captures the memory of the beautiful country that runs through her veins. Honouring her countrymen and painting the strong women as well as the colours of the desert, flowers, waterholes and her people sitting on country.
LAUREN THUYS
PROJECT MANAGER
Lauren is a performer, stage manager, and arts administrator. She’s honored to have the opportunity to support and learn from Glenn Shea and Tessa Spooner over the last two years as Project Manager, in bringing Glenn’s important story of An Indigenous Trilogy to La Mama audiences. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Drama) and a Master of Creative Arts both from Deakin University, and a Master of Arts and Cultural Management from the University of Melbourne. Working in both local and independent theatre, Lauren’s previous productions include WellBless (Theatreworks, 2021), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Eltham Little Theatre, 2018), Murders in the Heir (Eltham Little Theatre, 2018), 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (Gasworks, 2017), The Rules are The Rules are the Rules (Pop Culture Theatre), The Adjudicator (Pop Culture Theatre, 2017), Nonsense (Hawthorn Arts Centre 2016). Lauren interned at La Mama Theatre in 2021 and is currently working in film and television.
KELLY HARRIS
STAGE MANAGER
Kelly is excited to be back at La Mama on the breathtaking show that
is An Indigenous Trilogy by Glenn Shea. This is Kelly’s second show at La Mama, after sheworked on Undercoat: A Parafoxical Tale by Cynthia Troup back in 2017. With a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Theatre at La Trobe University, Kelly has worked with The Australian Shakespeare Company and most recently The Marriage of Figaro with Melbourne Opera. Kelly is passionate about thought-provoking theatre and thrilled to be a part of the Trilogy team.