Biographies

BIOGRAPHIES – Key Artists 2008

Claudia Alessi- performer/choreographer

Claudia come from a diverse background- dance, gymnastics, aerial work, physical theatre, puppetry and film. She currently lectures at the WAAPA and is completing a Masters of Creative Arts Degree. She has lectured, choreographed and directed for various schools, universities, festivals and events throughout WA including Steps Youth Dance Company. Her career during the past 17 years includes dance and theatre companies across Australia and and in France with Plasticien Volants. She continues to tour extensively nationally and internationally, performing in festivals and conducting master classes. As a dance independent Claudia produced and performed in her own solo work Point of Entry for PIAF 2002 and 4by2 A Series of Encounters in 2004. In 2005 Claudia toured Europe with the Australian Dance Theatre performing in Garry Stewart’s Age of Unbeauty.She was nominated ‘Most Outstanding Female Performer’ for her solo in 2002, for her performance in Runners Up with Legs On The Wall Physical Theatre Company in Sydney 2004, and for The Drovers Wives in 2006. Most recently she performed the signature role in Black Swan Theatre Company’s Lady Aoi.

Zoe Atkinson – set/costume design

Zoe studied design for performance at the Prague Academy of The Performing Arts, The International Institute of Figurative Theatre (Czech Republic), and at the Institute Internationale de la Marionette in France (under designer Josef Svoboda). Since returning to Australia in 97 with her husband Jiri Zmitko she has designed more than thirty productions for dance, physical theatre, operetta, puppetry and drama, including waward winning performances and festival commissions such as KAOS Theatre’s Fantastical Adventures of Leonardo da Vinci, Black Swan Theatre’s Plainsong, Away and Copenhagen, and with Perth Theatre Company’s SkinTight.

She is a founding member of the international collective The Carry Grant Players, who last year opened their production Snark -The Way of the Bravest, in co-production with The Maison de la Culture de Nevers et Neviers (France). Zoe’s recent work includes the Barbican BITE (London) commission of group Ridiculusmus, Importance of Being Earnest directed by Jude Kelly, the acclaimed Brisbane Powerhouse production of the Splinter Group’s Lawn, The Odyssey for MIAF and PIAF 2006 for which she won the 2006 Helpmann Award for Costume Design, and The Drovers Wives for PIAF 2006. In 2000-01, Zoe was engaged full time as the Head of Design at the WAAPA. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and wards, including the 2000 Young Australian of the Year for the Arts.

Felicity Bott – choreographer/dramaturg

After training at WAAPA and the Contemporary Dance Centre, Felicity worked with companies including; Chrissie Parrott Dance Company, 2 Dance Plus, Fieldworks Performance Group, Ex-Stasis Theatre, and INC(Independent New Choreographers). She has extensive experience as a free-lance choreographer, director, & dance-educator. Felicity is co-founder of CORPORA, an inter-disciplinary performance collective that facilitates her independent work. She was artistic director of STEPS Youth Dance Company 2000-03. Felicity was appointed artistic director of Buzz Dance Theatre in 2004 for whom she has created the works Beat Routes, Beat Cake, Powdermonkey, Real Boy/Real Girl, Pre-tender and RabbiT. The last two touring nationally in 2006. She is a finalist (with Buzz) in 6 categories for the 2006 Helpmann Awards for these works. She will be WA’s only representative at 2006 Time-Place-Space.
Felicity has created a number of solo works, her most recent performance in The Drovers Wives (PIAF 2006) with Steamworks.

Lynne Burford – Publicity Support

Lynne is one of WA’s most successful publicists and has worked for a diverse range of companies and organizations including the Perth Theatre Trust, and the WA Symphony Orchestra. She was involved in the organization of major tours by Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the Ashi Opera, The Australian Opera and the Australian Ballet. Since forming her own consultancy Lynne Burford Publicity, she has worked on a diverse range of productions including dance, theatre, classical and contemporary music, major music theatre presentations, puppetry, exhibitions, cabaret, CD launches etc. She is currently WA branch manager for Musica Viva and also consultant publicist for Sheraton Perth Hotel. She first worked with Steamworks on The Drovers Wives.

Angela Campbell – writer/performer

After graduating from VCA Angela co-founded Hildegard Theatre Company, a company that produced a number of innovative physically-based works and toured both nationally and internationally. She has also worked as a freelance actor in Victoria, Queensland and WA. Angela is currently working towards a PhD at Murdoch University in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Her thesis includes a play, Orchids and Insects which interweaves three stories, exploring the archaeology and evolution of identity, (as it is held within a particular body.) Her play, Vampires in the Bush written as part of a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Queensland was workshopped at the 2006 Australian Playwrights’ Conference.

co-loaded

co.loaded are Stefan Karlsson and Margrete Helgeby who with an outstanding group of artists designers, technicians and producers, create theatre and dance. They founded co. loaded with the view to create work for themselves and other mature performers over the age of 40. Their first season was the highly acclaimed aqueous for the 2005 Perth International Arts Festival.

Marisa Gareffa – Assistant Director/dramaturg

While completing a performance studies degree at Curtin University, Marisa joined the BSX Theatre team at Black Swan Theatre Company. Through BSX she trained in NSW at National Studio for ATYP 2004 as well as completing a six month internship with Steamworks, culminating in the assistant direction of Medea 05. Through BSX Marisa acted an assistant director for Chris Edmund on Crave in 2004 and performed with the Round 7 troupe for Artrage’s Crossfire. In 2006 Marisa was in Black Swan’s Hot Bed program for emerging artists and acted as assistant director to Neill Gladwin for Black Swan’s production of Red Dog. She has her own theatre company Mondo Di Corpo; productions include The World In Spite of Itself. Most recently she wrote and performed in her company’s production The Romantic Misadventures of a Perth Girl Looking for Love.

Iain Grandage – Composer

Iain is currently Composer-in-Residence with the WA Symphony Orchestra. His theatre composition credits include the Helpmann Award winning score for Cloudstreet (Black Swan/Company B), the Helpmann award nominated score for Plainsong (Black Swan/PIAF 2000); the Green Room award winning scores for The Blue Room (MTC/ICA) and Babes in the Wood (Playbox) as well as Cloud Nine, True West, and The Rain Dancers for MTC; Copenhagen, Mamu, Year of Living Dangerously, Cosi and The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea for Black Swan; Svetlana in Splingbacks & Caucasian Chalk Circle for Company B; and Dryblower & the Water Girl, for the Australian Opera Studio. He has also composed scores for the BBC Radio3 and 4, ABC Radio and short film. Iain was musical director and arranger for the national tours of Jimmy Chi’s multi award winning Corrugation Road. His concert compositions have been performed throughout Australia and overseas. Recent projects include Ooldea-a collaboration between Elders of the Spinifex lands and the WASO, an adaptation of The Odyssey for the Melbourne and Perth Festivals, the dance/theatre project Lawn for Brisbane Powerhouse, Berlin Schaubuhne, The Drover’s Wives for PIAF 2006 for which he was a finalist for the 2006 Helpmann Awards- Best Original Score.

Stefan Karlsson - performer/choreographer

Swedish born, danced with The Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), TanzForum (Germany), WA Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Chrissie Parrott Dance Company (found.Member). Freelance since1993 as dancer, actor, teacher and choreographer. Choreographed works for WAAPA’s graduating students, WA Ballet and Loaded. Acting credits with Perth Theatre Company, Deckchair Theatre and with Sally Richardson. Stefan was nominated in 1999 with Margrete Helgeby for Best Performance by a Company at the Ausdance National Awards in 1999 for Loaded. Stefan was Guest artist with Australian Dance Theatre in Garry Stewart’s Birdbrain tour to the USA and London in 2003. He Co-directed and performed in co. loaded’s inaugural season Aqueous at the PIAF 2005. He was also a Board member of Ausdance WA (1996-03) and the Australia Council Dance Fund (1999-01).Stefan was awarded a Special Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to dance in WA at the 2006 WA Ausdance Awards.Stefan is currently working with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.

Katie Keady – Co-producer/performer

A WAAPA graduate, Katie is an actor, theatre-maker and voice-artist who has returned to Perth from working and continuing her training interstate and in the UK (Actors Centre, London ). Theatre overseas includes new works on the London fringe circuit and the Brighton Fringe Festival 2004. Since being part of the original company responsible for the devising and performing of Stuck Pigs Squealing Theatre Company’s internationally award-winning The Black Swan of Trespass for the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2003, Katie has appeared in all six of its seasons including the New York International Fringe Festival 2004, Downstairs at Belvoir Street and the Melbourne Malthouse. She has also appeared with Stuck Pigs Squealing in 4xBeckett (The Storeroom). Other theatre includes Beatrix Christian’s The Governor’s Family (La Mama), Arms and the Man (La Mama), The Licorice Nurse by Lally Katz and Barking Gecko’s state tour of Way Home. In 2006 Katie appeared in Deckchair Theatre Company's critically acclaimed production of Love for which she won the ‘Best Actor - Female’ award in the Equity Guild Awards 2006. Recently she appeared in Deckchair's Comedy of Errors in Kings Park..Katie performed the role of Mary Warren in Black Swan Theatre Company's production of The Crucible earlier this year.

Andrew Lake – Designer, Technical Consultant

Andrew worked for an architect for a number of years before completing an Assoc. Diploma in Production and Design, and a BA Performing Arts at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. His interests have culminated in a thesis researching light, space, and the body where he specifically high lights perceived notions of the spatial quality of light and its relationship to the body.
Designs include: Home (PIAF 07 Last Seen Imagining), Aureo (Skadada 07), The Drovers Wives (PIAF 06 Steamworks), Hoofas (Sue Peacock) Love (Hothouse Theatre Co, Deckchair Theatre Co.), Ruby’s Last Dollar and Last Cab to Darwin, (Porkchop Productions in assoc. BSTC) Medea 05, Savage Grace & Nocturne, (Steamworks) Grendal & the Gladiator, H2O & Spellbound (Spareparts Puppet Theatre Co.), Yandi & Uncle Vanya, (Blackswan Theatre Co.) Return & Miss Julie (Perth Theatre Co.) He has also worked & collaborated with many choreographers & Dance Company’s such as, Ollivia Millard, Chrissie Parrott, Claudia Alessi, Lucy Guerin, Stompin Youth Dance Co. Steps Youth Dance Co. He has had numerous works tour nationally including Last Cab to Darwin & Savage Grace. Andrew was a finalist for the Helpmann Awards in 2004, & Green Room Awards in 2006.

Kingsley Reeve – Sound composition/operation

Kingsley graduated from WAAPA in 1995 with a diploma in theatre sound design. He then graduated in 1998 as an actor. His sound and music design for Black Swan includes Zastrozzi, Yandy, Proof, Torrez (Griffin/Black Swan), A Man with Five Children, the Unexpected Man, The Island, On Our Selection, and Antigone .Other work includes Exile and House for DADAA, Travels with my Aunt, A Poor Student, Glenn and Two Way Mirror for Effie Crump, the Reader and the Country for Last Seen Imagining, Prayer to an Iron God for Deckchair, Bed for Thin Ice, Bench, Covert, the Chatroom and Tango for PTC, Animus Maximus for Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, the Fusion finale for Oz Concert 2004, Incubate for Southern Edge Arts and Cavalcade for His Majesty’s Centenary. For radio, recent works include Forbidden City, Perth Poem and I Could Teach Bamboo to Sing for ABC’s Poetica. Recent credits include: Uncle Vanya, Lady Aoi,(Black Swan Theatre Company), The Lost Girl (Barking Gecko Theatre company), Dash (Steps)amongst others.

Sally Richardson - Director Steamworks Arts Productions/director/writer
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Sally has worked in the creation and development of original Australian work with independent artists and organisations including Sydney Theatre Company, Australian National Playwrights Centre, Australian Script Centre, ABC Radio, Perth Theatre Company, Yirra Yaakin Noongar Theatre Company, Deckchair Theatre, Black Swan Theatre Company, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Performing Lines, NIDA, The Malthouse Theatre, Company B, NORPA, Steps, Vitalstatistix and WAAPA. She was co-director of Playworks (1993-95) and Artistic Director of StagesWA (1995-02). She is an award winning director/creator for theatre, dance puppetry, music-theatre and radio. She was a member of the Theatre Board of the Australia Council (2001-05). As co-director of Steamworks Arts Productions, she has directed/produced the award winning Savage Grace by Alana Valentine, the premiere of The Other Woman by Heather Nimmo Nocturne by Adam Rapp, and her own adaptation of Medea O5. Sally wrote H2O for Spare Parts Puppet Theatre Company for PIAF2004 (Finalist 2004 Helpmann Awards, Best Children’s Production, Best Visual/Theatre Production and special Guild Equity Award 2004 for Excellence in Innovation) Other writing credits include; Five Fingers, I am Nijinsky, Antigone, & 3 Sisters.
Other Directing credits include: Miss Julie, Milk and Honey, Decadence, Loaded, The Morning After the Night Before, Alice, & Mindimi. Sally and Steamworks most recent project (with Black Swan Theatre Company, UWA PIAF) was the award winning original dance/theatre work The Drover’s Wives for PIAF 2006, Sally was also associate director with Michael Kantor on The Odyssey, Melbourne Festival 2005 and PIAF 2006 (finalist for six 2006 Helpmann Awards). Sally was a recipient of 2006 Australia Council Dramaturgy Fellowship, and is currently undertaking commissioned projects with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Kindred Circus (Vic) & The Flying Fruit Fly Circus (NSW)

Aine Whelan – Business and Strategic Development Consultant

Áine has been involved in the educational, arts and private sectors in Australia for over 20 years. Her arts experience has seen her work as a company and events manager working in Australia and touring internationally, and at a senior level for the Western Australian State Government as Arts Adviser to the then Minister for the Arts before moving to the private sector. Áine’s private sector experience includes the management of two companies in Western Australia, Hides Group and Strategic Know How, as well as consulting extensively to Federal, State and Local Government sectors, the resource sector and the media and entertainment sector. Currently Áine works in the areas of business development and strategy for a number of clients both in Australia and Europe, as well as being an entrepreneur in her own right with the R&D and setting up of new ventures globally.