PERFORMING LINES - Key Persons
Anne-Marie Heath has extensive experience in arts administration and has worked with a diverse range of companies and theatres in both metropolitan and regional locations.
Anne-Marie has facilitated audience development and community engagement programs and lead organisations through key strategic and innovative changes.
She is currently Executive Director for The Art House on the NSW Central Coast, a theatre built as part of the region's cultural urban transformation and established as an independent business model. Her past appointments have included General Manager at Merrigong Theatre Company, Chief Executive Officer of City Recital Hall, Angel Place, General Manager at Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre and Business Operations Manager at Chapel off Chapel.
Anne-Marie has served on a range of arts organisation boards and committees and held the position of Chair of Performing Arts Connections Australia (previous APACA) for 4 years and a Board Member for 6 years and is currently a Board Member of Performing Lines and Terrapin Puppet Theatre.
Job Titles:
- Administration Officer
- Associate Producer
- Production Coordinator
Breanne is an Associate Producer and Administration Officer at Performing Lines. She was previously an events manager and art curator with the independent festival ‘Strawberry Boogie', alongside presenting her own performance art and theatre in Wollongong and Sydney. Breanne was the Chairman and lead curator for the Wollongong based arts festival ‘Nothing to See Here' and has also worked as a Stage Manager in Belvoir's downstairs theatre. She has a Bachelor of Performance from The University of Wollongong through which she developed her passion for inventive independent theatre and performance art.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Administration & Operations Manager
Caitlyn is an arts manager who has worked across almost every genre of the creative industry, including theatre, events, contemporary dance, musical theatre, and opera. She has spent the majority of her career touring around Australia, worked closely with regional communities through the Opera Australia touring and outreach program, and had a short stint on the West End in London.
Prior to joining Performing Lines, Caitlyn was the Company Manager of the Australian production of Come From Away for Newtheatricals.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Coordinator and Associate Producer / Western Australia
French by birth and Australian by choice, Cecile honed her skills working on small and large projects across multiple artforms within the areas of culture, arts, marketing and design. Roles include working as Communication Officer for France's most renowned architectural agency, Christian de Portzamparc, and as an Artistic and Cultural Manager for CCAS EDF-GDF, France's
largest touring presenter network. In 2009, natural curiosity led Cecile to Australia where she worked as the Events and Marketing Officer for the Town of Port Hedland. For four years she worked with a dedicated team to program and present high-quality events in regional communities, giving her access to a variety of community hubs, including the Matt Dann Cultural Centre.
In 2017, she joined PLWA after a stint as the Arts & Culture Project Coordinator and Communications & Design Coordinator at Community Arts Network (CANWA). Cecile brings over 15 years of experience to PLWA as she continues to work within the Arts sector, engaging with diverse audiences and communities across WA and beyond. Cecile has a double Masters degree in Fine Arts and Cultural Mediation & Communication.
Nick is a Melbourne based Production Manager and Lighting Designer. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, majoring in Lighting Design and Technical Management.
Nick has designed, production and tour managed shows around Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand, including Black Ties (Australian & New Zealand), Heart is a Wasteland (Australian Tour), The Frock (Japan & Australian tours), Romeo & Juliet (China), Broadway Love Tour (China), Which Way Home (Australian Tour) and many shows for SCIMM Dance Company and Federation University.
During Nick's university studies he interned with well known Lighting Designer, Donald Holder as Assistant Lighting Designer on Broadway, New York. He also was selected to attend the Beijing International Design Biennial in 2013, collaborating with other designers from around the world.
Job Titles:
- It 's Already Happened, We'Re Just in the past
Job Titles:
- Independent Artist, Designer and Architect
Eugyeene Teh is a theatre maker, architect and designer across theatre, dance, opera, and fashion. He has worked extensively on shows throughout Australia and internationally including Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Burgtheater, Back to Back Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, Little Ones Theatre and Sydney Chamber Opera.
His works, in close collaboration with some of Australia's most exciting artists, dismantle the patriarchy through decolonisation and advocate for and support underrepresented minority identities, particularly people of colour and the queer community.
Eugyeene is a recipient of a Green Room Award and has been nominated for three Sydney Theatre Awards. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Fellowship and a placement through the Besen Family Artist Program.
Job Titles:
- Head of Development at the Australian Museum
Frankie Greene is an experienced and passionate development professional living and working on Gadigal Country. Frankie was appointed Head of Development at the Australian Museum in 2022, where she is responsible for securing major philanthropic revenue to support the strategic priorities and ambitions of the Museum. Frankie joined the Museum after ten years' working in the arts at Sydney Theatre Company and Griffin Theatre Company. Here, she worked as both a Producer and across philanthropy and partnerships, where she built meaningful relationships across the industry and contributed to advancing major projects and initiatives within the arts and culture sector.
Frankie leads with a passion for storytelling and is energised by the power of cultural institutions to both inspire and change hearts and minds. She loves connecting people to projects and ideas that resonate with their own personal aspirations and takes great heart in working in a World Class institution that positively impacts the world through its work across science, culture, and education. Frankie believes in the transformative potential of the arts and sciences to enrich lives and foster a deeper understanding of our world, and she is committed to driving forward initiatives that contribute to societal progress and innovation.
Haneen Mahmood Martin is a Kuala Lumpur born, Malay-Saudi multi-arts programmer, producer, writer, and artist based in Narrm/Melbourne by way of Garramilla/Darwin and Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide. She works with a focus on best-practice engagement and ethical governance as it pertains to underrepresented migrant and PoC communities and building sustained relationships. She is determined in her analysis of how and why structures are developed, and how they can become sustainable for generations to come.
Haneen has worked across the country and across art forms as a producer for the likes of RISING, Biennale of Sydney, MPavilion, Regional Arts Australia and Next Wave, as a programmer as the inaugural Artistic Associate at Brown's Mart, Manager of the National Young Writers Festival, and General Manager for Skinnyfish Music. She has most recently co-written the Engage! Report and Toolkit published by Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and Arts on Tour and graduated from an MFA (Cultural Leadership) at NIDA.
Job Titles:
- Producer
- Artist, Producer
Jane Schon is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and former journalist, who began her career in Meanjin, before moving to Naarm, and now works and lives on Gadigal country. She is a calm, judicious and ethically minded producer with a particular interest in physical theatre, documentary theatre making, and queer performance art. Having trained and worked as a theatre maker and performer herself, Jane intimately understands the joys and challenges of producing new work. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (BFA Theatre) in 2020, off the back of a year's training with Zen Zen Zo physical theatre and over 10 years' work with independent artists and organisations in Meanjin. Jane has been working with Performing Lines since August 2022. Prior to this, she spent two years as a Community Outreach Producer at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne while simultaneously working on numerous freelance theatre and film projects as a director, performer, sound designer, producer, and dramaturg. Her artistic process and approach to producing has been strongly influenced by her connections and experience working with artists and companies such as Roslyn Oades, Born in a Taxi, Rawcus, and Riot Stage.
Job Titles:
- Producer / Western Australia
Starting out at Black Swan Theatre in Perth, Jen relocated to Japan in 2004 to work at Tokyo International Arts Festival. Then to London to work at Askonas Holt Ltd, producing international tours for performing arts organisations such as Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Completed an MA Performance & Culture, Goldsmiths College. Travelled back to Perth in 2009 and worked as the Producer for Strut Dance. In 2011 from Sydney, Jen started working freelance specialising in producing, touring, project and artist management services. Received an Australia Council Independent Producers Grant in 2012/2013. Representing independent Australian choreographers including Narelle Benjamin and Rhiannon Newton, whilst completing contracts at FORM Dance Projects and fulfilling the role of Associate Producer at Shaun Parker & Company. Now back in Perth, Jen is the Producer at Performing Lines WA, working on projects and tours with West Australian artists including children's participatory performance maker Alex Desebrock of Maybe ( ) Together and multi-disciplinary director Sally Richardson.
Job Titles:
- Senior Producer / Western Australia
In April 2020, Jeremy returned to Boorloo/Perth after four years at the Australia Council for the Arts as Director - Community, Emerging and Experimental Arts.
He worked closely with artists, organisations and communities in all corners of the country promoting artistic bravery, self-determination and brokering opportunities. In addition to his extensive portfolio, Jeremy championed Regional and Remote Australia under the Australia Council's Cultural Engagement Framework and helped to develop and deliver key arts and disability initiatives.
As the General Manager of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), Jeremy loved working within a contemporary arts organisation supporting the development, presentation and commissioning of work by leading interdisciplinary artists.
He is a board member of both the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA and pvi collective.
Joo Tan is an arts administrator whose journey from her roots in Singapore has led her to the vibrant city of Boorloo (Perth). With a childhood steeped in the arts and non-profit sector, Joo's early exposure nurtured a passion for the creative world. Her journey to Australia has been a colourful tapestry of cultural exploration and artistic discoveries. In her most recent role as Regional Curator at The Junction Co (Kariyarra Country, Pilbara WA), she exhibited her vision and skills by spearheading regional programming, exhibition programs and broader curatorial projects. Embracing the unique spirit of the Pilbara, she dedicated herself to engaging and empowering regional artists and communities, fostering artistic development and belonging in her previous role as Exhibitions and Community Programs Coordinator. Before relocating to the Pilbara, she honed her understanding in accessibility and inclusion while working with DADAA, where she actively contributed to its access programs.
Job Titles:
- Independent Producer
- Senior Producer / Victoria
Kath is a leading independent producer with extensive history in supporting the creation, realisation and touring of contemporary performance work by highly respected artists and companies. She is especially known for her work on projects which cross artforms and cross cultures, and for her focus in the Asia-Pacific region. Kath has also done significant work at sector level, most recently over 4.5 years at ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and APAM as Senior Producer mentoring emerging First Nations producers in international engagement. Over the course of her 20+ year career in the arts, Kath has produced dozens of seasons of acclaimed original work, international co-productions and tours in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and China; events, festivals and initiatives. Kath is delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Performing Lines team and artists in this role.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Chief of Staff at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand
As Chief of Staff, Lindy plays a pivotal role in advancing the Microsoft ANZ Vision and business strategy. She joined Microsoft in 2019 as Finance Lead for the Australian Enterprise Services business and since then, has led a number of transformation programs across Microsoft's Services, Enterprise Commercial and Customer Success teams.
Prior to joining Microsoft, she spent nearly 12 years at KPMG across both Australia and the UK, leading multi-disciplinary teams and working with clients across all industry segments to deliver their most critical business priorities, strengthening governance and risk management practices. Additionally, Lindy pursued her passion for the arts, as the Director of Investment at the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia). In this capacity, she partnered closely with Major Performing Arts organisations to strengthen their financial viability and sustainability. Lindy also engaged closely with Federal, State, and Territory governments and the arts sector to help drive major policy reform, which saw the evolution of the Major Performing Arts Framework to the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework.
Job Titles:
- Executive Producer, Scripted & Factual Children 's Content at ABC
Margaret Ross is a Dhungutti/Gumbangirr woman from Northern NSW with over 10 years' experience in the Indigenous media sector, starting out in print and currently working in web, digital content, social and broadcast media. Crossing the bridge from SBS/NITV in 2014, Margaret has been a Producer within the ABC's Indigenous department ever since. During this time, she spearheaded online, brand and social media development, strategy, content and editorial as well as focusing on audience engagement and building and sustaining an ABC Indigenous online community. A productive five years at ABC Indigenous has seen Margaret work in various capacities on titles such as Redfern Now: Promise Me, Gods of Wheat Street, Cleverman, Black Comedy, Black As, Aussie Rangers, KGB, Wrong Kind of Black (social), Will We Ever Have a Black PM? and Blue Water Empire among other titles. In her new role as Executive Producer, Margaret is responsible for the management of the digital strategy for ABC Indigenous, as well as identifying, developing, and managing new content for the ABC Indigenous slate across all platforms and genres.
Job Titles:
- Director at Lantern Partners
- Founder of Lantern Partners
Michelle Kvello is the founder of Lantern Partners, a CFO advisory firm, supporting founder CEOs of start ups and scale ups. Through providing commercial and strategic finance support Lantern Partners helps them to grow scaleable, sustainable businesses. Originally trained as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London, she worked for blue chip companies including Reuters, Foxtel, and Yahoo!7 in Australia and the UK before starting Lantern Partners. She was also named one of the top 50 Women in Accounting (2021) and top 50 Small Business Leader (2022)
Job Titles:
- CEO at Short Back and Sidewalks
Natalie Jenkins, GAICD has over 30 years' experience as an arts/culture and creative industries leader. She has led a number of highly successful arts organisations, including Co-CEO/Executive Director of Black Swan State Theatre Company in Western Australia. Most recently, she was leading in the commercial creative industries as CEO of Block Branding and late in 2023, returned to the Not-For-Profit sector as CEO of the national organisation Short, Back & Sidewalks. Natalie ran her own strategic advisory business for 8 years, offering high level advice and project management for the cultural, corporate and community sectors and has taught the next generation of arts managers over a period of 16 years, as a sessional academic in the Arts Management degree at WAAPA (Edith Cowan University). Alongside Matthew Lutton, she established and was General Manager/ Co-CEO of ThinIce Productions, as well as for Perth Theatre Company from 2000-2005. She was the inaugural General Manager of Theatre North in Launceston.
Natalie has Chaired and been a member of a number of national and state-based boards and advisory committees including: Chair of the Blue Room Theatre, President of the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association (now PAC Australia), Deputy Chair of Regional Arts Australia and Chair of Stages WA. She is a former member of the Commonwealth Government's Playing Australia and Festivals Australia Committee; the Healthway (WA) Board, including chair of its Arts Advisory Committee and the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board. Natalie is currently Chair of Seesaw Magazine and Board member of Future Now- the skills and workforce development advisory council for the Creative, Leisure and Technology sectors. She established and was inaugural Chair of IN: WA- an advocacy body for Western Australia's Independent commercial creative businesses.
Natalie has a degree in Arts Management from WAAPA (ECU) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Finance Manager
Nathan is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years' experience. He has worked in variance accounting/finance roles across several different industries including manufacturing, hospitality and labour hire. He worked at Spotless in the Treasury Department where he helped to manage cashflow. He also worked at Skilled Engineering where he led the development of new budget and forecasting templates. More recently, he has worked at CSL where he has helped to streamline and automate many financial processes.
Job Titles:
- Senior Production Manager
Originally from Meanjin / Brisbane, Priscilla is a writer, an artist and an arts worker who lives in the Southern beaches of lutruwita / Tasmania.
Her background spans critical and creative works, each deeply connected to process and place, and the facilitation of contemporary creative projects in the community. Priscilla considers facilitating opportunities for others to be a significant part of her own creative process.
An experienced media executive with a strong focus on delivering strategic transformations and business development. Robi was at Warner Media for over 15 years in a range of senior leadership roles across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. She is highly skilled in consumer and audience strategy, digital product development, financial management, marketing, and commercial deal making.
Robi has a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW and a Master of Business from UTS. Robi is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently Chair of Performing Lines and has been a Director of Carriageworks since February 2023.
Robi is an active advocate and driver of diversity and gender equality. She mentors female athletes with Minerva Network, participates regularly in Mentor Walks and is a committee member of Chief Executive Women.
Job Titles:
- Programmer and Creative Producer
- Senior Producer / Victoria
Samantha is a Programmer and Creative Producer based in Melbourne. Samantha is thrilled to join the team at Performing Lines. For the last 5 years, Samantha has worked as Arts Programmer at Darebin City Council where she programmed and delivered the annual Darebin Arts Speakeasy season, amongst a slate of other activities. Previously, Samantha has worked as the Creative Producer of Elbow Room, as Tour Coordinator with Regional Arts Victoria (where she has also been engaged to produce both 2014 & 2015 Showcase Victoria events in conjunctions with the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres), Producer of the inaugural Poppy Seed Festival, Operations Manager for Red Stitch Actors Theatre; Administrator for Rollercoaster Theatre Company; and has sat in many roles as a Freelance Producer.
Simon joins the Performing Lines team on 11th June, as Executive Producer and CEO. Simon is an arts manager, programmer and producer who has worked in Australia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom for nearly three decades. Since commencing his career in Hobart with Salamanca Theatre Company and Salamanca Arts Centre, roles have included general manager for Griffin Theatre Company at the Stables Theatre in Kings Cross, general manager for the western Sydney based Urban Theatre Projects, and programming and producing for festivals and events, including Ten Days on the Island and the Australian Theatre Forum. From 2015, Simon was based in Cambridge, UK, working for Arts Council England with theatres, arts centres, festivals, galleries and museums across the East of England. Most recently, he was Chief Executive of Hobart's Theatre Royal.
Sinsa is a proud Trawoolaway women from larapuna the Northern region of lutruwita Tasmania. She is a program producer and project officer, as well a co-founder, performer, and choreographer with the successful pakana kanaplila a traditional/contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal dance troupe.
Working nationally and internationally, Sinsa has been pioneering ways to reclaim ancient cultural traditions, as well as being involved in broad range educational experiences. Sinsa's work generates critical awareness of the rich cultural heritage and continuing practices of her ancestors. She is committed to opening opportunities for the broader community to engage with the local First Nations peoples.
In 2021 Sinsa created and performed in BACK (co-directed with Kate Champion) and produced by Performing Lines TAS for the Ten Days on the Island Festival. In the same year she was one of 15 artists selected nationally for the Hobart Current Exhibition curated by Rosie Dennis for the City of Hobart and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
During 2021 she was a lead creative for Illuminate, a Tas Dance production featuring five Tasmanian dance companies. For Mona Foma 2022, Sinsa is Director and lead Choreographer of tuylupa (a spark of fire) with pakana kanaplila, Tas Dance, Skinnyfish Records and Soma Lumia (postponed due to Covid).
Stella is a Marketing and Communications professional with over 12 years experience. She has a strong belief in the importance of art, and strives to contribute to its amplification. With a passion for people and their stories, Stella has worked across a variety of festivals and events, with a history in retail at Luxottica Australia, and apparel, to round out her experience. Most recently working with Performance Space, Sydney Fringe Festival and Underbelly, Edinburgh. With experience across end-to-end brand strategy and execution, corporate sponsorship, development, and a keen creative eye, she brings these together with a nuanced understanding of the performing arts.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Coordinator / National
- Freelance Arts Worker
Su Goldfish is a freelance arts worker, filmmaker, and financial wrangler. Latest film project is the documentary THE LAST GOLDFISH which is currently available on Stan, 7Plus, Foxtel and Binge - www.thelastgoldfish.com
Job Titles:
- Producer
- Producer With National Creative Producing Company
Thom Smyth (he/him) is a producer and marketer with a keen interest in socially-engaged and queer experimental performance.
Thom is a Producer with national creative producing company Performing Lines, moving into the role from a previous position as company Marketing Manager (2014-2020).
He has held positions with Performance Space, Force Majeure, Proximity Festival - Australia's only one-on-one performance platform; Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and The Blue Room Theatre. He has a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism / Politics) from Edith Cowan University, completing his studies with a secondment at The Jakarta Post in Indonesia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Producer
- Creative Producer and Programmer
Vanessa Wright is a creative producer and programmer with experience in multi-arts festivals and grass roots creative spaces. For the past 5 years, Vanessa has been the Senior Producer at Darwin Festival, producing a diverse program of bold contemporary work that has championed independent and Northern Territory artists. Vanessa began her career in Canberra, as a Co-Producer and later a Managing Producer of You Are Here Festival (2011-2016), supporting emerging and experimental artists to develop and present new work. She has also worked as a Producer on Liveworks Festival for Performance Space (2017), a Creative Producer for Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres (2015-2016), and a Producer for Melbourne Fringe Festival (2015-2016). She has participated in Next Wave's Kickstart Helix program (2018) and is an Australian member of the Asian Producers Platform. Vanessa is passionate about creating and nurturing opportunities for artist development, building strong creative communities and connecting artists and audiences.
Job Titles:
- Programmer
- Senior Producer
- CEO at Ten Days on the Island
As a senior producer, programmer and arts manager, Vernon Guest has curated festivals, venues, and events across Australia. After graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, his early career included stage managing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Paralympics, and production management for the Adelaide and Perth festivals. Vernon later held the post of Program Manager for the Perth International Arts Festival, Star Shell Manager for the Darwin Festival, Special Project Manager at Sydney Festival, Program Manager at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, 8 years as Producer of Major Outdoor Events for the Sydney Festival, and Executive Producer of Ten Days on the Island. With more than 20 years' experience in the performing arts, Vernon has implemented strategic change in complex not-for-profit structures and led many innovative cultural projects across Australia. Vernon is currently the CEO of Tasmania's Ten Days on the Island festival.