Writers
The Writers
Donna Abela
Donna Abela has written over 25 plays for audiences of all ages.
They have been heard on radio, and performed in theatres great and small, schools, museums, youth theatres, community centres, town halls, show grounds and in a semi-derelict power station.
Her plays include The Greatest Show On Earth, Fathom, The Daphne Massacre, Tales From the Arabian Nights, Circus Caravan, Highest Mountain Fastest River and Snipe.
Donna co-founded Powerhouse Youth Theatre in Western Sydney in 1987, and devised her early plays, such as Ratbags and Reek Havoc, with this company.
Kit Brookman
Kit Brookman is a performer and writer who graduated from the Acting course at NIDA in 2008. Performance credits include The Royal Seed (Sydney Opera House), Rough Draft #3: The Nocturnal Project (Sydney Theatre Company, Next Stage), Summerfolk (BOB Presents), DNA (Spiky Red Things/TRS), Gallipoli (STC), The Department Store (Parnassus’ Den/TRS), Threesome Without Simone (ATYP), and The Musicians (ATYP/ Sydney Festival 2004). As a writer, Kit has written Revolution (SUDS), London. Other plays include close, The Girl Upstairs, and night, maybe, or a road maybe. Kit was also a participant in Griffin Theatre’s recent 24-hour play generator. Works in development: night (maybe), The Girl Upstairs, Close, and softly, softly; a collaborative theatremaking exercise with Aimee Horne and Andre Jewson. Kit’s poetry has been published in Southerly.
Tahli Corin
Tahli graduated as an actor from the Centre for the Performing Arts in 2002. In 2003, Tahli was awarded the Keith Michell Award, for her commitment to a career in the arts. While working as an actor and a producer, Tahli began writing. In 2008 she co-wrote and performed in CONCLUSIONS: On Ice for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and her debut play Bumming with Jane premiered at the Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre. Tahli was the co-winner of the 2009 Philip Parsons Award.
Matt Edgerton
Matt trained as an actor at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), finishing in 1999.
His acting theatre credits include: Lessons In Flight (Moogalin Theatre), As You Wish and Birds In a Cage (Red Dust Theatre – NT), Romeo And Juliet, Macbeth and Actors At Work (Bell Shakespeare),Love Potions (New Theatre), Little Boy (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Tales From the Arabian Nights (Theatre of Image) Tracked (Prompt Theatre); Wild Honey (Suck It and See), Plainsong (Black Swan Theatre) and The Winters Tale and Measure For Measure (Old Wives Tales). Film acting credits include: Natural Selection, Outside, The Junction Boys. On television Matt has appeared in: All Saints, Comedy Inc, Always Greener and Water Rats. For ABC radio Matt has narrated the novels The Stain on the Snow and The White Earth and numerous short stories. He has performed in the radio plays: Damon, Shootings, The Time is Not Yet Ripe, Chrissy and Jules, Pentimento and the radio series The Hammer of God.
Matt received 2nd place in Australian Theatre for Young People’s National Playwriting Competition for his first full length play Habibti. His short play Mule was performed at the Short And Sweet festival. Matt has written two short films, Mule and Outside as well as Wesley Mission’s Suicide Prevention DVD, now used in suicide-prevention training nationwide.
Matt is currently the Resident Artist in Education at Bell Shakespeare, where he works as a teacher, dramaturge and director. He is a proud member of the actor’s union, MEAA.
Joanna Erskine
Matt trained as an actor at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), finishing in 1999.His acting theatre credits include: Lessons In Flight (Moogalin Theatre), As You Wish and Birds In a Cage (Red Dust Theatre – NT), Romeo And Juliet, Macbeth and Actors At Work (Bell Shakespeare),Love Potions (New Theatre), Little Boy (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Tales From the Arabian Nights (Theatre of Image) Tracked (Prompt Theatre); Wild Honey (Suck It and See), Plainsong (Black Swan Theatre) and The Winters Tale and Measure For Measure (Old Wives Tales). Film acting credits include: Natural Selection, Outside, The Junction Boys. On television Matt has appeared in: All Saints, Comedy Inc, Always Greener and Water Rats. For ABC radio Matt has narrated the novels The Stain on the Snow and The White Earth and numerous short stories. He has performed in the radio plays: Damon, Shootings, The Time is Not Yet Ripe, Chrissy and Jules, Pentimento and the radio series The Hammer of God.
Matt received 2nd place in Australian Theatre for Young People’s National Playwriting Competition for his first full length play Habibti. His short play Mule was performed at the Short And Sweet festival. Matt has written two short films, Mule and Outside as well as Wesley Mission’s Suicide Prevention DVD, now used in suicide-prevention training nationwide.
Matt is currently the Resident Artist in Education at Bell Shakespeare, where he works as a teacher, dramaturge and director. He is a proud member of the actor’s union, MEAA.
Joanna Erskine is a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights Studio and past winner of the STC Young Playwrights Award. Recent plays include Little Mouse (Brand Spanking New), A Man’s Not a Fruit (Brighton Fringe Festival, Short and Sweet) and Clippings (NIDA Parade Space). She has undertaken residencies with La Mama NYC, Bambina Borracha, Shopfront Theatre and the Bundanon Trust, and been selected for Playwriting Australia’s National Script Workshop and World Interplay. Joanna wrote the short play Foot for Griffin Theatre Company’s 24-hour Play Generator and is resident playwright for CRY HAVOC.
Sime Knezvic
Joanna Erskine is a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights Studio and past winner of the STC Young Playwrights Award. Recent plays include Little Mouse (Brand Spanking New), A Man’s Not a Fruit (Brighton Fringe Festival, Short and Sweet) and Clippings (NIDA Parade Space). She has undertaken residencies with La Mama NYC, Bambina Borracha, Shopfront Theatre and the Bundanon Trust, and been selected for Playwriting Australia’s National Script Workshop and World Interplay. Joanna wrote the short play Foot for Griffin Theatre Company’s 24-hour Play Generator and is resident playwright for CRY HAVOC.
Sime Knezvic
Sime Knezevic is a writer and theatre-maker. His work has been presented and developed in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Wollongong. He is a co-founding member of Team MESS writing for Killing Don (Performance Space, 2009) and collaborating artist for I think I can dance (Peats Ridge, 2009) and This Is It (Casula Powerhouse, Performance Space, 2010). Also a dramaturg, he’s worked on Rhinoceros (Ashfield Youth Theatre, 2009) and Homebody/Kabul (Belvoir St, 2008). In 2008 he completed the NIDA Playwrights Studio and the imPACT scholarship ensemble. He was an Australian delegate at World Interplay, international festival for young playwrights in 2007 and graduated from the University of Wollongong with a BCA in the same year. His poetry has been published in Going Down, Swinging and the Monthly Friend zine.
Patrick Lenton
Patrick Lenton is a graduate from the University of Wollongong’s Creative Writing Degree. He first burst into the world of theatre with his short play ‘The Interview’ which was later expanded into a full length feature called Implausible People. His multiple short plays have appeared in ‘Short and Sweet’ and ‘Brand Spanking New’.
Also a writer of prose, he has been published in titles such as The Melbourne Age and Best Australian Stories. Finally, his blog ‘The Book I’m Drinking’ an absurd mashup of literary reviews, drinking and comedy, is always searching for more followers
http://bookimdrinking.blogspot.com
Jasper Marlow
Jasper Marlow is a playwright from Sydney’s Inner West. His first full-length play Zetland has recently been workshopped for the Off the Shelf programme at Queen Street Studios in Chippendale.
A writer in ATYP’s Fresh Ink development, his short play Deep Space 9mm was performed in Hobart at the One Act Play Festival. Graduating from the Australian Film Television and Radio school, he has aspirations for screenwriting and being the new voice in Australian Theatre.
Brooke Robinson
Brooke Robinson is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at UTS. In 2009 she received a YAPA grant to conceptualise a twitter/theatre omnibus project.
.
.
Alison Rooke
Sime Knezevic is a writer and theatre-maker. His work has been presented and developed in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Wollongong. He is a co-founding member of Team MESS writing for Killing Don (Performance Space, 2009) and collaborating artist for I think I can dance (Peats Ridge, 2009) and This Is It (Casula Powerhouse, Performance Space, 2010). Also a dramaturg, he’s worked on Rhinoceros (Ashfield Youth Theatre, 2009) and Homebody/Kabul (Belvoir St, 2008). In 2008 he completed the NIDA Playwrights Studio and the imPACT scholarship ensemble. He was an Australian delegate at World Interplay, international festival for young playwrights in 2007 and graduated from the University of Wollongong with a BCA in the same year. His poetry has been published in Going Down, Swinging and the Monthly Friend zine.
Patrick Lenton
Patrick Lenton is a graduate from the University of Wollongong’s Creative Writing Degree. He first burst into the world of theatre with his short play ‘The Interview’ which was later expanded into a full length feature called Implausible People. His multiple short plays have appeared in ‘Short and Sweet’ and ‘Brand Spanking New’.
Also a writer of prose, he has been published in titles such as The Melbourne Age and Best Australian Stories. Finally, his blog ‘The Book I’m Drinking’ an absurd mashup of literary reviews, drinking and comedy, is always searching for more followers
http://bookimdrinking.blogspot.com
Jasper Marlow
Jasper Marlow is a playwright from Sydney’s Inner West. His first full-length play Zetland has recently been workshopped for the Off the Shelf programme at Queen Street Studios in Chippendale. A writer in ATYP’s Fresh Ink development, his short play Deep Space 9mm was performed in Hobart at the One Act Play Festival. Graduating from the Australian Film Television and Radio school, he has aspirations for screenwriting and being the new voice in Australian Theatre.
Brooke Robinson
Brooke Robinson is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at UTS. In 2009 she received a YAPA grant to conceptualise a twitter/theatre omnibus project.
.
.
Alison Rooke
Alison Rooke is a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights Studio and has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from UTS. She has written plays, poetry and short films and is currently completing her first novel. She was nominated for a CONDA for Best New Playwright for her debut play Golden Life. Other short plays include The Space Between, Secret Grace and I Get Along Very Well Without You (Except Sometimes). Her first full-length play Combat Fatigue debuted as part of the Off The Shelf Residency at Queen Street Studios in late 2009. In mid-2010 Alison will undertake a Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
