FANGIRLS

Yve Blake

Yve Blake (she/her) is a playwright, screenwriter, and songwriter, born and raised on Gadigal land. After premiering at Belvoir and Queensland Theatre in 2019, FANGIRLS returned in 2021 for a national tour, and now Yve is peeing-her-pants to know that this show is on at the Sydney actual Opera House?! This production of FANGIRLS has also been awarded the 2019 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Mainstage Musical, and the Matilda Award for Best Musical or Cabaret. Yve’s work on Fangirls scored her the 2021 Green Room award for New Australian Writing for Musical Theatre and the 2020 AWGIE award for Music Theatre, and also scored her an Aria award nomination for Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album. Yve is an alumni of the Royal Court Writers’ Programme, a recipient of the ATYP Rebel Wilson Theatre-maker scholarship, and has been a visiting artist at Princeton University. Her 2019 TEDxSydney talk about Fangirls has been promoted to an official TED talk on TED.com, where it has been viewed more than 1.4 million times. Her current commissions include a co-written feature film for Aquarius films, and a movie musical for Mark Gordon Productions. For more info, head to yveblake.co

Paige Rattray

Paige (she/her) is currently Sydney Theatre Company’s Associate Director, after holding the role of Associate Artistic Director at Queensland Theatre. Prior to that, she was Sydney Theatre Company’s Richard Wherrett Fellow and has previously directed Blithe Spirit, Death of a Salesman, Triple X (with QT), The Deep Blue Sea, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, How to Rule the World, Black is the New White, Australian Graffiti, Power Plays and Boys will be boys for STC. She also worked as the Production Dramaturg on The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Other directing credits include, for Belvoir: Fangirls (with Queensland Theatre in association with ATYP and Brisbane Festival). For Queensland Theatre: Hedda, Scenes from a Marriage, Switzerland. ARTHUR: Bright World, The Sea Project, Return to Earth, The Myth Project: Twin, The Mesh, The Midlands, Dirtyland, Cut Snake. Griffin Theatre Company: Heartbreak Hotel. Milk Crate Theatre: This House is Mine. ATYP: Out of Place.

AYDAN

Chika Ikogwe

Shubshri Kandiah

Shubshri is excited to once again be working with Belvoir, having previously done so playing the role of Brianna in Belvoir’s national tour of Fangirls.

Having launched her professional career with the role of Princess Jasmine in the national and international tour of Disney’s Aladdin, Shubshri’s most recent theatrical credits include Ella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella The Musical (Opera Australia) and Maryam in Why? The Musical for Expo 2020 in Dubai, created and directed by award-winning filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, with music composed by Academy Award-winning film composer A.R. Rahman. Staged in late 2021/early 2022, the production featured more than 100 performers and animated visuals projected on Al Wasl Dome, the world’s largest 360-degree projection screen. In 2020, she was cast in the role of Pritti Pasha in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the production was not staged. In 2019, she performed the role of Ismene in Antigone with Queensland Theatre.

Shubshri is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, holding a Bachelor of Musical Theatre. While completing her final year of study, she performed The Pearlfishers with Opera Queensland.

As a Brisbane based performer, she has appeared many times as a featured artist: with the Queensland Pops Orchestra, notably the 2019 NYE Variety Gala; in Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s 2017 Spirit of Christmas and An Evening with Liz Callaway, performing a duet with Liz herself.

In 2021, Shubshri was given the opportunity to sing the national anthem at the NRL State of Origin at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, reaching millions of viewers in Australia and internationally. 

Later this year, Shubshri will also be playing Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Ayesha Madon

James Majoos

Sharon Millerchip

(She/her) Credits include Caroline in Fangirls, Velma Kelly in Chicago (Helpmann Award) Belle in Beauty And The Beast (Mo Award), Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show (Helpmann Award) Roxie Hart in Chicago (Helpmann Award) Anita in Westside Story,  Demeter in Cats, Meg Giry in Phantom Of The Opera and Love Never Dies (Sydney Theatre Award), Catherine in Pippin (Helpmann nom) Charity in Sweet Charity (Helpmann nom) Cordelia in Falsettos and Red Ridinghood in Into The Woods for the STC (Syd Theatre Award).

Most recently Maggie in North by Northwest, Joan in Small Mouth Sounds, Penny in Appleton Ladies Potato Race, Shirley Valentine and Bombshells (Syd Theatre Award).

Currently Associate Director SIX The Musical, was Resident Director/Choreographer on the Disney’s Aladdin and Resident Director on Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom. sharonmillerchip.com

Karis Oka

Tomáš Kantor

Tomáš (they/he) is a Melbourne-based actor performing across music theatre, cabaret, stage and screen.

They trained at RADA before completing their Bachelor of Fine Arts at the VCA in 2019, starring as ‘Gabey’ in their graduating production of On The Town (VCA). In 2021, Tomáš made their professional debut in FANGIRLS (Belvoir) and went on that year to perform as ‘Chino’ in the national tour of West Side Story (Opera Australia/GWB). Further recent credits include Brigadoon (Neglected Musicals/Hayes), Meow Meow’s Pandemonium (MSO/Arts Centre), Next to Normal (James Terry Collective), The Gruffalo (CDP), and Morning Melodies 2018 & 2019 (Arts Centre).

Tomáš is ecstatic to return to FANGIRLS for its Sydney Opera House season with this glorious cast. Catch them next back at the Opera House understudying Lysander and Demetrius in The Lovers (Bell Shakespeare). 

Tomáš is proudly represented by the superstar team at Ian White Management.

Shannen Alyce Quan

Shannen Alyce Quan (they/she) graduated from WAAPA in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre). 

Shannen is excited to return to Belvoir this year, after previously performing in Fangirls (2021). Other theatre credits include The Dismissal (Squabbalogic), Metropolis (Hayes Theatre), City of Angels (Joshua Robson Productions), Six The Musical (Sydney Opera House), Spring Awakening (CPCA) and Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical (Michael Cassel Group), The Gathering (Vic Theatre Company), Post: A New Musical (Something Blue Productions), Boat People and Tejas Verdes (Theatre 451) and Romeo and Juliet (Australian Shakespeare Company).

Shannen recently finished filming the highly anticipated 6-part limited Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar, based on the true story of Belle Gibson.

Shannen won two Performing Arts WA Awards: Best Actor and Best Newcomer in Next to Normal (Black Swan State Theatre Company). They were also nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards for their performance in Metropolis.

Alice Chance

Alice Chance (she/her) is a sought-after composer, conductor, arranger, vocalist, and lyricist. A three-time finalist in the APRA Art Music Awards for Vocal/Choral Work of the Year, Alice has worked with ensembles including Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir, Ensemble Offspring, The Song Company, and Moorambilla Voices, with whom she appears in the documentary Wide Open Sky.

Alice is the original vocal arranger for FANGIRLS and music-directed its premiere season in 2019. The same year, Alice was a member of Australia’s national jury for Eurovision. Alice is currently based in Paris studying a masters in Composition with composer Régis Campo. (École Normale de Musique de Paris, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin). She also enjoys writing, running, and making YouTube videos about learning French.

David Muratore

David Muratore (he/him) is an ARIA Nominated Music Producer, Songwriter, Mix Engineer, and Multi-Instrumentalist living and working on Gadigal land, Sydney. David’s music production work for FANGIRLS has been awarded the 2019 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Mainstage Musical and the Matilda Award for Best Musical or Cabaret. David recorded, produced and mixed the Fangirls Original Cast Recording which scored him an ARIA Award nomination for Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album. He also created sound design for the new Australian work ‘Queen Fatima‘ for Sydney Festival 2021.

David has produced and mixed for local, national, and international artists totalling millions of streams and has been nationally recognised for his remix work on multiple occasions by radio monolith Triple J. He proudly presents Fangirls’ first official remix of ‘Let Them’ under the pseudonym Wax Ecstatic, available on Spotify.

Zara Stanton

Zara (she/her) is an accomplished Music Director, Performer, Arranger and Composer with a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Zara’s credits as Music Director include Bonnie & Clyde (JRP), Every Musical Ever (Adelaide Cabaret Festival), The Deb (ATYP), The Boomkak Panto (Belvoir), and Associate Music Director for A Chorus Line (DTC).

Zara has been Music Director for FANGIRLS since 2020, and her work on the show has yielded an ARIA award nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album, and a Green Room Award nomination for Best Music Direction. Zara also earned a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Music Direction for the Hayes Theatre Co. production of HMS Pinafore.

Zara is incredibly passionate about promoting representation in musical theatre, particularly for artists of Asian heritage and for female and non-binary musicians and creatives.

Michael Waters

(He/him) Original sound designs include: Hairspray, Cinderella, The Woman In Black, Muriel’s Wedding, My Fair Lady, Hugh Jackman’s Broadway to Oz and The Boy From Oz, Doctor Zhivago, The King And I, The Tap Pack (USA tour 2020), Bran Nue Dae, Dream Lover, Mamma Mia!, Chess, Atomic (Sydney & Off Broadway), Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and Dirty Dancing. Operas include: The Rabbits, Dead Man Walking, Orpheus In The Underworld, and Plácido Domingo & Katherine Jenkins in Concert.

Michael’s awards include: Helpmann for Best Sound Design; Muriel’s Wedding; The King And I; The Woman In Black; Dusty – The Original Pop Diva; Green Room Awards for Best Sound Design; My Fair Lady; Dirty Dancing; Italy’s DAPA Award for Best Sound Design: Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.

Emma Valente

Emma (she/her) is a freelance director, dramaturg, lighting designer and occasional trouble maker. She is the Co-Artistic director and Co CEO of feminist theatre company THE RABBLE.

Emma is the recipient of the Creators Fund grant from Creative Victoria, a Sidney Myer Fellow, Curator at Large (performance) at The SUBSTATION and a recipient of the Green Room Technical Achievement Award.

Emma is an award-winning Lighting Design and has worked for many major theatre companies across the country including: Belvoir Theatre, Queensland Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Fraught Outfit, Sisters Grimm, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre, Women’s Circus, Theatreworks, CarriageWorks, La Mama and many more. Emma also founded an initiative to increase gender equity in the technical design sector with Theatre Network Australia.

Ren Kenward

Justin Harrison

Justin (he/him) is a sound and video creative working in theatre, film and television.

His most recent credits include, An Ideal Husband for LaBoite, Ishmael and The Wider Earth for Dead Puppet Society and Lucky and the Flight of the Sky Puppies for Cairns Children’s Festival.

Other theatre work includes video and sound design for MTC, STC, Queensland Theatre, MetroArts and Dead Puppet Society, and has been the resident designer of the Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe since 2009.

In film and television, his recent credits include 6 Festivals (2022), campaigns for The Coffee Club, Princess Polly, Volvo, RedBull, HP, and Mack as well content for ABC, Discovery and RedBullTV networks. In 2021 he was awarded three medals at the BADC awards, and was previously awarded the inaugural Matilda Award for Projection Design in 2016.

David Fleischer

David (he/him) is a designer working with leading theatre, dance and opera companies across Australia. His work has been hosted by prominent arts festivals, and has toured extensively both nationally and abroad. His most recent credits include Impermanence, Ab Intra and Ocho for Sydney Dance Company; Opening Night and A Room Of One’s Own for Belvoir St Theatre; L’amant Jaloux and Griselda for Pinchgut Opera; Sydney Theatre Company’s Blithe Spirit, Death of A Salesman, Playing Beatie Bow, The Deep Blue Sea, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Harp In The South, Saint Joan, Top Girls, Chimerica, Speed The Plow, The Golden Age, Children of the Sun, Romeo and Juliet and Fury. David is currently designing a work for Queensland Ballet.

Leonard Mickelo

Leonard (they/them) is a descendant of the Kulalli and Bidjara clans, and identifies as non binary. Leonards foster mum opened their heart to dance at the age of 10. They trained in jazz, tap, musical theatre and contemporary, under the direction of Fiona McIvor and Sandra Breen. Leonard joined Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2006 and danced with the company for 12 years.

To Leonard, Bangarra plays an integral role in today’s modern world, as it’s important to learn and share Australia’s first nations traditional culture and history. Bangarra has opened and strengthened Leonard’s spirit. Leonard has toured with Bangarra to New York, Paris, London, Beijing, Istanbul, Budapest, and Berlin. Leonard also performed in the musical Priscilla, Queen of The Desert (Michael Cassel Group) in 2018 and toured with The Sapphires (HIT Productions) as their choreographer in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Leonard also choreographed Fangirls musical (Belvoir) for which they were nominated for best Choreographer in the Sydney Theatre Awards in 2019.

Sharon Millerchip

(She/her) Credits include Caroline in Fangirls, Velma Kelly in Chicago (Helpmann Award) Belle in Beauty And The Beast (Mo Award), Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show (Helpmann Award) Roxie Hart in Chicago (Helpmann Award) Anita in Westside Story,  Demeter in Cats, Meg Giry in Phantom Of The Opera and Love Never Dies (Sydney Theatre Award), Catherine in Pippin (Helpmann nom) Charity in Sweet Charity (Helpmann nom) Cordelia in Falsettos and Red Ridinghood in Into The Woods for the STC (Syd Theatre Award).

Most recently Maggie in North by Northwest, Joan in Small Mouth Sounds, Penny in Appleton Ladies Potato Race, Shirley Valentine and Bombshells (Syd Theatre Award).

Currently Associate Director SIX The Musical, was Resident Director/Choreographer on the Disney’s Aladdin and Resident Director on Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom. sharonmillerchip.com

Jonathan Ware

Jonathan (he/him) made his mainstage debut as Dramaturg on FANGIRLS (Belvoir, Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival in assoc. ATYP). Other credits include Dubbo Championship Wrestling for Hayes Theatre Company. He originally trained as a Stage Manager (VCA) and then worked in London for Sonia Friedman Productions, Sadler’s Wells and DigitalTheatre.com.

Following further study at Melbourne Law School (Juris Doctor) and VCA (Masters of Dramaturgy), he joined Sydney Theatre Company in 2017 where he currently works as Assistant Company Manager/Artistic Administrator. Awards: 2021 NSW Music Theatre Fellow (Create NSW/Hayes Theatre Co); for FANGIRLS includes AWGIE, Green Room Award and ARIA nomination.

Carissa Licciardello

Carissa Licciardello is a Resident Director at Belvoir. She was previously an Artistic Associate for the company and its inaugural Andrew Cameron Fellow. She graduated from NIDA’s Directing course in 2017.

Her credits include: for Belvoir – as Director/Co-Adaptor, A Room of One’s Own; as Associate Director, Fangirls 2019; as Assistant Director, Counting & Cracking; Ghosts. For Sydney Theatre Company, as Assistant Director, Rules for Living. For 25A Downstairs Belvoir: Extinction of the Learned Response; The Maids.

Carissa is also a recipient of the 2020 Glorias Fellowship.

Khym Scott

Julia Orlando

Matt Erskine

Matthew (he/him) is a skilled sound engineer and designer with a broad range of experience in Queensland’s theatre scene, musical theatre and the live music industries. He has a passion for finding creative design and engineering solutions to unique challenges. Matthew is the Managing Director of CrossPoint Sound, a sound design and engineering company based in Brisbane QLD.  Matthews Design credits include; For Queensland Theatre Company; A Country Song, The Holidays. Old Fashioned Production Company; Becoming Bill (A musical by Bradly McCaw). He has been Head of Sound/Sound Engineer for many Queensland Theatre productions including Emerald City, Death of a Salesman, Noises Off, and the national tour of Black Diggers. Other credits include Songs for Nobodies (national tour), Country Song (tour). Matthew also enjoys mixing live music and comes from a background of mixing everything from heavy metal to jazz and world music. He is also credited for a live recording released by Vieux Farka Toure on his album “LIVE” in 2010.

Steve Hendy

Tom Houghton