The Coconut Children

Đứa Trẻ Trái Dừa

Vivian Pham

Vivian Pham is a Vietnamese-Australian writer and creative writing teacher from southwestern Sydney.

Her writing career began at the family computer, etching stories about fairy princesses on a quest to find magic medicine to save an ailing queen. Violence and civil unrest of this nature continue to stain her work.

Her debut novel The Coconut Children was published in 2020 by Penguin Random House. In 2021, she won the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist Award and the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year. She has taught creative writing workshops in schools across NSW and is a key tutor and course director of Faber Writing Academy’s Writing a Novel course. Vivian also teaches Creative Writing and Postcolonial Literatures at Western Sydney University and is the youngest person ever appointed to the Board of the State Library of New South Wales. She is currently studying Creative Writing at the University of Oxford.

Hannah Goodwin

Hannah Goodwin is Associate Director at Belvoir St Theatre. She is a director and dramaturg known for premiering and championing new work, as well as for her bold reimagining of existing plays. Her work includes: The Wrong Gods by S. Shakthidharan (co-dir. S. Shakthidharan, Belvoir & Melbourne Theatre Company), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time adapted by Simon Stephens (Belvoir), Never Closer by Grace Chapple (Belvoir, 25A & essential workers), The Almighty Sometimes by Kendall Feaver (Melbourne Theatre Company), A Very Expensive Poison by Lucy Prebble (NIDA), Blessed Union by Maeve Marsden (Belvoir & Sydney WorldPride), Wayside Bride by Alana Valentine (co-dir. Eamon Flack, Belvoir), Light Shining in Buckinghamshire by Caryl Churchill (co-dir. Eamon Flack, Belvoir), The Sorry Mum Project by Pippa Ellams (National Theatre of Parramatta, Bondi Feast), A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) by Lulu Raczka (Kings Cross Theatre), and The Carousel by Pippa Ellams (Kings Cross Theatre, Merrigong X, Downstairs Belvoir, Shopfront Arts Co-op). As an Associate Director: A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Simone Young adapted by Eamon Flack (dir. Eamon Flack, Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Fangirls by Yve Blake (dir. Paige Rattray, Sydney Opera House). As an Assistant Director: Black Brass by Mararo Wangai (dir. Matt Edgerton, Belvoir), Stop Girl by Sally Sara (dir. Anne-Louise Sarks, Belvoir), My Brilliant Career adapted by Kendall Feaver (dir. Kate Champion, Belvoir), Packer and Sons by Tommy Murphy (dir. Eamon Flack, Belvoir), and Love by Patricia Cornelius (dir. Rachel Chant, Darlinghurst Theatre Company).

Hannah was the Andrew Cameron Fellow at Belvoir from 2020 to 2022, and the recipient of the ATYP Rose Byrne Leadership Award in 2019. She is represented by HLA Management. 

Catherine Văn-Davies

Catherine Văn-Davies is a multi-award-winning Vietnamese-Australian stage and screen actor based in Sydney. Born in Canberra, spending her early childhood in Bogor, Indonesia and her school/tertiary years in Brisbane. She graduated from QUT with a BFA (Acting) in 2006 and trained at HB Studio, New York in 2010.

Recent theatre credits include: For Belvoir St Theatre: An Enemy Of The People, Back at the Dojo, The Kiss; Sydney Theatre Company: The Shiralee, American Signs, Constellations, Playing Beatie Bow, No Pay? No Way!, White Pearl (with National Theatre of Parramatta), Going Down (with Malthouse); Melbourne Theatre Company: Uncle Vanya; Red Line Productions: A Streetcar Named Desire; Bell Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus, The Misanthrope, The Merchant of Venice; Chunky Move: Complexity of Belonging (with Falk Richter); Griffin Theatre Company: Sex Magick, Turquoise Elephant; Apocalypse Theatre Company: Angels in America; Little Ones Theatre: The Happy Prince, Dracula, Dangerous Liaisons; Arthur: The Myth Project: Twin, Cut Snake, Superhero Training Academy, Waltzing Woolloomooloo: The Tale of Frankie Jones. MKA: sex. violence.blood.gore; and various productions with Milk Crate Theatre.

Awards include: 2023 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Mainstage production (Constellations), Best Supporting Actor (A Streetcar Named Desire) 2020: Best Supporting Actor (Angels in America), 2020 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Ensemble (White Pearl), 2021 Equity Award for Best Ensemble in a Mini Series (Hungry Ghosts).

A passionate theatre maker, Catherine was a facilitator for Playwriting Australia’s Lotus (with Contemporary Asian Australian Performance) & Outreach programs fostering emerging Australian writers and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in storytelling and our industry. She was also the Co-Artistic Director of Red Line productions (Old Fitzroy) from 2019 – 2023. Catherine is thrilled to make her theatre directing debut with Belvoir’s upcoming production of The Coconut Children. Catherine is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Gemma Chua-Tran

Gemma Chua-Tran is an award-winning actor, best known for her role as Sasha So on all three seasons of Netflix’s global hit series Heartbreak High. On stage, Gemma starred in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Laurinda in 2022. She voiced the role of Willow in the animated film Lesbian Space Princess that won 2026 AACTA Awards for Best Independent Film and Best Original Song (which Gemma voiced and co-wrote). Most recently Gemma wrapped shooting a lead role on the much hyped – GUNDAM movie for Netflix

Later this year, Gemma will appear in the main cast of the highly-anticipated Australian ABC crime drama series Dustfall, which premiered at this year’s Series Mania in France and received the Audience Award. She also leads the cast of the Irish-Australian martial arts comedy feature film Kung Fu Deadly. Gemma’s professional debut was at the age of fourteen, playing the lead role of Anusha in ABC Australia’s Mustangs FC across all three seasons. Other screen credits include Ladies in Black (ABC), Diary of an Uber Driver (ABC) and Back of the Net (Disney Channel). Amongst a number of short films, her performance in Clap received a nomination for Best Actor in a World Short at SOHO film festival in 2020.

Van Doan

Vân Đoàn is a Vietnamese mother of two, who arrived in Australia in 1983 as a refugee after  the Vietnam War. The Coconut Children will be her acting debut.

Susan Huang

Susan Huang is a professional actor, writer, director, producer and educator working across theatre, television and commercial work. She is the founder of Shiny Heart Productions, a Sydney children’s theatre company creating original, culturally rich work for young audiences, where she has appeared in The Great Zodiac Race (Aunty Mae, 2026) and Especially on Birthdays (Temeka, 2024-2025).

Other theatre credits include Madama Butterfly with Opera Australia (ensemble, 2023), and Chain Play (Anne, 2022) and The In Between (Mother, 2022) with Slanted Theatre.

On screen, Susan has appeared in The Messenger (Librarian, 2023), PM’s Daughter (Malina, 2022) and Bump Season 2 (Mentor Woman, 2022). She has also worked in commercials for major brands across Australia and the APAC region.

Kevin Khan

Kevin Khan is a graduate of the National Theatre Drama School, making his Belvoir St Theatre main stage debut with Coconut Children. Other theatre credits include No Asians (Midsumma Queer Festival), For Our Next Trick (MFF), The Cherry Orchard, and A Town Named War Boy. Screen credits include Last King of the Cross (Paramount+), A Melbourne Match (Hallmark Channel), Stakeout (Feature Film), The Airport Chaplain (SBS), and short films including Tommy and January, in which Kevin is nominated for Best Actor for January, NFMLA.

HaiHa Le

HaiHa Le has worked extensively in Theatre and TV since 2003. She received an
Equity Award for Best Ensemble – Hungry Ghosts – 2021, and also a Green Room
Award nomination for her performance in Shrimp – 2006.

HaiHa’s recent TV credits include: Colin From Accounts S3 (Binge, Easy Tiger),
Caper Crew (Easy Tiger Productions), Back To The Rafters as Cassie Rafter (Amazon
Prime), Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix, Dir: Bharat Nalluri), The Spooky Files
(Tony Ayres Productions). HaiHa was a regular cast member of Bed of Roses (ABC)
and also Kick (SBS). Other television credits include; Hardball, Soul Mates,
Betterman, It’s a Date, Sick, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, Sea
Patrol, Rake, City Homicide, The Elephant Princess, The Code, Seven Types of
Ambiguity, Mr Inbetween 2 (Dir: Nash Edgerton), and Hungry Ghosts.

Recent theatre credits include: Dream Home (Ensemble Theatre, Dir: David
Williamson), Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday (Malthouse, Dir: Roslyn Oades),
Rupert (MTC & Washington D.C Tour, Dir: Lee Lewis), The Good Person of Szechuan
(LaMama), 4000 Miles (RedStitch), The Seizure (Hayloft Project), TAXI (Green
Room Award – Outstanding Production), Doomstruck Oedipus (VCA), Aviary
(LaMama), Letters From Animals (The Storeroom), Make Me Cry (45 Downstairs)
and more. HaiHa will appear in Belvoir’s 2026 production of The Coconut Children.

Rabia Majeed

Rabia Majeed makes her debut at Belvoir in The Coconut Children. She has trained at The Performance Studio in Northmead, where she has performed in numerous theatre productions across comedy and drama. Her theatre work has also been presented at venues including The Concourse, Chatswood, Riverside Theatres Parramatta and Bryan Brown Theatre in Bankstown. 

On screen, Rabia has appeared in a Netflix production, Mariam the Scientist on Healthy Harold and a national commercial for Utterlive. She was selected within the Top 50 AACTA Young Stars, recognising emerging screen talent.

Brandon Nguyen

Brandon Nguyen is a Vietnamese Sydney Australian who graduated from high school in 2021. Although he has achieved Bachelor of Business (Australian Catholic University), his true passion is in acting, with a graduate certificate from Billy Millionis’s The Actor Pulse studying the Meisner technique for six months.

He is thrilled to make his first—and so far, only—debut on stage for co-directors Hannah Goodwin & Catherine Van Davies’ “The Coconut Children”, based on Vivian Pham’s bestseller. With relatively little acting experience and a lot of raw, natural talent, he is proud to represent his culture and identity with an ensemble cast sharing similar values.  

With no past acting experience, co-directors Fadia Abboud & Ana Kokkinos’ “Here Out West” (Co-Curious) was also his first-ever big-screen debut in the lead of Andy in 2022.

On the smaller screen, Brandon was involved in a smaller role as a gang member in 2023’s “Last King of the Cross” (Helium Pictures/Paramount+) crime TV series with co-directors, Kieren Darcy-Smith & Grant Brown. He also featured in the Co-Curious/Emerald Productions documentary series for “8 Nights Out West” by co-directors. Arka Das & Matias Bolla.

Brandon is an active and enthusiastic student who loves to play rugby league, touch football and soccer. For two years, he worked as an apprentice chef. As a model, he has worked with brands the likes of StaxOfficial and others.

Amid undertaking his studies for Bachelor of Law at Western Sydney University, Brandon continues to experience life and is not afraid to try new things in all their richness. As an upstart, he wishes to give his best because he hopes to create more opportunities in the acting industry. He dreams of working overseas while creating more diversity in entertainment, showing that Asians can be prevalent across screen and stage—while perhaps winning an award or two along the way. 

Jonathan Nguyen

Jonathan’s screen credits include the short films Sunlit Skies and The Roommates, as well as commercial work for IKEA and Movement 101. He has also performed live alongside Genesis Owusu, appearing on stage as part of his shows and tours.

A second-generation Vietnamese Australian, Jonathan’s parents were born in Vietnam and fled the country after the war. Vietnamese culture was an important part of his upbringing, and he remains closely connected to his heritage. His connection to the setting of this production is particularly personal, as his paternal grandparents lived in Cabramatta, where the play is set.

Jonathan trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and Screenwise.

Christy Tran

Christy Tran is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and is making her Belvoir debut with the Coconut Children. Christy’s theatre credits include; Beetle (Legs on the Wall), The Demon (Sydney Opera House x OzAsia), Holding Achilles (Dead Puppets Society x Legs on the Wall), Cool Pool Party 2: The Second (Ban Shakespeare). Screen credits include: The Office (Amazon Prime).

Khanh Trieu

Khanh Trieu is a versatile and dedicated Australian actor based in Sydney, whose dynamic portfolio spans film, television, live theatre, voiceover, and corporate media, His career is defined by a wide-ranging ability to transition seamlessly between high-stakes dramatic narrative and sharp, observational comedy.

His theatrical stage career encompasses working with major cultural institutions, including Madama Butterfly with Opera Australia and The Jungle Book at Riverside Theatre Parramatta

Khanh is a skilled theatrical performer who also performed as defense attorney in ground breaking interactive theatrical courtroom show The Jury Experience

A further commitment to physical performance and movement lies at the foundation of Khanh’s stage craft. To continually hone his expressive movement and collaborative discipline, he participated in the acclaimed Force Majeure INCITE Intensive dance improvisation workshops under the artistic direction of Danielle Micich. This specialized training in movement, devised storytelling, and physical theatre further enriches his versatile approach to performance across all mediums.

His television and streaming credits include appearances in Disney+’s historical drama Last Days of the Space Age, Netflix’s factual series White Rabbit Project, ABC’s critically acclaimed drama series Significant Others, SBS’s Housos, 7Plus’s comedy series Fat Pizza: Back in Business, and Fox 8’s iconic Australia’s Next Top Model. Across these diverse formats, Khanh consistently demonstrates strong screen presence and adaptability.

In addition to screen and stage work, Khanh’s voice and vertical credits include character work for Night Cat (voicing Possum Ringo) and the independent action digital series Love Mace. An active MEAA Equity member since 2010

Khanh continually refines his technique through industry and performance workshops. He views acting as a privileged platform to foster empathy, illuminate shared human experiences, and enrich the lives of viewers and theatregoers alike. Khanh looks very much forward to working with Belvoir St Theatre in Vivian Pham’s The Coconut Children.

Dale Ferguson

Dale Ferguson’s credits for Belvoir include The Jungle and the Sea, Sami in Paradise, The Blind Giant is Dancing, Brothers Wreck and The Power of Yes.

Dales other theatre credits include Death of a Salesman (GWB, Andrew Henry Presents) 37, Come Rain or Come Shine, An Ideal Husband, The Weir, The Speechmaker, The Crucible, Top Girls (MTC); A German Life (Adelaide Festival); Emerald City, L’Appartement (Queensland Theatre); Because the Night, Away, Brothers Wreck, Night on Bald Mountain, Dance of Death, Timeshare (Malthouse Theatre); Exit the King (Broadway); Cosi, Away, Les Liasions Dangereues (Sydney Theatre Company). Opera credits are Tosca (Opera Queensland WA Opera); The Magic Flute (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Anything Goes (Opera Australia); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021 Adelaide Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera).

Dale received Helpmann Awards for August: Osage County and for Counting and Cracking. He has also received a number of Green Room Awards, most recently in 2022 for Because the Night and Tony and Drama Desk nominations for Exit the King on Broadway.

Dale is a Lecturer in Performance Design at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Based in: Melbourne, Australia

Phoebe Pilcher

Phoebe is a Sydney based lighting designer predominantly working in new Australian work and devised processes, with her credits spanning across theatre, musical theatre, dance and events.

Phoebe enjoys vibrant, ambitious projects where chaos sparks creativity. She is committed to developing fresh, innovative projects with Australia’s young creatives.

Most recently, Phoebe designed the lighting for THE EDIT, from writer/director Gabrielle Scawthorn at Belvoir 25A; WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, directed by Alexander Berlage for Hayes Theatre and Pinwheel Productions; and worked with lighting designer Paul Jackson as Associate Lighting Designer on Belvoir’s THE SPARE ROOM starring Judy Davis.

Other recent designs include; A MODEL MURDER (Sydney Festival), NEVER CLOSER, HOLDING THE MAN (Belvoir), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, HAND TO GOD (Redline Productions), HOT TUB, THE ITALIANS (Belvoir 25A) and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (ACM).

Previous designs include THIS BITTER EARTH (Theatreworks), UNVEILING: GAY SEX FOR ENDTIMES, HIRO (The Blue Room Theatre) and MINUS ONE SISTER (The Blue Room and State Theatre Centre of WA)

Phoebe is one half of independent queer theatre company, Bub, and a graduate from both the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Production & Design) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (M.F.A Design for Performance).

www.phoebepilcher.com

Steve Francis

Steve has worked extensively in theatre, dance and screen. His Belvoir credits include The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters, The Wrong Gods, The Weekend, Jungle and the Sea, Tell me I’m Here, Cursed, My Brilliant Career, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To Be True, Winyanboga Yurringa, Every Brilliant Thing, The Sugar House, The Book of Everything, The Power of Yes, Ruben Guthrie, Baghdad Wedding, and Capricornia.

His other theatre credits include The Sound Inside, The Children, The Weir, The Sublime (MTC); Julia, No Pay No Way, Appropriate, Beauty Queen of Leanne, Still Point Turning, The Father, The Hanging, Disgraced, Battle of Waterloo, Switzerland, The Long Way Home, The Secret River, Machinal and Bloodland (STC); Boy Swallows Universe (QT); Love Stories (Brisbane Festival); Hamlet, Henry V (Bell Shakespeare); and Between Two Waves, This Year’s Ashes, Speaking in Tongues (Griffin).

For dance, Steve has composed music for Baleen (Adelaide Festival), Horizon, Wudjang, Sandsong, Dark Emu, Bennelong, Belong, True Stories, Skin, Walkabout, Bush (Bangarra Dance).

His awards include Helpmann Awards for Best Original Score in 2012 and 2003 and Best New Australian Work in 2003 and Sydney Theatre Awards in 2011 and 2014.

Maggie Tra

Elle Evangelista

Elle Evangelista loves dancing. Her BELVOIR choreography credits include Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Holding the Man, The Master and Margarita, The Cherry Orchard, The Boomkak Panto, The Rep Season and Furious Mattress (25a). Her other theatre choreography credits include Mackenzie, Twelfth Night (Bell Shakespeare), A Very Expensive Poison (NIDA) and Where to Catch A Star and  How To Catch A Star (Australian Chamber Orchestra).

As a dancer she has worked for Force Majeure, KAGE Physical Theatre, Opera Australia and she has been awarded residencies to create new work by Ausdance NSW, DirtyFeet, Critical Path, March Dance, Brand X and Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance. From 2019 – 2021, Elle was an Artist Representative on the Board of Critical Path and in 2022 a Belvoir Artistic Associate.

Elle has a Bachelor of Arts in English from UWA and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from WAAPA. She was raised on Boorloo/Perth by her Filipino and Burmese family and currently lives on Garigal Land in Sydney with her partner and their young son.

Nigel Poulton

Nigel is an award-winning fight, movement, and intimacy director, SAG-AFTRA stunt performer and actor with over 17 years of national and international experience. He is a Fight Master with the Society of American Fight Directors.

Belvoir credits include: THE SPARE ROOM, THE WRONG GODS, BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,  THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, NEVER CLOSER, HOLDING THE MAN, COUNTING AND CRACKING, THE REP SEASON, THE MASTER AND MARGARITA, INTO THE WOODS, THE JUNGLE AND THE SEA, LIGHT SHINING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, WAYSIDE BRIDE, AT WHAT COST, CHERRY ORCHARD, MISS PEONY, MY BRILLIANT CAREER, CURSED!, PACKER AND SONS, THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE, COUNTING AND CRACKING, DANCE OF DEATH, SAMI IN PARADISE, THE SUGAR HOUSE, A TASTE OF HONEY, AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, PRIZEFIGHTER.

Other credits include: for Sydney Theatre Company, OIL, THE VISITORS, CONSTELLATIONS, ON THE BEACH, DO NOT GO GENTLE, FENCES, HUBRIS AND HUMILIATION, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, TOP COAT, THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL, GRAND HORIZONS, APPROPRIATE, PLAYING BEATIE BOW, RULES FOR LIVING, THE DEEP BLUE SEA, LORD OF THE FLIES, THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, HOW TO RULE THE WORLD, MARY STUART, DINNER, THE HARP IN THE SOUTH PART ONE AND PART TWO, THE LONG FORGOTTEN DREAM, BLACKIE BLACKIE BROWN (WITH MALTHOUSE), ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST, THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI, SAINT JOAN, SPEED THE PLOW, THREE SISTERS, DINNER, MURIEL’S WEDDING THE MUSICAL, BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE, A CHEERY SOUL, THE GOLDEN AGE, THE PRESENT, SWITZERLAND, MACBETH, NOISES OFF, CYRANO DE BERGERAC, THE REMOVALISTS, ROMEO & JULIET, ROMEO & JULIET (EDUCATION); for Melbourne Theatre Company, THE REMOVALISTS, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, BERNHARDT/HAMLET, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, TWELFTH NIGHT, NOISES OFF, THREE LITTLE WORDS, JASPER JONES, QUEEN LEAR, HAMLET, REALISM, DON JUAN IN SOHO, MACBETH, THE GLASS SOLDIER, CYRANO DE BERGERAC; for Queensland Theatre, GASLIGHT, FIRST CASUALTY, BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE, TRIPLE X (WITH SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY), CITY OF GOLD (WITH GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY), SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, HYDRA, BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE, NOISES OFF! (WITH MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY), JASPER JONES, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, SWITZERLAND, MACBETH, FRACTIONS; for Bell Shakespeare, CORIOLANUS, IN A NUTSHELL: THE POETRY OF VIOLENCE, IN THE ROUND, KING LEAR, ROMEO AND JULIET (X4), HAMLET (X4), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (X3), TWELFTH NIGHT, (X2), THE LOVERS, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE MISER, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, RICHARD III, OTHELLO, THE DREAM, MACBETH, JULIUS CAESAR; AS YOU LIKE IT (X2), SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS; La Boite: ARTISTS COMPANY (2021-22), CLOSER, TIDDAS, IRL, CAPRICORN, MISS PEONY, THE POISON OF POLYGAMY, AN IDEAL HUSBAND, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, JULIUS CAESAR, ROMEO AND JULIET, BLACKROCK, PRIZEFIGHTER, RICHARD III, COSI, A HOAX, JULIUS CEASAR, HAMLET.

Laura Farrell

Laura Farrell (she/her) is a Voice and Dialect Coach living and working on Gadigal land. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Voice from NIDA, a Postgraduate Diploma in Voice from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Music Theatre from the Victorian College of the Arts. Laura is an Associate Lecturer at NIDA and a certified teacher of Knight Thompson Speechwork and Vocal Combat Technique.

Recent coaching credits for Belvoir include Jungle and the Sea, directed by Eamon Flack (2026); The Wrong Gods, directed by Hannah Goodwin (2025); Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, directed by Simon Phillips (2025); Big Girls Don’t Cry, directed by Ian Michael (2025); Song of First Desire, directed by Neil Armfield (2025); August: Osage County, directed by Eamon Flack (2024); Counting and Cracking, directed by Eamon Flack (2024); Never Closer, directed by Hannah Goodwin (2024); Lose to Win, directed by Jessica Arthur (2024); Holding the Man, directed by Eamon Flack (2024); and The Master & Margarita, directed by Eamon Flack (2024).

Mây Trần

Mây Trần is a Western Sydney based creative whose projects as an actor, writer, and director have been nominated at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Helpmann Awards, and Sydney Theatre Awards. With a background largely in theatre, some of their credits include Cleansed (Old Fitz Theatre, 2022), Hot Mess (KXT, 2021), R+J RMX (Opera House, 2021) and PLAYLIST (PYT, Opera House, 2019). Currently, they are working on their first solo piece Evil Autism.

Aloma Barnes Siraswar

Aloma is a Sydney-based costume designer, stylist, and set designer working across theatre, screen, and campaign styling. She holds a Master’s degree in Costume Design for Performance from the London College of Fashion (UAL), where she was encouraged to push creative boundaries through costume design. Aloma is fascinated by costume as a language in itself, one that communicates identity, psychology, status, and emotion before a character speaks. Her theatre credits include work with Sport for Jove, New Ghost Theatre Company, 25A and KXT. She is currently the Costume Designer for Harlots, an upcoming production by New Ghost Theatre Company at the Old Fitz Theatre. Her screen work includes the documentary Kindred, directed by Adrian Russell Wills, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival, and she previously interned in the costume department for Amazon Prime Video with Excel Entertainment in Mumbai.

Luke McGettigan

Luke is Belvoir’s Resident Stage Manager. For Belvoir, he has stage managed

King Lear, The Spare Room, Song of First Desire, August Osage County, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Never Closer, Holding the Man, Master and Margarita, The Weekend, Scenes from the Climate Era, Blessed Union, The Jungle and the Sea, Tell Me I’m Here, Opening Night, The Boomkak Panto, Stop Girl, My Brilliant Career, A Room of One’s Own, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To, Be True, Counting and Cracking, The Dance of Death, A Taste of Honey, Sami in Paradise, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, Ghosts, The Rover, Mark Colvin’s Kidney, Faith Healer, Twelfth Night or What You Will, The Great Fire, Mortido, Seventeen, Elektra/Orestes, Radiance, The Glass Menagerie, Brothers Wreck, Once in Royal David’s City, Miss Julie, Forget Me Not, Peter Pan (including New York tour), Private Lives, Death of a Salesman, Babyteeth, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Neighbourhood Watch, The Wild Duck (including UK and Europe tours), Namatjira (Belvoir/Big hART), Page 8, The End, That Face, The Promise, Scorched, Antigone, Keating!, The Little Cherry Orchard and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. His other credits include The Pig Iron People, The Give and Take, Bed, La Dispute (Sydney Theatre Company); Like a Fishbone (STC / Griffin); The Government Inspector, The Tempest, The Servant of Two Masters, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew (Bell Shakespeare); Paradise City, Through the Wire (Performing Lines); and Alive at Williamstown Pier (Griffin).

Yasmin Breeze

Yasmin (she/her) is an emerging Stage Manager based in Sydney. She is graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Theatre and Stage Management) and The University of Sydney (Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies, and Film Studies). 

Her recent credits include: An Iliad, Circle Mirror Transformation (Sydney Theatre Company), Top Silk, The Lover and The Dumb Waiter (Ensemble Theatre), Sister Act: The Musical (John Frost for Crossroads Live), Cut the Sky (Marrugeku), In Chamber (Alabaster DePlume for Sydney Festival). 

Nhat Lam

Trinh Nguyen

Trinh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Australian storyteller whose work spans journalism, translation and children’s literature. As Digital Lead for SBS Vietnamese, she works across digital publishing, audience strategy and cross-platform storytelling, helping trusted journalism reach Vietnamese-speaking communities across Australia. She is the author of several bilingual Vietnamese-English children’s books and contributes to creative and cross-cultural projects as a translator, editor, voice artist and cultural consultant. Her work is driven by an interest in language, identity and belonging, and in telling stories that inform, connect and reflect Australia’s multicultural society. Her journalism has been recognised with a NSW Premier’s Multicultural Media Award, and she has been a finalist for the Human Rights Awards and Amnesty International Australia Media Awards. The Coconut Children is her first production with Belvoir.

Emma Cao

Van Doan

Vân Đoàn is a Vietnamese mother of two, who arrived in Australia in 1983 as a refugee after  the Vietnam War. The Coconut Children will be her acting debut.

Susan Huang

Susan Huang is a professional actor, writer, director, producer and educator working across theatre, television and commercial work. She is the founder of Shiny Heart Productions, a Sydney children’s theatre company creating original, culturally rich work for young audiences, where she has appeared in The Great Zodiac Race (Aunty Mae, 2026) and Especially on Birthdays (Temeka, 2024-2025).

Other theatre credits include Madama Butterfly with Opera Australia (ensemble, 2023), and Chain Play (Anne, 2022) and The In Between (Mother, 2022) with Slanted Theatre.

On screen, Susan has appeared in The Messenger (Librarian, 2023), PM’s Daughter (Malina, 2022) and Bump Season 2 (Mentor Woman, 2022). She has also worked in commercials for major brands across Australia and the APAC region.

HaiHa Le

HaiHa Le has worked extensively in Theatre and TV since 2003. She received an
Equity Award for Best Ensemble – Hungry Ghosts – 2021, and also a Green Room
Award nomination for her performance in Shrimp – 2006.

HaiHa’s recent TV credits include: Colin From Accounts S3 (Binge, Easy Tiger),
Caper Crew (Easy Tiger Productions), Back To The Rafters as Cassie Rafter (Amazon
Prime), Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix, Dir: Bharat Nalluri), The Spooky Files
(Tony Ayres Productions). HaiHa was a regular cast member of Bed of Roses (ABC)
and also Kick (SBS). Other television credits include; Hardball, Soul Mates,
Betterman, It’s a Date, Sick, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Neighbours, Sea
Patrol, Rake, City Homicide, The Elephant Princess, The Code, Seven Types of
Ambiguity, Mr Inbetween 2 (Dir: Nash Edgerton), and Hungry Ghosts.

Recent theatre credits include: Dream Home (Ensemble Theatre, Dir: David
Williamson), Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday (Malthouse, Dir: Roslyn Oades),
Rupert (MTC & Washington D.C Tour, Dir: Lee Lewis), The Good Person of Szechuan
(LaMama), 4000 Miles (RedStitch), The Seizure (Hayloft Project), TAXI (Green
Room Award – Outstanding Production), Doomstruck Oedipus (VCA), Aviary
(LaMama), Letters From Animals (The Storeroom), Make Me Cry (45 Downstairs)
and more. HaiHa will appear in Belvoir’s 2026 production of The Coconut Children.