Curriculum Vitae

Profile

Proud parent, writer, theatre- maker and creative producer working across disciplines in the arts, community development, youth work, education, social justice and social enterprise.

A daughter of regional Australia, committed to connecting, nurturing and inspiring young people and emerging artists.

Award winning, intrapreneurial, and futures focused.

#bepartofthings #letstalkyoutharts

Social Media

Awards

2022 Arts South Australia Ruby Award: Outstanding Regional Event or Project for No Limits: Young Regional Writers

2017 Arts South Australia Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Ruby Award Recipient

2015 Australia Council Kirk Robson Award Recipient

2014 Channel 9 Young Achiever Coffee Club Arts Award Recipient

2013 Brand SA Dr+ Group Regional Arts Award, Riverland and Mallee Recipient

2011 Advantage SA Award, Nominee in Youth & Arts Categories

2011 South Australian Young Citizen of the Year Recipient

2011 Berri Barmera Young Citizen of the Year Recipient

Memberships

Theatre Network Australia

National Association of Visual Arts

Youth Affairs Council of South Australia

Arts Industry Council of South Australia

Speaker

2021 Artlands Panel “Am I too old to be here?”

2020 National Young Writers Festival Panel “Racous Regions”

2019 IETM Panel, “If funders wanted to support artists what could they do?”

2018, Rotary Youth Leadership Program, Keynote Speaker

2017 Noise Interchange Singapore, Guest Presenter

2015, Youth Parliament 20th Anniversary, Keynote Speaker

2009 & 2013, Flinders University Leadership Program

2011, Queens Birthday Guest Speaker, Government House SA

2011 Joe Dix Memorial Lecture

Governance

Outback Theatre for Young People, Board Member (2019 – Present)

Renmark High School Governing Council, Member (2021)

Berri District Youth Club, President (2010 – 2013)

Riverland Youth Theatre, Board Member (2009 – 2011)

Education

Bachelor of Creative Writing with Distinction, Deakin University (2019 – 2022)

Graduate Certificate Creative Business, Compton School & University of Canberra (2022)

Cert IV Celebrancy (2022)

Cert IV Youth Work (2011)

Bachelor of Teaching & Learning/Bachelor of Arts, Charles Darwin University (2008 – 2019) discontinued

Bachelor of Arts (Acting), Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts (Federation University) (2006) discontinued

Training

Senior First Aid

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Trauma Informed Care

Applied Suicide Intervention

Accidental Counsellor Training

Fire Warden Training

Responsible Service of Alcohol

Cultural Awareness Training

LGBTQIA+ Safe Schools Training

Arts Work

COMMUNITY & DIGITAL ARTIST

RIVERLAND YOUTH THEATRE

August 2022-Present

Coordinating and delivering Home Turf program. Leading digital capacity building and digital outreach. Dreaming up ambitious new projects.

STATEWIDE PROGRAM MANAGER & REGIONAL COORDINATOR

WRITERS SA

May 2021-December 2022

Managing three direct reports, team of casuals and contracted presenters/artists for statewide quarterly program. Manager of No Limits: Young Regional Writers program, awarded 2022 Arts South Australia Ruby Award for Outstanding Regional Event or Project

CREATIVE PRACTITIONER

INDEPENDENT

July 2009-Present

Writer, theatre-maker, youth arts worker, curator, speaker, creative producer & community organiser.

Recent highlights:

Writer, Guthrak for Under the Microscope Theatre, premiering at the 2023 dreamBIG Children’s Festival with triennial funding from Arts South Australia.
Writer, Constellation for Illuminart, 2022.
Recipient, National Regional Arts Fellowship, 2021.
Writer, The Riverland of Rax, for Come to Where I Am Australia, produced by Critical Stages (AUS) and Paines Plough (UK), 2020.
Writer, DEV, for State Theatre Company of South Australia and ActNow Theatre’s Decameron 2.0.
Producer & Art Director, Letters of the Riverland, projection commissioned by Berri Barmera Council, 2020.
Founder and CEO, Part of Things, August 2019 – present.
Board member, Outback Theatre for Young People, 2019 – present.

CREATIVE PRODUCER

CARCLEW +

July 2013-October 2020

Creative Producer Regional Youth, a joint statewide role with Carclew and Country Arts SA (Sep 2017 – Oct 2020). Dedicated to nurturing creative pathways for regional young people aged 14-26.

Highlights:

I Feel Like Writing (2020)
Writing Place (2019) – a residency for emerging regional playwrights – including the publication of This Was Urgent Yesterday (2020) with Currency Press.
Art Squad (2018 – 2020) – a two year mentoring & development program for nine young regional creatives

Creative Producer of ExpressWay Arts, a joint initiative of Carclew and City of Onkaparinga (July 2013 – Sep 2017). Dedicated to nurturing creative outcomes with/by young people aged 12-26 in the southern suburbs of Adelaide.

Highlights:

Audio-theatre work The Third Place
Losing Faith in Unicorns as part of the 2017 dreamBIG Children’s Festival (finalist for 2017 Ruby Award).
Run Zombie, Run one of two finalists for the 2015 Arts South Australia Ruby Award for community impact under $100k.

ARTS & CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

COUNTRY ARTS SA

May 2012-June 2013

Serving and supporting the Riverland & Mallee communities.

Supporting artists and local groups to access professional development and develop regional arts projects & outcomes.
Advocating for the importance of arts experiences with local governments, businesses and organisations.
Managing the River Lands Gallery & curating the Chaffey Theatre Foyer Gallery Space.

Leadership/Business Development

GRADUATE CERT. CREATIVE BUSINESS

COMPTON SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA

2022

Units: Finance for Creative Businesses, Innovation Toolbox, Creative Decision Making & Entrepreneurship. Peer cohort included individuals working in senior positions across Australia in film, TV, visual arts, youth arts and regional arts.

INCUBATOR PROGRAM

HENHOUSE COOPERATIVE

2019

10week program included access to volunteer coaches and mentors to tap into wisdom on pitching, financial modelling, social enterprise, cooperative models and a host of other bits. The program culminated in a pitch night for all participating groups, I was the presenter for my group and we were awarded the Catherine Award for raising the most money and customers during the pitch event.

SAYES PROGRAM

BUSINESS SA

2019-2020

12month business program covering finance, HR, marketing, and other elements of owning and operating a business.

AUSTRALIAN RURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

AUSTRALIAN RURAL LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION

2016-2018

Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s flagship 15month leadership program. Alumna of Course 23 with $55k scholarship from Australia Council.

YOUNG SOCIAL PIONEERS

FOUNDATION FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS

2013-2014

Australia’s premier incubator designed to exclusively support young people leading initiatives that respond to society’s most pressing challenges, either through advocacy, community organising or business.

Other Development

DELEGATE

VARIOUS

Including:

National Cultural Policy Launch (2023)
Artlands (2021)
Australian Performing Arts Exchange, First Timer Program (2021)
IETM Spring Plenary Hull, UK (2019)
PAX, Melbourne (2019)
Noise Interchange, Singapore (2017)
Australian Theatre Forums (2011, 2013, 2015 & 2017)
National Regional Arts Conference (2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021) Watershed: National Theatre Summit for Young & Emerging Artists (2013), delegate + steering committee member
Commonwealth Youth Forum as part of CHOGM, Perth (2011)
Brightest Young Minds Summit (2010)

Other Work

HERO COORDINATOR & COMMUNITY AWARENESS OFFICER

HEADSPACE BERRI

September 2020-November 2022

Attracted over $45k of arts funding to mental health service to work with young people in the Riverland community to develop skills in arts & health practice and present community outcomes, including the inaugural Riverland Pride March (August 2021), and Stories Between Time (April – June 2021) which brought together non- Aboriginal young

CENSUS COLLECTOR

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

2011

Overland Corner region. Interviews with residents, distribution and collection of forms.

SENIOR SCHOOL SUPPORT OFFICER

RENMARK HIGH SCHOOL

2011

One on one support for disengaged and at risk students – in particular those “flying under the radar”.

CASUAL FRONT OF HOUSE, USHER, BAR ATTENDANT

CHAFFEY THEATRE

2006-2009

Live shows, film screenings and community events.