NSW Equity Graduate Day 2023 - one day to go...

Host(s)

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  Aaron Pedersen

  Aaron Pedersen is best known for his performance in the leading role of ‘Detective Jay Swan’ in the television series Mystery Road opposite Judy Davis, for which he won an AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series. Aaron first created the role of ‘Detective Swan’ in the highly acclaimed feature films Mystery Road, opposite Hugo Weaving and Goldstone, opposite Jackie Weaver, both directed by Ivan Sen. Other notable film credits include High Ground, Dirt Music, Back to the Outback, and The Fear of Darkness. Aaron’s work in television includes Total Control opposite Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths, The Gloaming, The Code, East West 101, A Place to Call Home as well as his role of ‘Drew Ellis’ in The Circuit for which he received a Most Outstanding Actor Logie nomination. He is also well known for the role of ‘Cam Delray’ in three series of Jack Irish, opposite Guy Pearce. On-stage, Aaron has performed for Australia’s major theatre companies, including Signs of Life and The Club (STC), The Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Black Swan), King Lear (MTC), as well as Eating with Your Eyes Closed (Queensland Theatre).
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  Ewen Leslie

  Ewen graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2000. Ewen’s films credits include the critically acclaimed The Daughter, The Nightingale, Sweet Country, The Mule, The Railway Man, Dead Europe, Sleeping Beauty, Three Blind Mice, Katoomba, Kokoda and Jewboy. Selected television credits include Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake: China Girl which premiered at Festival de Cannes, the Emmy Award winning Safe Harbour, The Gloaming, Fighting Season, Janet King, Deadline Gallipoli, Wonderland, Mr and Mrs Murder, Top of the Lake, Rake, Redfern Now, Devil’s Dust, Mabo, My Place, Lockie Leonard, Love My Way, The Junction Boys, All Saints and The Road from Coorain, The Cry, Luminaries, The Gloaming and Operation Buffalo. Theatre credits for Belvoir include Ivanov, Thyestes, Hamlet, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Wild Duck, The Promiseand Paul; for STC Jekyll and Hyde, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, War of the Roses, Julius Caesar, Riflemind; for MTC Hamlet, Richard III; for Malthouse The Trial and The Wild Duck.
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  Rachel Gordon

  Since graduating from NIDA, Rachel has worked extensively in film, television and theatre. Rachel’s theatre credits include, Concussion, Don Juan and The Real Thing (Sydney Theatre Company), Jasper Jones (Melbourne Theatre Company); King Lear and Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare); Daylight Saving (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Between Two Waves (Griffin Theatre Company); Boston Marriage, Let the Sunshine and Ninety (Melbourne and Queensland Theatre Companies); The Almighty Sometimes (Queensland Theatre Company), Norman Conquests, Odd Man Out, Managing Carmen and Wit (Ensemble Theatre); Boeing Boeing (New Theatricals); All Things Considered, Death Defying Acts, Last Nights Of Ballyhoo and Crimes Of The Heart (Marion St Theatre) Taming Of The Shrew (EHJ Productions) and Big Hair In America (Hot House Theatre Company). Rachel is currently performing in Mr Bailey’s Minder at Ensemble Theatre. Rachel’s film credits include Angel of Mine and Thunderstruck. In television, Rachel’s credits include Playing for Keeps, Back in Very Small Business, Secret Daughter, The Letdown, The Moody’s, The Gentlemen’s Guide to Knife Fighting, A Moody Christmas, Home & Away, Neighbours, Blue Heelers and All Saints. Rachel can most recently be seen in Foxtel original series The Twelve and Queen of Oz for BBC/ABC
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  Hazem Shammas

  Hazem’s recent screen credits include The Clearing, The Twelve, Barons, Hungry Ghosts, The Hunting, My Life is Murder, The Secret She Keeps, The Gloaming, Halifax: Retribution, Safe Harbour, Underbelly, East West 101 and he will appear in the mini-series After the Verdict. In film he has appeared in the features X, The Tumbler and Alex and Eve. Renowned for his exceptional performances in theatre, his credits include Rules For Living (Sydney Theatre Company), Counting and Cracking, Sami in Paradise, Atlantis, Mother Courage and Her Children, Scorched, Antigone, Paul, Stuff Happens (Belvoir); Disgraced (Melbourne Theatre Company); Othello (State Theatre Company South Australia); The Tempest, A Comedy of Errors (Bell Shakespeare); The Call (Griffin); Trustees, Criminology (Malthouse Theatre); The Tribe and Buried City (UTP/Belvoir/Sydney Festival).He was most recently in Bell Shakespeare’s production of Macbeth in the title role. Hazem’s performance in Safe Harbour garnered a Logie Award for Most Outstanding Talent and an AACTA Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama.

• Nikki Barrett

  Nikki Barrett has been casting Australian and international film and television for 25 years. Her work includes acclaimed features such as Talk To Me, Elvis, Nitram, Thirteen Lives, Power of the Dog, Fury Road, Hacksaw Ridge, The Nightingale, I Am Mother, The Babadook, The Great Gatsby, Mao’s Last Dancer, The Sapphires, Somersault, Oranges and Sunshine, The Proposition, Candy, The Railway Man and Ride Like A Girl as well as HBO’s The Leftovers and Foxtel series Picnic at Hanging Rock. Recent work includes George Miller's Furiosa and tv series Boy Swallows Universe, Bay of Fires and Black Snow. Nikki Barrett has been casting Australian and international film and television for 25 years. Her work includes acclaimed features such as Talk To Me, Elvis, Nitram, Thirteen Lives, Power of the Dog, Fury Road, Hacksaw Ridge, The Nightingale, I Am Mother, The Babadook, The Great Gatsby, Mao’s Last Dancer, The Sapphires, Somersault, Oranges and Sunshine, The Proposition, Candy, The Railway Man and Ride Like A Girl as well as HBO’s The Leftovers and Foxtel series Picnic at Hanging Rock. Recent work includes George Miller's Furiosa and tv series Boy Swallows Universe, Bay of Fires and Black Snow. Nikki Barrett has been casting Australian and international film and television for 25 years. Her work includes acclaimed features such as Talk To Me, Elvis, Nitram, Thirteen Lives, Power of the Dog, Fury Road, Hacksaw Ridge, The Nightingale, I Am Mother, The Babadook, The Great Gatsby, Mao’s Last Dancer, The Sapphires, Somersault, Oranges and Sunshine, The Proposition, Candy, The Railway Man and Ride Like A Girl as well as HBO’s The Leftovers and Foxtel series Picnic at Hanging Rock. Recent work includes George Miller's Furiosa and tv series Boy Swallows Universe, Bay of Fires and Black Snow.
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  Benedict Hardie

  Benedict Hardie’s recent feature film credits include Russell Crowe’s POKERFACE; CARMEN with Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera; Leah Purcell’s THE DROVERS WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON; as well as the NBC/Stan series JOE VS. CAROLE alongside Kate McKinnon and John Cameron Mitchell. His other feature film credits include Leigh Whannell’s THE INVISIBLE MAN opposite Elisabeth Moss; JUDY & PUNCH directed by Mirrah Foulkes; UPGRADE also from Leigh Whannell; and the Oscar-winning HACKSAW RIDGE, directed by Mel Gibson. He also has great supporting roles in THE WATER DIVINER with Russell Crowe; THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS with Michael Fassbender; and many other features. His television credits include the BBC Series THE LUMINARIES; the HBO Max/Stan Series THE TOURIST; MR INBETWEEN for FX; EDEN and THE COMMONS also for Stan; TOTAL CONTROL, SECRET CITY, MOLLY, and DEADLINE GALLIPOLI. Benedict will next be seen in the Disney+ series NAUTILUS, the SBS series WHILE THE MEN ARE AWAY, and season 3 of TOTAL CONTROL for ABC.
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  Helen Dallimore

  Helen Dallimore is an actress, singer, director and writer. A NIDA graduate, she has enjoyed a successful career in theatre, musical theatre, film and television both in Australia and in the UK. She created the role of ‘Glinda’ in the West End production of Wicked opposite Idina Menzel and played ‘Cinderella’ in the Olivier Award Winning Regent’s Park production of Into the Woods. She won the Helpmann Award for her performance in Legally Blonde the Musical. Her recent stage roles include Girl From the North Country for GWB Entertainment, The Wharf Revue, Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical for the Sydney Theatre Company, as well as ‘Judy Garland’ in End of the Rainbow for State Theatre Company South Australia, garnering critical acclaim. Her many screen credits include Mr Accident, Russian Doll, Secret Bridesmaid’s Business, Midsomer Murders, Postcard Bandit, The Day of the Roses, Two Heads Creek, North Shore, The Moodys, House Husbands, and the Emmy Award winning Hardball. Helen played ‘Olivia O’Neill’ in Jungle/Channel Nine’s Here Come the Habibs, for which she was also a writer. Other writing credits include the ABC comedy, Sando. She has been directing theatre for over twenty years, most recent credits including A Life in the Theatre for Darlinghurst Theatre and High Society, The Fantasticks, and Everybody Loves Lucy at Hayes Theatre Company.
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  Genevieve Hegney

  Genevieve is a graduate of NIDA and also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia. Throughout her career Genevieve has performed extensively in theatre, film and television. Genevieve’s television credits include Colin From Accounts (Binge), In Our Blood (ABC), Pieces of Her (Netflix), Young Rock (CBS) Diary of an Uber Driver (ABC), Tim Minchin’s Upright (Foxtel) Kinne Tonight (Ten), The Commons (STAN), Doctor Doctor (Series 2-3), Janet King (Series 2), The Kettering Incident, Here Come the Habibs! (Series 1-2), The Moodys (ABC), Camp (NBC), Bedhead, Devil’s Dust, Rake, Spirited, All Saints, Home and Away, The Alice, Out There (Series 1 & 2). Her film roles include Rip Tide, The Little Death, Burning Man, Preservation, and Happy Feet. Short films include Red Ink, Outbreak Generation, and Desirable for which she won Best Actress at the Kaleidoscope Film Festival. Genevieve’s theatre credits include credits include; Tot Mum (dir by Steven Soderbergh) and Influence, Parramatta Girls for Belvoir, Twelfth Night, Antony & Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Much Ado About Nothing for the Bell Shakespeare Company, Some Explicit Polaroids for Darlinghurst Theatre and Love for Downstairs Belvoir, both nominated for ‘Best Independent Production’ at the Sydney Theatre Awards. As a writer Genevieve and co-writer Catherine Moore wrote the plays, Unqualified and Still Unqualified for the Ensemble Theatre. They have recently received funding from Screen West and Screen Australia to adapt Unqualified for television. Genevieve also co-wrote, produced and acted in the short film The Amber Amulet. This adaptation of the Craig Silvey novella won numerous awards worldwide, including the 2013 Crystal Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival & won her an AWGIE for ‘Best Screenplay in a Short Film’
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  Monica Sayers

  Monica Sayers is a proud Australian born Chinese artist working as an actor, voiceover, yoga teacher and DJ. Having studied at Actors Centre Australia & ATYP, Monica continued her training at NIDA, graduating with a Bachelor in Dramatic Arts in 2004. Over the years she has worked extensively across different mediums including TV’s - The Messenger, The Unlisted, Rake, Love My Way, Last Man Standing, All Saints, The Royal (UK) and The Clinic (IRE). She has featured in countless commercials, corporate training videos, short films and voiceovers. In 2022 Monica recorded her first audiobook Raised By Wolves, an autobiography by food and drink editor/presenter Jess Ho, accounting her life in the hospitality industry and growing up in a migrant family in suburban Melbourne. Monica’s main theatre highlights are Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare) Chimerica and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Co) Hay Fever (Melbourne Theatre Company) Moon Rabbit Rising (Belvoir 25A) Let The Right One In (Darlinghurst Theatre) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes the musical (Hayes Theatre) Monica is now moving into directing pieces for stage and screen. Last year she acted and co-directed a short film In A Moment, a Seb Berry production. She stepped into assistant director and dramaturg for the Diploma Stage and Screen course Showcase, helmed by Darren Yap, and in February this year, Monica directed an excerpt from Eric Jiang’s play Noodle Salad, to celebrate Lunar New Year, produced by Slanted Theatre and Nation Theatre of Parramatta part of Dragon Tales. Following on, Monica directed two pieces at Nida - a circus themed cabaret and a concert style performance with the diploma students. Monica is a successful applicant in the 2024 Staging the World Mentorship Program by National Theatre of Parramatta, working closely with international director Mina Morita from Crowded Fire Theatre Company San Francisco. This will take place over two weeks in September and October.
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  Glenn Hazeldine

  Glenn graduated from NIDA in 1994. Professional highlights include No Pay? No Way!, Cosi, Victory, Tot Mom, Elling, The Pig Iron People, Perplex and After Dinner for STC; Amadeus for Red Line/Opera House; Tuesdays With Morrie, A View From The Bridge and All My Sons for Ensemble; A Hoax for Griffin; The Judas Kiss for Company B Belvoir; Transparency for Seymour Centre and As You Like It for Bell Shakespeare. His long and fruitful association with David Williamson includes roles in world premiere productions of Dead White Males, Birthrights, A Conversation, Happiness, Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica, Managing Carmen and Sorting Out Rachel and revivals of Sanctuary, Rupert, Charitable Intent, Face to Face and Don’s Party. Film/TV work includes Last Train to Freo, Little Monsters, Colin From Accounts, The Twelve, The Moodys and Redfern Now. Glenn has been a proud member of MEAA for almost 30 years and is President of the NSW branch of Actors Equity. He is also Deputy Chair of the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW.

• Charley Sanders

  Charley is a director, performer, and writer, and Co Artistic Director of House of Sand. She holds an Adv. Dip. Arts (Acting) from AC Arts and an MFA (Directing) from NIDA and has received an Adelaide Critics Circle Award, numerous Fringe Awards from festivals around Australia and New Zealand, and nominations for an ATG Curtain Call Award, a Broadway World Award and two further Adelaide Critics Circle Awards. Directorial credits Include That Was Friday, Pedal, Castles, Fear of Eggs, all h0urs, REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN. and The Split (HoS) Welcome The Bright World (HoS & STCSA), Titus Andronicus; Mother Courage; O Go My Man; Slavs; 5 Years (ACArts) Trans Scripts (Paul Lucas Prod. NYC) Infected (NIDA) Love Child, Seven Jewish Children, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later and Like A Fishbone (Early Worx). As assistant director: Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera Australia), Maggie Stone (STCSA), Julia (STC) As a performer Charley has appeared in King Lear (STCSA), Sweeney Todd (ACArts), RENT (Catchy Title) and Angels In America (Papermoon), and created and performed two sellout, award-winning solo cabaret’s A Modest Exhibit and Queer. She most recently understudied the role of Dexie in Triple X by Glace Chase for the Sydney Theatre Company. In Addition to her core practice, Charley has experience as a teacher of acting and directing, drag artist, dramaturge, producer and tour manager. She is qualified and regularly works as an audio describer for blind and low vision audiencs and works as a business consultant to creative entrepreneurs through Creative+Business. Among many arts management, mentorship and advocacy roles, Charley has held positions including Programs Producer for the Sydney Fringe Festival (2019 to 2021) and Program Manager Pride Amplified for Sydney World Pride (2022). Charley is the LGBTQIA+ Identified Co-Chair of the MEAA Equity Diversity Committee for the 2023-4 term and a proud life-long Equity member. Charley is a director, performer, and writer, and Co Artistic Director of House of Sand. She holds an Adv. Dip. Arts (Acting) from AC Arts and an MFA (Directing) from NIDA and has received an Adelaide Critics Circle Award, numerous Fringe Awards from festivals around Australia and New Zealand, and nominations for an ATG Curtain Call Award, a Broadway World Award and two further Adelaide Critics Circle Awards.  Directorial credits Include That Was Friday, Pedal, Castles, Fear of Eggs, all h0urs, REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN. and The Split (HoS) Welcome The Bright World (HoS & STCSA), Titus Andronicus; Mother Courage; O Go My Man; Slavs; 5 Years (ACArts) Trans Scripts (Paul Lucas Prod. NYC) Infected (NIDA) Love Child, Seven Jewish Children, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later and Like A Fishbone (Early Worx). As assistant director: Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera Australia), Maggie Stone (STCSA), Julia (STC) As a performer Charley has appeared in King Lear (STCSA), Sweeney Todd (ACArts), RENT (Catchy Title) and Angels In America (Papermoon), and created and performed two sellout, award-winning solo cabaret’s A Modest Exhibit and Queer. She most recently understudied the role of Dexie in Triple X by Glace Chase for the Sydney Theatre Company.  In Addition to her core practice, Charley has experience as a teacher of acting and directing, drag artist, dramaturge, producer and tour manager. She is qualified and regularly works as an audio describer for blind and low vision audiencs and works as a business consultant to creative entrepreneurs through Creative+Business. Among many arts management, mentorship and advocacy roles, Charley has held positions including Programs Producer for the Sydney Fringe Festival (2019 to 2021) and Program Manager Pride Amplified for Sydney World Pride (2022). Charley is the LGBTQIA+ Identified Co-Chair of the MEAA Equity Diversity Committee for the 2023-4 term and a proud life-long Equity member. 
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  Alexander Berlage

  Alexander Berlage is an award-winning director and lighting designer as well as currently being Co-Artistic Director of Redline Productions at the Old Fitz Theatre. Alex has won the Sydney Theatre Award Best Direction of a Musical two years in a row – for AMERICAN PSYCHO and CRY-BABY at Hayes Theatre Co. His smash-hit, sold-out production of AMERICAN PSYCHO won 9 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical, Best Male Actor in a Musical, Best Set Design of an Independent Production, Best Costume Design of an Independent Production and Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production and more. Alexander’s 2019 production of GLORIA was nominated for 2 Sydney Theatre Awards. Alexander’s production of CRY-BABY received rave reviews, sold out and won 4 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical, Best Female Actor in a Musical and Best Set Design of an Independent Production. The same year, his productions of THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, HOME INVASION and CRY-BABY received a combined total of 12 Sydney Theatre Award nominations. For THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, Alexander was nominated for Best Direction of an Independent Production and Best Independent Production. As a lighting designer, Alexander has worked for Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Queensland, Circa, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sydney Chamber Opera, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Dance Company, Griffin Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Hayes Theatre Co., Australian Theatre for Young People, and Redline Productions, with directors such as Kip Williams, Imara Savage, Jessica Arthur, Mitchell Butel, Constantine Costi, Yaron Lifschitz, Domenic Mercer and Marion Potts. Alexander has twice won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production – for his work on AMERICAN PSYCHO and on 4:48 PSYCHOSIS. He received Sydney Theatre Award nominations for his lighting design on THE WHALE, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT and DOUBT. In 2019, Alexander made his debut with Birmingham Royal Ballet and London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre as lighting designer with a new ballet by choreographer Jack Lister, A BRIEF NOSTALGIA; and with Opera Queensland as lighting designer, in a new production of ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE directed by Yaron Lifschitz. Alexander’s directing work includes: AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRY-BABY, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (Hayes Theatre Co.); HYPNOPOMPIA (OR THE EDGE OF THE UNKOWN) (Sydney Children’s Choir); FUTURE REMAINS (Sydney Chamber Opera/Sydney Festival); HAND TO GOD (Redline Productions); PETER PAN (Sydney Chamber Opera/Gondwanna Choirs); GLORIA (Outhouse Theatre Co); THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX (Redline Productions/NIDA); HOME INVASION (An Assorted Few/Old 505); and THE VAN DE MAAR PAPERS (An Assorted Few/PACT). He was visual director for Sydney Chamber Opera’s RESONANT BODIES. Alexander’s lighting design work includes: for Sydney Theatre Company, LORD OF THE FLIES, CLOUD NINE, LETHAL INDIFFERENCE; for Birmingham Royal Ballet/Sadler’s Wells, A BRIEF NOSTALGIA; for Belvoir/STCSA: DANCE NATION; for Opera Queensland/Circa, ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE; for Griffin, DEAD CAT BOUNCE, GOOD COOK. FRIENDLY. CLEAN., NOSFERATU, THOMAS MURRAY AND THE UPSIDE DOWN RIVER; for Ensemble Theatre: MAJORIE PRIME, UNQUALIFIED, BUYER AND CELLAR, THE KITCHEN SINK; for Sydney Chamber Opera, ANTARCTICA, FUTURE REMAINS, BREAKING GLASS, LA PASSION DE SIMONE, RESONANT BODIES, VICTORY OVER THE SUN, AN INDEX OF METALS associate; for Pinchgut Opera, PLATEE; for Belvoir 25A, THE OVERCOAT; for Sydney Dance Company, NEW BREED 2019, 2020, 2021, PPY 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021; at Old 505 Theatre, HOME INVASION, THE BLOCK UNIVERSE, HILT; for National Theatre of Parramatta, GROUNDED; for Australian Theatre for Young People, MOTH, WAR CRIMES, BETWEEN US, LUKE LLOYD: ALIENOID; at the Old Fitz, THE EFFECT, STALKING THE BOOGEYMAN, THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, VERTICAL DREAMING, 4:48 PSYCHOSIS, DOUBT, CRIMES OF THE HEART, THE JUDAS KISS, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT, THE WHALE, MEN, FREAK WINDS, HOWIE THE ROOKIE; at Hayes Theatre Co, CAROLINE OR CHANGE, AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRY-BABY, HIGH FIDELITY, DOGFIGHT, EVERYBODY LOVES LUCY; for Critical Stages, SONGS FOR THE FALLEN, 4000 MILES, STONES IN HIS POCKETS. Alexander holds a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production) and a Master of Fine Art (Directing) from the National Institute for Dramatic Art, Sydney. In 2019, Alexander was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship. Alexander is represented by Aurora Artist Management: http://www.auroraartists.com Photograph by Jasmin Simmons Photograph by Jasmin Simmons