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News | Women Directors' Program 2015

After a great inaugural year, we are very excited to welcome ten new artists to the Women Directors’ Program in 2015.

Joining the program for 2015 are Katy Alexander, Rachel Baring, Justine Campbell, Felix Ching Ching Ho, Tanya Dickson, Catarina Hebbard, Kat Henry, Samara Hersch, Tamara Searle and Hallie Shellam.

The MTC Women Directors Program offers emerging and mid-career directors the chance to familiarise themselves with the culture and inner workings of a major state theatre company and gain insight into its audiences, venues and ongoing core business. Participants will be provided with leadership training, practical career advice and coaching across a wide range of business and commercial aspects of the theatre industry, and open access to all facets of the Company. They will also have the opportunity to pitch work for MTC production.

Three of the artists who joined us for the program this year will be featured in the 2015 Mainstage and Education seasons, including Clare Watson (What Rhymes with Cars and Girls), Naomi Edwards (The Waiting Room) and Nadja Kostich (I Call My Brothers).

You can learn more about each of the artists taking part in the 2015 Women Directors’ Program below.

Katy Alexander

Katy is a director and producer exploring the relationship between live performance, screen, and new technologies. She is Artistic Director of the multimedia ensemble Night Parrot Productions whose work, Alter Ego, premiered at Vivid Sydney in 2012. A Directing graduate of NIDA, she was resident director at CalArts (Los Angeles) in 2013. In 2014, she was a resident with Robert Lepage and Ex Machina. Katy will soon complete her PhD in Integrated Media Performance at UNSW.

Rachel Baring

Rachel Baring is a NIDA graduate (2011), and is the Artistic Director of Phrankly Theatre. She has created works in Australia, England and Berlin. Having spent the past two years travelling throughout the UK and Europe developing her theatrical aesthetic, Rachel is excited to bring her discoveries to Australian audiences.

Justine Campbell

A graduate of the VCA, Justine is Co-Artistic Director of Human Animal Exchange whose award winning production of They Saw a Thylacine is part of Malthouse Theatre’s 2015 season. Her work has been nominated for and received numerous awards. Justine is a member of the Green Room Independent Theatre Panel.

Felix Ching Ching Ho

Felix Ching Ching Ho is a Hong Kong born Melbourne-based independent theatre director. She has worked with the Chinese theatre groups at the University of Melbourne, MKA, Union House Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse and National Theatre of China. Felix initiated TRANS COLLECTIVE in 2013 created and produced two hybrid multilingual performances for Mudfest and the Hong Kong People’s Fringe Festival.

Tanya Dickson

Tanya Dickson is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts. Recent work includes Assistant Director on Private Lives (MTC), Assistant Director on Dance of Death (Malthouse Theatre), Triangle by Glyn Roberts (MKA), J.A.T.O by Vedrana Klepica (MKA) and Talon Salon by Michele Lee (Next Wave Festival, You are Here Festival and Darwin Festival).

Catarina Hebbard

Catarina has a degree in fine arts from QUT and founded MadCat Creative Connections to create works focused on ‘unseen’ artists. In 2011 she was Associate Artist (Directing) at QTC and has also worked with La Boite, Bell Shakespeare and Black Swan. New to the Victorian arts community, Catarina is excited to be part of this wonderful program.

Kat Henry

In 2014 Kat Henry directed the opera Mayakovsky at Carriageworks for Sydney Chamber Opera and her Red Stitch production of Foxfinder was nominated for 4 Greenroom Awards (Companies) including Best Director and Best Production. She is Matilda Award-nominated for the Queensland Theatre Company, is currently directing at La Boite Theatre Company and is Resident Director at MKA: Theatre of New Writing. She has previously held a residency in Berlin performing original, long-durational live artwork. Kat is a graduate of NIDA’s directing program.

Samara Hersch

Samara Hersch is a director, dramaturg and teaching artist. She graduated with a Masters in Theatre Practice from VCA. Her practice is centered on inclusivity and experimentation, creating contemporary new works, with a diverse range of collaborators. In 2015 she is female Director in Residence at Malthouse Theatre.

Tamara Searle

Tamara is a theatre maker and Artistic Associate at Back to Back Theatre. Tamara participated in Playwriting Australia and MTC dramaturgy internships in 2014. She is developing and directing new work SUCKER, and is show director for The Democratic Set with Back to Back. Tamara is committed to making and supporting new work for performance.

Hallie Shellam

Hallie Shellam directs, creates and performs. She makes participatory image-rich, narrative performance work that investigates space, form, the uncanny and the function of the ephemeral in the age of super-documentation. She has worked with companies and artists including Proximity Festival, Aphids, POST, My Darling Patricia, Matt Prest & Clare Britton, Benedict Andrews, Marion Potts, Malthouse Theatre, STC, Black Swan Theatre Company, Artshouse, Performance Space and Campbelltown Arts Centre.

Published on 12 December 2014