THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE

Felicity is an award-winning Performance Director and Artistic Director from Sydney, Australia. A graduate of NIDA, she has gone on to work with some of the most prominent artists around the world, including Ontroerend Goed (BEL), Punchdrunk & Gecko Physical Theatre (UK), Illutron (DEN) and Mammalian Diving Reflex (CAN). Felicity holds a particular interest in working with young people, specifically queer young people & young people experiencing mental health issues. This interest has led her to working with Australian Theatre for Young People (AUS), Mit Ohne Alles (GER), The Torontonians (CAN) and Company3 (UK).

Felicity’s mission as an artist is to interrupt people’s assumptions about the world and the people we share it with in order to bring these assumptions into question. She does this through humour, debate, gaming dramaturgy and play. These take their forms through a combination of social media, projection, drag (dress-ups), physical theatre, dialogue and virtual reality technologies.

Her favourite career highlights include directing at The Sydney Opera House, creating a one-on-one performance for audiences in a moving car, and directing a non-verbal performative memorial via clowning, beer and a slide-show.

Jane is a freelance Sydney dramaturg. Recent work includes THE BIG DRY by Mark Kilmurry (co-production Ensemble and ATYP) and M.ROCK (coproduction ATYP and Sydney Theatre Company). She is one of Ensemble Theatre’s Literary Co-ordinators (shared position). For ATYP she has been a Mentor/Dramaturg for the Fresh Ink writers’ program and at the National Studio, and she has worked on National Script Workshops for Playwriting Australia. For Sydney Theatre Company she has worked as Literary Manager, Artistic Associate and Administrator of the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award as well as Dramaturg on mainstage productions including THE HERBAL BED, VOLPONE and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. She was also a dramaturg on STC’s Blueprints new writers’ program and has worked as a script reader for the Royal Court London, ANPC, Playworks and STC Young Playwrights’ Award. She also works as a Mentor with Year 12 students on HSC creative writing projects.

Sharon returns to the stage after recently stepping out of the spotlight to work as Resident Director/Choreographer on the Disney blockbuster ALADDIN and Baz Luhrmann’s STRICTLY BALLROOM: THE MUSICAL. Sharon was last seen at the Ensemble Theatre in the smash hit one-woman show BOMBSHELLS, A PICASSO and LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS.

Other main stage roles include Roxie Hart in CHICAGO, Meg Giry in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LOVE NEVER DIES, Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Anita in WEST SIDE STORY, Charity in SWEET CHARITY, Catherine in PIPPIN, Meg Giry in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Velma Kelly in CHICAGO, Columbia in ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Sonia Walsk in THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG, Demeter in CATS, and Cordelia in FALSETTOS and Little Red Riding Hood in INTO THE WOODS for the STC.

Sharon has received many awards for her performances, including three Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Awards.

Michael Scott-Mitchell is regarded as one of the most outstanding designers and educators in Australia. His extensive credits in opera, theatre and special events, include set design of the State Opera of South Australia’s production of Wagner’s RING CYCLE, WORLD YOUTH DAY – STATIONS OF THE CROSS and the Cauldron & Ceremonial Stage for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Recent and upcoming designs include DR ZHIVAGO on Broadway for which he won the 2015 APDG (Australian Production Design Guild) Award, STORM BOY, ARMS AND THE MAN, ARCADIA, SWITZERLAND and STILL POINT TURNING for Sydney Theatre Company; TOSCA, LÉLISIR D’AMORE and CARMEN for Opera Australia; THE MERRY WIDOW for Opera Conference; and FREEZE FRAME for Debbie Allen Dance Academy in LA and at the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC. At NIDA, he was Head of Design (2008-2017), Director Undergraduate Studies (2011-2017) and Deputy Director/CEO (2016-2017). In 2017 he was appointed Adjunct Professor of UNSW.