Contact

Marion Potts

Marion joined the Performing Lines team in October 2017 as Executive Producer from her previous role as Director, Theatre at the Australia Council for the Arts. There she was responsible for the Council’s support and engagement with the development of theatre, including independent practice. Since 2015, Marion’s art-form expertise and national overview has informed grant programs, strategic initiatives and policy outcomes at the Council.

Marion has held prominent roles at Malthouse Theatre (Artistic Director/CEO), Sydney Theatre Company (Resident Director) and Bell Shakespeare (Associate Artistic Director). For STC and Bell, national touring was a significant focus at this time, with both companies pioneering new networks and engagement strategies.
During her tenure with Malthouse Theatre, Marion and her team worked assiduously towards a number of goals, resulting in the following achievements:

• Strengthening Malthouse’s commitment to the development and programming of Indigenous works – including The Shadow King and its tour to all major Australian festivals and the Barbican Centre, London.
• A new focus on intercultural dialogue and the launch of an International Program yielding collaborations with China, India, Mexico and the UK.
• The establishment of Helium, a development and presentation opportunity for Independent artists, as well as Malthouse’s ongoing company-in-residence program.

Marion has also worked as a practicing director with over 50 production credits.  She has maintained a strong connection with the small-to-medium sector both as a freelance artist and Board member: she was a founding directorate member of Hothouse Theatre (Albury-Wodonga) and Chair of World Interplay (Townsville), as well as a Board member of Griffin Theatre, Windmill Theatre, Playworks and Curator of the National Playwrights Conference – all companies representing diverse scales of operation, governance needs, producing complexities and audience expectations.

Alex Bowen

Alex Bowen has extensive experience in the creative industries and cultural sector as a senior executive spanning the three tiers of Government, including: cultural investment; arts advisory and policy making; cultural programs; and major events. Alex specialises in executive management, strategy and planning, cultural infrastructure development, project management, business modelling, change management and creative problem solving.

Megan Roberts

Megan is an arts manager and performing arts producer with more than a decade of experience in the sector. She was Executive Producer for Spare Parts Puppet Theatre from 2012 to 2017 where she worked to develop new artist training and audience engagement initiatives and reinvigorated the company’s touring programs.

Most recently she was Associate Producer for Perth Festival under Wendy Martin’s Directorship (2017 & 2018 Festivals) and Producer for Proximity Festival; Australia’s first one-on-one intimate performance Festival.

Megan has also held marketing positions with Darwin Festival, Artrage / Fringe World, and Country Arts WA.

Melissa Monasterio

Melissa has had an extensive career with over ten years as a freelance production and road manager in the Events Industry in the Philippines. She has worked with both local and international promoters and production companies in staging indoor and outdoor festivals, concerts, musical theatre, corporate launches and private functions.

She has recently migrated to Sydney and is the team’s new Administrator and Operations Coordinator.

Su Goldfish

Su Goldfish is a freelance arts worker, filmmaker, and financial wrangler. Latest film project is the documentary THE LAST GOLDFISH which is currently available on Stan, 7Plus, Foxtel and Binge – www.thelastgoldfish.com

Currently producer of the queer, insurrectionary, science fiction, climate change religion, CREATION, instigated by artist Deborah Kelly. Recruiting now – www.creationtheproject.com

Su has been working in the arts industry for over 30 years from Mardi Gras workshop artist and Club Bent performer to being manager and producer at the UNSW Creative Practice Lab up until 2020. Currently Su is  Adjunct Associate Lecturer School of the Arts and Media at UNSW.

Michael Kennedy

Michael Louis Kennedy is a communications professional, playwright, poet and occasional journalist based in Sydney. He has previously worked for Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Fringe, and Summerhall (Edinburgh Fringe). His work has been featured in Voiceworks, The Brag, Going Down Swinging, Transportation Press, Baby Teeth, The Sydney Morning Herald and more. As a playwright he has had readings and productions on the Sydney Fringe Festival, at the Old 505, Sydney Mardi Gras’s Playlist playreading festival, and Queer Theory in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2019 he was a member of ATYP’s Fresh Ink program for emerging theatre voices.

He is currently a co-director of the National Young Writers’ Festival.

Nick Glen

Nick is a Melbourne based Production Manager and Lighting Designer. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, majoring in Lighting Design and Technical Management.

Nick has designed, production and tour managed shows around Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand, including Black Ties (Australian & New Zealand), Heart is a Wasteland (Australian Tour), The Frock (Japan & Australian tours), Romeo & Juliet (China), Broadway Love Tour (China), Which Way Home (Australian Tour) and many shows for SCIMM Dance Company and Federation University.

During Nick’s university studies he interned with well known Lighting Designer, Donald Holder as Assistant Lighting Designer on Broadway, New York. He also was selected to attend the Beijing International Design Biennial in 2013, collaborating with other designers from around the world.

Breanne Hickey

Breanne is an Associate Producer and Administration Officer at Performing Lines. She was previously an events manager and art curator with the independent festival ‘Strawberry Boogie’, alongside presenting her own performance art and theatre in Wollongong and Sydney. Breanne was the Chairman and lead curator for the Wollongong based arts festival ‘Nothing to See Here’ and has also worked as a Stage Manager in Belvoir’s downstairs theatre. She has a Bachelor of Performance from The University of Wollongong through which she developed her passion for inventive independent theatre and performance art.

Vanessa Wright

Vanessa Wright is a creative producer and programmer with experience in multi-arts festivals and grass roots creative spaces. For the past 5 years, Vanessa has been the Senior Producer at Darwin Festival, producing a diverse program of bold contemporary work that has championed independent and Northern Territory artists. Vanessa began her career in Canberra, as a Co-Producer and later a Managing Producer of You Are Here Festival (2011-2016), supporting emerging and experimental artists to develop and present new work. She has also worked as a Producer on Liveworks Festival for Performance Space (2017), a Creative Producer for Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres (2015-2016), and a Producer for Melbourne Fringe Festival (2015-2016). She has participated in Next Wave’s Kickstart Helix program (2018) and is an Australian member of the Asian Producers Platform. Vanessa is passionate about creating and nurturing opportunities for artist development, building strong creative communities and connecting artists and audiences.

Thom Smyth

Thom Smyth (he/him) is a producer and marketer with a keen interest in socially-engaged and queer experimental performance.

Thom is a Producer with national creative producing company Performing Lines, moving into the role from a previous position as company Marketing Manager (2014-2020).

He has held positions with Performance Space, Force Majeure, Proximity Festival – Australia’s only one-on-one performance platform; Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and The Blue Room Theatre. He has a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism / Politics) from Edith Cowan University, completing his studies with a secondment at The Jakarta Post in Indonesia.

Jane Schon

Jane Schon is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and former journalist, who began her career in Meanjin, before moving to Naarm, and now works and lives on Gadigal country. She is a calm, judicious and ethically minded producer with a particular interest in physical theatre, documentary theatre making, and queer performance art. Having trained and worked as a theatre maker and performer herself, Jane intimately understands the joys and challenges of producing new work. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (BFA Theatre) in 2020, off the back of a year’s training with Zen Zen Zo physical theatre and over 10 years’ work with independent artists and organisations in Meanjin. Jane has been working with Performing Lines since August 2022. Prior to this, she spent two years as a Community Outreach Producer at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne while simultaneously working on numerous freelance theatre and film projects as a director, performer, sound designer, producer, and dramaturg. Her artistic process and approach to producing has been strongly influenced by her connections and experience working with artists and companies such as Roslyn Oades, Born in a Taxi, Rawcus, and Riot Stage.

Sinsa Mansell

Sinsa is a proud Trawoolaway women from larapuna the Northern region of lutruwita Tasmania. She is a program producer and project officer, as well a co-founder, performer, and choreographer with the successful pakana kanaplila a traditional/contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginal dance troupe.

Working nationally and internationally, Sinsa has been pioneering ways to reclaim ancient cultural traditions, as well as being involved in broad range educational experiences. Sinsa’s work generates critical awareness of the rich cultural heritage and continuing practices of her ancestors. She is committed to opening opportunities for the broader community to engage with the local First Nations peoples.

In 2021 Sinsa created and performed in BACK (co-directed with Kate Champion) and produced by Performing Lines TAS for the Ten Days on the Island Festival. In the same year she was one of 15 artists selected nationally for the Hobart Current Exhibition curated by Rosie Dennis for the City of Hobart and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

During 2021 she was a lead creative for Illuminate, a Tas Dance production featuring five Tasmanian dance companies. For Mona Foma 2022, Sinsa is Director and lead Choreographer of tuylupa (a spark of fire) with pakana kanaplila, Tas Dance, Skinnyfish Records and Soma Lumia (postponed due to Covid).

Sinsa sat on the Ministerial Arts and Advisory Council for State Growth and the First Nations Advisory Group for APAM in addition to advisory panels for the Moonah Arts Centre, Ten Days on the Island Festival and the Walantanalinany Palingina (WaPa) Program. She’s also been a member of the assessment panels for Arts Tasmania, Australia Council of the Arts and Constance ARI.

Sinsa is a mentor and support for a range of organisations and many of the palawa arts opportunities for her community come through her roles with the Situate North Program, the Tarraleah Residency and Moonah Arts Centre Seed opportunity.

For film Sinsa has appeared in Leah Purcell’s A Drover’s Wife and is currently filming Deadloch for AMAZON.

Sinsa began her role as Associate Producer with Performing Lines TAS in February 2022 and starts her year as the tour manager for the state-wide tour of Outside Boy, a Second Echo Production.

Sally Rees

Sally Rees is a multi-form artist who has also worked in academia and arts administration across the last 20 years.

She is a registered peer with the Australia Council for the arts, specialising in hybrid art-forms and has sat on the board of management for a number of Hobart-based Artist Run Initiatives.

In 2019 Rees was announced as one of the three Australian artists to be selected for Suspended Moment:The Katthy Cavaliere Fellowship, which culminated in a solo work exhibited at MONA in 2021.

She is passionate about supporting other artists of all forms in the development and presentation of their work.

Samantha Butterworth

Samantha is a Programmer and Creative Producer based in Melbourne. Samantha is thrilled to join the team at Performing Lines. For the last 5 years, Samantha has worked as Arts Programmer at Darebin City Council where she programmed and delivered the annual Darebin Arts Speakeasy season, amongst a slate of other activities. Previously, Samantha has worked as the Creative Producer of Elbow Room, as Tour Coordinator with Regional Arts Victoria (where she has also been engaged to produce both 2014 & 2015 Showcase Victoria events in conjunctions with the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres), Producer of the inaugural Poppy Seed Festival, Operations Manager for Red Stitch Actors Theatre; Administrator for Rollercoaster Theatre Company; and has sat in many roles as a Freelance Producer.

Lauren Sheree

Lauren Sheree (they/she) is a 24-year-old producer and artist from Wakka Wakka Country, now living and working on Wurundjeri land. Working for many years in multiple creative roles, Lauren has an in-depth understanding of the needs in the industry and, as an artist, can approach producing through an empathetic lens. They started out producing by being a part of the Darebin Arts Speakeasy ‘Let’s Take Over’ program (Northcote Town Hall, 2020). Shortly afterwards, Lauren spent 2 years working for ILBIJERRI Theatre company, starting as an associate producer and was then promoted to producer before leaving to pursue freelance projects. During this time, she delivered multiple projects during the lockdowns of 2020 and was able to produce ILBIJERRI’s first-ever film, Viral.

Jeremy Smith

In April 2020, Jeremy returned to Boorloo/Perth after four years at the Australia Council for the Arts as Director – Community, Emerging and Experimental Arts.

He worked closely with artists, organisations and communities in all corners of the country promoting artistic bravery, self-determination and brokering opportunities. In addition to his extensive portfolio, Jeremy championed Regional and Remote Australia under the Australia Council’s Cultural Engagement Framework and helped to develop and deliver key arts and disability initiatives.

As the General Manager of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), Jeremy loved working within a contemporary arts organisation supporting the development, presentation and commissioning of work by leading interdisciplinary artists.

He is a board member of both the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA and pvi collective.

He has previously held a range of senior positions in the corporate, not for profit and government sectors in Western Australia, including with DADAA, the AWESOME Festival and ArtsWA / Department of Culture and the Arts. He is a graduate of WAAPA, and worked as a freelance lighting designer, production manager and creative producer in the early stages of his career.

As a disabled man, Jeremy is a fierce advocate of celebrating difference and transforming attitudes which ‘other’ people in our community. He also promotes actions to ensure these values are central to our arts, cultural and creative industries.

Jeremy loves his ‘anti-bio’ – far more impressive than this dull, corporate overview – and he strongly encourages you to take time to read it here.

Jen Leys

Starting out at Black Swan Theatre in Perth, Jen relocated to Japan in 2004 to work at Tokyo International Arts Festival. Then to London to work at Askonas Holt Ltd, producing international tours for performing arts organisations such as Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Completed an MA Performance & Culture, Goldsmiths College. Travelled back to Perth in 2009 and worked as the Producer for Strut Dance. In 2011 from Sydney, Jen started working freelance specialising in producing, touring, project and artist management services. Received an Australia Council Independent Producers Grant in 2012/2013. Representing independent Australian choreographers including Narelle Benjamin and Rhiannon Newton, whilst completing contracts at FORM Dance Projects and fulfilling the role of Associate Producer at Shaun Parker & Company. Now back in Perth, Jen is the Producer at Performing Lines WA, working on projects and tours with West Australian artists including children’s participatory performance maker Alex Desebrock of Maybe ( ) Together and multi-disciplinary director Sally Richardson.

Melanie Julien-Martial

Melanie Julien-Martial is a theatre producer and occasional film producer/production coordinator. She completed a Master’s of Screen Studies (Producing/Directing) and received the Channel 9 Excellence in Producing Award. For theatre, she has produced Two Canaries (Alexa Taylor), Cephalopod (Squid Vicious) and The Jellyman (Rhiannon Petersen), as well as many creative developments. She also assistant directed Quokka Apocalypse (public service announcement). She has worked as Associate Producer for the 2020 and 2021 Diversity Lab for Performing Lines WA; the Associate Producer and Program Coordinator at The Blue Room Theatre; and is the new Associate Producer at Performing Lines WA. Melanie is passionate about the sustainability of independent artist’s careers, inclusivity and diversity within performance spaces, and meaningful community engagement.

Cecile Lucas

French by birth and Australian by choice, Cecile honed her skills working on small and large projects across multiple artforms within the areas of culture, arts, marketing and design. Roles include working as Communication Officer for France’s most renowned architectural agency, Christian de Portzamparc, and as an Artistic and Cultural Manager for CCAS EDF-GDF, France’s
largest touring presenter network. In 2009, natural curiosity led Cecile to Australia where she worked as the Events and Marketing Officer for the Town of Port Hedland. For four years she worked with a dedicated team to program and present high-quality events in regional communities, giving her access to a variety of community hubs, including the Matt Dann Cultural Centre.

In 2017, she joined PLWA after a stint as the Arts & Culture Project Coordinator and Communications & Design Coordinator at Community Arts Network (CANWA). Cecile brings over 15 years of experience to PLWA as she continues to work within the Arts sector, engaging with diverse audiences and communities across WA and beyond. Cecile has a double Masters degree in Fine Arts and Cultural Mediation & Communication.