Creatives

Shaun has worked on Australian premieres of new works as well as revivals of cherished musicals. He has earned three Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Director and has twice won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction. Recently, Shaun directed “Suddenly Last Summer” for The Ensemble Theatre and the World Premiere Season of “The Lovers” for Bell Shakespeare. He also directed the sold-out 25th-anniversary production of “RENT” at the Sydney Opera House. His other work includes “Jess and Joe Forever” at 25A, Downstairs Belvoir; Tennessee Williams’ “Baby Doll” at The Ensemble Theatre; “Trevor” at Outhouse; “Considering Matthew Shepard” with Sydney Philharmonic; “I Am My Own Wife” at Redline; “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” at Darlinghurst Theatre Company; “The Rise and Disguise of Elizabeth R” at Hayes Theatre; “The View Upstairs” at Hayes Theatre; “Brigadoon” and “Irene” at Neglected Musicals; “Carmen: Live or Dead” with Oriel Group; “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at Hayes Theatre; “Sweet Charity,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” at WAAPA; and “Only Heaven Knows” (Luckiest Productions), which received nine Sydney Theatre Award nominations. For Opera Australia, Shaun has directed “Opera Up Late” for World Pride, “Mad Scenes” with Jessica Pratt and most recently the “New Years Eve Gala”. He was the Revival Director for “La Boheme” and “Aida” as well as being the Assistant Director on “The Phantom of the Opera” on Sydney Harbour, “Il Trovatore,” and “The Tales of Hoffmann.” Following RENT, Shaun will direct “Switzerland” at the Ensemble Theatre and “Gianni Schicchi” for Opera Australia.

Dylan graduated at the Hunter School of Performing Arts in 2014, then furthering his study with the Australian Institute of Music, he also holds a Diploma of Musical Theatre. In 2021, Dylan was fortunate enough to be the Associate Musical Director for Rent which played at the Sydney Opera House. Immediately after Dylan was the Associate MD for the Australian Premiere of Half Time which starred Nancy Hayes and Dolores Dunbar. Dylan is also the Resident Musical Director at The McDonald College and Palm Studios. Recent credits include: The 10 Tenors Greatest Hits Tour, Club Kabarett – The Famous Spiegeltent. Assoc MD for Sweeney Todd – NIDA. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hayes Theatre.

Paul Jackson APDG is a multi-award-winning lighting and set designer, dramaturg and theatre maker who works across Australia and internationally. Paul’s practice encompasses theatre, opera, dance, music theatre, concerts, and live events. Lighting design credits include: for Melbourne Theatre Company, SUNDAY, CYRANO, ESCAPED ALONE/WHAT IF IF ONLY; for Sydney Theatre Company, OIL, DO NOT GO GENTLE, LIFESPAN OF A FACT, DEATH OF A SALESMAN; for Malthouse, NOSFERATU, THIS IS LIVING.

Paul has designed lighting for The Australian Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Berlin Staatsballett, West Australian Ballet, Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, TML, The Production Company, Bell Shakespeare, Playbox, Malthouse, Belvoir, Queensland Theatre, Circa, Opera Australia, Australian Art Orchestra, and many others.

Paul has won a Helpmann Award, two Sydney Theatre Awards, seven Green Room Awards, a Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland, and five Australian Production Design Guild Awards. In addition, he has also received a further four Helpmann Award nominations, thirty-two Green Room Award nominations, five APDG nominations and four Sydney Theatre nominations. Paul is accredited with the Australian Production Design Guild.

Sarah Enright is a multidisciplinary collaborative artist working through performance, installation and collage.

She is a WAAPA graduate (Acting) and holds a BFA from the National Art School. Her practice has been supported by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian Museum, and Schaubühne, Berlin. In 2023 she debuted her first solo show with Olsen Gallery, Sydney, participated as a major artist in the inaugural Open Field Arts Festival, Berry, exhibited at Gallery Jennings Kerr, Robertson, and was invited to introduce Man About the House at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery. In 2022 she was a finalist in the annual Waverley Art Prize and has collaborated with artists throughout Europe and Australia and appeared in local and international theatre, TV and film.

With an affinity for remixing and revision she has conjured both a visual and performance language that is uniquely her own. She probes the uncanny through research and site orientated responses that engage relationships – jamming with live elements amid historical and cultural contexts. Her work inquires into its own instability, its experiential nature and use of trash implies that the fate of everything we hold dear, including ourselves, is to become waste.

Liam is thrilled to be joining the RENT family!

Liam graduated from NIDA with a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) in 2020. Most recently he was Resident Director of the Australian premiere of Groundhog Day at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. Prior to this he was Resident Director for the Australian production of Mary Poppins, and Resident Director and Choreographer of the Australian production of Come From Away.

From 2014 to 2019, Liam toured the world extensively with Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables. He was Resident Director for productions in the USA, Canada and UAE; while also staging productions in the UK, Japan and Brazil. Other directorial credits include And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens (NIDA), Me and the Sky (Music Video, NY Times), Catch Me If You Can (CQU), Les Misérables 30^th Anniversary Gala (Toho, Tokyo) and Moving On – Telescreen (Music Video, Triple J). Liam was also Assistant Choreographer for Shakespeare in Love (MTC).

An advocate for improved mental health practices within the arts industry, Liam co-produced the benefit concert Out From Under. He was also founding co-chair of the Equity Wellness Committee at MEAA, a position he held for four years.

In his previous performing career, Liam appeared in many theatrical productions across Australia and internationally. These included Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Pirates of Penzance, Gypsy, Bye Bye Birdie, Grease – The Arena Spectacular, Sunset Boulevard, Saturday Night, Dusty, Cats, Shout! and High School Musical – Live On Stage.

Liam will next be Resident Director for Dear Evan Hansen at Sydney Theatre Company.

Kelsi has worked professionally since the age of 11 when she was cast as Debbie Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at the Capitol Theatre. She then performed in the NSW School Spectacular as a Lead Vocalist for 6 years before starring as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Packemin Productions) and graduating from the Talent Development Project (TDP). In 2014. Kelsi graduated with a Bachelor in Musical Theatre from the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2017, playing various roles during her studies in productions such as RENT, 42nd Street, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Heathers and Chicago. She then toured China and Japan as a Lead Vocalist on the Quantum of the Seas with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines before returning to Australia where she was selected as a finalist for the Rob Guest Endowment Award. Since returning to Australia, Kelsi performed the leading role of Scaramouche in We Will Rock You (Packemin Productions; 2021) and as Schapelle Corby in Schapelle, a new Australian musical she choreographed and co-developed. The show enjoyed sold out seasons at both the Adelaide Fringe Festival (2020) and the Sydney Comedy Festival (2021). In 2022 Kelsi played the role of Baby Joan/June in Anyone Can Whistle at the Hayes Theatre and the principal role of Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera with Opera Australia HOSH, a role she reprised for the European tour starting in Athens, Greece. Last year, Kelsi appeared on The Voice:Generations for Channel 7 where she was a Grand Finalist working alongside mentor, Jessica Mauboy. Kelsi is represented by T&E Management.

Nicholas is a rising multi-instrumentalist within the Sydney musical theatre scene hailing from the Southern Highlands, southwest of Sydney. Since completing his Bachelor of Music Nicholas has enjoyed being involved in several Hayes Theatre productions, including Merrily We Roll Along (Luckiest Productions, 2021) and Bonnie And Clyde (Joshua Robson Productions, 2022). This is on top of countless community and school theatre productions around Sydney. Nicholas has also provided his musical expertise in assistance with orchestrations for several homegrown musicals. When not in a theatre pit, Nicholas enjoys teaching the next generation of musicians as well as being part of many different music projects in a freelance capacity, often jumping at the last minute to save the day.