Danni Ashton, Mel King & Ivano Del Pio

Mel King

Mel King is a graduate of Theatre Nepean 1991. She is an actor, voice over artist, director, puppeteer and has appeared in corporate videos TV and film. In theatre Mel has performed with Riverina Theatre Co, Canberra Theatre Co, Siren Theatre Co, REM Theatre and Belvoir St. Joining Terrapin Puppet Theatre in 1994, Mel has performed in more than a dozen shows touring nationally and internationally and was nominated in the best actor category for The Tasmanian Theatre Awards for her role in the The Riddle of Washpool Gully. Since permanently moving to Hobart in 2003, Mel has performed with Blue Cow Theatre, Big Monkey Theatre, Tasmanian Theatre Company, Tasmania Performs, Mudlark, Ten Days on the Island and the TSO. In 2024 Mel won an award for best performer in Professional Category at The Tasmanian Theatre Awards for Every Brilliant Thing. Her short film credits include Our Man in Tasmania, Knit One, The Promising and Sound Blocks Pain. Her feature credits include First Fagin, Arctic Blast and The Wiggles Movie. She has puppeteered for TV on Farscape and The Wiggles and acted in Deadloch ( Prime) The Gloaming ( Stan), Rosehaven( ABC)G.P (ABC), Fallen Angels( ABC) and Home and Away(7).  In 2016 Mel directed Blue Cow’s Pedalling Back and AD on Loud Mouth’s The Bull The Moon and The Coronet of Stars. In 2017 she directed What Rhymes with Cars and Girls for Festival of Voices and AD on TTC’s An Inconvenient Woman. In 2018 she directed 8 Gigabytes of Hard Core Pornography for the TTC. 2019 AD Nothing for Blue Cow under Kate Gaul and later that year directed Speaking in Tongues for the Hobart Rep. In 2023 she directed Jingled for Hobart Rep. She has been a member of Actors Equity since 1991.

Danni Ashton

Danni is based in the Southern Midlands with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Performing Arts from Edith Cowan University has directed, performed, produced and state managed many plays, musicals, for over 30 years with Western Australian and Hobart theatre companies Burning Skye Productions, Roleystone, Old Mill, Harbour, Melville, Playlovers, Goldfields Rep, Limelight, Garrick, Marloo, Blak Yak, Stirling, Whiplash, Hobart Repertory and Hamley Productions. Danni has also worked in the Community Services space for around 20 years. Danni has directed many award-winning productions. For ITA Dramafest, Indian Summer (2007), The Return (2008) and Trainspotting(2009), for the Finley Awards, The Sum of Us (2008) and A Streetcar Named Desire (2009), for the Southwest Drama Festival, A One Night Stand-Off, The Boys and Black and White (2010). For Hillsfest, The Woman in Black, Company and Gypsy for Marloo Theatre and, for devised pieces, Pickles for Blue Room Theatre and Black and White for Burning Skye Productions. For Hobart Repertory Theatre Society, Danni was awarded  Most Promising Director for Two in Onefest in 2012. Other credits for HRTS in directing include, Peter Pan, The Talented Mr Ripley and Educating Rita. In 2019, Danni was the Assistant Director and Stage-Manager Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues and then in 2023 co-directed Stephanie Briarwood’s Jingled with Melissa King, Danni was also Vice President of the Independent Theatre Association in Western Australia for four years and board member of the Old Mill Theatre board for 3 years.

Ivano Del Pio

Ivano is based in Hobart and is an award-winning performer who has worked extensively in theatre, film and voice in Tasmania for 22 years. He has acted for many companies including Blue Cow Theatre Company (The Tempest, Don Juan), Loudmouth Theatre Company (Jekyll and Hyde, How To Hold Your Breath), Tasmania Performs (It’s A Dad Thing), Tasmanian Theatre Company (readings; Broken Valley, The Danger Age), Hamley Productions (Alice’s Adventures Underground), React and Act (The Laramie Project, Craig Wellington Productions and TTUT (Spamalot), Bijou Creative (My Fair Lady). Some film credits include the recently awarded Tabernacle (New York City’s Chain Film Festival Best Drama Short and Runner Up Judges Choice BOFA), Best Kept Secret, Dog of a Job and The First Fagan. Ivano was the voice of Buzz Bumble in The Buzz Bumble Show (Blue Rocket Productions and Channel 9GO). He has had successful appearances on The Chefs’ Line and Gourmet Farmer (SBS), Gruen and Rosehaven (ABC).Ivano was Assistant Director for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Tasmanian Theatre Company) and Director of Flame (Limelight Productions). Ivano was also on the Tasmanian Theatre Company Board and founder of The Tasmanian International Storytelling Festival.