Contact

Simon Wellington

Simon joins the Performing Lines team on 11th June, as Executive Producer and CEO. Simon is an arts manager, programmer and producer who has worked in Australia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom for nearly three decades. Since commencing his career in Hobart with Salamanca Theatre Company and Salamanca Arts Centre, roles have included general manager for Griffin Theatre Company at the Stables Theatre in Kings Cross, general manager for the western Sydney based Urban Theatre Projects, and programming and producing for festivals and events, including Ten Days on the Island and the Australian Theatre Forum. From 2015, Simon was based in Cambridge, UK, working for Arts Council England with theatres, arts centres, festivals, galleries and museums across the East of England. Most recently, he was Chief Executive of Hobart’s Theatre Royal.

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.

Kath Papas

Kath is a leading independent producer with extensive history in supporting the creation, realisation and touring of contemporary performance work by highly respected artists and companies. She is especially known for her work on projects which cross artforms and cross cultures, and for her focus in the Asia-Pacific region. Kath has also done significant work at sector level, most recently over 4.5 years at ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and APAM as Senior Producer mentoring emerging First Nations producers in international engagement. Over the course of her 20+ year career in the arts, Kath has produced dozens of seasons of acclaimed original work, international co-productions and tours in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and China; events, festivals and initiatives. Kath is delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Performing Lines team and artists in this role.

Kar Chalmers

Kar has worked in the performing arts for over 20 years as a marketer, publicist, producer, and general manager.

She built the reputation and brand of the Old Fitz Theatre as general manager/producer for independent theatre company the Tamarama Rock Surfers (2002-07). In subsequent years she was Associate Producer/Marketing Coordinator with Performing Lines (2007-10), Marketing Manager at Arts on Tour (2014), Australian Theatre for Young People (2015-20) and Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre (2020-24). She has also run karpublicity since 2011.

With experience building comprehensive marketing campaigns directly with artists, for arts organisations and presenting venues, Kar has been privileged to work with companies including erth, Monkey Baa, Force Majeure, Marrugeku, Branch Nebula and playwrights including Suzie Miller, Kate Mulvany and Sue Smith.

With a commitment to support artists and a passion for the promotion of the Australian performing arts sector, Kar is delighted to return to Performing Lines.

Nathan Jayawardena

Nathan is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ experience. He has worked in variance accounting/finance roles across several different industries including manufacturing, hospitality and labour hire. He worked at Spotless in the Treasury Department where he helped to manage cashflow. He also worked at Skilled Engineering where he led the development of new budget and forecasting templates. More recently, he has worked at CSL where he has helped to streamline and automate many financial processes.

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.

Caitlyn Livingston

Caitlyn is an arts manager who has worked across almost every genre of the creative industry, including theatre, events, contemporary dance, musical theatre, and opera. She has spent the majority of her career touring around Australia, worked closely with regional communities through the Opera Australia touring and outreach program, and had a short stint on the West End in London.

Prior to joining Performing Lines, Caitlyn was the Company Manager of the Australian production of Come From Away for Newtheatricals.

Stella Kirkby

Stella is a Marketing and Communications professional with over 12 years experience. She has a strong belief in the importance of art, and strives to contribute to its amplification. With a passion for people and their stories, Stella has worked across a variety of festivals and events, with a history in retail at Luxottica Australia, and apparel, to round out her experience. Most recently working with Performance Space, Sydney Fringe Festival and Underbelly, Edinburgh. With experience across end-to-end brand strategy and execution, corporate sponsorship, development, and a keen creative eye, she brings these together with a nuanced understanding of the performing arts.

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.

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.

Nelson Lee

Nelson Lee (he/him) is a producer raised in Aotearoa/New Zealand and based in Sydney/Gadigal. Holding a Bachelor of Arts & Advanced Studies (Theatre & Performance Studies / Marketing) from the University of Sydney, Nelson began his career producing for Slanted Theatre and Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) in 2022/3. From there, Nelson has gone on to produce for Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta (NTofP) and Little Goat Arts and Entertainment. Outside of his producing practice, Nelson has held customer service roles with Foundation Theatres, Riverside Theatres, and Sydney Theatre Company. Nelson is thrilled to be returning as an Associate Producer after participating in the Performing Lines NSW Producing Platform in 2023.

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.

Haneen Mahmood Martin

Haneen Mahmood Martin is a Kuala Lumpur born, Malay-Saudi multi-arts programmer, producer, writer, and artist based in Narrm/Melbourne by way of Garramilla/Darwin and Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide. She works with a focus on best-practice engagement and ethical governance as it pertains to underrepresented migrant and PoC communities and building sustained relationships. She is determined in her analysis of how and why structures are developed, and how they can become sustainable for generations to come.

Haneen has worked across the country and across art forms as a producer for the likes of RISING, Biennale of Sydney, MPavilion, Regional Arts Australia and Next Wave, as a programmer as the inaugural Artistic Associate at Brown’s Mart, Manager of the National Young Writers Festival, and General Manager for Skinnyfish Music. She has most recently co-written the Engage! Report and Toolkit published by Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and Arts on Tour and graduated from an MFA (Cultural Leadership) at NIDA.

Edwina Guinness

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.

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.

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.

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.

Joo Tan

Joo Tan is an arts administrator whose journey from her roots in Singapore has led her to the vibrant city of Boorloo (Perth). With a childhood steeped in the arts and non-profit sector, Joo’s early exposure nurtured a passion for the creative world. Her journey to Australia has been a colourful tapestry of cultural exploration and artistic discoveries. In her most recent role as Regional Curator at The Junction Co (Kariyarra Country, Pilbara WA), she exhibited her vision and skills by spearheading regional programming, exhibition programs and broader curatorial projects. Embracing the unique spirit of the Pilbara, she dedicated herself to engaging and empowering regional artists and communities, fostering artistic development and belonging in her previous role as Exhibitions and Community Programs Coordinator. Before relocating to the Pilbara, she honed her understanding in accessibility and inclusion while working with DADAA, where she actively contributed to its access programs.

Joo’s dedication to the arts led her to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Arts Management) at WAAPA, where she developed her skills in people and business management. Her diverse expertise has enabled her to facilitate immersive, inclusive experiences that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds as she continues her journey as Associate Producer at Performing Lines WA.