ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Stephen is a theatre director, dramaturg and creator. He works across theatre, comedy, dance, and contemporary performance. He was Co-Artistic Director of Western Edge 2022-2023 and a member of the Associate Artist Advisory Panel at Melbourne Theatre Company 2022-2024. He was the founder and Artistic Director of Little Ones Theatre, an independent company focused on innovative queer theatre-making (2009-2023). Stephen studied at The University of Melbourne (2008) and NIDA (Directing, 2010).

He is a Green Room Award winner for Best Direction (The Happy Prince) and has been nominated a further four times (Loaded, Psycho Beach Party, Dracula, and The Moors). His works have won 13 Green Room Awards and been nominated for a total of 45 since 2012. His works have also won a Sydney Theatre Award and been nominated for a Victorian Premiers Literary Award and an AWGIE.

Stephen was also the recipient of the Besen Family Artist Program award with Malthouse Theatre and a PlayKing funding award to work in Singapore with Wild Rice Theatre Company and playwright Alfian Sa’at. He was a member of the 2019 Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab, New York City.

He has directed for Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, Griffin Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Red Stitch Actor’s Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Arts House, Performance Space, Yirramboi Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Festival, Darwin Festival, Perth Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Midsumma Festival, Theatre Works, Darebin Arts Speakeasy, fortyfive downstairs and La Mama. His works have been critically acclaimed and toured to sold out houses across the country.

Recent Credits: Loaded (Malthouse Theatre) Looking for Alibrandi (Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir), Loaded-Audio Experience (Malthouse Theatre), Considerable Sexual License (Joel Bray Dance), Merciless Gods (Arts Centre Melbourne, Griffin Theatre Company), and Abigail’s Party (Melbourne Theatre Company).

Stephen has also directed Ash Flanders’ End Of. (Griffin Theatre Company, Darebin Arts Speakeasy), Judith Lucy and Denise Scott’s Still Here (Token Entertainment National Tour), The Happy Prince (Griffin Theatre Company, La Mama), The Moors (Red Stitch Actors Theatre), Daddy (Joel Bray Dance, Arts House, Arts Centre Melbourne, Brisbane Festival, Perth Festival, Darwin Festival, Liveworks, Tanz Messe Dusseldorf) and Meme Girls (Malthouse Theatre). His work works for Little Ones Theatre include: Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (fortyfive downstairs), Nightingale and the Rose (Theatre Works), Dracula (Theatre Works), Dangerous Liaisons (MTC Neon, Brisbane Powerhouse, Darwin Festival), Salome (Malthouse Theatre Helium), Psycho Beach Party (Theatre Works, Brisbane Festival) and sex.violence.blood.gore (MKA).

Stephen@brinkproductions.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Karen was appointed in 2014 and is responsible for the overall management of the company including: finance, HR, governance, marketing and promotion, sponsorship, philanthropy and strategic planning. Karen has extensive experience in commercial, development and marketing and was most recently General Manager of the Come Out Festival, and has held senior roles with the Adelaide Festival Centre, BASS and Ticketek.

karen@brinkproductions.com

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - DEVELOPMENT + TOURING

John is Director of Dowling Street Productions and is a creative consultant and advisor to the performing arts and music industries. He has had roles in financial, project and logistical management for a variety of government, non-profit and private entities. He was Operations Manager of Sydney Symphony, General Manager of Sydney’s State Theatre, and General Manager of the Venue Management Association (Asia and Pacific). He was Executive Producer – Venue Utilisation at Queensland Performing Arts Centre before returning to his hometown of Adelaide in the role of Executive Producer – Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Commercial Ventures at Adelaide Festival Centre. He then returned to Queensland Performing Arts Centre in the role of Director – Programming for four years before returning again to Adelaide as Chief Operating Officer of GWB Entertainment. John now runs his own consulting business, focussing on helping people and companies get new work to stage and then touring. John is Chair of Music SA and serves on the Board of the Darwin Entertainment Centre.

MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Hilary is a Marketing and Communications professional who brings to Brink over 25 years Marketing experience. She has fulfilled various Communications roles within the South Australian arts sector with 10 years as a Marketing Executive at the Adelaide Festival, and the Adelaide Fringe and fulfilled publicity roles at Music Business Adelaide, and Carclew Youth Arts Centre. She has also worked in the private and not-for-profit sectors as Marketing Manager at Chateau Moteur, Brand and Marketing Manager at That Red House, Business Development Manager at Loanco, and before joining Brink, was Communications Advisor at COTA SA (Council on the Ageing). Hilary holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Communication Studies and is delighted to join the Brink team.

hilary@brinkproductions.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Lachlan is a freelance production manager and technical designer working across multiple industries. He has toured nationally and internationally with Australian Dance Theatre, Patch Theatre Company and Force Majeure in technical and production management roles. He is an ongoing collaborator on projects for MOD. Gallery, Sandpit, Brink Productions and Adelaide Festival. In recent years Lachlan has been involved with larger scale projects from inception through to completion blending a high level of technical detail and design with smooth project management. He holds a Diploma of Live Production, Theatre and Events (Technical Production) from Adelaide College of the Arts – TAFE SA

First Nations Fellow

Jannali Jones is an award-winning Gunai writer based in South Australia. She wrote and produced the 2024 Adelaide Fringe play, Trail’s End, which won two awards – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award and the Holden Street Theatres Award. She took part in the 2023 Yirra Yaakin Playwright Festival where her play, Downstream, was developed with Isaac Drandic, Nazaree Dickerson and performed as a staged reading at the Subiaco Arts Centre. She completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Technology, Sydney. Her debut novel, My Father’s Shadow, a YA thriller, was published by Magabala Books and won the black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship. Jannali’s work has been published in Australia and overseas, including both fiction and non-fiction, spanning across genres and forms. Recently she was awarded the First Nations Fellowship through the University of Adelaide JM Coetzee Centre, the 2024 SA Writers Varuna Fellowship and was shortlisted for the 2023 Deep Creek Fellowship.

Read more about Jannali here.

First Nations Fellow

Sonya Rankine, a Narungga, Ngarrindjeri, Ngadjuri, and Wirangu woman, is a multidisciplinary artist. Established Lakun Mara in 2019, meaning ‘Weaving Hand’ in Ngarrindjeri, learning from master weaver Aunty Ellen Trevorrow. Her art, strongly tied to cultural preservation and revitalisation. Awarded the 2019 Our Mob Exhibition Don Dunstan Foundation Emerging Artist Prize and the 2021 SA NAIDOC Artist of the Year, Sonya’s work has been showcased since 2019 across regional, metro, state, and national platforms. Highlight exhibitions are Tarnanthi 2021 & 2023, SALA 25^th Anniversary 2023 and solo exhibition ‘Thukeri’ at Adelaide Festival Centre 2023. Sonya is a singer/songwriter who regularly performs in the duo ‘Kuko’ and recently focused on translating and singing songs in Narungga language. Notably, performed at the 2022 Adelaide Cabaret Festival and wrote songs and performed in Narungga language for the Wild Dog Exhibition 2022 and Guuranda, Adelaide Festival 2024. Sonya’s art extends to poetry that reflects on her experiences, addresses social and political issues, recently published in the ‘Rock Remains’ Aboriginal Anthology launched at the Adelaide Writers Festival 2024. Sonya was a successful recipient of the inaugural 2023/2024 Brink + Arts SA, First Nation Fellowship. Her recent involvement in the Guuranda theatre production was the inspiration for applying for the opportunity to work on the development of new theatrical work and professional development.

Read more about Sonya Rankine here.