About Us
Who are the people behind Theatre People?
Not surprisingly, Theatre People is designed by theatre people, written by theatre people, marketed by theatre people, for theatre people. The staff of Theatre People don't just know their audience, they are the audience, contributing every day to the community through creative as well as business pursuits.
Theatre People began eight years ago, when a group of disgruntled thespians got together because they were tired of the low quality publications and websites the theatre community had available to them. The founders of Theatre People wanted to create a community, not just a website, and thanks to the involvement of a dedicated core team of staff and literally hundreds of casual contributors, we've grown year on year and are now widely recognized as the premier resource of our kind.
Theatre People boasts a client list comprised of almost every amateur and semi professional company in Victoria and a readership which hits us over a million times a times a month . We are honored to be the number one site of our kind in this state, and truly humbled to be a part of such an amazing industry of talented people.
Chris Hughes - Business Manager
Chris has spent the last 10 years in the recruitment industry and currently works with specialist Marketing and Communications Recruitment Firm Carerra Partners. Over the the past thirteen years, he has made his mark on the theatre community as an actor, singer and dancer, appearing in over twenty five large scale productions. Chris made his professional theatre debut in as a principal performer in Follies In Concert at the Crown Showroom. The many faces of Hughesy have been spotlit in lead and principal roles in Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, Oklahoma, Bye Bye Birdie, The Wiz, Chess, Hot Mikado, Grease , Pirates of Penzance and Jesus Christ Superstar, The Hot Mikado, Whitehorse's West Side Story and most recently is Johnny O'Keefe in CLOC's Shout! Chris has earned multiple nominations by the Music Theatre Guild for his performances in various roles over the years. In 2009 Chris turned his hand to directing and is currently directing Assassins for Williamstown Theatre Company.
Sally Hughes - Administration Manager
Sally completed her Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction under several scholarships at the Melba Conservatorium of Music and continued her studies at the Australian National Academy of Music. Sally performs regularly as a soloist and recitalist at many venues around Australia, favouring musical theatre, oratorio and operatic repertoire. She also performs with the successful corporate act 'Yummy Opera', managed by the Glynn Nicholas Group. Theatre roles include 'Rosa Bud' Iin The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 'Margot' in The Desert Song, 'Laurey' in Oklahoma!, receiving a Victorian Theatre Guild nomination for Best Actress, 'Young Sally' in Follies In Concert, 'Hope' in Anything Goes, 'Mrs Segstrom' in A little Night Music, 'Maria' in West Side Story and 'Maria' (a different one) in 'The Sound of Music'. In 2005 Sally won the Victorian Theatre Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance of Emma Carew in CLOC's Jekyll and Hyde.
Sally holds also holds a management position in the financial services sector and is an Authorised Marriage Celebrant.
Richard Thomas - Financial Controller
Theatre People's Financial Controller Richard Thomas is a Chartered Accountant and Financial Adviser and maintains an executive position at a notable Melbourne Accounting firm. Richard is a highly regarded performer in the Melbourne theatre community, having played prominent roles in large-scale productions of Sweet Charity and The Secret Garden, as well as professional appearances in Mame and Follies. A singer of first-rate acclaim, Richard has sung with many of the cream of Australia's vocal talent, and has released several solo CD's of theatrical works. Richard has appeared several times as a special guest on Good Morning Australia, and is widely considered to be one of Melbourne's greatest theatre talents.
Jonathon Sebastian - Webmaster
Jonathon is the Billing Delivery Manager at Vodafone Hutchison Australia which so kindly supports his love for the theatre. He has performed in over 30 musical productions such as 'Patroclus' in the World Premiere Production of Jon English's PARIS for Laycock Street Theatre in Gosford NSW, 'Don Lockwood' in CLOCs Singin In the Rain, 'Gregory Gardner' in CLOCs A Chorus Line, 'Enjolras' in Gosford Musical Society's Les Miserables. Others include: Little Shop Of Horrors, Tapestry - A Musical Revue, Crazy For You, Jesus Christ Superstar, CLOCs Jekyll & Hyde, CLOCs The Scarlet Pimpernel and as Lumiere in Whitehorse's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast for which he recieved a nomination from the Victorian Music Theatre Guild for Best Supporting Actor. In 2007 Jonathon played the role of Captain Tempest in Return to the Forbidden Planet (Lyrebird Nomination) and the role of Jon in tick, tick... BOOM (Victorian Music Theatre Guild Nomination), both with Fab Nobs Theatre Inc. In 2008 Jonathon went on to play his 'dream' role of Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz with CLOC Musical Theatre followed by Zoser in Whitehorse Musical Theatre's acclaimed production of Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA. Now back living in Sydney he's commited to keeping a good eye on Melbourne's Scene, the best in the country.
Mark Doran - Web Admin (Readership Services)
Mark has recently changed careers from an IT business development manager to become a mechanical designer while he finishes of an engineering degree. He was bitten by the theatre bug while in year 8, and has never looked back, performing in a minimum of one show a year since that time. He has performed with many companies over the years including Dandenong, Windmill, Whitehorse CLOC and Stella. Marks favourite roles have included ‘Sky Masterson’ in Guys and Dolls, ‘The Emcee’ in Cabaret, ‘Enjolras’ in Les Miserables, ‘Radames’ in Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida and 'Chris' in Miss Saigon. Currently Mark is taking a well deserved break from the stage to spend time with his family including his new born baby girl "Aurora".
Beth Sims – Reviews Co-Ordinator
Growing up with Whitehorse Musical Theatre Company, Beth has spent her time behind the scenes instead of onstage. From a young age Beth took an interest in how a show came together. Beth was 12 when she did props for her first show City of Angels with WMT. From there Beth has done props, crew, assistant stage managing and stage managing for a number of shows with a few various companies such as Fab Nobs, Catchment Players, CLOC and WMT. Most recently Beth was Production Manager for WMT’s Aida in 2008, she then went on to help out with WMT’s A taste of Broadway concert to start 2009. Beth was thrilled to help out on Quirky Productions Zanna Don’t earlier this year and quite happily finished up doing shows for a while after working on CLOC’s Miss Saigon, both while pregnant with her son Riley. Beth is more then enjoying her new job as a mum and is thrilled to be joining the TP team!
Melissa Trickey - Editor Musical Theatre
Melissa is the youngest member of the TP team, but what she lacks in age she makes up for in enthusiasm and experience! Since her initiation into the world of theatre a few short (or long) years ago, she has danced in countless Musicals, and played roles such as "Dorothy Brock"in 42nd Street, "Sharpay Evans"in High School Musical, "Fluffy"in Honk!, and "Lo Lo"in The Merry Widow. Melissa has also branched out into Choreography; her first effort, The Full Monty in 2008, earned her a Lyrebird Nomination. She has become one of SLAMS' regular Choreographers; being the sole Choreographer of their 2009 production Spamalot, and being part of the choreography team on Suits, and Skirts coming up in July (which she will also feature in as part of the girl band). In 2009, Melissa also took part in the Why Not? Production Company's program "The Way To Cabaret", producing her own one woman show "Optimism 101", and won a Lyrebird Award for her performance in PEP's I Hope I Get It. Outside of Theatre, Melissa has a Science Degree and plans to pursue a career in Speech Pathology by returning to full time study in 2011 (in her spare time).
Simon Parris - Editor - Professional and Semi Professional Theatre
Simon has appeared in about 40 productions over the past thirty years. Recent roles include Uncle Henry/Guard of the Gate in The Wizard of Oz (Catchment) and Eugene Fodor in Crazy for You (Whitehorse). Other favourite roles include Mr Fox in Mack and Mabel, Max in The Sound of Music, Freddy in My Fair Lady, Julio in Paint Your Wagon, Marcellus in The Music Man and Grantaire in Les Miserables. Simon has directed several school productions. Recently he choreographed Urinetown and Little Shop of Horrors for St Michael’s Grammar School. He is currently directing Hot Mikado for St Michael’s, to be staged at the Athenaeum Theatre in May. Simon has served on the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Committee for five years, and is currently Treasurer. He is also a keen audience member, having seen over 50 shows in five weeks on a recent trip to New York and London.
Renée Maloney – Editor Youth Theatre
Renée has been involved in over 60 shows in the past 23 years - directing, choreographing, producing, performing and stage managing. She has played such roles as ‘Anybody’s’ in West Side Story, ‘Lucy’ in Cosi, ‘Agnes’ in Gypsy and appeared in Annie, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes and many more. She has been on the directing team for: Annie, Guys and Dolls (twice), Les Mis, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun, Back to Broadway, The Full Monty and Nunsense amongst many others. She has also appeared in Neighbours, Round the Twist, On the Beach, Short Cuts and a series of ANZ commercials. Renée has been a qualified dance teacher for the past 10 years teaching at many schools around Victoria preparing students for professional auditions, competitions, exams and VCE Dance assessment tasks. Renée was nominated for ‘Best Director in a Variety’ two years in a row with the Lyrebird Awards. In her professional life she is a Secondary School teacher. In 2010 Renée has directed "Stepping Out" for the 1812 Theatre Company and is choreographing Godspell for Phoenix Theatre Company Inc.
Kris Weber - Editor Plays
Kris has had a love affair with the stage, and those actors and directors that honour it, for many years. She has acted in over 30 productions with some of the highlights being: Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire; Alice in I Never Sang For My Father; Pearl in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll; Helga Ten Dorp in Deathtrap; Lady Cynthia Muldoon in The Real Inspector Hound and Hilary in Hotel Sorrento.
Kris has directed 20 plus productions with some of the most memorable being: Agnes of God; Steel Magnolias; Cosi; Last of the Red Hot Lovers; The Odd Couple (Female Version); The Castle; Nuts, The Laramie Project and Speaking in Tongues.
Kris has also been a reviewer for both print and electronic periodicals and written other theatre related articles for same. She has been an in-house adjudicator for various Melbourne theatre companies and runs successful theatre workshops for small groups of actors. She has also been a critical observer and advisor to VCE Theatre Studies students preparatory to their performance exams.
Tim McDonald – Web Design/Development/Support
Although he has always loved performing, Tim is very new to the Theatre Community. Tims first experiences performing were as a boy scout in the Melbourne Gang Show. It was not til several years later that he did his first show Calamity Jane, with Babirra Theatre Company in 2008. He enjoyed his time performing so much that in 2009 after he finished his non theatre related studies in Melbourne, he travelled to the States where he spent 6 months full time taking various Music Theatre classes in singing, acting and dancing and participating in the community theatre they had to offer over there, he performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. Now that he is back in Melbourne he is again performing with Babirra in Kismet.
Michael Butler - Sub Editor - Musical Theatre
A regular Theatre People contributor Michael is thrilled to be taking on a permanent editorial role with the site. Michael’s inaugural performance was as a cast member of Whitehorse Musical Theatre’s production of Joseph and the Technicoloured Dreamcoat in 2002. Since this time he has been a regular on the theatre scene working with a variety of companies, most regularly with Whitehorse and Fab Nobs. Aside from acting he has also worked as director, producer, production manager and set designer. In 2007 he worked as a principal understudy in the professional run of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Other credits include The Baker (Into The Woods), Michael (tick, tick, boom!!!!), Drake (Honk!) and Sammy (The Wedding Singer) to name a few. Show highlights include, Return To the Forbidden Planet, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story and The Scarlet Pimpernel. His most recent engagement was the role of Jesus for Mountain Districts’ Jesus Christ Superstar. Away from the stage Michael has been working as a secondary school teacher and is currently in the process of transitioning into the financial sector.