LAUREN HARVEY Choreography restaging Lauren is a theatre creator with more than 15 years’ experience in the arts. Whilst she started her career on stage, you can now find her peering through the curtain to watch her creations come to life. She has immersed herself in many different aspects of the theatre world as a choreographer, director, vocal coach, performer, and costume creator. Lauren has been contributing to the Newcastle theatre scene for the last 12 years, winning awards in choreography, costume design, and hair and makeup for works such as Seussical (Hunter Drama), The Pecking Order, The Cost of Wishes, and Dark Matter (ASPIRE). She has also choreographed and performed in shows such as Oliver! (Hunter Drama), and Monty Python’s Spamalot (The Very Popular Theatre Company). Lauren has been a part of the creative team for ASPIRE (the Catholic Diocese’ performing arts program) since its inception. She is proud to have helped create 12 original works held at the Civic Theatre, performed and also created by local talented youth. She is passionate about youth involvement in theatre and will continue to use her broad range of skills to help nurture young people to become all round performers. AUDREY CURRIE Costume Designer Audrey started her formal costume journey at NIDA making corsets and graduated from Ultimo TAFE with a Diploma in Costume for Performance (recipient of the 2013 Costume Award for Outstanding Commitment and Achievement). Audrey has worked as an on-set dresser on Mad Max Fury Road and Gods of Egypt as well as local TV and TVCs. Audrey worked in the costume workroom at STC for their productions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Noise’s Off. Audrey was a backstage dresser for Gordon Frost’s Wicked and Costume Designer for Into The Woods (Bloom Creative Productions). Audrey has been the Costume Designer/Co-ordinator for Packemin Productions since 2016 and has just completed her 15th production at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. Credits include Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Back to the 80s, Wicked, Cats, Miss Saigon (Best Costume Design – Music 2017 Broadway World Sydney Awards), Shrek, Legally Blonde, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, We Will Rock You and Kinky Boots. This is Audrey’s debut production with The Very Popular Theatre Co and would like to thank them for allowing her to relive her youth of 1980’s Britain. JACOB HARWOOD Sound and Lighting Designer Jacob is Newcastle’s favourite lighting designer. He does all the big stuff like Jersey Boys (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Chess (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Mamma Mia! (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Rock of Ages (Hunter Drama), Oliver! (Hunter Drama), Phantom Of The Opera (Metropolitan Players), Strictly Ballroom (St Philip’s Christian College), Hairspray (Metropolitan Players), Mary Poppins (Metropolitan Players), Wicked (Metropolitan Players), Shrek The Musical (Hunter Drama), Disney’s Aladdin Jr (Hunter Drama), Rent (Hunter Drama) and Disney’s Beauty And The Beast (Metropolitan Players). He is a versatile designer, also having designed small scale plays at the Civic Playhouse, including The Very Popular Theatre Company’s Endgame. Jacob is a multi-CONDA Award winning lighting and sound designer. He has many other areas of expertise in the technical arena and has also spent time filling the role of Technical Manager at the Civic Theatre. RYLEE O’ROURKE Assistant Director Rylee is a theatre maker and performer with more than 8 years’ experience working with young people and adults in Newcastle and the Hunter. She is currently working as a Drama teacher for the Catholic Schools Office both within the classroom and as a tutor with ASPIRE. Her credits include directing Picnic at Hanging Rock (Young People’s Theatre), assistant directing the award-winning A Doll’s House (Maitland Repertory Theatre), assistant directing the Australian premier of The Shawshank Redemption (Hunter Drama), Co-Founding All’s One Theatre Company and producing the company’s first show, Ghosts, Stage Managing Fantastic Mr Fox and The Witches (Hunter Drama), and as a performer in original works Aftermath and Perceptions (Hunter Drama). Most recently, Rylee has been training in collaboration with Belvoir Theatre Company as part of their First-Class Program to help promote the Creative and Performing Arts in schools. Billy Elliot the Musical is Rylee’s debut with The Very Popular Theatre Company. 19
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