Progress Links:
Theatremaker + Researcher collabs
The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts
FREE TICKETED EVENT
Past Event
A host of Melbourne theatre makers from Elbow Room, Lemony S Puppet Theatre, and Alternative Facts, have a stirring conversation about collaborating with researchers and research communities to create work. Hear about their partnerships, their processes, and the promise of dynamic new theatre that’s alive with ground-breaking ideas and discovery.
Sarah Kriegler
Sarah Kriegler is an award winning director, puppeteer, writer, and co-director of Lemony S Puppet Theatre. She trained at the VCA, School of Drama (Animateuring), and Teatro San Martin Puppet School, Argentina. She has created works with many companies including Malthouse, Red Stitch, A Blanck Canvas, Polyglot, Terrapin, Aphids, Arena and Theatreworks. She was an Artistic Associate at Chamber Made Opera for seven years, where she wrote and directed Captives of the City commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne, receiving two Green Room Awards. She was the co-chair of the Contemporary and Experimental Theatre Green Room Awards Panel and is an alumni of Melbourne Theatre Company Women Directors’ program as well as The Director Lab. During 2015, 2017 and 2021, she collaborated with La Mama Theatre to present the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry, which received a Green Room nomination (Curatorial Contribution). During 2022 for Lemony S, she created Crow Kid and is currently working on two new works for families: Ada, Asmin and the Analytical Engine and Little Blue Dot.
Jacob Williams
Jacob Williams is one of Australia’s premier puppeteers and puppetry directors and makers and is the co-artistic director of Lemony S Puppet Theatre. He was Head Puppeteer for King Kong – Live on Stage for Global Creatures for which he won both a Helpman and Green Room award. This performing relationship with Global began in 2006 when he starred as ‘T-Rex’ in Global Creatures international success Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular. For Lemony S Puppet Theatre, he has been commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne to create a new children’s work and collaborated with Chamber Made Opera in the creation of the operatic work Captives of the City. He has also worked with companies such as Arena Theatre, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Black Hole Inc, Malthouse Theatre and is a core artist with Polyglot Theatre. From 2018-2019, Jacob performed on Broadway, NY in the role of ‘Kong Captain’ for the Tony Award Winning musical King Kong where he also received an Outer Critics Award and a Chita Rivera Award for his work. Jacob is currently the puppetry director for BLUEY as well as Windmill Pictures’ BEEP AND MORT.
David Williams
David is a leading Australian theatre artist whose productions open spaces for public conversation about political and social issues. He was curator for ATF 2015: MAKING IT, and has worked for 20 years as a director, writer, producer, dramaturg, and performer for companies across Australia. His theatre works have won Helpmann, Green Room and Drovers’ Awards.
David holds a PhD from UNSW, is an Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney, and is the director of Alternative Facts. He was the founder and artistic leader of the performance group version 1.0, and co-created and produced all of the company’s work from 1998-2012, including CMI (A certain maritime incident), The Wages of Spin, This Kind of Ruckus, The Disappearances Project, Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue, The Bougainville Photoplay Project, and The Table of Knowledge.
Suzie Franke
Suzie has extensive experience as a Producer, Production Manager, Lighting Designer, Event Manager, and Company Stage Manager, and has produced, managed and delivered national tours for more than ten years. She is currently a Producer for CDP Theatre Producers and Executive Producer for Alternative Facts Pty Ltd. Previously, she co-founded and managed the independent theatre company Blackbird Productions. Recent large-scale projects include working as the Production Manager of the Moomba Parade, one of Melbourne’s most loved events for the City of Melbourne, and the Production Manager on the annual APACA Conferences in Melbourne (2010), Perth (2011), Darwin (2012), Sydney (2015), Melbourne (2016), Chatswood (2017) as well as the APACA conference, Australian Theatre Forum, and Australia Council Marketing Summit in Canberra in May 2013. Recently for CDP she was the lead producer on the national tour of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, Mr Stink, Billionaire Boy and the 13-, 26-, 78- and 91- Storey Treehouses.
Marcel Dorney
An award winning playwright and director, Marcel Dorney is a founding member and artistic director of Melbourne based performance company, Elbow Room. His work has been commissioned, developed and produced by QTC, Malthouse Theatre, Merrigong Theatre Company, Hothouse Theatre, La Boite, Griffin Theatre, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse, Artslink, and the Next Wave Festival, and published by Playlab Press. He has been an affiliate writer with QTC, La Boite and Griffin Theatre, and received a Lord Mayor’s Fellowship to study in St Petersburg, Russia. He holds a Masters in Performance Creation from the University of Melbourne.
Marcel’s play Fractions received the 2010 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. Elbow Room‘s twelve original works since 2008 include We Get It, Prehistoric, and After All This. His awards include: Best Director and Best Ensemble, 2011 Green Room Awards; 2012 Gold Matilda; Best Writing, 2014 Green Room Awards.
