Donor – Program

Written and Performed by Julia Grace

Julia has been working as an actor, teacher and directors consultant in Australia, New Zealand and the US for over fifteen years. She has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Dramatic Art from the VCA. She is also a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and is the only Australian to have been mentored by members of Steppenwolf Theatre Company Chicago in their teacher training methodologies. In 2017, she won the 16th Street Foundation’s Teaching Scholarship to continue honing her teaching craft in the US. She is currently a core teacher at 16th Street Actor’s Studio in Melbourne. She has performed for, The Sydney International Arts Festival, Melbourne Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, The Hayloft Project, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, appeared in Offspring, Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries, and multiple commercials. Her show Turtle which she wrote and starred in was nominated for Best Performance at the 2018 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Recent work includes Pomona at Red Stitch directed by Gary Abrahams, Love Me, now streaming on Binge/Foxtel and The Real Inspector Hound directed by Matthew Cox for Artefact Theatre Co.

Directed by Emily O’Brien-Brown

Emily O’Brien-Brown has over 20 years experience in the arts sector as an actor, director and producer. Her directing credits include; Heroes of the Fourth Turning for Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Cowboy Mouth for Exhibit A Theatre, Proof for Artefact Theatre, Second Son Co-Directed with Alkinos Tsilimidos for Cinespace, To Do List for Belinda Totino and twice for Red Stitch PLAYlist both in welcome collaborations with playwright Vidya Rajan. Emily got her start as a runner and in-house production assistant for Flying Fish NZ working alongside acclaimed director Lee Tamahori. She’s spent the last decade building and delivering a multitude of successful arts education events, assisting high-profile international directors and acting coaches including; Ian Rickson, Amy Morton, Larry Moss, Elizabeth Kemp, Ivana Chubbuck, and Mike Alfreds. Emily also managed end-to-end delivery of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley’s masterclasses in New York and Los Angeles. The education she received working alongside these luminaries deeply influences and sustains her work today. She is thrilled to be directing Julia Grace in her beautiful play Donor for Melbourne Fringe 2022.

Sound Design by Liesl Pieterse

Liesl Pieterse is a sound designer based in Melbourne, Australia. She has worked in the film industry for 10 years and to date, has clocked up over 50 Australian and International feature film credits. Her various roles have included sound designer, dialogue editor, ADR recordist, studio technician, mix assistant and foley recordist. She learnt the tools of the trade working as a full time employee at Soundfirm Sydney, Australias largest post production sound and mix facility.

Currently she is freelancing, making music and always excited to collaborate with new faces.

AV Tech

- Olly Lawrence

Olly Lawrence is a non-binary emerging arts professional based in Naarm/Melbourne. They are best known as the producer of Burlesque Up Late, a smash hit monthly burlesque showcase that burst onto the Melbourne scene in 2021. Since 2018 they have been making strides in the independent arts scene, curating exhibitions, planning and executing events, and producing live shows. With a keen eye for operations Olly managed The Butterfly Club for multiple years, and is the current program manager of The Motley Bauhaus. They hold a Bachelor Degree (hons) in Cultural studies and Art History from the University of Melbourne, and regularly work as a freelance technical operator, lighting designer, artisan and all-round extraordinaire.

Produced

by Ben Andrews

Ben lives to tell stories and vacillates between performing, writing and producing for stage and screen. For several years he ran RMIT Performing Arts program facilitating student theatre and producing a number of highly successful shows including Spring Awakening and Stupid Fucking Bird both directed by his long time collaborator and friend Julia Grace.
He has a thirst for knowledge in different artistic fields having studied Screen (Film+ Television) at RMIT, Graphic Design at The Graphic Design School, Sound Design training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Lighting Design at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is a graduate of 16th Street Actors' Studio. Most recently, Ben was Production and Stage Manager for Burn This (dir. lain Sinclair) and produced Hearth Theatre's recent acclaimed production of Death of a Salesman (dir. Christopher Tomkinson) - both at fortyfivedownstairs.

Ben has also enjoyed theatre from on the stage performing in numerous productions on stage, screen. Most recently he was overjoyed to share the stage with Julia as Simon Gascoyne in Artefact Theatre Co.’s The Real Inspector Hound directed by Matthew Cox.

Donor was the first production Ben produced under his ‘Maybe Pile’ banner. A place to call home for his graphic design, producing and production design work.