CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

 BIOGRAPHIES

Duncan Macmillan | Playwright

Duncan Macmillan is an award-winning playwright and director. Plays include: People, Places and Things, National Theatre, Headlong, West End; 1984, Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse, Almeida, West End, International Tours; Every Brilliant Thing, Paines Plough, Pentabus, Barrow Street, HBO, International Tours; Lungs, Studio Theatre, Paines Plough, Sheffield Theatre, Various Productions Worldwide; 2071 co-written with Chris Rapley, Royal Court, Hamburg Schauspielhaus; Atmen, Schaubühne Berlin; The Forbidden Zone, Salzburg Fesitval, Schaubühne Berlin; Reise durch die Nacht adapt. Friederike Mayröcker created with Katie Mitchell and Lyndsey Turner, Schauspielhaus Köln, Theatertreffen Berlin, Festival d’Avignon; Wunschloses Unglück adapt. Peter Handke, Burgtheater Vienna; Monster, Royal Enchange/Manchester International Festival. Awards include: Best New Play at the Off West End Awards 2013 for Lungs; the Nestroy Preis for Best German Language Production, 2013. His work with director Katie Mitchell has been selected for Theatertreffen and Festival d’Avignon. Duncan was also the recipient of two awards in the inaugural Bruntwood Playwriting Competition, 2006. 1984 was nominated as Best New Play at the Olivier Awards, 2014 and won the UK Theatre Award for Best Director (Duncan Macmillan and Robert Icke).

Jonny Donahoe | Co-Creator

The co-creator and original performer of the acclaimed worldwide smash Every Brilliant Thing, he created the show alongside his friend Duncan Macmillan, performed the show over 400 times across four continents. The show and his performance at Barrow Street Theatre in New York was made into a film for HBO. His comedy act Jonny and the Baptists (alongside his other friend Paddy Gervers) tour regularly throughout Britain and the rest of the world. Blending comic songs, satirical stand-up and traditional theatre-making, they make funny shows about serious things like wealth inequality, the climate change crisis, and the rise of nationalism and populism. They’ve made seven albums all available here and have their own website here. His stage plays include Thirty Christmases, which opened at The Old Fire Station in Oxford, and then transferred the following year off-West End to the New Diorama, and starred himself and his third friend Rachel Parris. He is currently adapting this play for TV. He has made a podcast series with his real-life partner, Josie Long, about having a baby by mistake called Josie And Jonny Are Having A Baby With You; and another with fellow Baptist Paddy Gervers about mental health and friendship called Making Paddy Happy.

Jason Klarwein | Performer

As an actor, Jason has worked with many Australian arts companies including Queensland Theatre, La Boîte, Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, Black Swan, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, 4MBS, QPAC, HOTA, Adelaide Festival Centre and the Sydney Opera House. He has also appeared on television in Summer Love, In Our Blood, Sea Patrol, Slide, Cybergirl, Australia Remembers and the films Elvis and Celeste.

He has directed acclaimed works for Queensland Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, Melbourne International Festival, Sydney Opera House and the Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe. His production of The 7 Stages of Grieving premiered in London, Montreal and Los Angeles. He has written and adapted many works for the stage including Othello, My Name is Jimi, The Trial, Edgar Allan Poe’s Hilariously Gruesome Tales of Mystery and Imagination and Lucky and the Flight of the Sky Puppies.

Jason has received numerous awards for directing and acting including Best Production 2019 for Death of a Salesman, Helpmann Nomination for Best Actor in Once in Royal Davids City, Logie Award for The Devil’s Playground and two Queensland Reconciliation Awards for his productions of My Name Is Jimi and Othello. He is the current Artistic Director of The Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe and the current Federal President of Equity, MEAA.

Tom Yaxley | Alternate Performer

Tom Yaxley graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2016. In 2021, Tom made his mainstage debut in Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre / Brisbane Festival). His other stage credits include Anatomy of a Suicide (Metro Arts and BC Productions); Chroma Town (Queensland Theatre), The Sublime (No Interval and Brisbane Powerhouse); Flood (Anywhere Theatre Festival) Hoods, Romeo and Juliet Must Die, Hamlet / Macbeth and The Complete Deaths, The Lunatics, the Lover and the Loon, Our Place (Grin and Tonic); The Government Inspector, Waiting for Godot, and Angels in America (QUT). Film and web series credits include Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan and F*ck Everything. Voice over work includes both seasons of podcast Six Cold Feet by Brisbane author Josh Donnellan. Tom continues to work as a teaching artist at Queensland Theatre, NIDA Open and the Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe. Tom has done further training in improvisation with The Groundlings and voice work with Patsy Rodenburg through 16th Street Studios.

Timothy Wynn | Director

Timothy Wynn is the Artistic Director of THAT Production Company. Since 2009 Timothy has fashioned diverse and imaginative seasons of theatrical experiences as the Artistic Director of THAT Production Company. He has directed over 20 productions, including the Australian premier of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined by Lynn Nottage, Saved by Edward Bond, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Spring’s Awakening. Timothy studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, and trained at the JUTE Theatre Company’s Director Development Program facilitated by Dr David Fenton. Timothy has also worked as an Assistant Director with Backbone Youth Arts, JUTE Theatre Company, Spotlight Theatre, and Fractal Theatre Company. In 2017 his production of Cosi with Beenleigh Theatre Company was nominated for seven Gold Coast Theatre Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress and Best Magic Moment of Theatre. Recently Timothy was nominated for a Matilda Award for his direction of Sea Wall by Simon Stephens.

Eva Fritz | Production Designer

Eva is an Australian-based artist, illustrator and writer residing in Ipswich, Queensland. She has been exhibiting since 2003, from Brisbane to New York, with purchases from the UK, USA and Japan. She works as scenic artist on movies and theatre, and is regularly commissioned to provide public art in the community as well as deliver creative youth workshops.With an academic background in psychology and public health, through her art she has been a keen supporter of organisations that represent mental health, youth homelessness, and child protection. She has worked as an illustrator of children’s mental health resources endorsed by the World Health Organisation and provided material for the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. Her first published illustrated children’s book, Little Things Big Things, is a pictorial introduction to issues of the environment and social justice.

Nathaniel Knight | Lighting Designer

Nathaniel Knight is a highly skilled lighting designer and theatre technician based in Brisbane. He holds a BFA in Technical Production from QUT, Certificate III in Live Production, and a Certificate II in Creative Industries with extensive experience working on professional productions across Queensland. While completing his Bachelor’s degree Nathaniel worked as an independent lighting designer and technician offering him experience in designing, installing, and operating across a range of live performance forms. His notable credits include serving as Technical Director for BILUM MAMMA, directed by Lisa Fa’alafi, Lighting Designer for BLACKROCK, directed by Johanna Wallace; THRONE, directed by Virgo Nash; CONTROL, directed by Timothy Wynn; and ALGORITHM, directed by Daniel Evans, as well as Associate Lighting Designer for OUR BLOOD RUNS IN THE STREETS, directed by Shane Anthony. Nathaniel’s approach to lighting design focuses on framing the performance by sculpting with holistic intention.

Wil Hughes | Sound Designer

Wil Hughes is an internationally award-winning composer, songwriter, sound designer and theatre professional from Meanjin, Australia. He has created music and weird sounds for plays, ballet, musicals, films, advertising and a whole host of other fun projects.

Charleen Masters | Mental Health Associate

Charleen is a mother, daughter, partner, sister, aunty and a New Zealand born, Brisbane raised, Cook Island Maori woman. Charleen is a Social Worker, Applied Theatre Practitioner, Actor and Sessional University Academic Tutor. She has 10 years’ experience working with children, young people, and adults in areas of youth arts, child protection and mental health. Charleen holds a Diploma of Community welfare and Development, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Applied Theatre) and Master of Social Work (Qualifying). Charleen is drawn to storytelling and has 17 years in performing arts/theatre making. She is interested in the different ways of knowing and doing, learning and sharing. Charleen utilises narrative critical approaches in practice with both social work and theatre making. She is excited to witness when these worlds come together.

Aimee Boyd | Stage Manager

Since having studied a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Theatre at Griffith University in 2013, there aren’t many positions in a theatre Aimee hasn’t been able to fill. Finding her niche in stage management, Aimee has worked on musicals to festivals, live music to comedy across Brisbane’s Independent Arts sector. Aimee believes in providing a detailed and tailored approach to every piece work she is apart of. A people person at heart, Aimee also began to invest in her interest of the mind by studying Psychology in 2020. She will be receiving her mental first aid qualification this year.

Davin Rowntree | Assistant Stage Manager

Daphne Chen | Rehearsal Observer

Daphne Chen is excited to be a part of the team and to observe the great Timothy Wynn as part of a director observership. Daphne, an Asian- Australian actress and aspiring director, has just finished a tour with Queensland Theatre Company touring for the Scene Project 2023, a tour she had formerly done with them in 2021. Previously she has also been cast in varying roles in theatre and a lead role in a short film Lucky, Lucky. Passionate about showcasing stories that champion marginalised voices, Daphne is very grateful to dip her toes into the world of directing.