avaTara the opera – company BIOs 2

PUPPETEERS –

SARAH KRIEGLER is an award winning puppeteer and co director of Lemony S. She trained at VCA School of Drama and Teatro San Martin puppet school, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and Rotary Young Acheivers Award for puppetry. With Lemony S, Sarah has created many works including Foxy House of Horror, One Night the Dog and Apples and Ladders which toured nationally and internationally. She has performed with many companies including Westside Circus, Polyglot Puppet Theatre, Terrapin, Aphids, Jessica Wilson Productions, Flying Fruit Fly Circus and Black Hole Inc.

JACOB WILLIAMS is an award winning puppeteer, maker and actor. He has toured nationally and internationally with many companies such as Terrapin Puppet Theatre, Polyglot Puppet Theatre, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Black Hole Inc. and Walking with Dinosaurs where he starred as the T Rex. Jacob is a graduate of VCA Drama School and is co creator of the critically acclaimed Apples and Ladders and was Assistant Puppetry Director for the 2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. During 2009, Jacob is performing in Lemony new work The Lichtenstein Nursing Home Massacre.

PERFORMERS

MERLYN QUAIFE, soprano, is a performer of great versatility and her regular performances include opera, oratorio, chamber music, lieder and contemporary music. She has appeared with each of the state opera companies, all the major symphony orchestras in Australia, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Voronesz Philharmonie (Russia) and the Berliner Capella. She has premiered many roles, including the 1993 title role in Gordon Kerry Medea with Chamber Made Opera (Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra). Merlyn has recently launched Lest we Forget, a classical protest CD with Andrea Katz at the piano. She also sang the soprano solo in Rachmaninov. The Bells for the SSO under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.

IAN COUSIN, baritone has sung as a professional principle since 1975. He has performed over 70 roles with the Victorian State Opera, Melbourne Opera, Melbourne City Opera, Lyric Opera, Opera Australia, Western Australian Opera Company, Queensland Opera and Chamber Made Opera. Recent roles include Mr Samsa in Metamorphosis for Victorian Opera and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly for Oz Opera. He is also well known as a recital and concert singer.

OLIVIA O’BRIEN, child soprano, had her professional debut singing the solo in the premiere of Peter Sculthorpes Song of The Yarra at the opening of the Melbourne Recital Center in February 2009. Olivia sings with Melbourne Youth Music Vox Synergy studying with Kate Sadler.

MICHAEL BISHOP has worked extensively in all facets of the entertainment industry all over Australia for 30 years. Television credits include Neighbours (for which he is now Drama Coach), Law of The Land, Stingers, Blue Heelers, and the Emmy award winning Blabbermouth Stickybeak. Films include Malcolm, Metal Skin & Ghosts of The Civil Dead for which he was nominated for an A.F.I. Best Actor award, and in 2006 Remembering Nigel. Acting highlights consist of many Shakespearian roles including Malvolio & Lord Capulet, as well as roles such as Ginger Mick (The Sentimental Bloke) and Roo (Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll), most recently in 2007 as Tiny McKenzie in Sideshow Alley by Gary Young.

STAGE MANAGER and LIGHTING DESIGN – GWEN HOLMBERG GILCHRIST studied the technical program at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 2003 and has spent the past 5 years freelancing as a lighting designer in Melbourne