| Our Directors & Teachers |
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TINA BURSILL |
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Tina’s extensive theatre, television & film credits include most recently ‘The Swimming Club’ for Melbourne Theatre Company, ‘Offspring’, ‘All Saints’ & ‘Three Blind Mice’. She is well-known for her roles in ‘Heartbreak High’, ‘Prisoner’, ‘Skyways’ & ‘Billy’s Holiday’. She received a 2002 Mo Award Nomination for Best Female Actor in a play for ‘Up For Grabs’ & won a 1988 AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress in ‘Jilted’. Tina is an accomplished voiceover artist, a proud member of equity & has previously taught at NIDA & Screenwise. |
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| Sean O'Riordan |  |
| Originally from London, Sean O'Riordan trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, Wales. After touring work in Shakespeare and working on the stand up comedy circuit in Sydney he began teaching and directing and in 1996 formed his production company Barestage Theatre. His acting credits include Aliens R Human 2, Housemates, Shakespeare Detective, Mr TV, Mixd Drinx and Holiday in the Sun. For Short and Sweet he has written and directed Barmen’s Speech and his play Pizza With Everything is included in the 2011 festival. | |
| Amanda Stephens-Lee |  |
| Amanda has been an actor and singer for the past fifteen years and has lived, worked and trained in Sydney, London and New York. A graduate of Sydney University (Performance Studies), Amanda also trained with some of the best in the biz, including clowning/improvisation with Philippe Gaulier, Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and voice/Shakespeare with the brilliant voice coach Patsy Rodenberg. She has appeared in numerous plays, operas, short films, musicals and original cast recordings. Most recently Amanda performed in the two seasons of Open for Inspection – The Real Estate Musical at the Darlinghurst Theatre and she is very excited to be joining the team at Darlo Drama. | |
| Glen Hamilton |
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| Glen is a committed and experienced teacher of performing arts to both students and professional actors wanting to further explore their craft. His philosophy is based around creating a nurturing and challenging environment where the truth and spirit of the work is realised. Drawing on influences from various performing arts practitioners, coupled with his own work on creativity and organic connection, his methods are being realised as a powerful and vital tool for the actors work. He has taught and directed at all levels of training and as an actor worked in all mediums of performance as well as producing and directing theatre productions around Australia through his own company. | |
| Amy Kersey |
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Amy has a Diploma of Performance from ACTT and a BA from UNSW. She has been acting for many years on stage, commercially and in short films. Her theatre credits include ‘Baby with the Bathwater’, ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’, ‘Our Country’s Good’ & ‘An Oak Tree’. A trained and experienced improviser, Amy is also an accredited Theatresports® teacher and has been teaching acting and improvisation since 1999. Her experience covers devising, play building, improvisation, acting coaching, Shakespeare adaptation and coaching, audition preparation, contemporary monologue & scene study, Stanislavsky and Stella Adler American Technique. |
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| Kate Bookallil |  |
| Since graduating from Theatre Nepean Kate has produced and performed in several plays with Pellucid Productions, including Closer and Five Ways. Over the past ten years Kate has appeared in various television commercials and made a few guest appearances in shows like Review and Politically Correct Parenting. Kate is most passionate about her work as an actor with Milk Crate Theatre. Kate is humbled by the bravery of Darlo Drama students and loves the energy created by people stepping outside their comfort zones and creatively exploring life. Kate believes in a warm, supportive and challenging environment in which to learn about and fall in love with acting. | |
| Talya Rubin |
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| Talya Rubin is a professional actor and award-winning writer originally from Montreal, Canada now based in Sydney. Her original solo plays have toured to festivals across Australia and around the world and have received five-star reviews and played to sold-out houses. As an actor Talya has worked in film, television and radio with actors such as James Woods, Alan Arkin, Loretta Switt and Elliott Gould and has appeared in numerous theatre productions in Montreal. She trained in theatre at Bard College, New York and has a dip Ed in Drama from The University of Melbourne. Talya has taught acting at McGill University, ATYP, AFTRS and NIDA and teaches both Level 1 and Level 2 classes at Darlo. She approaches her teaching with passion and openness and is always learning from her students. | |
| Sarah Hone |  |
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Sarah Hone hails from Ireland, where she obtained a BA in drama and an MA in dramatherapy. She has worked as a professional actor in Ireland, the U.S.A and in Australia since 2008. She has extensive theatre and film credits, most recently performing sold-out runs in SA in Bad company’s “The Adventures of Dead Jim” and Accidental production’s “Boy’s Life”. She has facilitated theatre projects in mainstream schools, mental health and disability programmes, homeless communities and in the nomadic travelling community of Ireland. She currently works in private dramatherapy practice and teaches for Milkcrate Theatre and NIDA. |
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| Drew Fairley |
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| Drew has spent the last fifteen years working as an actor, writer, singer, director and puppeteer both in Australia and abroad. He was the Artistic Director of Throttle Theatre Company where he co-wrote and performed in Mongrel - The Prince of Denmark. Drew has worked for Wee Stories, The Edinburgh Puppet Company (UK) & La Boite Noir (France). He has performed in The Mystery of the Horned Dog, The Eye, White Collar Project, Madem Moiselle Fi Fi, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Parlour Song & Open For Inspection as well as touring and performing with Kate Smith in Bangers and Mash and The No Chance in Hell Hotel. Drew and Kate are completing the third of their comedies called The Itch for Merrigong Theatre Company. | |
| Emily Weare |  |
| Emily has a BA in acting from WAAPA and has worked extensively in theatre as an actor, director and teacher. Currently studying her Masters in Education, she also has a Grad Dip. Ed. and TESOL qualifications. Theatre is her passion, having performed on stages for companies around Australia, and Darlinghurst Theatre audiences have seen her in several performances including: The Dysfunckshonalz(2010), Lady Windermere's Fan (2009), The Unscrupulous Murderer, The Frail Man (2006), and Fit To Be Tied (2002). Emily has appeared on almost every Australian TV Drama and has numerous Film credits. She has been an acting tutor/director with DARLO DRAMA for over seven years. | |
| Billy Marshall Stoneking |  |
| Billy Marshall Stoneking, is a celebrated writer, producer, performer and lecturer whose work in theatre, television and film has earned him wide recognition both in Australia and overseas. He is also the author of seven books and a number of critically acclaimed plays, including the award-winning, Sixteen words for water. He has taught screenwriting at the Australian Film Television and Radio School and has been script editor on a number of shorts and features, including two Academy-Award nominated shorts. | |
| Matt Stewart |  |
| Matt Stewart has spent twenty years as a professional theatre practitioner in both Sydney and Canberra. He has appeared in The Dog Logs (stories told by dogs) and Six Pack at the Childers Street Theatre. His most recent Sydney performances are as Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing for the 2008 Sydney Shakespeare Festival, Jud in Bouncers for Insomniac Theatre Co. and Starry Comet Night as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2010. Matt is also the founder and director of Act Corporate Drama Training, using acting techniques for body language, presentation and interpersonal skills in the workplace. | |
Emily has a BA in acting from WAAPA and has worked extensively in theatre as an actor, director and teacher. Other industry experience includes working as a personal Tutor / Mentor and an Assistant Director for reality TV. Currently studying her Masters in Education, she also has a Grad Dip. Ed. and TESOL qualifications. Theatre is her passion, having performed on stages for companies around Australia, and Darlinghurst Theatre audiences have seen her in several performances including: THE DYSFUNCKSHONALZ (2010), LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN (2009), THE UNSCRUPULOUS MURDERER, THE FRAIL MAN (2006), and FIT TO BE TIED (2002). Emily has appeared on almost every Australian TV Drama and has numerous Film credits on her CV. She has been an acting tutor / director with Darlo Drama for over seven years, and has been a proud member of Equity since 1983.