Fresh Ink> Past Fresh Ink Writers
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KATIE DIRKS, Melbourne
After a childhood of flashing her undies while jumping on the trampoline, Katie Dirks decided that people looking at her was a good thing and went on to tread the boards in school and community productions in her teens throughout the late 90’s. Hitting an “awkward” phase in her late teens (she got fat) she decided to shy away from the light and moved into the sweaty, black t-shirt wearing world of teaching. She completed a Diploma of Arts (Small Companies and Community Theatre) at Swinburne’s Prahran campus in 2002 where she surprised herself by taking out top marks for scriptwriting. Her first short play Interval was selected to be performed for the short play festival Water, Words and Woe at the David Williamson Theatre in 2001.Pursuing her passion for writing and theatre she has since been involved in a number of theatre projects since, including the performance group ‘Spin Sisters’ for the 2002 Moomba Festival and the 2003 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Cash Theatre’s productions of Brilliant Young Thing at the 2005 Melbourne Fringe Festival and the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival and Two Productions The Imitation of Strangers at the 2007 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Her short play Real Estate was nominated for best script in Defector Art Theatres Short But Not Sweet 2008 series. She is currently but very slowly developing two new scripts We Must Be Quiet and The Drive-Thru Psychologist with hopes that she can complete these before any further promotions make it too difficult for her to leave her cushy day job as an International Recruitment Consultant.
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Hayley Gordon , Sydney
Hayley is a Sydney based writer. In 2007, she was awarded highly commended in the Sydney Theatre Company Young Playwright’s Award. In 2008, Hayley attended the Fresh Ink camp in Adelaide, and her play Chateau Lafitte was performed in a staged reading directed by Craig Illot with atyp. Hayley recently had a short play performed as a wildcard in the 2009 Short and Sweet Festival.
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Samantha Hill , Melbourne
2009 has been an interesting year for Sam. She has found herself writing theatre about children performing murderous acts, Bette Davis meeting a drag queen on her death bed and a talking bird that tells stories about giants having underground-earthquake sex. The fun stuff. She was also invited to be part of the Graduate Playwriting program with Playwriting Australia in Brisbane, and a delegate at the World Interplay Festival in Cairns. This year has also involved writing a commissioned piece for the ‘1989’ project with St. Martins Theatre of Youth. Her plays have previously been produced by Waterdale Players, Short & Sweet (Melbourne and Sydney), RMIT Snatches and Rumble Theatre. In 2008, she was awarded a grant from RMIT Union Arts to produce a rehearsed reading of her full-length play Electric Fence.Sam is a graduate of VCA/ University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Creative Arts, and has an Advanced Diploma of Arts in Professional Screenwriting from RMIT.
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JASPER MARLOWE, Sydney
Jasper is a playwright from Waterloo in Sydney. His first full-length play Zetland is currently being workshopped for the ‘Off the Shelf’ programme at Queen St Studios. Deep Space 9mm, a short piece written by Jasper was also recently performed in Hobart at the One Act Play Festival. A graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, he has aspirations for Screenwriting and being the new voice in Australian Theatre.
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NEL KENTISH, Newcastle
Penelope Kentish has recently completed Theatre/Media studies at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, NSW. Her passions are writing for the stage and drama in education. Her studies have focused on creating original alternative theatre from very little resources, including writing a contemporary burlesque play for her final year project, which she also choreographed. Penelope has previously toured the Central West to conduct drama workshops with HSCstudents and last year she completed a three week study tour with TCCD theatre group Makhampom in Chiang Dao, Thailand, where she taught drama workshops with Indigenous Hill Tribe communities. At 22, Penelope continues to practice her writing, and this year begins a Masters of Secondary Teaching. Penelope currently lives in Newcastle, NSW and sleeps next to her laptop.
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JENNIFER MCADAM, Melbourne
When away from the theatre Jennifer loves spending time with my large, warm and slightly crazy extended family. She loves cooking and hosting dinner parties, nannying two children (a mischievous 12 year old boy and his delightful 11 year old sister), working as a child’s therapist with several young children with autism, being around friends as much as possible and going for a big walk everyday (her ‘thinking time’!). Jennifer has been involved in theatre productions with various companies since the age of fourteen. In addition to three years with the Victorian Youth Theatre and Young Australian Broadway Chorus, six years of high school drama classes and productions including a staged performance of Cage Birds written by David Campton in the Ballarat One Act Play Festival, VCE Drama involving much practical (i.e. A self researched and written solo musical performance of the Innkeeper from Les Miserables) and theoretical work (including the study of different performance styles, genres, techniques etc), Jennifer has been involved with Monash University Student Theatre (MUST) for the past five years. She acted in BOG (2004 & 2005), written by Declan Green, Lovepuke (2005) written by Duncan Sarkies and Omelas (2006) by Rhys Auteri. Jennifer directed The Green Hill (2006) written by David Ives and Stolen Footsteps (2007) written by Daniel Lammin, production managed Five Wings (2007) written by Ephiny Gale and Front of House Managed for Home or Elsewhere (2007) written by Stephanie Speirs. These many and varied theatrical encounters have given Jennifer both passion for and commitment to theatre creation as well as shaping her desire to create (through play writing) works that are not simply moving but that move people to act.
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MAXINE MELLOR, Brisbane
A recent participant of atyp’s Fresh Ink program for emerging writers, Maxine is a three-time winner of Queensland Theatre Company’s Young Playwright’s Awards; Stuck (2001), Boy Slaughter (2002), and Little Hitler’s Ode to an Austrian Bentwood (2003), and won Queensland Theatre Company’s George Landen Dann Award for Magda’s Fascination with Wax Cats (2005). In 2003, Maxine wrote The Cicada Movement as part of QTC’s Emerging Writers Network, and in 2006-2008 was Associate Writer with the company where she wrote Fading Franky Knight with Wooden Eyes Watching / Handicraft. She was selected to attend The International Festival of Young Playwrights (World Interplay) in 2005 where she developed Blood Red High Heels Dancing on the Street. Maxine’s work has had several productions and many readings by Independent theatre companies in Brisbane, and Australia wide, with the 2005 production of Little Hitler’s Ode to an Austrian Bentwood earning her a Playlab / Matilda Award for Best New Independent Work for Performance.
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NATHANIEL MONCRIEFF, Perth
Nathaniel Moncrieff graduated from Edith Cowan University in 2005 with an honours degree in Film & Video. In 2004, he won first prize in The Katharine Susannah Prichard National Short Story Competition as well as Best Film and Best Director for his short Chapfallen at The Big Shave. Having contributed pieces to Perth’s Upstart Theatre Company, in 2009 Nathaniel was selected by Australian Theatre for Young People and Black Swan Theatre Company to participate in their Fresh Ink and Young Writers Programs respectively. His play Sleepyhead, developed with the support of atyp’s Fresh Ink Program, won The Fellowship of Australian Writers’ Di Cranston Award in their 2009 Literary Awards. He is presently preparing his original work Newborn Babies for a production by Upstart in late 2010.
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JAMES SAUNDERS, Sydney
James is a story teller, it’s his blood. He is a proud Gunditijmara / Wiradjuri man and comes from a big family. He is the 6th of nine siblings. His story is unique and he believes he’s here to tell it. James studied Performing Arts and Film and Television in his senior years at school, in which he found great joy and pleasure in. 2008 was his comeback year to Theatre. He completed the Step Up program with the PACT theatre group in Erskineville. This year he hopes to achieve an investigation of life experiences in performance essay. Besides his interest in the performing arts James plays rugby for Sydney Convicts and member of the Kaita Volleyball Club.
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