Before I begin I do want to acknowledge the gadigal people of the eora nation, the traditional custodians of this land on which I work and live on. I pay respect to elders past, present and future.
Welcome to the Coffee Chat Podcast. On today's episode I chatted to Maya, Jacob and Almitra who I have had the pleasure of working with this year on an amazing project the breaths in between. We chatted about the project, a deep dive into imposter syndrome, the creative process, casting and some fun rapid fire questions! So, grab a coffee and enjoy! :)
Maya (she/her) is an independent producer, director and photographer based in Melbourne. She is a proud queer, Israeli woman who is passionate about exploring the potential of the musical theatre medium to tell diverse stories. Her directing credits include Heathers: The Musical (Assistant Director, UMMTA, 2017) and Parade (Assistant Director, UMMTA, 2019). Her producing credits include The Drowsy Chaperone (UMMTA, 2018), which won Best Musical at the 2018 Union House Theatre Awards, ‘The Sitzprobe’ (Co-Producer, UMMTA, 2018), and Fran & Leni (Seemingly Wholesome Productions, 2019). She was also the President of UMMTA in 2018, acting as an executive producer of a five-show musical season, including three new work initiatives. Her photography has recently been exhibited as part of MUDFest (University of Melbourne, 2019) and Mutualism (a collaboration between the University of Melbourne School of Biomedical Sciences and the Australian Government). Maya holds a Bachelor of Arts (University of Melbourne, Psychology / Criminology) and is a mental health worker who is passionate about improving wellbeing outcomes for marginalised populations. Maya is super excited to be establishing Eleven O'Clock Theatre and developing new work with such a spectacular group of people.
Jacob (he/him) has experience in a variety of disciplines. In Australia, Jacob has had the pleasure to be in various amateur musicals with the University of Melbourne Music Theatre Association, be a backing vocalist for Broadway Unplugged, and be a performing member of both the Improv Conspiracy Theatre (Fresh Blood program) and Impromptunes: The Completely Improvised Musical. He has also been a part of the directing team for Melbourne University Modern Theatre’s productions of The Flick and The Metamorphosis. He is passionate about diversity in the performing arts, and is excited to work on a project that puts diverse stories at the forefront.
Almitra Mavalvala is a Sydney based Performing Artist/ Writer/ Composer. Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Almitra has graduated from the Australian Institute of Music with a Bachelor in Music (Music Theater). She has not only worked as a performer in Sydney ,but also in Pakistan where she started her theater journey. After her completion of High school in Pakistan, she did a Production of Ira Levin’s Death Trap (Helga Ten Dorp-Psychic). In 2013 she was affiliated with Nida Butt’s musical, 'Grease' where she played the role of ‘Frenchie’. She then left to study Special Effects Make-up in 2015 which furthered her knowledge about theater and film. In 2016 she returned home to Direct/Produce her first ever Music Video from Concept to execution. The music and lyrics were composed and written by her. After graduating from AIM, Almitra appeared in Willoughby Theater Company’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (Ensemble). Almitra was 8 years old when she wrote her first set of Lyrics. Almitra is extremely excited to be joining the team as head composer and passionate about telling the stories and shining light on topics that are otherwise overlooked. She hopes that the stories she tells, stay with you for a long time to come.
