Sam Strong is an award-winning theatre director and one of Australia’s leading cultural figures, known for combining artistic ambition with transformative leadership. He has served as Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company, Associate Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company, Chair of Circa, and Executive Director of Creative Industries at Creative Victoria. In 2024 he was appointed Creative Director and CEO of Gasworks Arts Park.

A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and admitted as a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Strong brings rare cross-sector insight to his work. At Griffin, he delivered seven consecutive seasons of subscriber growth and record-breaking productions. At Queensland Theatre, he rebranded and revitalised the company, achieving the highest box office in its history, overseeing the renovation of the Bille Brown Theatre, and positioning the company as a national home for new Australian stories.

Strong has directed for every Australian state theatre company and major festivals. His stage adaptation of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe became the highest-selling production in Queensland Theatre’s 50-year history. His productions of Love Stories and Joanna Murray-Smith’s Honour were acclaimed, with the latter becoming the longest-running show in Red Stitch’s history. He made Helpmann Awards history as only the second director to have two productions nominated for Best Play in the same year.

Across more than two decades, Strong’s work — spanning classics, bold new writing and large-scale collaborations — has been seen by over 500,000 people. Renowned for unlocking potential in artists and organisations alike, he continues to champion ambitious storytelling and community-centred cultural leadership.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Gavan Swift is a multi award-winning Lighting Designer. He graduated from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). 

His musical lighting designs include Mamma Mia!, Heathers the Musical, Mack & Mabel, The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Fiddler on the Roof, Jolson, Buddy, Oh What A Night, Footloose, Hair, Xanadu, Chess, Carousel, Follies, Annie and Saturday Night Fever both in Australia and on London’s West End. Gavan was the lighting designer for Moby Dick at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, making history as the first Australian Lighting Designer to light a production at the fabled Arts institution.. 

He has designed the lighting for The Production Company’s Anything Goes, Sugar (Some Like It Hot), The Music Man, Hair, Mack & Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance, Thoroughly Modern Millie and their inaugural production of Mame. For the State Theatre Company of South Australia his designs include Three Sisters (co-set designer), King Lear and Hamlet. For Bell Shakespeare; The Winter’s Tale, Pericles and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

He also designed the lighting for the Victorian Opera production of La Rodine and the multi award-winning production of Salome. Gavan has also designed lighting for productions at the Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, The Ensemble Theatre, and Opera Australia. 

Gavan was the Associate Lighting Designer for the Australian productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Cabaret, The Full Monty, Chicago, High School Musical, A Chorus Line, South Pacific, The Lord of the Rings, Wicked, Frozen, An American In Paris, 9 to 5, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairspray, Beauty & the Beast, Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice and The Lion King; as well as the West End production of A Chorus Line, the Japanese production of Beauty and the Beast, plus the Mexican production of Wicked.

In another busy year he is Associate Lighting Designer on productions that include Anastasia, Waitress, Beetlejuice and Pretty Woman. He will also create the Lighting Design for Victorian Opera’s Ned Kelly.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Morry Morgan is co‑founder and teacher at the Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School, a Melbourne‑based training ground that has helped more than 900 students — keynote speakers, first‑time comedians and bucket‑list performers — take the stage with confidence. 

A comedic entrepreneur and media commentator, Morry created the Gigme app, produced the comedy‑drama series Is This Thing On?, and ran The Rubber Chicken Comedy Pub from 2021–2023. 

His school, staffed by A‑list coaches, pairs new acts with headline performers and has been featured on Channel 9’s Travel Guides and supported by the NDIS for its inclusion work.

Before returning to Australia in 2013, Morry lived and worked in Mainland China, founding award‑winning corporate training firm ClarkMorgan and publishing the region’s leading bilingual HR title, NetworkHR. A three‑time TEDx speaker and fluent Mandarin speaker, he regularly appears in Australian media on comedy, leadership and the creative arts.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

A graduate of the Drama Studio Sydney, Anthony Skuse is a director, dramaturge and teacher. 

Anthony’s directing credits include: Bradford Elmore’s Gravity (Qtopia); James Elazzi’s Saints of Damour (Qtopia); Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler (KXT, Secret House); Gary Owen’s Cherry Orchard: after Chekhov, (Old Fitz, Secret House); Ibsen’s Doll’s House (The Actors Company, ACA); Simon Longman’s Gundog (KXT, Secret House); Katie Pollock’s Rough Trade (Sydney Writes and Theatre Works Melbourne), Breaking the Code (New Theatre); Chekhov’s Three Sisters (Belvoir Downstairs, AFTT) Alistair McDowall’s Pomona, (KXT, Secret House); Katie Pollock’s Normal (Uncertainty Principle); Crime and Punishment (Secret House); Joanna Erskine’s Air  (Old 505); Simon Stephens’ Birdland (New Theatre); Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis (Old Fitz); Suzie Miller’s Sunset Strip (Uncertainty principle & Griffin, and with Critical Stages National Tour); Chekov’s Seagull (Secret House, Depot Theatre); Bathsheba Doran’s Mystery of Love and Sex (Darlinghurst Theatre); Charlotte Jones’ Airswimming (The Vaults, London); Nick Enright’s Man With Five Children (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Christopher Harley’s Blood Bank (Ensemble Theatre); Jane Bodie’s Fourplay & Ride (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Suzie Miller’s Caress/Ache (Griffin Theatre Company); Jessica Bellamy’s Shabbat Dinner (Rock Surfers, Rocks Pop Up Festival, Griffin Theatre Company); Nick Payne’s Constellations (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Simon Stephens’ On the shore of the wide world (Griffin Independent); Amy Hertzog’s 4000 Miles (Under the Wharf, Sydney, La Boite, Brisbane & Critical Stages Regional Tour); Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock (Under the Wharf) which won three Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Independent Production and Best Direction

Anthony was Head of Performance at Actor Centre Australia. He has directed graduation shows WAAPA, NIDA and AFTT and now JMC. He was an Associate Lecturer at NIDA from 2009 – 2013, working in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses. 

Anthony is presently directing Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down for company Secret House, being presented at the KXT theatre in Sydney from March 27th.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Deborah Jones is one of Australia’s most respected arts journalists, with a career spanning more than 25 years as a writer, critic and editor at The Australian. She served as Arts Editor for a decade and also edited the paper’s influential Review section, later becoming Executive Editor for five years.

Joining the Sydney bureau in 1987 as a sub-editor, Deborah rose through the ranks to become a leading national voice in arts criticism. In 2001 she was appointed Arts Editor, a position she held for nearly ten years, shaping coverage of theatre, dance, opera and music across the country. She subsequently became the paper’s national dance critic — a role she continues to hold — while also reviewing musical theatre and opera.

Deborah holds an honours degree in drama from the University of Newcastle, completed part-time while working as a journalist. She later spent three years as a drama tutor at the university, grounding her criticism in both scholarship and practical understanding of performance.

In addition to her work for The Australian, Deborah has been the Sydney correspondent for the London-based Opera Magazine for seven years, reviewing opera performances in Australia for an international readership. She is also a member of the Sydney Theatre Awards judging panel, contributing her expertise to recognising excellence on stage.

Now working as a freelance writer and editor, Deborah specialises in dance, musical theatre, theatre and opera. Her blog, deborahjones.me, continues her lifelong conversation about performance — archiving reviews, offering commentary, and proving that retirement is no match for a seasoned journalist with a passion for the arts.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Gaye MacFarlane is an acclaimed Australian mezzo-soprano whose career has spanned more than four decades across opera, musical theatre, concert performance, television and radio. A born performer, she began singing professionally as a teenager on Australian television before completing a Diploma in Operatic Arts at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Her early operatic career saw principal roles with major companies including Opera Australia, Victoria State Opera and South Australian Opera. She performed leading roles in works such as Carmen, The Italian Girl in Algiers, Orfeo and Euridice, Ariadne auf Naxos and The Rape of Lucretia. Highlights include the title role in Carmen in both Australia and Germany, Venus in Tannhäuser, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and appearances in Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Gaye’s transition into musical theatre began when she was cast as Eva Perón in Evita, alternating the role with Patti LuPone in the Australian production directed by Hal Prince. This success led to starring roles in Barnum, Song and Dance, They’re Playing Our Song and Sweeney Todd.

Her European career flourished from 1985, with leading roles at Berlin’s Theater des Westens and Munich’s Theater am Gärtnerplatz. She appeared as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Sally Durant in Follies, Anna in The Rink and Velma Kelly in Chicago, performing alongside legends including Hildegard Knef and Eartha Kitt.

As a concert soloist, Gaye has performed Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with leading orchestras in Australia and abroad. 

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

www.stagespodcast.com.au

Zindzi Okenyo is a dynamic African Australian actor, director and singer. 

After graduating from NIDA in 2006, Zindzi was a member of Cate Blanchett’s Residents Company at Sydney Theatre Company for three years. In 2012 Zindzi toured Europe and the USA with A History of Everything and began as a much-loved presenter on ABC’s iconic children’s program Play School. 

Her kids project Zindzi & the Zillionaires is one of her most exciting adventures. A stunning hybrid of joyful R&B musical grooves combined with songs and themes that every child can love - friends, family, love, sharing, the wonders of nature. And of course, good vibes for the parents too! 

She is a familiar face on Australian TV screens with roles in series such as Fisk, Critical Incident, Troppo 2, Deadloch, Wakefield, The Code, Janet King, Harrow, and Sisters.

In 2022 Zindzi joined Melbourne Theatre Company as part of the twelve-member cohort of Artistic Associates in an industry-first consultation capacity across two years. She has performed for most of Australia’s major theatre companies and recently began directing for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, Griffin and Darlinghurst Theatres.

Zindzi’s directing credits for Sydney Theatre Company include the Australian premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Assistant Director on Death of a Salesman and Associate Director to Wesley Enoch on A Raisin in The Sun. For Melbourne Theatre Company, Zindzi has directed the premiere season of Kirsty Marillier’s Destiny and co-directed with Shari Sebbens Is God Is (a co-production with Sydney Theatre Company). 

Other credits include co-directing with Shari Sebbens the acclaimed production of Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner. This was a co-production between Green Door Theatre Company and Darlinghurst Theatre Company which went on to a season at Malthouse Theatre. Zindzi directed Orange Thrower for Griffin and Choir Boy (co-directed with Dino Dimitriadis) for National Theatre of Parramatta. 

Zindzi is presently at the helm of  Purpose, a Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins being presented by the Sydney Theatre Company on stage at Wharf 1theatre until March 22nd. In June she returns to the stage as actor in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

www.stagespodcast.com.au

From Brighton Beach in Melbourne to a garret overlooking Notre Dame in Paris, Amanda Pelman’s life has unfolded at the intersection of music, theatre and bold reinvention.

She began as a radio journalist while studying at RMIT, before heading to London in 1981 to work with Dire Straits. Recruited home by Michael Gudinski to Mushroom Records, Amanda spent eleven years as publicist, label manager and A&R manager, signing emerging artists including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. She co-managed Jimmy Barnes, co-founded Body Beat and Melodian Records with Ian “Molly” Meldrum, and guided Indecent Obsession to No.1 hits across Europe and Asia and a US Billboard Top 20.

Transitioning to theatre, Amanda became Casting Consultant for Cameron Mackintosh Productions on RENT, auditioning thousands for just 24 roles. She went on to cast major productions including Oliver!, Cabaret and Fiddler on the Roof, and was the original Casting Director for Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the musical.

A producer of landmark live events — from Long Way to the Top to Live Earth Sydney and Sound Relief — she later served as Contemporary Creative Director at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, creating sold-out tributes to David Bowie and George Michael.

Four marriages, countless stages, and a career spanning rock royalty to Broadway blockbusters — Amanda Pelman’s story is one of resilience, instinct and spectacular adventure.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

www.stagespodcast.com.au

A graduate of National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1980, Garry Scale has built a rich and varied career across theatre, cabaret, film and television. Born and educated in Geelong, Victoria, he first trained as a teacher before moving to Sydney to pursue acting — a foundation that would later bring his journey full circle.

Garry became a beloved figure on Sydney’s cabaret scene through his long association with the Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo. Performing alongside Tony Sheldon, Genevieve Lemon, Brett Murphy and Philip Scott, he helped create a string of sharp, irreverent comedies that became legendary. Their annual Christmas pantomimes — including Ubewdy and the Beast and Sunset Boulevard: The Panto — remain highlights of the city’s cabaret history.

On the musical theatre stage, Garry has appeared in productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Boy from Oz (as an original cast member), The Fantasticks, Hairspray, Buddy, Merrily We Roll Along, Carrie, and Bye Bye Birdie, among many others. He has performed for major theatre companies across Australia and toured extensively throughout the southern hemisphere. His television and film credits include All Saints, Heartbreak High, Police Rescue, The Sullivans and Billy’s Holiday. For many Australians, however, he is fondly remembered as the voice of “Johnson” in the children’s series Johnson & Friends.

In recent years, Garry returned to education, retraining as a teacher librarian, taking up a full-time role. He has transformed his school into a thriving performing arts hub — producing plays, building a dedicated theatre space, and inspiring students through storytelling and stagecraft. 

Whether under the spotlight or guiding young performers, Garry Scale remains devoted to the transformative power of theatre.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

www.stagespodcast.com.au

Ho Ho Ho! STAGES has completed yet another season. Season 8! And 600+ episodes. You know what that means … it’s time to haul out the holly and pull those bon-bons.

As is tradition, we conclude season 8 with our annual Christmas episode. The perfect companion as you wrap your presents, put up the tree, peel a prawn and pour another glass of pineapple punch!

Once again I am joined by ‘Mary Christmas’ herself, the inimitable Kate Fitzpatrick who will no doubt provide her take on the cricket and the festive season. Always a treat!

And special guests galore come into the STAGES studio to escape the ‘icy footpath, chestnuts roasting and snow covered stoops’ of our Christmas trained brains. 

Publicist Ian Phipps will say hello and advise us what to look out for on national stages in 2026. 

Drag Doyen Stan Munro has written his autobiography with companion author William Brougham, and they’ll join us to celebrate ahead of the book’s January release. 

The busiest couple in showbiz, Grant Piro and Marina Prior found time in their chockablock schedules to bring some Christmas cheer. 

Old mates Hugh Monroe and Donna Lee too, via the magic of Christmas allow us an in depth conversation with Santa and Mrs Claus ahead of their busiest time of the year. 

And we wrap it all up with our favourite Christmas anthem, penned by Ron Creager & Tina Messina, and performed by Lauren Schmutter, ‘Christmas Will Find Us Wherever We Are.’

So we hope you can join us and rejoice in the STAGES year that saw season 8. Thank you to all of our listeners, the guests, near and afar, who have shared their stories in this season’s episodes, and the personnel who have coordinated some of those conversations. I can’t wait for season 9 in 2026.

We are all greatly saddened by the passing of the great Toni Lamond in November. As the very first guest on the podcast, we would like to dedicate this episode to her. She leaves a vast legacy. Fly high dear Toni!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! 

The STAGES podcast will return in March, 2026.

The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

www.stagespodcast.com.au