JULIA ROBERTSON

DIRECTOR

Julia Robertson (she/her) is a multidisciplinary theatre maker and director living on Gadigal land. She is the current Artistic Director of the award winning devising group, the Little Eggs Collective and the 2024 Recipient of the Ensemble Theatre’s Sandra Bates Award for Directing.

Recently, Julia directed and wrote the book and lyrics for the Musical adaptation of Metropolis (with music by Zara Stanton) which premiered at the Hayes Theatre Co. in April of 2023. The musical has since won three Sydney Theatre Awards and is currently nominated for Best Musical in TIMEOUT Sydney's Arts and Culture Awards.

This year Julia worked as the Assistant Director for Opera Australia's new production of Puccini's Il Trittico (Sydney Opera House, 2024, dir. Constantine Costi, Imara Savage and Shaun Rennie), the Ensemble Theatre's The Great Divide (Ensemble Theatre, 2024, dir. Mark Kilmurry) and will return to the Ensemble as Assistant Director for The Heartbreak Choir (dir. Anna Ledwich) in November. She also directed Shay Debney’s one man performance of Do You Mind? for RaCreate & the Old Fitz Theatre.

As a director, credits include PINOCCHIO (Little Eggs Collective), for which she received the NIDA Emerging Directors Award for Best Direction at the Sydney Fringe 2018, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Little Eggs Collective/KXT, 2019), James and the Giant Peach (Sydney Grammar School, 2022), and The Servant of Two Masters (St Vincent's College, 2023). Julia has previously assisted with Joshua Robson Productions on Bonnie and Clyde (Hayes Theatre Co. 2022) and City of Angels (Hayes Theatre Co. 2023).

Julia is also a classically trained musician and a recent recipient of the lan Potter Cultural Trust Grant, which she used to travel to London for a residency with the Royal Shakespeare Company in February of 2023. Julia has studied acting with the Lee Strasberg Institute of Theatre and Film (New York) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London).

SHANNON BURNS

CHOREOGRAPHER

Shannon Burns (she/her) is an Australian creative specialising in choreography and movement direction across opera, theatre, film, television, and major events.

In Opera, Shannon has worked on high-profile productions with Opera Australia, choreographing HOSH La Traviata on Sydney Harbour (2021) and Carmen on Cockatoo Island (2022). She was Movement Director for Victorian Opera’s Melbourne Cheremushki (2023) and Assistant Director for Il Tabarro, a co-production between Sydney Festival and Victorian Opera (2024). Internationally, she choreographed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire for the Berlin Philharmonic at the Kammermusiksaal, Berlin (2024). She has worked extensively with Pinchgut Opera, making her directorial debut with the company on Pleasures of Versailles (2023) and creating choreography and movement for Dido and Aeneas (2024), Giustino (2023), Orontea (2022), Platée (2021) and the award winning film A Delicate Fire (2020).

Her theatre choreography credits include Ride the Cyclone (2024), A Little Night Music (2023), and Murder For Two (2023) for Hayes Theatre Co. A Kurt Weill double bill of The Seven Deadly Sins and Mahagonny Songspiel (2022) for Red Line Productions and Ratburger (2024) for CDP Theatre Producers.

Shannon choreographed Inferno (2023) The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and Send For Nellie (2024) Sydney Festival. Her work on large-scale events includes choreography for the Netball World Cup Opening Ceremony (2015) and she was a choreographic team member for the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony (2020) with Newground Collective and The Michael Cassel Group.

Before transitioning to choreography, Shannon had an extensive dance career in stage, film, television, and major events. She trained in ballet at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence and in Performing Arts at ED5INTERNATIONAL. Shannon's diverse experience and innovative approach make her a sought-after talent in the performing arts world.

ZARA STANTON

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Zara Stanton (she/her) is an award-winning Music Director, Composer and Arranger.

Most recently, Zara was Music Director for the Australian Premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, and Music Supervisor/Vocal Arranger/Orchestrator for the UK premiere of FANGIRLS. Zara’s work on FANGIRLS in Australia yielded an ARIA nomination (Best Musical Theatre Album), and a Green Room Award nomination (Best Music Direction).

Other Music Director credits include BLOOM (Melbourne Theatre Company), Bonnie & Clyde (Joshua Robson Productions), The Deb (ATYP) and The Boomkak Panto(Belvoir St. Theatre).

Zara was the Composer, Orchestrator and Music Director for Metropolis at Hayes Theatre, winning two Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Composition (Independent Production) and Best Music Direction.

Zara is incredibly passionate about promoting representation in musical theatre, particularly for artists of Asian heritage and for female and non-binary musicians and creatives.

RHYS VELASQUEZ

CASTING DIRECTOR

Rhys Velasquez (they/them/she) is an award-winning casting director and creative. A graduate of the Arts Academy, Ballarat, Rhys started their career as a performer and choreographer touring in shows such as Shrek the Musical (GFO), Once On This Island (Altitude Theatre) and choreographing multiple independent musicals and events.

In 2021, Rhys founded Evolution Casting and fast became known for their unique perspective and exciting casting designs. They have won two CGA Awards, for Best Casting in a Theatre Production (Choir Boy) and in a Short Film (Black Trans Miracle). In 2025, Rhys was named one of IF Magazines Rising Stars.

In addition to Evolution Casting, Rhys is the Casting Director for Malthouse Theatre, an independent musical theatre panellist for the Green Room Awards and member of the Casting Guild of Australia. Rhys is driven by a vision for a more equitable and diverse industry, with future ambitions to expand their artistic practice into training, programming and artistic direction.