Friday 26 March 9pm

Diana Popovska is a Macedonian-born, queer actor, filmmaker and theatremaker living and creating on stolen Gadigal Land. Her work examines notions of culture, gender and explores the immigrant experience in Australia. Diana studied at the Atlantic Theatre School in New York City under Anya Saffir and Kelly Maurer from Siti Company. On film, Diana has been mentored by Baz Luhrmann and Miranda Tapsell. Diana runs queer independent theatre company LUME productions with fellow collaborators Brenna Harding and Mia Lethbridge. Their first work was the Australian premiere of Audrey Cefaly’s The Gulf, which saw Diana and Brenna play the two leading roles. Most recently, Diana worked with award-winning director, Kate Gaul, where she played Marjory in the Sydney Premiere of Jen Silverman’s The Moors. Diana also assistant directed for Gaul on Siren Theatre Company’s acclaimed production, Penelope. Diana’s theatre credits include: Cowboy Mouth, which she produced alongside Nicholas Denton, Metamorphosis, Never Let Me Go, The Hero Leaves One Tooth, Macbeth and The Hypochondriac.  As a filmmaker, Diana has worked with Blunt Gorilla Production House and GoodStyle Productions. Diana has written and directed several short films and the award-winning short documentary, What If We Are Different?, as well as releasing Plans, a seven-episode web series which she wrote, directed, produced and starred in. Diana recently finished filming the Stan series, Bump. Her other TV credits include Rake and feature film Skinford.

Phoebe Grainer is a Kuku Djungan, Muluridji, Wakaman, Tagalaka, Kunjen, Warrgamay and Yindinji woman from Far North Queensland. Phoebe grew up on her remote traditional lands Yoolboonboo, and other Aboriginal Communities and regional towns throughout the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Phoebe studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, completing a Certificate IV in Aboriginal Theatre. Now based on Gadigal land, she studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). She has performed in Saltbush (2017), Two Hearts (2018), The Serpent’s Teeth (2018), Doing (2019) and Rainbow’s End (2019). Phoebe is also a creative producer at Sweatshop Literacy Movement, mentoring Indigenous students from the Campbelltown region and editing a new Sweatshop anthology called Racism. Her recent essays, poems and short stories have appeared in The Lifted Brow, SBS Voices, Red Room Poetry and Sweatshop Women Volume One and Two. Phoebe has also been selected to be a part of the 2020-2021 BlackWrights program, ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s 12-month playwriting development program bringing new First Nations work to the stages of Australia.

Julia Rorke’s ‘Wild Hoe/Spectacle Girl’ is her 3rd solo theatre show. ‘Don’t Be A C***: This Is How’ toured Adelaide Fringe, MICF and Edinburgh Fringe to sold out rooms across all festivals. ‘Not Another F**ked B*tch In India’ won emerging artist in comedy at Adelaide Fringe and was nominated for the Golden Gibbo at MICF (Malthouse Theatre). ‘Jeneane’s Kinky Room Of Astrology & Ciggiez’ toured to MICF, Bondi Feast and Edinburgh Fringe (Underbelly UK). Her web series that she wrote, produced and starred in, ‘Fake Nation’ & ‘Loose B*tch’ are on Facebook and Vimeo. Her short play ‘Victoria’s Secret Angel Virgin/Bakerz Delight’ was developed through the 2017 ATYP National Studio and was published by Currency Press. She is currently developing an adult animated comedy series with Princess Pictures & Bento Box Entertainment and a drama series with Macgowan Films.

Marcus Whale lives and works on Gadigal land in Sydney, Australia. His work across music, performance and text focuses on the blurry, haunted intersection between desire and religion, often with reference to the poetics of memory and ghostliness. As a musical artist under his own name and with groups Collarbones and BV, his recorded output primarily forms an electronic world around his singing. Recent releases include solo album Lucifer (2020), and Collarbones’ fourth album Futurity (2019), longlisted for the Australian Music Prize. Recent performance works, Praise! in collaboration with Eugene Choi and the Lucifer series in collaboration Athena Thebus have been presented by Performance Space, Asia Topa, Next Wave, Sugar Mountain Festival, Underbelly Arts Festival and Art Month Sydney.

Production Stills

Images by Teresa Pham