INDUSTRY CONSULTANTS

APAM Industry Consultants

APAM has engaged experienced arts practitioners to be Industry Consultants during APAM 2018. These industry leaders will be available throughout the event to provide support to delegates in navigating the market. You can catch the consultants during the five days of the market. Make sure you say hi!

The Industry Consultants will each mentor a small group of first time attendee as part of the Frist Timers’ Program.

• Simon Abrahams - Creative Director & CEO, Melbourne Fringe
• Nicole Beyer - Executive Director, Theatre Network Australia
• Lee-Anne Donnolley - Producer, Far and Away Productions
• Merindah Donnelly - Executive Producer, BlakDance
• Fenn Gordon - Producer, TandemWorks 
• Simon Hinton - Artistic Director & CEO, Merrigong Theatre Company
• Jade Lillie - Arts Executive, Creative Producer & Facilitator
• Rachael Maza - Artistic Director, ILBIJERRI Theatre Company

Biographies

SIMON ABRAHAMS

Simon Abrahams is Creative Director & CEO of Melbourne Fringe and his work has focused on developing artistic programs which provide platforms for the work of young people, brave artists, emerging artforms and big ideas. Recognised as one of Australia’s arts and cultural leaders, Simon is best known for creating transformational artistic and strategic frameworks for organisations including Polyglot Theatre, the Wheeler Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne and Gasworks Arts Park. Simon was Chair of Theatre Network Australia from 2010 to 2017, and is a co-founder of the organisation. He currently sits on the Victorian Government’s Ministerial Council for Volunteering and the Theatre Panel for the Helpmann Awards.

Simon regularly works as a facilitator, host, performer, peer assessor and arts consultant and in 2015, he completed a research project investigating theatre for young people in Belgium, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. 

Nicole Beyer

Nicole Beyer is a leading Australian advocate for the arts, and a cultural policy specialist. Through her role as Executive Director of Theatre Network Australia, which she has held since 2009, Nicole works to attain greater recognition of the social, cultural and economic contributions of independent artists and small-to-medium arts organisations. She is a champion for Indigenous artists, artists from diverse backgrounds and those with disabilities, and she advocates for a more inclusive arts sector.

Nicole was a key driver of the #FreeTheArts industry campaign throughout 2015-2017, which saw the eventual return of funds to the Australia Council from the federal government’s Catalyst program. Nicole is on the Victorian Minister for Creative Industries’ inaugural Creative State Advisory Board; she sits is on the Executives of ArtsPeak and the Arts Industry Council (Vic); and the Board of Deakin University’s Arts and Cultural Management Program. Nicole has worked as a consulting facilitator, strategic planner and policy adviser since 2005. Previous arts CEO positions include Back To Back Theatre (1996-1999) and Arts Access Victoria (2000-2005). Nicole has a Masters of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) from Monash University (2013).

Lee-Anne Donnolley

Lee-Anne Donnolley is Producer at Far and Away Productions in Adelaide, and works with a range of Australian and international companies. 

She has many years of experience in theatre and dance, from Nimrod and Belvoir to Lighthouse, Australian Dance Theatre to the Australian National Playwrights’ Centre, in festivals and events, and in Australian and international touring. For seven years until the end of 2013 she was Executive Producer for Arts Projects Australia, responsible for a diverse range of touring projects, APAM 2008 -12, Australian International Documentary Conference 2007-12 and ASSITEJ 2008.

Lee-Anne started Far and Away Productions in 2014, and through Far and Away is producer for Ade Suharto, Limosani Projekts and Brink Productions, and also works with international artists such as Dorothée Munyaneza (France/Rwanda) and Jen Shyu (East Timor/Taiwan).

MERINDAH DONNELLY

Merindah Donnelly is a Koori woman based in Meanjin (Brisbane), Queensland. She has worked in First Nations market development for almost decade, specialising in generative and systemic transformation. During this time, she has collaboratively developed research, design and strategy to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and companies to cultivate new markets nationally and internationally.

Merindah has worked for the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australian Performing Arts Market, she has been an ISPA global fellow, collaboratively led a number of major national sector gatherings and is the Executive Producer of BlakDance.  

FENN GORDON

In 2017 Fenn Gordon, returns to independent practice with her own company TandemWorks.  She will continue with contract work for Performing Lines, while building her own practice as a producer specialising in strategic development, producing and international touring.

She has worked with many of Australia’s leading artists including William Yang, Gavin Webber and Grayson Millwood (The Farm), Gravity & Other Myths, Roslyn Oades, ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, and Nicola Gunn.  From 2009 – 2011 she was the Director, Market Development for the Australia Council, responsible for implementing strategies to develop markets for Australian artists and organisations nationally and internationally. 

SIMON HINTON

Simon Hinton has been Artistic Director / CEO of Merrigong Theatre Company since 2005, managing the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre and the Wollongong Town Hall.

He has worked in a range of arts industry positions over the last 20 years, including as Marketing Manager of Queensland Theatre Company and Executive Officer of Ausdance (NSW). He has served on numerous industry boards and committees, currently including the Helpmann Awards Regional Touring (Chair) and Children's Presentation Panels.

Simon has a Masters in Theatre Studies from UNSW and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from UTS Graduate School of Business. Under his leadership, Merrigong has built a reputation as one of Australia's most successful regional companies - producing, presenting and touring exciting contemporary theatre. 

JADE LILLIE

Jade Lillie is a leading practitioner, arts executive, creative producer and facilitator, deeply committed to arts, culture and social change. She is currently a Sidney Myer Creative Fellow. She has held a range of executive positions in government and non-government agencies within Australia working in Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory.  Most recently, Jade has been the Director and CEO of Footscray Community Arts Centre (2012 - 2017).

A history of excellent work in collaboration with artists and communities, has led to Jade’s leadership in the field, a leader continually shaping and articulating what contemporary models of community-engaged practice can be.  

Her creative practice is best articulated as co-design and collaboration with artists and communities in arts and non-arts contexts.  Whilst Jade has held a number of leadership roles in the sector, she is primarily known and respected for her strategy development and practice in community engaged, contemporary art making, collaboration, cultural leadership and advocacy in championing diversity and access.  

RACHAEL MAZA

Rachael Maza is one of Australia's most recognisable faces of the Australian film, television and theatre industry with performance credits including the AFI award winning Radiance, Cosi and Lillian's Story.

A WAAPA graduate, Rachael's outstanding performances have been acknowledged with a Green Room Award and a Sydney Theatre Critics Circle award. Rachael has also worked as a presenter for ABC Message Stick and as Indigenous Liaison Advisor on films such as the multi-award winning Rabbit Proof Fence.

Rachael’s first taste for direction was for directing Stolen (1992) for ILBIJERRI Theatre Company; however, it wasn’t until 2009 that she rejoined the company as Artistic Director. Since then she has directed Sisters of Gelam (2009), Jack Charles V The Crown (2010), Foley (2011) and Which Way Home (2017).