Kate Skinner

Sister Florence Whiting

Kate Skinner is a proud graduate of Theatre Nepean.

Her theatre credits span both Sydney and London and include Music (Griffin Theatre Company/ Stories Like These), From Door to Door (Moira Blumenthal Productions), The Great Lie of the Western World (Cathode Ray Tube), Drake the Amazing (Darlinghurst Theatre Company/Michaela Kalowski Productions), Moll Flanders (Southwark Playhouse, London), Getting Out (Giant Olive, London), Playhouse (NIDA), Slutterati (Michael Gottsche/Sydney Fringe), Medea and Atomograd (New Theatre), Friday Night Drinks and Dole Diary (Bareskin Productions) and Click Tease (Adelaide Fringe Festival).

Kate has also appeared in a number of film and TV projects including Home & Away, Team 11 (Pilot), Harbord Horror (Torrid Films) and the soon to be completed The Trophy Thief (Arterial Motives). She is currently in post-production for her first short documentary film after being awarded the Metroscreen Jumpstart Grant.

Cheryl Ward

Writer / Producer / Performer – Matron Ada Watson et al

An accomplished actress, she trained under Australian actor Lionel Long before being accepted into the Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles. Cheryl has performed in over 30 theatre shows including most recently the critically acclaimed Top Girls at New Theatre, Newtown. In 2008 she was accepted into the Acting Shakespeare course at RADA where she performed as Queen Lear in the final course production directed by Brian Stirner.

Through These Lines is her first play as a writer. She directed, produced, designed and created the props for the successful 2010 season of Through These Lines, which she staged in the tunnels of Headland Park, Mosman.

Cheryl has over 25 years of experience in the arts and associated industries. She runs her own graphic design business and somehow still fits in being mother to 9 year old Caenwyn. She studied at the prestigious Randwick College of Graphic Design and her clientele includes theatre companies, magazines and business.

Rebecca Barbera

Sister Mary Douglas et al

Growing up in Perth, Rebecca performed in stage productions including Sweet Charity and To Kill A Mockingbird before being accepted into The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2009. While studying at NIDA, Rebecca performed in productions such as Not I directed by Kip Williams, The House of Bernarda Alba directed by Tony Knight,Twelfth Night directed by Tom Healey and Port directed by Kristine Landon-Smith.

Since graduating in 2011 Rebecca has been involved with a number of projects including the touring production of Frenzy For Two directed by Rachel Baring and The Morning Show written by Micah Joel. Rebecca also worked as assistant director on the ATYP production of 4000 Miles, directed by Anthony Skuse. Since 4000 Miles, Rebecca has worked extensively as both an actor and assistant director in the development of new Australian works for a number of independent companies, directors and playwrights. Rebecca was most recently seen in Don’t Look Away’s 2013 production of Rooted directed by Phillip Rouse.

Gareth Rickards

Lieutenant William Davies et al

Gareth trained at Theatre Nepean and since graduating in 2005 has been an active participant in the Sydney theatre scene. Most notably he is an associate artist of the emerging company Clockfire Theatre Co., and performed in their first two productions Lei Hideaway (2012 – winner of the Sydney Fringe Theatre Award) and The Grief Parlour (2013).

Other theatre includes Dole Diary (Bareskin), References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Tap Gallery) and Macbeth (Wildfire). Gareth also spent a year with the South London Theatre Company where he played the lead role of Jack in Peter Barnes’s The Ruling Class (2010).

For television, Gareth has appeared in guest roles on Home and Away, Wonderland and the Emmy award-winning HBO series The Pacific.

Gary Clementson

Captain McLean et al

Gary originally hails from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, but spent his formative years in Perth, Western Australia. He has a Bachelor of Dramatic Art in Acting from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and has recently returned from further study at The Atlantic Acting School in New York.

He is a versatile actor whose theatre engagements have seen him working in over fifteen stage shows, his most recent being Johann in The Pinchgut Opera Company’s The Chimney Sweep composed by Antonio Salieri. Gary is involved in the development and workshopping of new Australian theatre and in 2013 made his film debut in the feature documentary Leeton : The Formative Years, which combined his passion for colonial Australian history and love of screen acting.

Gary is the recent recipient of The Australia Council’s ArtStart Career Development Grant and is currently training to complete his Advanced Stage Combat accreditation through the Society of Australian Fight Directors inc.

Christian Charisiou

Private Harold Jenkins et al

Born and raised in Melbourne, Christian’s career started at a young age, holding guest roles on Neighbours and Blue Heelers during his teen years.

Upon completing his high school certificate in 2009 and taking a year to develop his skills, Christian was then accepted into the first ever Actor/Musical Theatre Degree course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art where he graduated in 2013. During his three years at NIDA Christian had the opportunity to perform various roles in such shows as Tom Waits and Robert Wilson’s musical Woyzeck, Cloud Nine, Othello and Sunday in the Park with George.

Christian is overjoyed to be a part of the ensemble and hopes to bring great life and justice to these stories of WWI.

Mary-Anne Gifford

Director

Mary-Anne is a critically acclaimed Director and Playwright, Dramaturg and Lecturer.

She holds multiple tertiary qualifications in Theatre and Film studies, Dramatic Art in Directing, and Dramatic Art in Writing for Performance. She has directed a wealth of productions both in Australia and abroad for such companies as the Sydney Theatre Company and The Hanoi Youth Theatre, Vietnam.

She has also been Artistic Director for numerous theatre companies including New Theatre, Railway Street Theatre and New England Theatre Company, and was the Manager of the Part-time Courses and Open Program Productions at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney. Mary-Anne is currently doing a PhD in Australian vaudeville and working freelance (director, writer, tutor for NIDA open and North Shore Drama).