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Monday 15 July
Tuesday 16 July

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Copyright 2024 Music Theatre Futures
Creating Culture
and Connections
In this panel discussion, Michel Hryce (Michael Cassel Group), Tyran Parke (VCA, Australian Music Theatre Festival), Karen Cummings (Sydney Conservatorium), Katy Warner (Arts Centre Melbourne), and leading man and mainstage director Bert LaBonté, will explore what it means to be part of creating culture and how they foster connections in their work.

The panel will unpack how inclusive cultures can nurture creativity and be conducive to innovation and discuss the relationship between musicals, as cultural products, and their impact on the broader culture.

MICHEL HRYCE
As Director of People and Culture, Michel leads the company’s human resources strategy and labour relations across the company’s slate of productions, including talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organisational structuring and cultural enrichment, as well as employee learning and advancement programs, with responsibility for supporting a diverse workforce of over 500 employees. 

Prior to joining Michael Cassel Group, Michel served as In-house Counsel, Director of People and Culture at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australia’s flagship orchestra. 

Bringing to the role extensive experience in theatre, entertainment and labour relations, Michel served, for eleven years, as National Director of Theatre, Lawyer and NSW Secretary for the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) negotiating collective bargaining agreements on behalf of the union’s members with SBS, the Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Dance Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and national theatre companies in both the subsidised and commercial sector. Following her time at MEAA, Michel was General Manager, Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the Sydney Ferries Corporation from 2004 until 2009. 

In August 2023, the Australian Government’s Minister for the Arts announced Michel as one of six inaugural members of the Creative Workplaces Council of Creative Australia, previously the Australia Council of the Arts. The role of the Creative Workplaces Council is to inform and support the operation of Creative Workplaces. The Creative Workplaces Council will promote fair, safe, and respectful l workplaces for Australian artists and arts workers. It will support arts workers and arts organisations. Michel’s appointment is for 4 years commencing 24 August 2023. 


TYRAN PARKE
Tyran is a director, singer, producer, educator who runs his own company, Clovelly Fox Productions, is the Head of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Musical Theatre Program and is the new Executive Producer of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival, in Launceston. With credits that span Shakespeare, plays, musicals, cabaret, concerts and opera, Tyran is considered one of Australia’s most exciting directors.  

Professional Directing credits include the musicals; ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, ‘Lovebites’, ‘Cheek to Cheek’, ‘Rent’, ‘The Goodbye Girl’, ‘A Chorus Line’, ‘Hello Again’, “Sunday in the Park with George” the plays;‘Thom Pain’, ‘Pool (no water)’, ‘The Laramie Project’, ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Proof’ and the operas; ‘The Coronation of Poppea and ‘The Fairy Queen’.  

Concert work includes the acclaimed ‘Rob Mills is Surprisingly Good’, Debra Byrne and Vika Bull in ‘Tapestry’, Caroline O’Connor’s, ‘From Broadway with Love’ and three separate national tours of ‘From Broadway to La Scala’ , over a six-year period. Other productions include the acclaimed, ‘Ordinary Days’ (Green Room Award – Best Director), ‘Big Fish’ (Broadway World and Glugg nominations- best director), Falsetto’s’, (Green Room Nomination- Best Director) and the opera ‘The Coronation of Poppea’ (Opera Chaser Award – Best director of an Opera) ‘Assassins’, ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Follies’.  

Tyran directed the musical, ‘Barnum’ starring Todd McKenny and Rachael Beck and directed the national tour of ‘Chess’starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Paulini and Rob Mills.

www.tyranparke.com


KAREN CUMMINGS
Karen is a Wiradjuri and Irish background educator, singer and composer. She worked in the University of Wollongong ‘s Theatre and Music programs for over a decade and now works in the Music Theatre Program at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Karen has been involved in developing music programs for First Nations’ students in High Schools in NSW. She has also been coordinating a project connecting Music Theatre students with Yuin cultural leaders as part of a project to decolonise the Music Theatre curriculum. 

As part of Deborah Cheetham’s company Short Black Opera (with which she has had a 15 year connection) Karen has worked with young members and potential members of the Dhungala Children’s Choir . She has also been part of a community program on Dharawal country for First Nation’s girls in High Schools connecting to language, culture and song. 

Karen has a particular interest in the barriers to entry for First Nations and working-class students to Performing Arts Programs in Tertiary Institutions in Australia and of the representation of First Nation Stories in Music Theatre in Australia.  

Karen’s first composed work was performed as part of the vocal work Creation (Deborah Kelly and Lex Lindsay) as part of the All About Women Festival (Sydney Opera House February 2022,) Newcastle Festival (October 2023) World Pride (2023) and Inner West Festival 2024. 

Karen is currently developing a voice/movement/sound /text work responding to the Coal Mining history on Wadi Wadi country where she lives. It is a collaboration with Ben Caudora (music producer and artist), Linda Luke (Bodyweather) and Lana Filles (Shopfront Theatre) will be shown in development stage in July 2024 for Merrigong Theatre. She is also working with Kit Spencer on a work for Sydney Fringe exploring the transgender singing voice and Castrati repertoire. 

She has performed over the last 30 years works by Australian composers Andree Greenwell, Sally Whitwell, Richard Vella, Martin Wesley Smith, Rosalind Page, Stephen Adams Australian Dance Theatre, Opera Australia and the Victorian State Opera. She has recorded and performed live for the ABC and a range of Festivals. 


ZOE RINKEL
Zoe is a creative producer and arts learning specialist in the Creative Learning team at Arts Centre Melbourne. She has over 15 years' experience working with artists and arts organisations to design and deliver meaningful learning programs for schools, young people and emerging artists with a focus on self-determined programming, diversity of voices, developing safe spaces for creative expression, and creating lasting connections with the arts.

Zoe is a member of the Board of Directors of Aardvark Music, a not-for-profit organisation that brings music mentoring opportunities to young people who are experiencing adversity due to chronic illness, mental health challenges or unstable home lives.  Zoe has been a performing musician for over 25 years, with experience in live music, theatre, TV and studio recording. She has explored most genres; writing and performing with rock and soul bands, jazz, folk, and country outfits, and producing electronic music.


BERT LABONTÉ
One of Australia’s leading men, Bert’s Melbourne Theatre Company credits include: The Truth, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Lungs, Rupert, Birdland, The Mountaintop, Elling, A Behanding in Spokane, Clybourne Park, Richard III and others. For Sydney Theatre Company, he has performed in Fences, A Raisin in the Sun, All My Sons, The Grenade and Spelling Bee, and his Malthouse Theatre credits include: Cloudstreet, I am A Miracle, Time Share. 

Musical theatre credits include: Moulin Rouge The Musical (Global Creatures) The Book of Mormon (Watchtower Productions), Helpmann Award Winner An Officer and a Gentleman (Gordon Frost Organisation), Chess (The Production Company), Grey Gardens (The Production Company), Pippin (Kookaburra Theatre), Full Monty (IMG / David Atkins), Jesus Christ Superstar (Really Useful Group), Showboat (Livent/Marriner Productions), Guys and Dolls (Ambassador Group).  

Screen credits include: Colin from Accounts S1 & 2 (Easy Tiger), NCIS Sydney S1 & 2 (Paramount +), Erotic Stories (SBS), Spooky Files (ABC), Five Bedrooms (Networks Ten), Pieces of Her (Netflix), Lie With Me (Fremantle), FISK (ABC), The Newsreader (ABC), Surviving Summer (Netflix/Werner Film Productions), More Than This (Baby Banksia), Jack Irish (ABC), Wentworth (Foxtel), Playing for Keeps (Network Ten), Upper Middle Bogan (ABC), Tomorrow When The War Began (ABC), Lowdown (ABC), Wilfred (ABC), The Let Down (ABC/Netflix), and Squinters (SBS). Film credits including Animal Kingdom (Porchlight Films) and The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (Kathy Morgan International).
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