Connecting Australia's Music Theatre research, pedagogy and industry.
Event category:
All
Panels
Presentations
Research
Workshops
Dates:
All
Monday 15 July
Tuesday 16 July
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Copyright 2024 Music Theatre Futures
Connecting Australia's Music Theatre research, pedagogy and industry.
Event category:
All
Panels
Presentations
Research
Workshops
Dates:
All
Monday 15 July
Tuesday 16 July
Instagram / Facebook
Copyright 2024 Music Theatre Futures
Sonya is joined by Jennifer Sarah Dean (Artistic Director, Melbourne Shakespeare Company), Stuart Maunder (Artistic Director, Victorian Opera), Jennifer Medway (Head of New Work, Melbourne Theatre Company), and Jonathan Ware (New Work Development Producer, Sydney Theatre Company).
SONYA SUARES
Sonya has also received nominations for her work on MTC's Melbourne Talam; Polyglot Theatre & Papermoon Puppet Theatre's Cerita Anak; and her webseries pilot,The Quest, which received several international nominations and was awarded at both Melbourne WebFest and London's Wild Indie festivals. She shares a nomination for Best Direction of a Musical with Dean Drieberg for Sunday in the Park with George (2019) and for the digital documentary series, The Art of Making Art (2020). In 2022, she co-directed Into the Woods with Melanie Hillman (6 GRA nominations/ 2 wins); MTC's Cybec Electric series with Isabella Vadiveloo; and worked on the Australian premieres of Fleur Murphy's Hearth (La Mama); Morgan Lloyd Malcolm's Emilia (Arts Centre Melbourne) and Anthony Weigh's Sunday: A Fantasy of Life at Heide (MTC). Last year, she directed Sweeney Todd for WAAPA's graduating year and the Australian premiere of The Lucky Country (Hayes Theatre Co) to a clean sweep of rave reviews. As part of her practice, Sonya is a passionate DEI advocate, championing artists from marginalised communities in large and small ways.
JENNIFER SARAH DEAN
STUART MAUNDER
In 1992 he joined the Royal Opera House (UK) as a Staff Director while continuing to direct in Australia, UK, France and the USA.
In 1999 he was appointed Artistic Administrator of Opera Australia, becoming Executive Producer in 2004. His Opera Australia productions included The Tales of Hoffmann, Manon, Gypsy Princess, Don Pasquale, My Fair Lady and A Little Night Music. His OA productions of Trial by Jury, Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore have been televised nationally on ABC TV.
From 2014 to 2018 Stuart Maunder was General Director of New Zealand Opera where he directed Candide, Tosca, Sweeney Todd and The Mikado.
In 2018, Stuart joined State Opera South Australia as Artistic Director, directing Carmen in the Square, Cunning Little Vixen, The Mikado, Carousel, Sweeney Todd, Bohème on the Beach, Turn of the Screw, Macbeth and Voss. In May 2023 he helmed Australia’s first ever G&S Festival for the company, directing Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, Trial by Juryand The Sorcerer.
In 2021 Stuart directed The Gondoliers for Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte Opera. This production was subsequently broadcast on BBC TV.
In October 2023, Stuart became Artistic Director of Victorian Opera.
His past productions for Victorian Opera have included Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music and The Cunning Little Vixen.
JENNIFER MEDWAY
A dramaturg with over a decade of professional experience in the development of new Australian work, she was Melbourne Theatre Company’s Literary Associate from 2017-2021 and Acting Literary Manager of Melbourne Theatre Company 2021-2022. Prior to this she was Resident Dramaturg at the Australian Theatre for Young People, Studio Artist at Griffin Theatre Company, Associate Artist-Dramatugy at Belvoir, Literary Assistant also at Belvoir, and a regular script assessor and dramaturg for Playwriting Australia.
Jennifer is also a regular guest lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts within their Masters of Directing, Playwriting and Dramaturgy programmes and was on the judging panel for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award’s Book of the Year prize and the Nick Enright Playwriting Prize from 2018-2020.
JONATHAN WARE