DRIECTOR

Melissa has extensive experience in most areas of stagecraft. As a theatre director, she uses a collaborative process and is known as an ‘actor’s director’. She has a passion for new Australian works. She holds the  NIDA Certificate in Live Production, a BA in Creative Arts from Wollongong University and a Masters of Directing from Western Sydney University. Melissa has directed over 40 major productions and we are thrilled she liked the script of Seed Hunters and is leading our team of ten actors.

Madison Chippendale is an actor and performance maker working across both stage and screen. She graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Creative Arts: Performance and received the BMM award for theatre, allowing her to relocate to Europe, where she worked with Reckless Sleepers (Belgium) and Spill Festival (UK). Her recent credits include: Lou in WALLY presented by Moon Bureau at KXT; The Three Witches in The Prophetic Tragedy of Macbeth & Those Who Knew Him by Alls One Theatre, Olivia in Twelfth Night for Whale Chorus’ Shakespeare Under The Stars summer season. She co-devised the comedy musical Hemlines presented by Moon Bureau at Sydney, Adelaide & Prague Fringe Festivals. Film credits include the indie feature film To The Tooth (currently in post-production), and the shorts Lost (Jury Prize Winner at the MMI Screening Awards) and Ground (Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the Sony Catchlight Festival).

This is Julia's first production with Scene Theatre Sydney.  Previous theatre credits include: Jane Eyre  (Genesian Theatre company, 2024), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Point Break Theatre Co, 2024), Steel Magnolias (Genesian Theatre Company, 2023), & Women's voices: stories to stage (Peach Productions/ Chippen St Theatre, 2022).  For screen, Julia has acted in short films, web series and TV commercials.  Julia’s acting training consists of Australian Theatre for Young People, the Hub Studio and Point Break Drama Studio.

Micah is an English Australian performer who draws upon his skills and interests to fuel unique and engaging performances.  Growing up, Micah tapped into his love for performance through music, dancing, singing, theatre, and circus performing.  He trained at Sydney Actors School where he performed in The 39 Steps as the clown and the lead in Separate Tables.  Recently Micah performed in Bittersweet’s productions of Gosforths Fete and The Potboiler.  He is driven and keen to bring life, laughter and hope through the arts and making someone’s day just a little bit brighter.

Tiang was a businesswoman, educator and nurse in Sydney. She then turned to theatre where she succeeds in both comedy and drama. Her theatre roles include BOOM, Radar and Donald’s Inferno. Tiang’s films include Suka, Paper Daisies, $2 and University student films.  She appeared in the series Coach Dayum, Grouse House’s Pedo San and Coconutface’s Who Invented Moussaka? and Boxing Day.   She wrote and performed DANDELION - When do you stop being a migrant?, a sell- out show  at the Sydney Fringe Festival. 

Don has performed leading roles in a series of Australian plays by Louis Nowra and by Brendon Cowell, at Darlo Drama.  He performed in the Short & Sweet Play Festivals, from 2018 to as recent as April 2025.  He has been in many ’Indie’ film projects, most recently playing Peter Allen in Rio and Third Act.  In his most recent film, No Way Out, Don played a National Parks Ranger tasked with talking suicidal man from a cliff. The film is entered in the Montreal Film Festival.

Joan Rodd is a long standing and outstanding Sydney community theatre performer. She has had leading roles in the Chester Street Theatre, the Pymble Players, the Balmain Theatre Group and the Hunters Hill Theatre.  She has performed in 12 Short and Sweet Festivals, the highlights were War  by Patricia Cornelius and Hibiscus Memories by Bette Gay.  She participated in Crash Test Drama readings for many years.  She learned ‘on-the-job’ and by taking several NIDA summer courses.

Theo Rule has written for and performed on many stages across Sydney and Newcastle. He studied at Actors Centre Australia and has taught drama to young people for many years. Recent stage credits include Henry VI Part 1 (Sydney Shakespeare Company, 2025), Vickie and Vinnie (Coffee House Productions, 2024), The Crucible (Point Break Drama, 2024), Single Ladies (Seed and Bloom, 2023), and Brontë (Genesian Theatre, 2023). He received City of Newcastle Dramatic Awards (CONDA) for his original works I’ll be home for Christmas in 2020 and Saviour’s Day in 2016. Theo is also an editor for Take 5 magazine. This is his debut with Scene Theatre Sydney.

Ben has appeared in Superwog, bringing life to The Garbo King, cementing the character as an audience favourite.  He has worked with Matt Nable and Sam Worthington in Transfusion. Ben has stunts and weapons experience, decades of voice work across all media. and has featured in a myriad of TV commercials. Ben trained with industry guru Ben Mathews at Acting Mastery in Bondi. He supports the creative community as a priority.  He lives in the Blue Mountains with his wife and 5 children. 

Fabiola has trained and worked in several areas including Dance (ballet, tap and jazz), Practical Aesthetics with Melissa Bruder, Commedia Dell'arte - the Comic Mask with Maestro Antonio Fava and FIPS Theatre Troupe, on screen with ACA and presenting at NIDA. Her screen work includes Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. Fabiola played the virtuous Signora Perella in Luigi Pirandello's Man, Beast and Virtue for the Double Belonging Festival. Through a stroke of serendipity in 2023, she was delighted to return to the stage to play Edith in Blithe Spirit and Yvette in Clue for the Theatre on Chester. In 2024, she was cast in Murder by the Book to play Christine, allowing her to continue to rejuvenate her passion for the craft. This is Fabiola's first production with Scene Theatre Sydney. 

Born and raised in country Victoria, Isaac developed a deep love for storytelling from a young age. Driven by a passion for performance and the arts, he made the move to Sydney to pursue a career in acting, where he has participated in both theatre and screen work. With a background in stage performance, Isaac has brought a wide range of characters to life. He has performed as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre at Belvoir Theatre downstairs, Ralph Mayhew in Blue Stockings, and he played John Clifford in the Australian premiere of King Henry 6 Parts 2 and 3 with Sydney Shakespeare company. As an actor, Isaac demonstrates versatility, emotional depth, and a strong command of the craft. His dedication to the stage has provided a solid grounding in character development and live performance, which continues to inform his screen work.

Oliver began his acting career when he was awarded a place at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) in London. In 2017 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Acting. Oliver appeared in many productions including Hitchcock/Blonde which represented England at the 2017 International Theatre Conference held at the Theatre Institute of Barcelona. Oliver’s recent career highlights include The Hound of the Baskervilles, Murder on the Nile and Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime (Genesian Theatre), The One (Little Cup Productions) at the Sydney Fringe, The Crucible (Point Break Drama), Shakespeare in Love (New Theatre) and Henry 6th (Sydney Shakespeare company). This is Oliver’s first production with Scene Theatre Sydney.

PLAYWRIGHT

Carol Dance is the Artistic Director of Scene Theatre Sydney. After retiring as CEO of the Australian Commercial Disputes Centre, she founded Scene Theatre Sydney, where she has championed engaging and global storytelling since 2008.

Carol is also a regular theatre reviewer for Sydney Arts Guide (since 2019) and a contributor to Pearls and Irritations Public Policy Journal. A prolific writer herself, Carol has had four full-length plays produced and 14 short plays performed in festivals.

Carol’s passion for contemporary, thought-provoking theatre shapes everything Scene Theatre Sydney brings to the stage.