Staff

Sanja Simić is an award-winning, Meanjin based theatre director and creative producer, with over a decade of experience in the Australian theatre sector. Recent directorial credits include Naked & Screaming (La Boite, 2021), Caesar (La Boite, 2021), and Lysa & The Freeborn Dames (La Boite, 2018). With the independent company Bodysnatchers, which she co-founded with playwright Mark Rogers in 2010, she has directed Rogers’ Plastic (2017), Soothsayers (2012), and Blood Pressure (Sydney, 2012), as well as multiple seasons of Kirby Medway’s Encounter in Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne. As La Boite’s Creative Producer (2017-21), she delivered consecutive seasons of mainstage work and led the programming team in producing the company’s suite of Artist Development Programs, including the annual HWY festival of new work. She was Director in Residence at La Boite Theatre Company from 2021-22, Development Executive at Unless Pictures from 2021-23, and previously held leadership positions at the Australia Council for the Arts (International Projects) and Performance Space.

Emily Coleman is a Bundjalung-Githabul multidisciplinary creative artist from a long line of storytellers. Her family is from the Bonalbo area of so-called New South Wales, and was raised in the Somerset Region (QLD) on the lands of the Dungidau people. Currently based in Canberra, Emily is the Associate Producer for Theatre Network Australia’s 2023 APAF. she is a QUT BFA (Drama) graduate and the former Artistic Director/Creative Producer of Digi Youth Arts (2019-2022). Emily has worked across a variety of roles including touring actor, writer, community engagement coordinator, theatre-maker, producer, youth engagement facilitator, and designer. She’s had the opportunity to work with renowned First Nations artists and arts practitioners across music, theatre, street art, film, dance and visual art. She has been part of the teams delivering sovereign projects and managing partnerships with Brisbane Festival, 989FM, BLAKSOUND, Inala Wangarra, ABC, QPAC, Spotify, triple j, 4ZZZ, Brisbane Street Art Festival, La Boite Theatre Company, Museum of Brisbane, Yonder Festival & Metro Arts. Notably, she worked throughout remote communities and Youth Detention Centres along the East Coast, and was awarded the Jessie Reid Dyce Memorial Prize for her contributions to community arts in Hunter Valley. Her practice has always and will always be guided by her community and passion for truth-telling. 

Meet Meredith Rehburg, our Production Manager, originally from New Zealand but now proudly calling Australia home since 2015. With a knack for making events run smoothly, she has lent a hand to some cool festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, RISING Festival in Melbourne, Brisbane Festival and Dublin Fringe. She loves the arts and knows the ins and outs of making them happen behind the scenes.

Nadiah Idris, aka Nadiah NfuZion is a multi-skilled creative entrepreneur and artivist wearing various hats across the dance, events and music spaces. She is most known for being Australia’s first and only internationally recognised freelance dancer, educator and choreographer who specialises in Dancehall, various styles from the African diaspora and other street styles. Nadiah’s professional career began in Meanjin in 2008. Since 2015 she has taken her dance beyond its boarders to acquire, share and exchange knowledge globally. To date, Nadiah has performed, adjudicated, instructed workshops and/or produced events Australia wide and in over 30 countries across 5 continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and North America). After years of dabbling in the events space producing her own small scale community events and various experiences working on the team of larger festivals such as Yonder Festival, Brisbane Street Art Festival, Mad Dance Festival, etc., in late 2022, Nadiah launched Nfuze Events, her own event production and talent management company. Constantly striving to broaden her knowledge in arts and culture, Nadiah is extremely passionate, dedicated, generous and authentic in all aspects of her profession. Career highlights include: Cypher of Fyre Battles (Brisbane, 2023), Ladies Take Over Festival (Brisbane, 2023), Juste Debout Dancehall Champion (Paris, 2017), Red Bull Dance Your Style Winner (Brisbane, 2021), SYTYCD Australia Season 4 Top 20, Dancehall Queen of Australia (2008), Queen Blood by Ousmane Sy & Paradoxsal, Boom Badda Dan Finalist (Kingston, 2017), Ladies of Hip Hop Festival (NYC, 2018), Dare to Dancehall by Laure Courtellemont & Ousmane Sy (LA and PARIS), The Blaze Australia Tour (2013), Major Lazer, Kanye West, Robin S and Louboutin.

Claire is a theatre maker, director and producer who creates intersectionally feminist physical/dance theatre. As an artist, Claire has worked with companies such as KxT Bakehouse (Sydney), PACT (Sydney), Ausdance ACT (Canberra), QL2 (Canberra), Zen Zen Zo (Brisbane), Canberra Youth Theatre (Canberra), Canberra Theatre Centre (Canberra), Q Theatre (Sydney) Square One (Brisbane), Backbone Youth Arts (Brisbane), La Boite (Brisbane) and more. She has produced work across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with shows including Long Live The King at La Mama Theatre in 2022 and Don’t Walk Alone in Canberra in 2021 and Brisbane in 2023. In September 2023 she will premiere her new work Crazy Fucking Bitches. Claire has worked throughout the arts sector in a variety of marketing roles across Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane and is currently the Marketing Coordinator at Circa.