shake & stir theatre co

	Ross Balbuziente - Artistic Director Ross has had passion for acting since he was a little tyke! He has twice won the National Globe Shakespeare Competition and as a result has performed on the Globe Stage in London. Ross has acted with numerous QLD theatre companies including La Boite, JUTE, Harvest Rain, Metro Arts and Grin & Tonic and in 2006 was nominated for an Emerging Artist Matilda Award. Ross has been involved in many Film & TV projects and is a regular in various Education Queensland DVD’s. Ross has studied acting at VCA and has a Bachelor of Business in Advertising & Marketing from QUT.
	Nelle Lee - Artistic Director After graduating from USQ in 2004 with a BTA Acting, Nelle went on tour in QLD and VIC with 'Newton's Law'. After finishing three seasons of touring Nelle went on to perform with various theatre companies such as Queensland Theatre Company, La Boite, Harvest Rain and Backbone Youth Arts. She has also been involved in several film and TV productions in and around Brisbane as well as featuring in many radio commercials and animations as a voice over artist. Coming from a dancing background, she has also choreographed a number of cabaret and main stage shows and has taught jazz, tap and ballet to children for a number of years.
	Nick Skubij - Artistic Director Throughout both primary and secondary school, Nick showed a great deal of interest in the performing arts and was always first to volunteer for any activity that involved showing off and that would potentially get him out of maths. He studied classical dance (R.A.D.) and piano before deciding to refocus his attention on acting, and his other passion, singing. He has appeared in many productions as both singer, actor and dancer working for companies including QPAC, Brisbane Festival La Boite, JUTE, KEDT, Harvest Rain, Oscar Theatre Company and Grin & Tonic.
	Lauren O'Rourke- Education Co-ordinator Lauren graduated from USQ in 2007, with a Bachelor of Theatre Arts majoring in Acting. Since then, she has worked as a music composer for various theatre performances and films, performed with Queensland Theatre Company, and has appeared in various TV series and short films. Lauren is also a singer/songwriter and performs at weddings and corporate events. Lauren is excited to be joining the shake & stir team, and looks forward to the 2010 program!
	Penny Farrow - Drama Instructor Penny is a graduate of The University of Sydney. Her varied career has seen her working as a cabaret artist, actor, writer, teacher and director. She has also collaborated on several productions in the workshop stage. Penny had taught drama to all age groups, from pre-prep to adults. Her Queensland-based performance credits include work with Seymour Productions, Oscar, Harvest Rain, Warehaus, Joymas Creative, MadCat Creative and Opera Queensland. In 2006 she was nominated for a Matilda Emerging Artists Award and this year won Best Actress at the inaugural Short & Sweet Festival (Brisbane).
	Melanie Zanetti - Writer/Actor Since Graduating from USQ in 2007 with a Bachelor of Theatre Arts, Melanie has toured with the Queensland Arts Council, performed with Queensland Theatre Company, Harvest Rain Theatre Company and has appeared in a number of TV series, short films and TVCs. Melanie is currently QTC's Emerging Artist and will perform in The Little Dog Laughed and Grimm Tales. She is passionate about writing and creating theatre that really connects with students.
	Simon Wood - Drama Instructor Simon began his creative journey early in life, dancing around his room lip-syncing to Aqua. Nowadays, the Aqua is gone, but his classy style still remains. Currently studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama) with a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) with QUT, Simon's creative style has manifested itself in a variety of forms including writing, acting and directing. His eclectic nature has taken him from the training halls of Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre to the miniature heights required to operate the puppets of Dead Puppet Society and finally to the fully sick van of the shake crew, where he is enjoying his time teaching the next generation of thespians.
	Rio Holland - Drama Instructor Rio started her career in performing as a dancer. Starting at age five, Rio performed with Ballet Theatre of Queensland from 1999 to 2001, appearing in all their productions including Pinocchio and Alice In Wonderland at Optus Playhouse. After graduating from the Queensland Dance School of Excellence with a Diploma in Dance, Rio decided to move on to acting. Since graduating with an Advanced Diploma in Stage and Screen Acting, Rio has performed with various theatre companies around Queensland and also has TV and film credits to her name, most recently the feature film Bad Behaviour. She is delighted to be a part of the shake & stir crew!
	Matt Kirby- Drama Instructor Realising at an early age that mathematics and spelling would never be his fort, in addition to his low boredom threshold, Matt realised many, if not most, career paths would not be realistic options. This was until he realised there was one industry in which his somewhat lacking grasp of the English language could be brushed off with the aid of absurdism. Matt is currently studying Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama) with Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary Years) at QUT. Having performed in several pieces of theatre within Brisbane, such as Elliot is a Boy's Name and The Lost Children; he hopes to continue his training with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre Company in addition to shake & stir theatre co, which currently employ him (thus allowing Matt to eat). Matt firmly believes that theatre should be bold, surprising, thought provoking and above all, FUN.
	Daniele Constance- Drama Instructor Daniele is a young arts worker and theatre maker. She is a graduate from Griffith University with a Bachelor in Popular Music Production and Theatre, and has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Daniele has worked for Youth Arts Queensland; Brisbane Powerhouse, Backbone Youth Arts, and held a secondment position with Australia's leading Dance Theatre Company Force Majeure and Queensland Theatre Company. She has performed, directed and co written works presented at 2high Festival, (Don't Take My Marbles, Harvester of Hearts) and last year saw her join the 2high Team as a Performance Coordinator.
	Nick Allen-Duckett - Drama Instructor Nick is currently studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama) at QUT. He has been heavily interested in acting since primary school and has trained since then with the Australian Acting Academy. Nick has featured in many musical and stage productions including Hounds of Love and Sherwood Stock and TVCs for Ford, Energex and Queensland Transport. Nick is thrilled to be part of the shake & stir team for 2010.
	Johnny Alexander - Drama Instructor Johnny is an avid young performer and instructor. He has appeared in numerous stage productions and TV commercials, most recently including the TVC for Bond University and an overseas TV and web campaign for Brunei hotels and land development. He is passionate about youth theatre and specifically Theatre Sports having trained for many years with various youth theatre organisations. Johnny is currently studying at Griffith University and is pumped to be ‘repping’ shake & stir.