Theatre Works Board

Suzanne Chaundy (Chair)
Theatre Director and Practitioner. 

Suzanne has been a professional theatre director for close to 3 decades.  She has directed across a number of performing art forms including text based theatre, opera, musicals and outdoor physical theatre.  Companies she has worked with include Anthill Theatre, West Australian Opera, Opera Australia, IMG and Strange Fruit.  She has been a member of a number of theatre related boards and panels over her long career.

Liam Nankervis (Deputy Chair)
Senior Associate at Blake Dawson

Liam Nankervis specialises in intellectual property matters. Liam's experience includes advice on a wide range of commercial matters, including contractual and licensing arrangements. Liam has conducted extensive litigious work in relation to trade mark and copyright matters. He acts for some of the world's best known brands, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Lacoste, Hugo Boss and Cadbury, to name but a few. Liam also has a keen interest in theatre and music and performed for many years in Melbourne's "Wadaiko Rindo" Japanese drumming group.

Charles Baird (Treasurer)
Qualified accountant and Company Secretary.

A Fellow of both CPA Australia and Chartered Secretaries Australia with over 40 years experience in accounting and company administration including 25 years at Ansett, 4 years with the Greenchip Group of companies and currently over 11 years with Blake Dawson. Served as a director of the Ansett staff credit union for 17 years prior to it merging and becoming MECU credit union and have been a director and treasurer of Theatre Works since 1999.

Fr James Minchin
Anglican Priest, Christ Church St Kilda

Since 1998 Fr James Minchin has been Vicar (parish priest) of Christ Church St Kilda Anglican Parish, based on the historic site whose parish hall Theatre Works leases. He serves ex officio on the Board. As well as his church commitments, he brings to bear his training, experience and insights as an author, composer and musician, lecturer/animateur, and media commentator on matters affecting church and society/culture. He is a graduate in classics, theology and politics. He was ordained in 1966 and has served in urban and rural Victoria, Singapore and England (Oxford).

Sarah  Austin
Theatre Director and Practitioner.

Sarah is as a theatre director, dramaturg and curator and has worked in arts companies in both Australia and overseas. Her work as an artist is varied, and includes collaborating with emerging Australian writers on new theatre works and working in devised contexts with a range of artists. Currently, Sarah is a committee member of Theatre Network Victoria and the Artistic Director of St Martins Youth Arts Centre in Melbourne.  

Suzanne Heywood
Performance Consultant

Suzanne has been involved in the performing arts for most of her life. She has worked as  performer, an arts educator and performance coach specialising in Voice. She has been on the faculty of both the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts and been a guest teacher at NIDA and many drama schools. Currently she is a freelance consultant to theatre, film and television.

Karen Treloar:
Project Leader, Regulatory Framework, Tertiary Education Quality Standards Authority Taskforce.

Karen Treloar has worked in a number of policy strategic planning and review roles across Tertiary Education.  In her roles she has been responsible for the project management and success of a number of complex institutional projects involving an array of stakeholders. Karen was awarded a Victorian Public Sector Scholarship to undertake an MBA specialising in public sector management and has recently completed her PhD on aspects of the Australian innovation economy. In 2009 Karen completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Company Directors Course, and is a member of the Theatre Works board.

Ben Starick:
Marketing, Publicity and Graphic Design

Ben Starick is the account director at Starling Communications and Millimetre – working in publicity, marketing and graphic design on a variety of corporate and arts related projects. He is a public relations graduate from RMIT University, associate director of Hoy Polloy Theatre Productions and board member of the Victorian Writers' Centre. Ben has worked with Arts Victoria, Regional Arts Victoria, fortyfivedownstairs (theatre and gallery), Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Platform Youth Theatre, Melbourne Writers' Theatre, Larrikin Ensemble Theatre, Perilous Productions and the Melbourne International Film Festival. Ben was publicist and marketing consultant for the world premiere of Australian and local works including Whiteley's Incredible Blue by Barry Dickins, Crossed by Chris Summers, Cafe Scherherazade by Therese Radic – based on the novel by Arnold Zable (including the return season), Do not go gentle... by Patricia Cornelius, Bare Witness by Mari Lourey, The Cat's Paw by Christine Croyden, The Real Thring by Barry Dickins and Killing Jeremy by Bridgette Burton. 

Kate Kendall:
Actor

Kate Kendall is a highly regarded Melbourne actor who recently starred in the Melbourne Theatre company's Next to Normal. She has worked with Australia's major theatre companies as well as performing in a variety of notable independent theatre productions.  Kate's body of work includes Furious Mattress and Kitten (Malthouse), Cheech, Art and Soul (MTC), Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Australian Shakespeare Company), The Red and the Black, The Lover (Stork Theatre), Solstice (STCSA), Richter/Meinhof Opera (Melb International Festival of Arts) and The Vagina Monologues (Adrian Bohm Presents).  Film includes Eliminated, Matching Jack, Belladonna and Night Train.  Kate’s television appearances include Conspiracy, Rush, City Homocide, The Pacific, The Librarians, Blue Heelers and The Started Wife (USA).  Between 2008-2004 Kate played Angie Piper in Stingers for which she was Nominated for a Logie for Most Outstanding Actress in a Television Series.

Trevor White:

Trevor White, M.Bus, MAICD, FAIM, has over 30 years experience in the services sector as a CEO and 10 years experience as a Company Director.

He is a Director and the Chair of the Audit and Risk committee of a major University Subsidiary company, Director and Secretary of a St Kilda Community Association, Past Chair of a National Professional Industry Association and is the Director of his own consultancy.

Trevor has presented at National and International conferences in the UK, USA and NZ and worked in the USA in the early 1990s.

His strengths are in the areas of Governance, Finance, Risk, Marketing and in the development and execution of Strategic Plans that ensure a sustainable future for organisations that cares for the environment and people.

He is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Lisle Jones [Board Proxy for Father James Minchin]