SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OF THE MIDDLE CLASSES

Hannah Moscovitch

Hannah Moscovitch is an acclaimed Canadian playwright, TV writer and librettist whose work has been widely produced in Canada as well as around the world. Hannah has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Trillium Book Award, the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award, both The Scotsman Fringe First and The Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Festival, and the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize administered by Yale University. She has been nominated for the international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, New York City’s Drama Desk Award, and Canada’s Siminovitch Prize and Governor General’s Award(twice each). Past stage work includes her theatre-rock concert hybrid Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, co-created with Christian Barry and Ben Caplan, which has been touring internationally since 2017, and won the 2019 Bank Sa Adelaide Fringe Pickin Australia. Hannah is a Playwright-In-Residence at Tarragon Theatre, in Toronto.

Petra Kalive

Petra is Associate Director at Melbourne Theatre Company and has previously directed Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, The Lifespan of a Fact, Touching the Void, Hungry Ghosts and Melbourne Talam (Green Room Award-nominated Best Director) for the Company, as well as Pandora for MTC NOW. Later this year she will direct the world premiere of Laurinda for the Company. She has also worked for Sydney Theatre Company, Arena Theatre Company, Complete Works Theatre Company, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Monash University Centre for Theatre and Performance, La Trobe Performing Arts Department and the Victorian College of the Arts. Recent directorial credits include: Taxithi (fortyfivedownstairs – Green Room Award-nominated Best Director); Oil Babies,which she also wrote(Lab Kelpie – shortlisted for the NSW Premier Literary Awards); and My Brilliant Career, a musical adaptation by Dean Bryant and Matthew Frank of the Miles Franklin novel (Monash University). Petra was Artistic Director of Union House Theatre from 2014-2019.

Dan Spielman

Dan Spielman has previously appeared in The Blind Giant is Dancing for Belvoir. Dan’s other theatre credits include Photograph 51, Macbeth and The Seagull (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Cherry Orchard, The Season at Sarsaparilla, The Lost Echo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Attempts On Her Life (Sydney Theatre Company); Golem Story, Knives in Hens, The Ham Funeral, The Journal of the Plague Year (Malthouse); Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare); Ivanov (Eager Seamstress); and over a dozen productions with Keene/Taylor Theatre Project. Dan will next be seen on screen in New Gold Mountain and was recently seen in The End, Stateless and Secret Bridesmaid’s Business. His other television work includes Reckoning, Sisters, The Code, Deep Water, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Offspring, Mary Bryant, The Secret Life of Us, Wildside and Raw FM. Dan’s feature film credits include The Hunter, Tom White and One Perfect Day.

Izabella Yena

Izabella Yena’s Melbourne Theatre Company credits include the 2021 season of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes directed by Petra Kalive, the Olivier Award-winning comedy Home, I’m Darling, directed by Sarah Goodes; The Violent Outburst that Drew Me to You (part of the 2019 Education Program); and creative developments for SLAP. BANG. KISS and The House of Bernarda Alba. A 2016 VCA graduate, Izabella’s previous theatre credits include Lifetime Guarantee, Fierce and Kerosene (Theatre Works); a Helpmann Award-winning national tour of Hello, Goodbye & Happy Birthday (Performing Lines); Atomic creative development (Malthouse Theatre); 2.20am (Anvil Production); and a stage reading of Thigh Gap (La Mama). Izabella played the role of Shirin Abbas in the feature film Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, directed by Tony Tilse. She was a 2016 VCA Patricia Kennedy Award winner; a 2016 Melbourne Fringe Best Performance nominee; and a recipient of the 2015 Pratt Bursaries Scholarship.

Marg Horwell

Marg Horwell is a multi-award-winning set and costume designer. She has designed for The House of Bernarda Alba, Lilith the Jungle Girl (with Sisters Grimm), Birdland, I Call My Brothers, Peddling, Cock, Constellations, Marlin, The Dream Life of Butterflies, The Water Carriers, Circle Mirror Transformation (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Picture of Dorian Gray, How to Rule the World, Lord of the Flies, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Company); Melancholia, Bliss, Caravan, Blasted, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, The Testament of Mary, The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man, I Am a Miracle, The Good Person of Szechuan, The Homosexuals or ‘Faggots’ (Malthouse Theatre); Salome (English National Opera); Avalanche (The Barbican); Unsere Kleine Stadt (Theater Basel); Anthem (Performing Lines); Lorelei (Victorian Opera); Leviathan (Circa); Shit, Love, Big Heart, Savages (Dee & Cornelius). Awards: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 Greenroom Awards, 2013 Sydney Theatre Awards.

Rachel Burke

Rachel Burke has an extensive and highly awarded body of work over three decades for mainstage companies, independent theatre and architectural lighting design, both nationally and internationally. Selected Theatre Design: True Minds, Constellations, The Man from Mukinupin ( Belvoir/MTC); Walking into the Bigness, Black Medea and Parramatta Girls (Malthouse/ Belvoir); The House of Bernada Alba, The Father ( STC/MTC); Melbourne Talam, Buyer and Cellar, Cock, Solomon and Marion, Marlin (Arena / MTC); Coup D’Etat, True West (MTC); Cinderella, Swan Lake-Stephen Baynes, Dark Lullaby, Ballet Imperial, Unspoken Dialogues, Molto Vivace (The Australian Ballet); Cargo, Woman Bomb, Moth (Malthouse /Arena). Recent critically acclaimed work includes SHIT (Dee & Cornelius); Facing Medea (La Mama/Jenny Kemp); The Ghetto Cabaret (Fortyfivedownstairs / Kadimah Yiddish Theatre) and Balit Liwurruk: Strong Girl (St Martins Theatre). Her awards include nine Green Room Awards for Excellence in Theatre Lighting Design, 2005, 2010 and 2019 IES Victorian and National Awards of Lighting Excellence; and Helpmann Award nominations in 2005 and 2015.

Darius Kedros

Darius Kedros is a sound designer, composer and music producer working across theatre, screen, immersive installation, virtual reality and audio. Darius’s interest lies in the role of sound and music in transformative, immersive storytelling. Theatre works include Hungry Ghosts and Melbourne Talam (Melbourne Theatre Company); Big Heart (Dee & Cornelius); and the Helpmann Award-winning Mother (If Theatre). Screen credits include scoring The 51st State (Momentum/Alliance Atlantis), and various documentaries and short films. Other works include Bathing Beauties and Memorandium (ABC Radio National); virtual reality experiences for Oculus, and MIFF official selection 2017; installation Batmania with sculptor Kathy Holowko (Federation Square); and the work-in-progress Introduced Species in collaboration with Roslyn Oades and Mark Coles Smith (Creative VIC, City of Melbourne). Darius had a background as a recording artist and music producer for major and independent record labels before moving to Australia from the UK in 2013.

Matilda Woodroofe

Matilda Woodroofe is a Designer with a diverse body of work spanning across theatre, dance, film/TV and events. Design Associate credits include Random (Belvoir St Theatre), Minnie and Liraz (Melbourne Theatre Company), Because the Night (Malthouse Theatre) and Going Down (Malthouse Theatre/ Sydney Theatre Company). Select Set and Costume Design credits include Stay Woke (Malthouse Theatre Company/ Darlinghurst Theatre Company),  POONA (Next Wave), A Normal Child (Ridiculusmus/National Disability Slapstick Plan), Air Race and Trapper (Arena Theatre Co). Select screen credits include Spear (Bangarra Dance Theatre), 2040 (Madman Productions), Get Krack!n S1&2, Cleverman (ABC) and Preacher S4 (Sony Pictures and DC Entertainment). In 2016, Matilda completed a year long Emerging Designer artist placement with THE RABBLE. Matilda is a co-creator of I See You Like This, a touring portrait project for children. Matilda has worked as part of the design team on RISING Festival 2021 and 2022.

Isabella Vadiveloo

Isabella Vadiveloo is a Melbourne-based theatre maker with a strong interest in the development of new, form-pushing and politically engaged performance. She completed a Masters of Directing Live Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2020. Isabella has directed and devised on shows including Unsuckle and If Needed, Repeat (La Mama Theatre); The Ways I Kill Myself (VCA); Crash Pad (The Butterfly club); Section 32 (Immerse Festival); At the End of the Alphabet at the Bottom of the Sea (Crack Theatre Festival). She is a former member of The Dig Collective and was an associate artist with Teatro De Los Sentidos during their 2016 Australian tour. As an artistic director and creative director, she has co-presented Mudfest for the University of Melbourne and the Small and Loud program for Arts Centre Melbourne.

Michala Banas

Michala Banas is a multi-award winning actor with over 35 years professional experience as a performer on stage and screen. In early 2019, she travelled to the UK to train as an Intimacy Coordinator with Ita O’Brien, founder of Intimacy on Set. Since completing her training, Michala has been working extensively as an intimacy coordinator. Her MTC credits include Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Torch the Place, Home, I’m Darling and Emerald City. Michala has also coordinated on Faust (Opera Australia), Black Ties (Ilbijerri Theatre Company) and on screen for Wentworth (Foxtel), Clickbait (Netflix) and The Newsreader (ABC). The role of intimacy coordinator is still fairly new to the industry here in Australia, and is proving to be instrumental to the safe and sometimes mishandled creation of intimate content. Michala is thrilled and honoured to be working on Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, and is extremely proud that MTC has embraced the engagement of intimacy coordination so wholeheartedly.

Xanthe Beesley

Xanthe Beesley is a movement director and performance maker with a background in theatre and dance. She has worked with and taught for some of Australia’s leading arts and cultural organisations including the Victorian College of the Arts, La Mama, Melbourne Fringe, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and KITE Theatre – where she was resident movement artist. Her recent movement direction/theatre-making credits include My Brilliant Career (Monash University); Oil Babies (Lab Kelpie/Darebin Speakeasy); things we should talk about, The Lonely Crowd, Ida (Union House Theatre); Ricercar (Present Tense/Theatre Works); Body Move Space (Footscray Community Arts Centre) and performer/collaborator In Plan (Michelle Heaven/Castlemaine State Festival). Xanthe holds a Master of Theatre Practice from the VCA and was a participant in the 2019 Women in Theatre program at Melbourne Theatre Company. She is currently the Artistic Director of Union House Theatre.

Lisette Drew

Lisette Drew is a writer and stage manager based in Naarm, Melbourne. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Production in 2009, Lisette has worked nationally and overseas on over 50 productions in theatre, opera and ballet, bringing more than 20 shows to life with Melbourne Theatre Company. Recent credits include; The Heartbreak Choir, As You Like It, The Lifespan of a Fact, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, Torch The Place, Golden Shield, The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You, Lady in the Van, The Architect, An Ideal Husband, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls, John, Melbourne Talam, Switzerland, Straight White Men, Ladies in Black.

In 2020, her passion for writing came centre stage with her play Breakwater being shortlisted for the Edythe Brooke Cooper Playwrighting Competition and the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award, her novel The Cloud Factory longlisted for the Hawkeye prize, her short story published in a Lockdown Anthology and two stories commissioned by Melbourne City of Literature. In 2021 she was the recipient of the HotHouse Greenhouse National Artist Residency, developing her play Breakwater with local young theatre makers. In 2022 she is a recipient of the Kill Your Darlings Mentors Program. Lisette shares her love for stories and storytelling running writing and theatre workshops for children.

Holly Fernanda

Originally from Sydney, Holly entered the arts industry as a young performer and was introduced to stage management while completing her Certificate III in Live Production (2017–18), igniting a keen interest in theatre, film, television, and event work. Since graduating the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2021, her theatre credits include “Opening Night” (2022) adapted by Carissa Licciardello, and “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes” (2022) directed by Petra Kalive.