The engagement of practising professional artists is integral to the WAYTCo methodology, as is ensuring that our artists receive the remuneration, training and support they need to focus on delivering irresistible creative learning programs.
Asha Cornelia Cluer (she/her) is an arts educator, theatre maker and actor from Boorloo. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (UK), she worked as an actor in the West End and for UK No.1 touring shows. Selected theatre credits: Twelfth Night (Fremantle Theatre Co), Conception (Blue Room), ZOG (Freckle), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oddsocks), Macbeth (Bristol Old Vic Studio), Who Cares (Royal Court). As a facilitator, Asha’s work includes Ngalaka Daa 2023 (Yirra Yaakin-WAYTCo), and regular workshops for WAYTCo, Black Swan State Theatre Company, & Emergent Academy. In the UK, she worked for Mountview Academy of Performing Arts, Arts University Bournemouth, Teaching London: LDBS SCITT & Young Actors Theatre Islington.
Nadia Collins (she/her) is an actor, writer, comedian and former lawyer. She has been performing improv, sketch and stand-up comedy since 2008. Training at École Philippe Gauiler in 2016, she was nominated Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2018. Her film work includes lead roles in Partners and An Ideal Host, for which she won Best Actress at Nevermore Film Festival 2020. She has created a number of critically acclaimed solo shows, including The Bride (Winner, Best WA Comedy, Fringeworld 2020), Chrysalis, The Big Thingy, Virgin Bloody Mary (nominated Best Comedy, Perth Fringe 2017) and Bad Egg Boys (co-creator).
Louis Spencer (he/him) is a Walyalup/Fremantle based playwright, director and performer. In 2023, Louis wrote and directed JABRONI for The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights program. In 2022 he performed in Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s production of The Velveteen Rabbit. 2021 saw Louis perform in the Squid Vicious’ production of small and cute, oh no, also at Blue Room Theatre and appeared in television commercials and short films. In 2019, Louis was nominated for the Martin Sims Fringe World Award for his clowning and puppetry style show The Big City, presented at The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights program. He is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with a Bachelor’s degree in Performance Making. Louis is currently Senior Programs Facilitator with the Constable Care Foundation.
Mararo Wangai (he/him) is a Kenyan-born writer, performer and media graduate, with a passionate interest in diverse forms of storytelling. His work strives to avoid simplistic narratives, assesses society critically and remains adaptive, organic and alive through its development until it’s eventual encounter with an audience. Attracted to stories that deal with issues of humanity, Mararo challenges himself to wade far from his comfort zone and produce material that confronts, caresses and sometimes punishes an audience..
Rachael Woodward (she/her) is a theatre maker, performer, puppeteer and teaching artist who describes herself as neuro-diverse. She developed her own show Valentine which was presented at AWESOME International Arts Festival (2018, 2020). As well as creating her own work for ASSITEJ Next Generation Asia, Melbourne’s Festival of Puppetry, and ATYP’s Fresh Ink Program she has performed with companies such as The Last Great Hunt (New Owner), Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, and Sensorium Theatre (Oddysea, Whoosh! Hutan, Wonderbox, Sensory Storytelling). She has a Bachelors in Performance Making from WAAPA and has trained at Bont’s International Clown School. Rachael is passionate about making work with and for young people, engaging communities through art, and making accessible art. As a teaching artist Rachael has taught through AWESOME’s Creative Challenge Program, DADAA, and Barking Gecko Theatre Company.Rachael aims to ignite an audience’s creativity, and imagination by empowering youthful curiosity and playfulness.
Sam Nerida (they/them) is a theatre maker, producer and playwright. They are Perth Festival’s Associate Producer in Creative Learning, as well as a teaching artist for WAYTCo, AWESOME Arts, All Saints College and their own company Static Drive Co. Sam has been commissioned to contribute to APT’s Dear Australia project, has been a Kolyang, KISS Club and Perth Festival Lab artist, and directed The Jellyman (Rhi P Art, 2020). Their play See You Next Tuesday was awarded Best New Writing (TBRT), Best New Work and Best Independent Production (PAWA Awards) for 2019, and their most recent performance credit is TOAST for Black Swan State Theatre Company, 2022. They are also Secretary of the Board of The Blue Room Theatre, and recent Producing credits include Mother of Compost (Noémie Huttner-Koros x Summer Nights, 2022) and Queer as Flux (The Nest Ensemble, 2021).
David Vikman (he/him) David is an actor, theatre maker, and puppeteer from Piteå, Sweden. He is classically trained in dance at the National Swedish Ballet School and Lund Performing Arts School, and completed a diploma of acting at Calle Flygare Theatre School in Stockholm. After moving to Australia in 2018, David graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in 2019. Some of David’s recent credentials include Le Nør (Dialect Coach, The Last Great Hunt), D*ck Pics in the Garden of Eden (Performer, The Last Great Hunt), Rebirth (Performer, APK productions), Shaun Tan’s Rules of Summer (Performer, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre), and the improv group The Big HOO-HAA. He’s a teaching artist for Black Swan State Theatre Company and Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.
Simone Detourbet (she/her) is a Malak Malak & Gooniyandi woman from Darwin, now Perth-based where she is an emerging actor, writer and director. In 2016 she completed the Aboriginal Theatre & Screen Performance Course at WAAPA. Acting credits: Conversations With the Dead (Yirra Yaakin, 2017), Less Light (2018), Grace (2019), I Feel Fine (2019), City of Gold (Black Swan-Sydney Theatre, 2022). Directing: Let Me Finish (Assistant Director, 2018/19), WAYTCo’s 24hr Play Generator (Director of 1x short play, 2021). Simone has also participated in several artist residencies and in 2018 was a key creative for a documentary filmed in Rwanda. Simone is passionate about the development of young people, especially those who are First Nations, underrepresented or disadvantaged.
Adam Kelly (he/him) An emerging theatre artist and a self-described autistic gentleman, Adam has been an actor with WAYTCo since 2017. He has performed in many of the Company’s major productions including Away (2017), yourseven (2018), multi-award-winning REST (2019) and Body Rights (2020). He has also performed in three WAYTCo 24 Hour Play Generators (2017, 2019 & 2021).
For the very first iteration of his solo show ‘ARCO’, a 20-minute version presented as part of ‘Body Rights’ (Fringe World 2020), Adam won the ECU Performing Arts Award. In 2021, Adam worked with James Berlyn (co-writer and original director) and local neurodiverse artist, Ben Hollingsworth (animator), and others, to create feature length ARCO Snr, for mature audiences, and ARCO Jnr, for children and families. The show has toured to national venues and festivals and to the UK, to FUSE International, where it took out the Best of Children & Families Award!
Theatre is a great passion of Adam’s and has brought him incredible pleasure and sense of achievement.
Shaun Johnston(he/him) is a Boorloo-based performer, teaching artist and theatre-maker with a movement practice that incorporates acting, physical theatre, contemporary dance and modern martial arts. A graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (2019) majoring in Performance-Making, and of their Bachelor of Performing Arts Honours (2022) majoring in Dance and graduating with First Class Honours. Whilst at WAAPA, Shaun was a member of LINK Dance Company (2022), and performed in In Your God (James Welsby & Michael Whaites), Something About Love (Sue Peacock). Recent credits include Conception (2023, TBRT) and My Shout (2021) with Undercurrent Theatre Company. Since 2020, he has regularly worked with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, and has performed & taught across regional WA & in Perth while touring Blueback (2023) and Hare Brain (2020).
Shaun recently returned from a professional development in Germany, where he danced in the ‘b12 fall’ workshop festival & completed a month-long intensive in clown with Arthaus Berlin. He is a certified Pilates instructor with a qualification through Polestar Pilates.
