Staff & Board

Michael Kantor Chair

Michael is a theatre director born and bred in Melbourne, and has directed theatre, dance and opera for each of the major State theatre companies, as well as all the major festivals across the country.

Michael’s work includes The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Macbeth, The Ham Funeral and for Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney; Moon Spirit Feasting for the 2000 Adelaide Festival which later toured to Melbourne, Berlin, Zurich and Tokyo. Michael directed Chunky Move’s 2003 Melbourne Festival production Tense Dave, which toured to the Sydney and Perth festivals and New York and collaborated as an actor with Barrie Kosky’s Gilgul Theatre, performing in The Dybbuk, Es Brent, The Wilderness Room and The Operated Jew.

Michael was the Artistic Director of Malthouse Theatre from 2004 to 2010 directing many shows, including The Odyssey for the Melbourne and Perth International Arts Festivals, Though the Looking Glass with Victorian Opera, the Meow Meow spectaculars Vamp and The Little Mermaid, that both toured nationally and internationally, Optimism with The Sydney Theatre Company and Edinburgh International Festival, and The Threepenny Opera, also with The Sydney Theatre Company.

His first feature film, The Boy Castaways premiered at the Adelaide International Film Festival in 2015. He then adapted King Lear into two Indigenous languages for a new stage production, The Shadow King, that premiered at the Malthouse Theatre, and for which Michael was awarded The Helpmann Award for direction.

Coincidentally, the first ever show he ever directed was in the underground carpark at Melbourne Uni, and it was listed in that year’s Fringe Festival. Michael is also known for his philanthropic work and is a committed advocate for climate action.

Stephanie Hamilton Deputy Chair

Stephanie is an accomplished leader with over 15 years’ experience working across commercial, business development and project management roles in both Melbourne and London. By nature she is a collaborator who thrives making meaningful connections in business and industry, and thus has spent some years working in development and sponsorship roles in the arts and events, most recently as Head of Development at Melbourne Festival. Stephanie loves to travel to experience all things food, art, music and culture. And she is channelling some of these passions as the Visitor Economy Manager at the City of Melbourne, responsible for ensuring Melbourne’s status as a world class destination for visitation.

Louise Goh (she/her) Company Secretary

Louise is an experienced in-house lawyer in the charities and not-for-profit sector and an accomplished musician trained in jazz and improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Her in-house legal experience includes roles in governance and compliance, along with general commercial legal services.

She is passionate about supporting not-for-profit organisations with their governance processes and frameworks, and about providing a more strategic focus so that not-for-profit organisations can better achieve their purpose and mission.

She is currently General Counsel, Director Legal & Risk at well-known Melbourne animal welfare organisation, The Lost Dogs’ Home.

As a professional musician, she has released two albums and has performed and toured extensively in Australia and overseas, including a season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2018 as a member of ‘Yana Alana and The Paranas’.

Robert Camm (he/him) Treasurer

Robert Camm runs his own consultancy business specialising in providing strategic and commercial advice to Boards, CEOs and Executive teams. With over 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors, he has performed key roles in health service planning, strategic planning, business case development, financial modelling, business analysis, tender evaluation, contract reviews, budget formulation, organisational design, financial management and project management. He is also a Director (and Treasurer) of Maryborough District Health Service and Nillumbik Community Health Service Ltd (trading as healthAbility).

Feyi Akindoyeni Director

With over 20 years’ experience in strategic communications Feyi is one of the country’s most sought after communications consultants. Feyi has a deep understanding of the nexus between policy, politics and business having spent 15 years in public affairs including five years in Canberra leading a bi-partisan team of top government relations experts.

Her counsel is valued by some of Australia’s leading organisations including Google, Bunnings, Officeworks, Uber, CBA, RMIT, Life Without Barriers, the National Farmers Federation, and the federal departments of Health and Ageing, NDIA, Defence, Home Affairs and Education, who look to her for reputational, strategic messaging and engagement counsel around policy, advocacy, effective stakeholder engagement, public affairs and digital communications.

She is a member of the Australian Market & Social Research Society (AMSRS), sits as the president of the Australian Professional Government Relations Association (APGRA) and on the Board of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC). Feyi was also the Federal Arts Minister’s representative on the Board of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation for nine years.

Joel Bray Director

Joel is a proud Wiradjuri man and Melbourne-based artist. After training at both NAISDA and WAAPA, he now performs with Chunky Move and has a practice springing from his Wiradjuri cultural heritage. His first solo performance Biladurang, commissioned for Deadly Fringe in 2017, won three Festival awards and went on to tour nationally and internationally to great acclaim. Re-invented for the digital space, Biladurang 2.0 premiered at Melbourne Fringe’s VCR Fest in July 2020.

Joel’s work has appeared at Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin, Midsumma, Auckland and Dance Massive Festivals as well as Arts Centre Melbourne.

Kirsty Ellem Kirsty Ellem Director

Kirsty founded Artistic Merit in 2007 and has significant experience in the arts and government sectors.

She was inaugural manager of the Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre and has led the Monash University Academy of Performing Arts. She was awarded an Asialink Arts Management Residency to Indonesia and continues to work closely with Indonesian partners.

Kirsty has worked for Arts Victoria, The Monash University Academy of Performing Arts and The Arts Centre amongst others and has been a board member and Chair of Polyglot Theatre, Astra, Gippsland Regional Arts Sale. She is a fellow of the Gippsland Community Leadership Program.

Michael Hyde Director

Michael Hyde, holding a Bachelor of Commerce from Canterbury University in Christchurch, is the Head of Strategy at M&C Saatchi Melbourne.

Michael has significant experience across a variety of clients in the sport, tourism & leisure, arts, FMCG, automotive, health insurance, financial services, education, recruitment and media industries. Michael has a passion for and has significant experience on social impact and citizen marketing, cause related initiatives, and behavioural change programs for Government and NGO’s.

With a career that bridges strategy in both creative and media agencies, Michael is able to bring a unique perspective to the challenges brands and businesses face in a modern and dynamic world, and how to connect with people in meaningful and timely ways.

Michael has a passion for people, insight, and how commercial creativity can influence behaviour and choice. He takes a collaborative approach to developing enduring ideas that connect with people, and contribute to real business and social outcomes.

Over the years his work has been recognized at globally and locally, including multiple creative and effectiveness award winning campaigns.

Outside of work Michael believes in volunteering and community service; he sits on the Parent Council of his daughters’ primary school and is an accredited sports official with Life Saving Victoria.

Felix Moon (he/him) Director

Felix is a public policy consultant specialising in fiscal policy, infrastructure projects and public sector commercial strategy. He is currently a director in PwC’s Infrastructure Strategy and Economics team. Prior to joining PwC, he held numerous roles in government including Principal Commercial Adviser to the Treasurer of Victoria and Budget and Fiscal Policy Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition.

Rupert Sherwood Director

Rupert is a fundraising professional who has worked in the arts for over 20 years in marketing, corporate partnerships and philanthropy management roles for organisations including Melbourne Theatre Company, the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Australian Youth Orchestra. Currently Director of Development at Melbourne Theatre Company and a Director of the Newsboys Foundation, Rupert is passionate about creating opportunities for donors and corporate partners that help them forge deep and long-lasting connections to the arts, and in turn strengthen our artistic community to foster a more creative and empathetic society.

Simon Abrahams (he/him) Creative Director and CEO

During the Festival, Simon can be seen squeezing more art out of a day than you thought was humanly possible.

Simon is Melbourne Fringe’s Creative Director and CEO and is recognised as one of Australia’s arts and cultural leaders. His work explores the intersection of art and civic participation. Simon is a life member of Theatre Network Australia, an organisation he co-founded then Chaired from 2010-2017. Simon has previously served as Head of Programming at the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing & Ideas and as Executive Producer and Co-CEO at Polyglot Theatre. He regularly works as a facilitator, host, peer assessor, mentor, judge and arts consultant, known for his expertise in inclusive leadership, advocacy, dramaturgy, work for children, and art in public space. Simon currently sits on the International Society for the Performing Arts Programming Committee (New York) and the City of Melbourne’s Night Time Economy Activation Taskforce, and he is also a Trustee for the Betty Amsden Foundation.

In 2014, Simon was awarded a CHASS Australia Prize for leadership and was named as one of F+P Magazine’s Movers and Shakers in philanthropy in 2019. In 2016, Simon was hilariously and inexplicably named as one of Executive Style’s Best Dressed Men in Australia. In his personal capacity, Simon is a proud foster carer, caring for vulnerable and at-risk children in his home.

He likes experimental performance and 90s pop divas.

Contact Simon via info@melbournefringe.com.au

Marline Zaibak (she/her) Executive Director & Deputy CEO

Marline Zaibak is obsessed with the arts, and has an unhealthy relationship with parades!  Following her tenure as Acting Co-CEO and Casting Manager at Malthouse Theatre, she is excited to be part of the Fringe team. Previously, Marline served as the Director of Public Programming at Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco and as a Producer of Family and Youth Programs at Art Centre Melbourne.

Toby Sullivan (he/him) General Manager

Toby has experience in producing and management roles at Malthouse Theatre, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Adelaide Festival Centre and Token Events; as well as independently producing scores of touring and festival productions.

He has worked extensively across the performing arts, especially comedy, working in education programmes, creative and professional development programmes, marketing, ticketing, and strategic planning.

Louise Richardson (she/her) Company Manager

During the Festival, Lou can be seen exploring everything Fringe has to offer!

Better known as Lou, she started her time in the arts as an independent artist. Lou performed in the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival alongside some of her university classmates. She went on to volunteer with Fusion Theatre and then produced her own show in 2019.

Lou has been working in event operations across a number of charity and fun run events. When the opportunity rose in 2021, Lou decided to combine her passions and expertise to join the Melbourne Fringe team.

Abbie Potter (She/her) Venue Operations Manager (Common Rooms)

Abbie’s first Fringe experience was attending the newly opened Fringe Common Rooms for a Club Fringe tribute to Janet Jackson, she is excited to be on the other side this year, helping to make these events happen!

Abbie is an events and hospitality legend, originally from the UK, who has made Melbourne her home. Abbie has managed the operation of West End theatres, underground raves, music festival bars and independent arts venues. A true party enthusiast, Abbie finds joy in both managing and attending events of all kinds (especially if they involve fancy dress) and dancing until the sun comes up! When she’s not slinging drinks behind the bar or turning up the volume at the ops desk, Abbie enjoys snacking, roller skating and hanging out with her pet rabbit, Beatrix.

Carly Findlay (she/her) Access Advisor

Carly’s hot tip for Fringe is the words and ideas sessions. She loves a good panel discussion and will probably be live tweeting what’s happening.

Carly Findlay works as Melbourne Fringe’s Access Advisor. She works to educate artists, venues and the wider arts sector in creating accessible shows; and builds and maintains close relationships with Deaf and disabled artists.

Outside of Fringe, Carly is an award-winning writer, speaker and appearance activist. Her first book, a memoir called Say Hello, was released in January 2019. Carly edited the anthology Growing Up Disabled in Australia with Black Inc Books, published in February 2021. She writes on disability and appearance diversity issues for news outlets including the ABC, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, SBS, CNN and Vogue. In 2020, Carly Findlay received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her work as a disability advocate and activist. She’s a new rollerskater, a lifelong Darren Hayes fan and has never met a cheese she didn’t like.

Kaho Chow (he/him) Executive Assistant

Kaho is an avid consumer and enjoyer of the arts, in all its shapes and forms, particularly the quirky and weirder ones that reflect him as a person. Coming from a background of journalism and media, Kaho did a hook turn from teaching media and dance in high schools to kick starting his career in the arts with Melbourne Fringe. Kaho has also spent the past decade mastering coffee and cocktails behind the bar, and he welcomes a good chat anytime. Kaho startles easily. Kaho hates writing in third-person about himself.

Jade Smith (she/her) Sales & Events Coordinator (Fringe Common Rooms)

During the Festival, Jade can be found accruing a stack of unwashed meal-prep Tupperware, having foregone dishes for the sake of art, art, and more art.

If there’s one thing Jade loves, it’s spreadsheets. If there’s a second thing Jade loves, it’s disco balls. Coming from a background of hospitality, events, and theatre, Jade is excited to help put some year-round oomph into Common Rooms.

Outside of the world of Fringe, Jade can be found grinding away at her Master of Arts & Cultural Management, scouring op-shops to scratch the vintage fashion itch, and practicing some of her more out-there hobbies like fencing, banjo-playing, and staring at her Google Calendar. Or some of her less-out-there hobbies like reading depressing non-fiction, attending an overabundance of indie theatre, and curating niche Spotify playlists.

Miranda Borman (she/her) Head of Development

During the Festival, Miranda can be seen waxing lyrical about the BEST event she just saw – it may involve dancing with 400 people in a Town Square or watching a man dance with a soggy cardboard box, it usually always involves a wee bit of nudity (its Fringe, what can you do?!?)

Miranda started her career as an independent artist and then discovered, much to her delight, that she enjoyed selling tickets to the show, more than actually making the show (capitalism, what can you do?!?). Hence, she found her way into marketing in the arts. Prior to Fringe, Miranda worked as a Marketing Consultant in several organisations including the Canberra International Music Festival and Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres. With a firm belief that participation brings social, cultural and personal benefits, Miranda has returned to her indy arts roots at Fringe.

Amelia Saward (she/her) Development Coordinator

During Fringe or any festival for that matter, Amelia suggests not doing what she does and waiting till the last minute to buy tickets for your fav event and finding it’s booked out…oops.

Amelia is an arts worker, artist and writer who loves all things art and history, having completed studies in art history and curatorship. After putting on her own exhibition in the 2019 Festival, she jumped at the possibility of joining the Fringe team. She has worked with a variety of arts organisations, including co-curating the Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s 2020 pandemic inspired project Mass Isolation Australia and is keenly interested in the role of the arts in exploring feminism and socio-politics. She is an avid tea lover, adores a good op-shop and thinks twilight is the best time of day.

Pauline Cady (she/her) Funding, Strategy and Evaluation Manager

During the Festival, Pauline can be seen fleetingly, elusively, like a shadow, sneaking up on great art.

Pauline graduated from Rusden College in 1989 and is a founding member of Snuff Puppets, working with the company as writer, dramaturg, performer and co- Artistic Director with Andy Freer until 2003. She loved every minute of her stint as funding manager at Back to Back Theatre from 2003 until 2016 and joined Melbourne Fringe in that role in 2016.

Dan Giovannoni (he/him) Grant & Copy Writer

Dan’s first Fringe experience was as an artist, and he’s gone on to work for the Festival in countless roles (actually, about seven). As well as grants and copy, he also writes plays for families, young people and adults, and these have been produced across Australia in theatres, school halls, parks, tents and one time in a barn outside of Hobart. Come Fringe time he can be found scouring the program for fun new writing and adventurous experiences for kids.

Casselly Main (she/her) Head of Marketing & Communications

Cass is a festival stalwart, arts lover and big-time culture glutton.

She is an experienced arts and events marketer based specialising in the strategic development and execution of high-impact, agile and creative marketing and communications campaigns. Having cut her festival-teeth in ticketing and FOH roles, she was poached into partnerships before finding a home in development and marketing in organisations as varied as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Melbourne Writers Festival and Arts Centre Melbourne.

Cass loves bringing people together for the fleeting but all-important communal experience – be that food, music, fascinating conversations or large-scale public art. So naturally – she’s stoked to be part of the Fringe. Bring on the weird and the wonderful!

Emma Shaw (she/her) Marketing Campaigns Manager

During the Festival, Emma can be found napping with her dog in between events and scouring TikTok for the best places to eat pre and post show.

Melbourne Fringe’s self-proclaimed pop-culture princess. Outside of claiming she watches Real Housewives to gather cultural references for work, Emma is a visual art enthusiast and graduated in 2021 with an undergraduate degree in Art History and Italian. She’s worked on programs with M Pavilion and National Gallery of Australia, interned with Midsumma Festival’s marketing department and is currently studying a cheeky little Master of Art Curatorship on the side.

Danny Delahunty (he/him) Head of Programs & Projects

Danny’s hot tip for Fringe is get in early! Too many times in the past he’s put off seeing a show he wants to see only to find out everyone else was too and it’s now sold out.

Danny Delahunty is an arts producer and theatre director who has been working broadly in the independent sector for the best part of the past ten years. He has presented over 50 seasons of 34 projects, working with established theatre companies, on independent projects and in touring works around Australia and overseas. Prior to Fringe, Danny was working as the Festival Producer for Drama Victoria, an Events Producer for Melbourne Writers Festival, and the Tours Coordinator for Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as continuing his work as an indie project producer and his passion as a theatre director.

Eilysh Toose (she/her) Senior Producer

During the Festival you’ll rarely find Eilysh without a Pepsi Max in hand and emergency cable ties in her backpack. When she’s not racing between event sites during the day, you’ll find her at Club Fringe until the wee hours.

Before joining Fringe, Eilysh began her career in Sydney, working on various festivals and major events before moving to the UK as producer at the Stockton International Riverside Festival. Now an adopted Melbournian, her passion lies in working with artists to create new major works in civic spaces, from mass participatory projects to quiet contemplative works hidden in back alleys. She relishes the challenge of an “impossible project” and is in her absolute element making a project plan in Excel.

Jason Marsiglia (he/they) Program Manager (Independent Arts)

Jason’s hot tip for Fringe is to tell all your friends about the amazing shows that you see, so they can experience some Fringe magic too. Shout your recommendations from the figurative (or literal) rooftop.

Jason is an art and performance lover, dance-floor shaker and a massive festival nerd. Originally from Adelaide, they began their arts career producing shows for Adelaide Fringe, then working for the festival as Artist and Venue Coordinator. They’ve also jetted around working for a bunch of fabulous festivals like Edinburgh Fringe and Sydney Film Festival. Recently, they worked at Midsumma Festival managing their open-access events and ticketing systems. As a loud and proud queer, Jason is particularly proud of this work to support the LGBTQIA+ arts community. He is now jumping with joy to join team Melbourne Fringe!

Matt Hirst (he/him) Producer (Festival Hub)

Matt’s hot tip for Fringe is to line up a few shows to see back to back and make a night of it! The more shows you see the more varied and dynamic your experience will be. 

Matt Hirst is an arts administrator, producer, and wannabe chef. He is passionate about helping artists with the nitty-gritty stuff so that they can focus their energy on creating the art. Matt brings his experiences in Box Office, Front of House, Venue Operations, Independent Producing, Artists Services and back in the day, even performing. Matt has a range of skills and experiences within the independent arts sector. He has worked for Midsumma Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and other arts organisations in a range of roles. With Melbourne Fringe, Matt independently produced for First Nations circus company Na Djinang Circus, co-founded a queer and female identified independent venue with Camp Conscious Collective and performed in Shania Choir – an a Capella Shania Twain tribute choir that toured the country in leopard print and lashes. As Producer of the Festival Hub, Matt is hoping to successfully pull together a home for Melbourne Fringe and a number of its events and artists.

Peta Duncan (she/her) Program Coordinator (Deadly Fringe)

Peta is the program coordinator for the Deadly Fringe program and has been supporting and elevating First Nations artists at Fringe for the past two years. As a Virgo she loves a to-do-list and having thumbs in many pies. Peta is also a freelance photographer, creative director and lover of music, visual art and design.