Key Staff

Eileen Dunn

Director

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Eileen Dunn commenced her career as a teacher before pursuing her interest in arts administration. She joined the Victorian Youth Theatre (then known as the Victorian Children’s Theatre) in 1987 which was based in a small hall in Kew and offered Drama classes for 8-12-year-olds. The success of this program and the enjoyment the children had in class has been the ongoing inspiration for the company to build young people’s performing and personal skills through the performing arts. Since then, over the past 30+ years, Eileen has overseen the growth of Stage School Australia to offering a wide range of classes for 4-18-year-olds at locations across Melbourne, while still maintaining the company as a family-run organisation. The Victorian Youth Theatre has continued to grow since its humble beginnings and is now one of the largest performance-based drama programs in Melbourne.

In 1996, a musical theatre component was introduced as part of the Victorian Youth Theatre (VYT) and three years later in 1999, the Young Australian Broadway Chorus (YABC) was born. Given her original training in education, Eileen supported the introduction of Beginners OnStage in 2003 for 5-7-year-olds. In 2017 Beginners OnStage ~

Foundation opened up to 4-year-old pre-school children. Eileen has also supported the creation of the Australian Boys Dance Academy, the Talent Company of Australia and the growth of The Costume Dept. As tour and production manager, Eileen has overseen many national and international performance tours to Asia, Europe and the USA.

Robert Coates

Artistic Director/Co-CEO

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Robert began working for Stage School Australia in 1995. Most recently he directed the sell-out seasons of Les Misérables (2019) and Wicked (2018) at the National Theatre and The Wizard of Oz ~ Young Performers Edition at the Union Theatre (2019).

His many other directorial credits include Rags, Joseph’s Dreamcoat, Oliver!, Man of La Mancha, Star-Cross’d Lovers, Godspell and all of the Young Australian Broadway Chorus Gala Concerts at the National Theatre, Back to Bacchus (Musical Director/Associate Director – Tours of Europe ‘97 and USA ‘99, World Tour 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008), What a Circus (Adelaide Fringe ‘98), Once On This Island (Adelaide Fringe 2010), Spring Awakening (National Theatre 2011), Conference of the Birds and Seussical TYA (Adelaide Fringe 2013), Guys & Dolls 2013, The Wizard of Oz 2014, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Malthouse & Adelaide Fringe 2014), Disney Alice in Wonderland and Conference of the Birds (Melbourne Fringe 2014), This Is Australia USA Tours 2015, 2016 & 2018, Disney Aladdin Jr. 2015, Disney The Little Mermaid Jr. 2015, The Secret Garden – Spring Version 2016, Disney Alice in Wonderland Jr. 2016 and Disney Beauty and the Beast Jr. 2016 and the 2017 seasons of HONK! Jr – the musical tale of the Ugly Duckling and Chicken Licken at the Lawler Theatre, Southbank Theatres – home of the MTC, which also toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Madagascar – A Musical Adventure Jr. 2018.

Robert directed the world premiere of Devil’s Snuffbox, the Victorian premiere of The World Goes Round (Victorian Music Theatre Guild nomination – Best Director) and the world premiere season of the Bryant/Frank musical, The Silver Donkey which also toured the USA.

Elysia Krstevski

Co-CEO

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Elysia has worked for Stage School Australia for over 10 years. In addition to bringing her expertise to the business management of the company, Elysia had produced many of the Young Australian Broadway Chorus’ theatrical productions and international tours. Her credits include the sell-out seasons of Cats (2020), Les Miserables (2019), The Wizard of Oz (2019), Wicked (2018), Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR (2018), Honk! JR and Chicken Licken at Southbank Theatre and Adelaide Fringe Festival Tour (2017), Shrek JR (2017), The Secret Garden (2016), Disney Aladdin JR (2015), Disney The Little Mermaid JR (2015) and the Australian Youth Theatre regional tour of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2016). Elysia was instrumental in the production of Stage School’s last three international performance tours of This Is Australia to the USA, where the troupe performed in five cities across the country. Elysia holds a Bachelor Degree (Performance) from JMC Academy and is also a dancer, singer and composer.

Jacqui Green

Head of Dance

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Jacqui Green is one of Australia’s leading choreographers, adjudicators, dancers and dance teachers. Most recently she choreographed the 2018 season of Wicked at the National Theatre. As a choreographer and dancer, Jacqui’s credits include The Don Lane Show, The Ronnie Corbett Show, The Midday Show, The AFI Awards and The Logie Awards. Jacqui played the leading role of Cassie in the national tour of A Chorus Line (Mo Award Nomination), and has also featured in productions of Funny Girl, The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly and Cabaret. Directorial credits include a tour of Asia and New Zealand as the resident director of Joseph’s Dreamcoat for the Really Useful Group. She has toured internationally with numerous Stage School Australia productions including the 2015 and 2016 This Is Australia tours of the USA. Jacqui has choreographed the sell-out seasons of Stage School Australia’s productions of Seussical TYA at the Malthouse, Disney The Little Mermaid Jr., Disney Beauty and the Beast Jr. and Disney Aladdin Jr. at the Union Theatre, Disney Alice In Wonderland, The Secret Garden ~ Spring Version in 2016 at Southbank Theatre and the 2017 season of HONK! Jr – the musical tale of the Ugly Duckling at the Lawler Theatre, Southbank Theatres – home of the MTC, which also toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Emily Wilkinson

Head of Voice & Beginners OnStage

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Emily trained in classical voice and ballet from a young age, completing her Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) at the University of Ballarat in 2003. As a performer she has appeared with leading Melbourne companies; Melbourne Opera Cosi Fan Tutte / Lohengrin/ Otello, Oz Opera Christina’s World, The Entertainment Store Christmas Divas at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl Carols by Candlelight, PLOS Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, for which she received Music Theatre Guild of Victoria nominations, as well as for her role as Cinderella in Devanesen Production’s Into the Woods and for Best Junior Director and Production. Emily holds a Graduate Diploma in Education (Music and Drama) from The University of Melbourne. She is also an internationally recognised Estill Master Trainer, teaching with research-based Voice science. Emily is also a Vocal Health First Aider. Emily has been teaching with Stage School since 2004 and the organisation’s Head of Beginners OnStage since 2008. In 2019 she became Head of Voice, and is very proud of the quality performing arts training the company continues to do with children and young adults across Melbourne.

Joshua Mulcahy

Head of Production

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Joshua has Production Managed many Young Australian Broadway Chorus and Australian Youth Theatre productions including Les Misérables and The Wizard of Oz (2019), Wicked (2018), Honk! JR at both Southbank Theatre and the tour to the Adelaide Fringe (2017), Disney Beauty and the Beast JR (2016), Disney Alice in Wonderland JR (2016), The Secret Garden ~ Spring Version (2016) and Babe the Sheep Pig (2015 & 2017) amongst others.  He has also been the Director of Production for Mordialloc College for the past five years and co-wrote One More Year which had its debut performance in 2012. Josh is also a performer having begun dancing at a very young age.  He grew up as a student of the company training with both the VYT and the YABC.  With the YABC, Josh toured on multiple occasions to both the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the USA playing a range of characters including Pascal in The Silver Donkey and The Cat in the Hat in Seussical.  He also plays percussion for shows across Melbourne.

Reuben Liversidge

Head Talent Agent

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Reuben has worked with Stage School Australia for over 10 years. He has trained in music theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts and has a Bachelor of Arts from LaTrobe University. Reuben has appeared on both stage and screen throughout his career as a performer. Highlights include roles in Round the Twist, Blue Heelers and various TV commercials. He is a founding member of international theatre company Four Larks and has performed in several of their works over the last five years, including a successful U.S. Tour in 2014. Reuben is also a freelance reviewer for theatre and film.