Aarne Neeme • Director
Aarne entered the Profession as a dancer/actor in the early 1960s. While at the UNSW Drama Department from 1966, he turned to directing, gaining his first professional engagement in 1969. Since then, he has earned his living as a Director in theatre and television, and a Lecturer at vocational and academic drama schools. His production of Jonathan Biggins’ Keating play has been touring Australia since 2019, and now an updated version is scheduled to be part of the Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 Season at the Wharf this November/December.
Aarne’s association with REP began in 1983, with Enter A Free Man (Stoppard). Followed by Just Between Ourselves (Ayckbourn), Tartuffe (Moliere), Away (Gow), Gasping (Elton), Tom & Viv (Hastings), Black Comedy (Schaffer), Sly Fox (Gelbart), The Pig Iron People (Doyle), Don Parties On (Williamson), Arcadia (Stoppard), The Threepenny Opera (Brecht), Witness For The Prosecution (Christie), A Doll’s House (Ibsen), Mr Bennet’s Bride (Wood), and The Actress (Quilter). He has always thoroughly enjoyed being part of the REP family!
Ariana Barzinpour • Assistant Director
Despite being a born-and-bred Canberran and long-time aspiring actor, Ariana has only recently become involved in the vibrant Canberra theatre scene. Keen on all facets of theatre-making, they made their stage debut in The Bestiary (ACT Hub Hub Fest), their playwriting debut in The ‘Logues (REP), their assistant directorial debut in Spider’s Web (REP), and their ensemble debut in Low Pay? Don’t Pay! (REP). They are thrilled to be assistant directing again and look forward to being involved in many more productions, both on- and off-stage.
Andrew Kay • Set Designer
Andrew has designed over forty sets for REP. The list includes four other plays by Alan Ayckbourn: Season’s Greetings, Time Of My Life, Flat Spin and Absurd Person Singular; and three plays directed by Aarne Neeme: A Doll’s House, Mr Bennet’s Bride and The Actress. The opportunity to work with these two creative minds in combination proved irresistible. Last year it was Andrew’s privilege to design the set for the premiere production of Ed Wightman’s Baby Jane. He has won CAT Awards and Ovations Awards for his set designs for Flat Spin, The Art of Coarse Acting, A Doll’s House, Waiting in the Wings, and Home, I’m Darling, and has recently received the Ovations’ Encore Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Mike Moloney • Lighting Design
Mike started with REP in 1978, working on lights for Godspell and a Midsummer Night’s Dream. For REP he has since stage managed Sons of Cain and Voyage Around My Father and been Lighting Designer for numerous shows including: Romeo and Juliet; Così; Amadeus; The Fanatasticks; Galileo; Nude with Violin; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Bus Stop; Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde; Proof; and The Woman in Black. Sound designs include: The One Day of the Year; Don’s Party; Don Parties On; Speaking in Tongues; and Don’t Dress for Dinner. He has also worked for REP in lighting and sound operation, production management, set construction, backstage, served as Council member, and is a former long-standing Vice President. He has only ever appeared on-stage once, playing the part of the groom when he married on the set of Galileo at REP in 1991. Mike is delighted to be working with the team on this production.
James McPherson • Sound Design
James is a multi-award winning sound designer, operator and technician and has been working professionally in musical and straight theatre for over 22 years. He has worked on some 125 shows, with credits including: Come From Away for Dramatic Productions, Jersey Boys for Canberra Philharmonic Society, and Dogfight for Dramatic Productions, for which he won Ovations awards for Outstanding Sound Design; as well as Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables for Free Rain Theatre, and Supa Productions’ The Walland Titanic. He has won numerous CAT Awards for Technical Achievement (in lieu of a sound category) for his work on Supa Productions’ The War of the Worlds, Supa/Phoenix Players' Miss Saigon, and Dramatic Productions’ Into The Woods. James has toured nationally with Jigsaw Theatre Company, mentors sound design at Child Players ACT and holds a first class honours degree in Recording Arts. He is thrilled to be back at REP for the first time since Fox on the Fairway in 2013.
Dr Cate Clelland • Costume Design
Theatrically speaking, Costume Design was Cate’s first love, although she is now interested and involved in most practical aspects of theatrical production. She has worked on a range of projects at Canberra REP for almost three decades. Her first gig as Costume Designer was for the 1998 Old Time Music Hall, a huge undertaking for which she was most gratified to win a Cat Award for Best Costume Design. Many productions have followed, including several directing and design projects. Her most recent Costume Design project for REP was for Crimes of the Heart, directed by Karen Vickery. Cate is always grateful for the help and support she has always been given by the REP help team. For this production of Bedroom Farce, she would particularly like to acknowledge the amazing Jeanette Brown who was also there to help and show her the ropes for her first Costume Design project way back last century!
Mandy Brown • Properties & Set Dressing
Mandy started working at REP in the late 1970s while still in High School. Quickly realising that acting was not her forte she developed an interest in the technical processes of theatre and hasn't looked back. In 1983 she had the good fortune to work with Aarne Neeme for the first time and was encouraged to enter "the profession" by applying for the technical course at NIDA. Since graduating Mandy has company/production/stage managed, designed lights and managed orchestras in Canberra and other capitals and has toured extensively through regional NSW, Queensland, SA, Victoria and Tasmania. She has also turned her hand to directing from time to time. She has recently retired from her position as Production Co-ordinator at Llewellyn Hall, Canberra's premier classical music venue.
