Carmen King • Stage Manager
Carmen has stage managed over a dozen productions for REP since 2002 including Under Milkwood, What the Butler Saw, Sense and Sensibility, and Dolls House Part 2. She was the Canberra stage manager for the Pigeonhole Theatre productions of Playhouse Creatures, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, and Switzerland and in 2017 Carmen was incredibly proud to be part of the team that was invited to perform Playhouse Creatures in the Mondial du Theatre, held in Monaco. In recent years, Carmen stage-managed Belfast Girls and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Echo Theatre at The Q; the debut production for Alchemy Artistic, The Boys; and Every Brilliant Thing for ACT Hub. She has also been known to appear on stage from time to time, most recently in REP’s Crimes of the Heart playing Lenny.
Simon Tolhurst • Production Manager
Les Liaisons represents Simon’s eleventh time around as production manager over 20 years with Rep, and the fifth time he’s worked with Lainie Hart – four times as production manager (twice with her directing, twice with her in the cast), once onstage in 2014’s Twelfth Night. He’s also assisted in other capacities – acting, crewing, front-of-house, programming, publicity and as a council member. He was appointed a life member of REP in 2018 and was awarded the Fay Butcher Award for exceptional service to the society in 2015. He’s also appeared on 2XX community radio as presenter and panel operator on and off from 2008-2021, has won one round of SBS’s Mastermind and maintains a theatre review blog as That Guy Who Writes About Canberra Theatre. He would like to express massive appreciation for REP’s volunteers who all help make this work, and to Ben and Bowie for letting him get out of the house to do this.
Emily Backhouse • Assistant Stage Manager
Theatre runs in Emily’s family so it was probably inevitable she’d find her way backstage. Emily has previously been ASM for REP's Low Pay? Don’t Pay! and assisted with Bedroom Farce. Emily loves the organised chaos of live performance and the camaraderie it creates. She’s delighted to be part of this talented and lively REP production.
Jill Young • Intimacy Consultant
Jill has worked in theatre for over ten years, both on and off stage, across a wide range of productions. With a strong background in stage and production management, she brings a collaborative and people-focused approach to every rehearsal room. In recent years, Jill has developed a passion for Intimacy Coordination, working to ensure actors feel safe, supported, and respected when engaging in vulnerable material on stage. She is a strong advocate for the inclusion of Intimacy Coordinators within all production teams, recognising the vital role they play in creating safe and sustainable creative environments. With currently only one formal Intimacy Coordination course available in Australia—with a significant waiting list—Jill is committed to increasing access to training. She is currently developing her own Intimacy Coordination course aligned to Certificate IV standards, while also undertaking a Diploma through a U.S.-based provider, with plans to complete in-person training components next year. Jill is incredibly grateful to Lainie, Carms, and Rep Council for their support, and for the opportunity to continue developing her skills through this production, with the hope of further work in this field in the future.
Annie Holland • Fight Coordinator
Annie has a strong love for C18th smallsword and is thrilled to be involved in a project that shares one of her greatest swordplay passions with the world. She has a background of many years in both historical European swordplay and circus, bringing aspects of both to this production to create what she hopes is an exciting, immersive and engaging fight.
Russell Brown OAM • Set Coordinator
Russell has been a member of REP for over 50 years, and in that time he has been involved in almost every aspect from President to performing, set design to set building, props making, furniture making, and tricky effects. With his dedicated team of builders and painters, he whiles away his time making magic for our audiences. He was recently named REP Living Treasure for his many contributions to the Society.
Elizabeth Goodbody • Front of House Coordinator
Elizabeth started her earliest career as a classical ballerina but went on to become involved in most aspects of theatre, both musical and non-musical, on and off-stage, for over 20 years. She was out of the picture for over 25 years while on postings overseas, but returned to assist REP in various Front of House activities, including Front of House Coordinator, and a member of REP Council and other committee roles since 2019.
