To create sensorial experiences in unusual ways to shift perceptions and engage in critical dialogues relfelcting the significant issues of our time.

To re-define contemporary theatre by giving artists a home to collaborate, be vulnerable, share work and stretch practice.

Through artistic and scholarly research, we address the epic (which are systemic injustice and inequality) by amplifying the domestic (such as themes of trauma and violence).

We value the impact and logic of the non-linear and multi-sensory.

Michelle St Anne
Founder, Artistic Director & CEO

As the Founder and Artistic Director of The Living Room Theatre since 2000, St Anne has produced, directed, and performed in 28 original works. A deeply respected and rare theatrical artist, she is renowned for her immersive and intimate performances that offer profound audience experiences through symbolic and sensory-driven storytelling. Her work engages with site-specific architecture, audience movement, and embodied participation, using elements such as lighting, scent, sound, and temperature to shift perceptions of violence and the female body, leaving a lasting impact long after the performance ends.

THE COMMITTEE

Ekaterina Kullengren
Chair
Katia has over 15 years experience in senior leadership and executive roles across all 3 sectors focusing on strategic implementation, transformation and governance for impact. She is currently Chief of Staff at Settlement Services International.

Her passion for accessibility and the arts, regardless of socio-economic barriers saw her found Ballet Without Borders; a NFP and charity that supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds access and experience ballet.

Jonathan Casson LLM, FAICD, FGIA
Deputy Chair

Jonathan is a governance professional, business advisor, and lawyer with over 40 years of board and executive experience. He has served as Chair, Deputy Chair, Non-Executive Director, and Independent Consultant. As Chair of Performance Space, he guided the organisation through funding crises and the pandemic. He was NIDA’s and Sydney Festival’s lawyer for many years and currently advises clients on legal compliance, governance, and organisational restructuring. A former law firm partner, he has worked with high-profile NFPs and commercial entities. A Fellow of the AICD and Governance Institute, he authored the governance chapter for Thomson Reuters’ Not-For-Profit Best Practice Manual.

Passionate about supporting women in custody and those exiting the prison system, Vanessa is a strong advocate for social justice. She is committed to developing policies that create real, positive change for marginalized communities.

Vanessa has extensive experience in Government Justice, working on advocacy, policy development for victims of crime, and governance structures. She has supported government boards, ensuring accountability and effective decision-making.

Her leadership roles, including Manager of Governance and Assurance at the NSW Department of Education and Chief Product and Quality Officer at TAFE NSW, highlight her ability to navigate complex governance structures and implement strategic policies. She has led multimillion-dollar project portfolios and advised senior leaders on governance and risk management.

Billy Cotsis
Econominc Development
Billy  is an experienced economic development and diversity specialist focused on stakeholder engagement, media relations, community development, event management, and strategy implementation. He recently managed economic development and place management at Inner West Council for nearly six years and has international experience.

As a prolific writer, he has published over 350 articles and is currently working on his eighth book. He has also written and directed documentaries, a miniseries, and short films.

In addition to his work in media, he was a presenter for five years on the award-winning Meraki TV on Foxtel. Billy has received several international film festival awards and was a finalist for the Cultural Diversity Story at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Media Awards and Best Journalist of the Year at the NSW Multicultural and Indigenous Awards.

Julie Vulcan
Artistic & Research Program
Julie is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher and writer who has experience in directing, curating, facilitating and mentoring. Her work spans performance, installation, and digital media and has been presented nationally and internationally since 1989. Her projects have been supported through various residencies, commissions, and local, state and national grant awards. Julie’s writing has appeared in academic publications, arts journals and independent press. 

She was the Associate Director and subsequent Artistic Director/CEO of PACT centre for emerging artists, Sydney 2010 – 2014 and was awarded an Australia Council for the Arts Cultural Leadership grant in 2012. She has been a member of performance groups Frumpus, Unreasonable Adults and Squidsilo while also contributing to the works of many independent artists and groups. Her career and practice masterclass workshops have been delivered through Australia Council programs, Proximity Festival, Perth Institute for Contemporary Art, PACT and for independent artists. Julie is currently completing her PhD at Western Sydney University.

OUR TEAM

Dr Ben Crisp is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and tertiary education manager and academic.

His credits include Season 1 and 2 of the hit ABC TV comedy series Squinters, starring Tim Minchin and Academy Award nominee Jackie Weaver, as well as the Logie Award-winning lifestyle series The Living Room for Network Ten, starring Amanda Keller and Dr Chris Brown. Ben is the writer and creator of the ABC comedy series Goober, winner of Best Australian Comedy at Melbourne Web Fest. He has been nominated for the Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award and the Western Australia Premier’s Book Award, and was the recipient of Screen Australia’s Enterprise People, the Colin Thiele Scholarship for Creative Writing, and the University of Adelaide Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence.

Ben served as Director of Sydney Film School, has a PhD in Creative Writing, and his curricula feature in the higher education programs at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). He sits on the board of the REELise Film Festival for young filmmakers, is a regular juror for the International Emmy Awards’ Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award, and is the co-author of the chapter “Having Something To Say And Saying It Well” in The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production. Ben also volunteers as a telephone crisis supporter for Lifeline Australia.

Ray Parslow – Brand Director

Ray is the founder and executive creative director of Extrablack with 30 years of design industry experience.

He has worked across a wide range of sectors, including small businesses, hospitality, local government, education, cultural and non-profit organisations, as well as commercial and financial institutions for national and global organisations. His understanding of form, space, and communication enables him to easily cross from two- to three-dimensional projects, successfully designing award-winning identities and corporate communications.

Ray was a founding partner of leading Australian design agency Frost* in Sydney before establishing Extrablack. He has also been LRT’s brand director for almost two decades. With a keen eye for what LRT represents and how that manifests in his designs, Ray continues to ensure the brand remains innovative and impactful.

David Turner – Artist Liaison 
David is a passionate advocate for adventurous music, with decades of experience attending and appreciating performances of improvised music, jazz, modern classical, and other eclectic genres. His deep enthusiasm for exploring diverse musical landscapes has made him a steadfast presence at countless performances over the years.

Professionally, David has spent most of his professional life as a Commonwealth public servant, honing skills in administration, delivery and organisation. Combining his love for music with his professional expertise, David is committed to contributing meaningfully to The Living Room Theatre’s music program, helping to curate and support innovative and engaging musical experiences.

The Living Room Theatre is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (DGR 1).

Donations to The Living Room Theatre are tax-deductible.

The Living Room Theatre (LRT) was born back in 2000 with the frustration of the prevailing arts scene. Dissatisfied with the sector’s expectation of the stories that imbued St Anne’s body, LRT soon became a home for her unique voice and methodology that she has pioneered for over twenty years.

Through LRT, St Anne’s early works explored personal trauma which developed into the investigation of violence within homes, landscapes, and systems where she pioneered the artistic pedagogy ‘composing self’. Composing self is an embodied approach to collaboration that prioritises constructing safe and self-determined spaces where artists can take risks, extend their practice and reckon with their own methodologies with care and comfort. Justice or rather injustice underpins LRT’s work as St Anne and her diverse collaborators forge new ways, give voice to the vulnerable and speak truth to power by shedding light on systemic patriarchal structures.

LRT draws on the principles of ‘Composed Theatre’ (methodology coined by David Roesner and Matthias Rebstock) where theatrical stage and its elements are approached as ‘musical’ material. Extensive development stages, focus on sensorial, and putting the emphasis on collaboration across disciplines are the usual staples of the LRT productions.

“My work is not about the straight narrative, nor the theatrical arc but rather what is heart driven, illogical with the narrative meted out through image, light, sound and language.” – Michelle St Anne.

Over the last decade LRT has forged partners with international scholars who are fascinated in our approach and aesthetic that has filtered into their publications.

With sell-out shows and high audience engagement, LRT produces ambitious and powerful site-responsive performance. The organisation has a strong sense of integrity, artistic excellence, and innovation, and creates unexpected, poetic experiences that captivate audiences, unleash emotions, and give voice to the most vulnerable. LRT’s work strives to change systemic attitudes towards violence, trauma, and the female body by shifting audience perception, so these insights create small changes within themselves, community, and society.

As the journey continues, LRT remains committed to creating inclusive and experiential contemporary performance works that transcend time, explore space and frame images in hurt and abandoned spaces. We tell stories about women by women to support and develop female voices within the arts, cultural and academic sectors.