Artist will share some insights into how other practitioners, within their fields, approach these questions. Artist will also give insight into the experience of applying and securing funding, to develop their works and the importance of having an EDGE Space to play and work in.

Nicole Pingon

Nicole Pingon is a multidisciplinary artist, theatre maker and artist facilitator working across live performance, installation and digital mediums. Expanding across and between mediums, Nicole’s practice tends to be collaborative, curiosity-led, and process-driven. In 2021, she co-directed the premiere of Blush Opera’s new Australian opera, Chop Chef for Riverside Theatres Parramatta, with Kenneth Moraleda. Most recently, she directed Little Eggs Collective’s Moon Rabbit Rising as part of Belvoir 25A’s season, and was the sound designer on Bad Taste, a new SBS podcast. Her participatory performance score, invitation to play was presented as part of Temporary Position’s De-Choiring series at Phoenix Central Park. She is a member and collaborator of the Little Eggs Collective and Ninefold Ensemble, and was part of CAAP’s inaugural Artist Lab, and the Wheeler Centre’s Signal Boost programme in 2020.

Michelle St Anne

Michelle St Anne is a site-responsive artist whose immersive and intimate performances create unique audience experiences. Michelle’s work is deeply symbolic, responding to site-specific architectures, audience movement, and embodied participation through lighting, smell, sound, and temperature shifting the way audiences perceive critical issues of our time. This produces work that leaves a profound impact on audiences long after the performance has finished. Michelle’s practice interrogates collaboration and devising to re-write bodily and societal scripts.

Elaine Paton

Elaine Paton’s work as a conceptual theatre director, writer, and performer, lives at the intersection of arts and critical social issues. Elaine’s collaborative process developed from the early days of working in Europe, as a pioneer of physical, site specific theatre that explored self-devised work.

Her autobiographical Cabaret show, Moment(o)s, which challenged the stigma and shame of being mentally unwell, toured mental health festivals and conferences in the UK, to critical acclaim. Based on her lived experience, she now challenges the stigma and shame and social perceptions of being homeless in Through the Cracks. Elaine draws on entries from her life long diaries for the inner narrative, enabling her to share stories that are brutally honest, peppered with a frank sense of humour.

Elaine is excited at returning home to her creative Australian community, bringing her unique cross pollination of skills with her.

Ian Warwick – Discussion Moderator

Ian is a classically trained baritone, director, writer and designer.

In 2014, Ian completed a Master of Music in Classical singing at the Australian Institute of music. In 2017, Ian was an associate director for Pacific Opera’s young artist program. In 2018, Ian interned with Opera Australia on their new production of “La Boheme”. Ian currently studies classical singing with renowned mezzo-soprano, Deborah Humble.

He has been heavily involved with the independent opera company Operantics’ as a director, performer, designer and writer since the company’s inception in 2015. Productions for Operantics include: “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss, “La Sonnambula” by Vincenzo Bellini, Ben in “The Telephone” by Gian Carlo Menotti, Sir Thomas Bertram in “Mansfield Park” by Jonathan Dove and Don Alfonso in “Cosi fan tutte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Other credits include George in “Sunday in the Park with George” by Sondheim and Peter Flemming’s “Noli Me Tangere” in the ensemble and also co-ordinating the wardrobe. Ian has also worked in collaboration with writer, director, filmmaker and actor Michael Becker. Their productions include: “Caught between the Sheets and Stage Lights” for the Sydney Fringe in 2017, How to change the world and make bank doing it” in 2018 and 2019 and “Inner Weather” in 2019. Ian is currently in preparations for “Make Believe” a tribute show to MGM stars Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel for the 2022 Sydney Fringe.