committee of management

The Drama Victoria committee of management is drawn from a range of broadly experienced and highly skilled members.
The information below provides a small sample of their backgrounds, skills and interests.

Justin Cash
president
Justin Cash is head of drama at Avila College. His teaching interests include the use of internet-based technologies in the drama classroom. Justin is the creator of the annotated theatre directory Justin’s Theatre Links and the education resource website The Drama Teacher. In his spare time, Justin facilitates the Drama Victoria Forum and the VCE Drama and Theatre Studies Student Forum on the web.

Hayley Sandpearl
vice-president
Hayley Sandpearl has been teaching drama and theatre studies for the past 15 years in a range of state and independent schools in the UK and Australia. She teaches from Year 7–12 drama and theatre studies and has been involved in the teaching and assessment of both VCE studies. Over the past 10 years Hayley has been head of drama, head of performing arts and is now enjoying ‘just’ being a teacher again, which has allowed her to do freelance work. Over the past four years on the Drama Victoria committee of management she has been conference director as well as a facilitator of many workshops.

Nina Rossini
treasurer
Nina Rossini has been a Performing Arts Practitioner and Educator for most of her life. Her approach is quite basic; to draw upon the personal needs of the students and invent ways in which their potentials can be enhanced through the creative, collaborative process and performance. She has worked with people of all ages, both in Australia and in Italy and has always been excited about her field of work. Nina has taught in both government and private schools and has taken on many leadership roles such as LOTE, Performing Arts and VCE coordinator. She has been a dedicated committee member of Drama Victoria for over 6 years and was Conference Director for our State Conferences of 2006 and 2007. She has been on the executive committee for the past two years as treasurer. She has taught both Drama and Theatre Studies and enjoys coaching student teachers to develop good teaching practise.

Meg Upton
secretary
Meg Upton is currently completing a PhD at the University of Melbourne investigating the role of live theatre and education. She teaches and lectures in drama at secondary and tertiary level. She has worked as Education Manager for the Malthouse Theatre and currently works with the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Education Program. She is an experienced assessor of drama and theatre studies. Meg’s most recent focus is on developing a range of protocols for sustainable theatre and drama practice in schools.

Emily Atkins
Emily has worked in a variety of roles spanning arts, education and administration. Her current role is at Regional Arts Victoria, formerly the Victorian Arts Council, a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting the arts in all its forms across the state. Emily is the Education and Families Coordinator managing the arts2GO program, which works with professional artists to deliver high-quality subsidised performance and workshop opportunities to schools throughout Victoria.

Lyndy Clarke
Lyndy Clarke has been a member of Drama Victoria on two separate occasions. She has taught in the Middle East and in China. Lyndy has been teaching in both government and independent schools for nearly 30 years and has also been a VCE assessor for many years. Lyndy is presently Head of Theatre at Caulfield Grammar, Wheelers Hill.

Eli Erez
Eli Erez has worked professionally as a director, writer, set designer, performer, puppeteer and teacher. He has taught drama at various institutions and is currently the head of drama at Bialik College. Eli has worked as a VCAA assessor of the VCE performance examinations in both drama and theatre studies. Eli has also developed education resources for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Victorian Arts Centre and independent productions such as Noises Off and Jersey Boys.

Kim McClelland
Kim McClelland has worked as a theatre-maker and drama educator for the past 10 years. Her speciality is in ensemble physical theatre and improvisation. Kim currently coordinates and teaches the full drama program at Coburg Senior High School, a innovative government school that offers an adult learning approach to education. Outside of school, Kim curates and produces EXPLODE, an ongoing performance night of improvised theatre that provides a platform for artists to develop and showcase their work. Here she has been developing her own improvised solo work that combines dance and physical theatre with storytelling.

Catherine Ohlsen
Catherine Ohlsen has been teaching drama and theatre studies for the past 8 years. She is currently working at Avila College, teaching and developing programs for both VCE and junior drama. Her experience as a Year Level Coordinator and Transition Coordinator has strengthened her interest in drama as a tool for social change. This is Catherine’s first year as a member of the Drama Victoria committee and she is excited to be contributing to such a vibrant subject association.

Michelle Royal
Michelle Royal has degrees in education and psychotherapy as well as a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. An experienced teacher; professional actor; Theatre-In-Education consultant; and corporate performance coach, Michelle has successfully engaged and empowered a diverse range of client populations. She has directed and choreographed works for regional and local festivals as well as for RMIT and the National Gallery of Victoria. She performed in the official ceremonies of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and at the Adelaide Festival of Arts. She has actively developed teaching and learning resources, which have been published. She is passionate about the arts and its potential to help individuals and communities communicate effectively; creatively problem-solve; develop insights; resolve issues; and strengthen leadership skills.

Helen Sandercoe
Helen Sandercoe has been teaching, directing and performing for over twenty years, including 15 years of secondary school drama and working with students from pre-school to tertiary. Over the years she has presented a wide variety of workshops about the nature and history of performance. Helen has been a committee member of Drama Victoria for over 10 years.

Michael Waugh
Michael Waugh is a secondary teacher of theatre studies and drama and assessor of the written and performance exams in both studies. He has been researching the Unit 3 production experience for his Masters in Education thesis. Michael has taught at Williamstown High School from 2001- 2008 and commenced working with Scotch College in 2009.