It all started with an Economics Degree at the University of Sydney and an idea I might become a nun or a marketing guru, but as they say, life had other plans. Storytelling and yoga pulled me down another path.
In my 20 year career I have written, directed and performed in film, television and theatre in Australia, the UK and the US. I’ve danced on the Play School stage for thousands of ecstatic toddlers, developed engaging television for kids, and written award-winning theatre for the complex brains of teenagers.
As a performer I have been series regular in many beloved Australian shows including All Saints and McLeod’s Daughters. I am reaching a decade in the ABC Kids stable, presenting Play School, Little Ted’s Big Adventures and Science Time, on screen and live on stage.
As a writer, I started writing sketches for SBS’s Life Support in 2001 and collaborated in the creation of The Decameron at the Old Fitzroy.
On winning the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and Marten Bequest Award for Excellence in Acting, I studied in Paris for two years with Philippe Gaulier, devising new work and writing my first play Art House. It was subsequently staged at The Old Red Lion in London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009, The University of Washington, USA in 2010 and The Idly Bent Theatre Company in 2013. My short play Save Draft was staged at Short and Sweet Festival 2011.
Other devised work includes Two Women (Griff Fringe at Griffin Theatre 2010), I’m Not Sure I’m an Adult Yet (November ISM Festival 2011) and various corporate projects, including ten-minute silent piece A Moment in Time in 2013 for Cerrone Jewellery’s anniversary event.
I have worked as a drama coach on The Sapphires, commercials directed by Ray Lawrence, ABC’s Cleverman and Fighting Season with director Kate Woods.
My play Sugarland, co-created with Wayne Blair, was produced at Australian Theatre For Young People (ATYP) and the Darwin Festival in 2014. It was ATYP’s first professional production in 30 years, broke all ATYP box office records, and won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People.
It was published in 2015, nominated for an AWGIE Award for Theatre for Young Audience 2015, did a national tour 2016, won the Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production 2016, nominated for a Green Room Award for Best New Work 2017 and a Drover’s Award 2017.
I completed a residency with ATYP and Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, working with local young people and artists in Bathurst, as part of a commission to write The Climbing Tree, which was staged in 2018 at BMEC and Riverside Theatre. The Climbing Tree received a nomination at the 2019 AWGIE Awards.
I have written for ABC’s Play School and was part of the writing team for Australian/Irish co-pro Ambience / AirPig Productions / Telegael children’s television series Drop Dead Weird. I was awarded an honorary fellowship at The State Library of NSW, as their first-ever Creative Fellow. This provided research support for my new work in development - Les Darcy (working title) a play based on infamous Australian boxer, Les Darcy.
As a producer, my company, Mini Productions has a kids’ yoga and storytelling pilot for an original series Rachael and the Minis in development. We also created the interstitial series Moodies for ABCKids, which explores big feelings for little people, identifying emotions and giving little mindfulness techniques to manage kids emotional landscapes and is currently on ABC Iview and Apple TV.
I have just written a new live show with composer George Ellis NOT Super Girl and Big G which is a theatre piece with full orchestra, introducing kids to the sounds of the orchestra, through the eyes of our hero who is searching for her very own superpower. The world premier was performed with Penrith Symphony Orchestra on June 6, 2021.
My book, Find Your Strength will be published by Affirm Press on December 29, 2021. Bringing all my loves together, it expounds practical advice to survive life’s battlefields through the lens of yoga and mindfulness.
I am a regular contributor to Wellbeing Magazine where I get to share my deep passion for the combination of yoga philosophy and storytelling in a very accessible way.
As a yoga teacher, I am over 1000 hours qualified (Maty Ezraty, Jivamukti 800 Hour, Samadhi Yoga and Body Mind Life) with many thousand more of teaching and studying consistently well over a decade under my belt. I am a Registered Senior Teacher with Yoga Australia and Expert Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT/PLUS) with Yoga Alliance. I am one of the lead teachers currently on the Body Mind Life Yoga Teacher Training Program and facilitate yoga teacher training all year round.