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About Melbourne Writers’ Theatre

Meet Our 2025 Committee

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Clare Mendes

Company Manager

Clare’s novels include Drift Street, The Curtain RaiserA Race Across Burning Soil (HarperCollins) and The Unvoiced Consonant  (Little Owl Press). Her radio plays have been produced by ABC Radio National. The Agreement, her first full-length stage play, was performed at La Mama Courthouse in October 2015 and her play Trash Goes Down The River was performed at Bluestone Church Arts Space in June 2017. A Flower for Moses was presented at Gasworks in May 2021. In 2023 her play Skating in the Clouds was further developed with the support of the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and was presented at Theatre Works in December 2024. Clare recently completed a new play, ‘La Paz’.

Also a producer, Clare has produced MWT’s annual Season of New Work since 2015. with recent theatrical seasons including The Melbourne Monologues, Six Degrees in Melbourne and Stark. Dark. Albert Park (2018), Beachside Stories and Daring Dog Monologues (2019), the double-bill season The Metropolis Monologues & The City Park Plays (2020), The Best, The Fairest, The First (2021), Tales from the Jetty, and Hostage (2022). In May 2023 she produced
The Critical Marriage and in August 2023 she produced How to Save a Tree, both presented at Gasworks Arts Park. In August 2024 she produced JENNIE! Rebel. Radical. Revolutionary at Gasworks. She is currently working on the double-bill season Lyceum Highway & Metropolis Monologues, to be presented at The Stables @ Meat Market from 12th – 18th March.

Clare began her career as an advertising copywriter before working as a storyliner and scriptwriter for the TV soap “Neighbours”. She was Executive Director of the Fellowship of Australian Writers for over a decade. Clare has an Honours degree in Literature, is completing a Master of Theatre and Performance and is an AWARD School graduate. She is the recipient of an Angus & Robertson Fiction Prize, Asialink Literature Fellowship, Ian Reed mentorship, Varuna residency and Malcolm Robertson Foundation grant.

 

 

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Dr Jennifer Munday

Artistic  Associate

After completing undergraduate Music and Theatre Arts study, Jenni began her theatre work with the avant-garde company  Theatre of Simultaneity which regularly performed at La Mama in Carlton in the 1980’s. After she moved from Melbourne to regional New South Wales and Victoria she performed in and directed works at Adelaide Fringe, Riverina Theatre Company, and Murray River Performing Group. Whilst living and working in Ontario, Canada, she worked with fellow International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP) colleague, Paddy Gillard-Bentley’s company Flush Ink. For ICWP she held the positions of Membership manager, President on the Board of Trustees, and International Liaison. She also created a series of podcasts of interviews with women playwrights from ICWP called Centre Stage.

While collecting data for her doctoral study Jenni had a residency with American Place Theatre in New York. The title of her doctoral thesis is From a written work: Adapting the novel for live performance. Celsius have awarded Jenni three small grants to work with a dramaturg on her play Life is Short. Melbourne Writers’ Theatre read a section of the play at its 2023 Showreel Night. In 2024 Jenni directed the online Monologue Soiree for MWT and from 12th – 18th March 2025 she will direct Metropolis Monologues, to be presented at The Stables @ Meat Market.

A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Jenni is an Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University, teaching in the disciplines of Creative Arts and Technology.

 

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Karyn Lee Greig

Resident Director

Karyn Lee Greig began her artistic career as a dancer, with a full training in classical ballet, contemporary and other
dance styles. After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English at the Australian National University, Karyn graduated from NIDA with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art in Acting. She then worked as an actor and jazz singer for 8 years in theatre, film and television.

Working as a secondary school Head of Drama, Karyn has mounted a range of productions whilst teaching senior Drama, English and ESL. She has also worked as an assessor of Year 12 VCE Drama and Theatre Studies examinations. In the past decade, Karyn has written and directed diverse community and independent theatre productions, mounting shows at La Mama, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the University of Melbourne and elsewhere.

For Melbourne Writers’ Theatre, Karyn has directed the Amethyst Award-winning play The Critical Marriage by Mark Andrew at Gasworks Arts Park in May 2023. In 2023 she also directed the script reading of the new play ‘Immodest Acts’ by Barbara Yazbeck at The Stage Door Readings (Page to Stage 2023) at Theatre Works on 18th November 2023, Karyn went on to direct JENNIE! by B. W. Shearer at Gasworks Arts Park in August 2024. Also a writer, Karyn’s monologue ‘Cissy’ will be performed in Metropolis Monologues.

In 2025 Karyn will once again oversee the direction of the new plays that are written and further developed in MWT’s Gasworks Script Lab and Page to Stage programs.

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Barbara Yazbeck

Chair

Barbara has always been passionate about theatre and performance, having acted, directed and produced plays in a variety of settings. As an undergraduate she was an active member of the Melbourne University Theatre Department and performed with St. Martin’s Youth Theatre and later with the Brunswick Women’s Theatre. She was the recipient of the Louise Humphreys Award for Best Performance in 1995. She is interested in depicting historical biographies on stage and is currently working on several monologues of famous women.

Barbara joined MWT during the lockdown and has been a regular participant at workshops and readings. She was the Stage Manager for The Critical Marriage, presented at Gasworks Arts Park in May. 2023. She was a participant in the In One Act program 2021. The resulting script, ‘Therapy’ was performed by Quiet Roar as part of their Softly, Softly season 2023. In 2023 her first full-length play ‘Immodest Acts’ received further development through MWT’s Page to Stage dramaturgical program. Her monologue ‘Juana Reina’ will be performed in Metropolis Monologues in March 2025.

Barbara works in higher education, where she teaches academic writing. She is a co-author of the book chapter ‘Is plagiarism a learned sin? Textuality, meaning and the rules of the academic game’ and co-editor of the 2022 Springer publication, Connecting the Library to the Curriculum.  Barbara served on the committee of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre for several years before moving into the role of Chair. She brings experience in education, the arts and the community sector, together with her strong knowledge of the organisation, to this important role.

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Nicole Wong

Treasurer

Nicole Wong is a Chartered Accountant with more than 5 years of professional experience in the finance industry. Arriving in Melbourne in 2015 with just a suitcase, Nicole’s initial vision was to gain exposure to the Australian culture and to graduate from Monash University with a Bachelor of Business. 7 years flew by and she has now worked with professionals across different industries including retail, tax and IT, and is loving the life down under!

Having learnt to play the piano at a young age, Nicole holds her Grade 8 Piano certificate with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) along with teaching experience back in her home country, Malaysia.

Nicole has been the Treasurer of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre since 2023, serving on the Finance Sub-Committee.

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Sadaf Zekaria

Fundraising Coordinator

Sadaf Zekaria works in public policy and has an educational background in the Arts and Public Health. She has worked for years in customer service and administration roles and is now working within the policy landscape for the Victorian Government.

A true arts enthusiast, Sadaf finds joy in exploring Melbourne’s rich arts culture. Her perfect day includes wandering through the National Gallery of Victoria, having brunch at a cozy café, and soaking in the magic of live theatre—whether it’s a gripping play or a dazzling musical.

Beyond the arts, Sadaf is an avid traveller with an ambitious dream to visit nearly every country on Earth, embracing the beauty and diversity of our planet.

Sadaf is thrilled to step into her role as Fundraising Coordinator for Melbourne Writers’ Theatre in 2025, where she will also contribute her expertise as part of the Finance Sub-Committee.

Bruce Shearer

Life Member

Bruce’s plays have been performed in Australia, Europe and the US. His monologues and short plays have been performed in a range of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre productions, including St Kilda Stories (2017), Stark Dark Albert Park (2018), The Melbourne Monologues (2018.), Beachside Stories (2019), Six Degrees at a Hot Melbourne Market (2019), Tales from the Jetty (2022), How to Save a Tree (2023) and JENNIE! (2024).

The Treasurer of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre from 2006 – 2023, Bruce is a Life Member of the organisation.

 

Christine Croyden

Life Member

Christine Croyden is a Melbourne-based playwright, lyricist and novelist. www,christinecroyden.com Her produced plays are licensed and available through Australian Plays Transform.

Christine ran Melbourne Writers’ Theatre from 2008 – 2016 and is a Life Member of the organisation.

Melbourne Writers’ Theatre – a rich history

The Melbourne Writers’ Theatre was founded in October 1982 by a group of Melbourne playwrights who included Jack Hibberd, Jack Opie and Merle Thornton. Its vision was to develop Australian plays and playwrights, with the goal of maintaining an Australian repertoire. In 1987, through the auspices of the Victorian Government and under the management of the Department of Conservation and the Environment’s Historic Buildings Council, the MWT was allowed the use of the former Carlton Courthouse, a neo-gothic building adjacent to the site of the old Pram Factory in Drummond Street, Carlton. This building was converted into a small but versatile 80-seat theatre space. In 1995, La Mama took over the management of the Courthouse as a theatre. Over the years, MWT presented many acclaimed seasons of new theatre at La Mama Courthouse, and since 2018 we have broadened our audience by celebrating the new writing of MWT playwrights in theatrical seasons presented at Gasworks Arts Park.

In recent years, the growth of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre and demand for our comprehensive range of services has seen our calendar of monthly meetings and end-of-year theatrical season expand into an exciting, all-year-round program of theatre-making. Our annual offering now includes monthly online workshops for MWT playwrights, theatrical seasons that showcase their new writing, and annual writing programs such as Gasworks Script Lab and Page to Stage.
We are also proud to offer opportunities such as The Amethyst Award/ and to host international playwrights through the UNESCO Residency Program.

In 2022 Melbourne Writers’ Theatre became a registered charity and in 2023 the organisation was granted DGR status. A significant provider of paid employment for Victorian playwrights, actors and creatives, MWT has also created career pathways for a significant number of artists . A City of Melbourne organisation, we are based at Our Community House. As we move into 2025, we remain proud of our rich contribution to the Australian theatre landscape. We welcome and embrace partnerships with allied organisations, theatre companies and patrons of the arts.

Jack Hibberd - Melbourne Writers' Theatre

Jack Hibberd

Our Goal

Since 1982, the primary objective of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre (MWT) has been to source, identify and spread awareness of cost-free, accessible, equitable opportunities for the development and presentation of new plays written by playwrights living in Victoria. We also create new opportunities – workshops, dramaturgical programs and theatrical seasons – that will benefit these playwrights. As a member-based organisation intentionally powered by volunteer labor, 100% of our members’ subscription fees are used to fund the implementation of these opportunities, which we then promote to MWT playwrights and diverse and under-represented Victorian playwrights, encouraging them to apply, submit, participate and achieve.

Our Mission

Melbourne Writers’ Theatre exists to foster new theatre writing in Victoria, to support new, emerging and established playwrights in the creation of new plays, and to provide free opportunities for the further development of their playwriting skills, interests and careers.