Cast
Amy Lehpamer
Tillie, Charlotte Lucas, Charles Bingley, Miss Bingley
A Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award Winner, Amy grew up in Geelong and began her musical life playing the violin.
Acclaimed as one of our most versatile leading ladies, her career has traversed singing the hills alive as Maria in The Sound of Music to delivering pop power ballads and comedic asides as Anne Hathaway in &Juliet.
Other notable roles include Dusty Springfield in Dusty, Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Mrs Walker in the Who’s Tommy, Principal Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock, Christine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, violinist Reza in Once, Sherrie in Rock of Ages, Janet in Rocky Horror and the 2008 and 2012 casts of Eddie Perfect’s Shane Warne the Musical.
In demand as a solo artist, she has performed in concert with all of Australia’s major orchestras, and written and performed solo cabaret shows for Sydney’s Teatro, QPAC and Opera Queensland.
Amy’s screen credits include Australian Epic, Get Krack!n, Utopia and The Time of our Lives. She is the creator and co-writer of the webseries Donnatelegrams.
Zoe Ioannou
Flo, Mrs Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy
Zoe Ioannou is a graduate from NIDA. Most recently, she appeared in Grease the musical (Crossroads Live) understudying the roles of Sandy, Frenchy and Jan.
Other performance credits include Tammy and understudy Penny/Amber in Hairspray (Crossroads Live), Rose in the Australian premiere of Dubbo Championship Wrestling (Hayes Theatre Co), Carolyn in Bridges of Madison County (Matthew Management/Neil Gooding Productions) at the Hayes Theatre, West Side Story (Opera Australia/GWB Entertainment) as Rosalia, alternating the role of Maria, and The Wizard of Oz (Gordon Frost Organisation/Suzanne Jones) understudying the role of Dorothy. Other credits include Big Fish at the Hayes Theatre (RPG Productions), and Pepper in Annie (Gordon Frost Organisation).
Zoe’s screen credits include Paige in the ABC TV series Dance Academy, resident work for Disney Playhouse, and Ally in Channel 7’s Home and Away.
Zoe has also worked creatively as Choreographer/Associate Director for BARBRA: The Greatest Star (Hayes Theatre Co) and Choreographer/Assistant Director under Brittanie Shipway for I HATE MEN As Read By Men (Stoddart Entertainment Group). Other credits include Associate Director/Choreographer for The Dismissal, and Assistant Director on If/Then at the Hayes Theatre. She will also be Assistant Director/Choreographer for We Are The Tigers playing at the Hayes Theatre in October/November 2026.
Kaori Maeda-Judge
Clara, Jane Bennet, George Wickham, Lady Catherine de Bourgh
With a diploma in screen acting (Film and Television Institute) and a BFA in Music Theatre (Victorian College of the Arts), Kaori’s on-screen credits include Australian soap, Neighbours as Jasmine Udagawa, Orange Is The New Brown and NBC series, La Brea.
Kaori’s on-stage credits include David Bowie’s musical, Lazarus playing Maemi (The Production Company), White Pearl, written by Anchuli Felicia King and directed by Priscilla Jackman, playing Ruki (Sydney Theatre Company), The Dismissal written by Laura Murphy, Blake Erickson and Jay James Moody covering Margaret Whitlam and Junie Morosi (Squabbalogic), The Hello Girls directed by Jason Langley, playing Bertha Hunt ( Hayes Theatre Co./Heart Strings Theatre Co), Little Women Directed by Amy Cambell, playing Meg March (Joshua Robson Productions/Hayes Theatre Co.) and she will be reprising her role in Jack Thorne’s Tony award winning, A Christmas Carol directed by David Spencer playing Jess and covering Belle and Little Fan (GWB Entertainment/Marriner Group). In 2025 Kaori did a nation tour of Japan with Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo as the lead Japanese performer. Kaori also LOVES audience interaction and the more you avert your eyes, the more she’s going to pick on you. You’ve been warned.
Ruby Shannon
Anne, Mary Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Mister Collins, Mrs Gardiner
Ruby Shannon hails from Shepparton on Yorta Yorta Country and is a graduate of the QUT Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), class of 2023. During her training, she appeared on stage as Joan in Joan Must Die *I Never Liked Her Anyway and Mash in Stupid F#king Bird. Prior to QUT, Ruby studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and continues her screen training with Creating Artists.
Since graduating, Ruby has collaborated on independent theatre, film and development projects in Meanjin (Brisbane). Notable credits include Marie Antoinette in the premiere production of CAKE (IMRSE at Metro Arts), starring roles in short films Good Mourning (Bus Stop Films) and In Between (Brown Lab Productions), and development work with Dead Puppet Society through their DPS Lab.
Ruby is thrilled to be making her professional theatre debut in this production, touring multiple bucket-list venues around Australia in one go — she couldn’t be more excited.
Teo Vergara
Effie, Elizabeth Bennet
Teo Vergara is an actor, singer, dancer and a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Music Theatre.
Teo made their screen debut in the ABC series, Crazy Fun Park (2023) directed and created by Nick Verso, portraying the character Bridget. They followed this by starring in the queer and gender diverse series, Turn Up The Volume (ABC), playing Quinn. They were also a member of the original Australian cast for Jagged Little Pill: The Alanis Morissette Musical, directed by Leah Howard, which toured nationally.
Most recently, Teo starred in the original Australian musical, Converted! created by Vic Zerbst for the Australian Theatre for Young People (dir by Hayden Tonazz).
Teo can also currently be seen in the lead role of Laura in the animated adventure film, A Sloth Story (2024), directed by Tania Vincent and Ricard Cussó.
Victoria Abbott
Understudy – Flo, Tillie, 1st Cover Effie
Born in London and raised in New Zealand, Victoria is a performer based on Gadigal Country in Sydney.
Stage highlights include writing and performing her award-winning and 5 star reviewed solo show Run Rabbit (Flightpath/Q theatre/Basement Theatre/BATS theatre: Best Theatre Performance and PAANZ Tour ready awards Auckland Fringe 2019), a year-long stint with Pop-Up Globe (Auckland/Melbourne) and multiple development and performance seasons as Maggie in Kororāreka: The Ballad of Maggie Flynn with physical theatre company Red Leap Theatre. Most recently she played Viola in The Court Theatre NZ’s mainstage production of Twelfth Night.
She has created deeply felt, deeply funny, sometimes award-winning work for many companies: Old Fitz Theatre, Flightpath Theatre, Auckland Theatre Company, Red Leap Theatre Company, Kallo Collective (Auckland Fringe Best Theatre Production), Pop-Up Globe, The Playground Collective (Winner of Pick of the week Vault theatre award London, People’s Choice Award for Most Original Production and Critics Award for Excellence NZ Theatre Awards). Her first Fringe directing project won her the Best New Director Award 2021 Auckland Fringe.
Screen highlights include Jane Campion’s Top Of the Lake; three seasons of Netflix’s Power Rangers as J-Borg; and three seasons of Educators (Winner: NZTV Awards Best Comedy Show 2023).
Victoria holds a BA in Theatre Studies from Otago University and a BA in Performance from Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School.
Matilda Moran
Understudy – Clara, Anne, 2nd Cover Effie
Matilda graduated WAAPA with a Bachelor of Music Theatre, and has since featured in the Australian tour of Wicked (Crossroads Live) as U/S Madame Morrible, as Gabrielle in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Opera Australia/ Crossroads Live) and as a featured vocalist in Boublil & Schoenberg’s Do You Hear the People Sing?
Matilda has performed in New York as recipient of the Bound for Broadway scholarship as well as touring overseas with WB Productions/ Mark Bradley International, and sung the anthem at the State of Origin in 2022.
In 2020, Matilda was cast as Alice in Opera Australia/ Gordon Frost’s 25th Anniversary production of The Secret Garden, as well as playing Fantine in Les Miserables (Packemin). She was a semi-finalist in the Rob Guest Endowment 2017 and featured as Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along (Little Triangle), Between Worlds (dir. Jason Langley), as Kate Mullins in Titanic: the Musical (StageArt), and Patty Simcox in The Original Grease (Squabbalogic).
Matilda was awarded her LTCL on clarinet and gained the title of National Junior Clarinet Champion. She performed as lead production singer with MSC Cruises/ Bor Productions and has modelled for many Australian labels.
Creatives
Isobel McArthur
Writer & Original Director
Isobel McArthur is an Olivier award winning actor, director and playwright. Her 5-star sensation Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) played to acclaim in London’s West End and is now touring the UK as well as playing in translation in multiple languages world-wide.
As an actor and musician Isobel has performed in most of the UK’s major playhouses in collaboration with Ella Hickson, Mike Bartlett and Anthony Neilson, as well as in her own plays How to Sing it, Daphne Oram’s Wonderful World of Sound and the lauded Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of).
As playwright-director, other recent productions include her touring adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped (National Theatre of Scotland), her original sell-out Fringe First Winner The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (Traverse Theatre) and her adaptation of Thomas Heywood’s The Fair Maid of the West (Royal Shakespeare Company).
In addition to the Oliver Award for ‘Best Comedy Play’, Isobel has also won the Evening Standard Award for ‘Best Emerging Talent’, The Scotsman’s ‘Fringe First’ Award, The List ‘Hot 100’ Award, The Saltire Society’s ’40 Under 40′ alongside nominations for the Stage’s ‘Best West End Debut’, and both Whatsonstage’s ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and ‘Best New Play’.
Simon Harvey
Director
Simon is a UK based freelance director with over 25 years experience.
He co-directed the West end production of Pride and Prejudice Sort Of by Isobel Macarthur which won an Olivier for best new comedy 2022 before touring extensively in the UK and Canada.
Simon recently directed Pride and Prejudice Sort of and Emma Rice’s Brief Encounter for Cunard Cruises which play in rep until 2028.
He is the Artistic Director of o-region for whom he has produced and directed the original shows such as Laughing Gas, Fup (In co-production with Kneehigh) HIRETH, Tre and most recently WHITE HORSE an adaptation of The White Horse of Zennor by Michael Morpurgo (which he also wrote and adapted)
Simon worked extensively for the internationally renowned Kneehigh for whom he directed The Illustrated Girl, FUP and Noye’s Fludde and worked as Associate on shows including Tristan and Yseult, 946, The Wild Bride, The Red Shoes and Cymbeline.
Simon was Associate Director on Emma Rice’s Brief Encounter which played in the Westend and Broadway and toured extensively in the UK,and Australia.
Other recent credits include Christmas.Time for Near Ta Theatre (Cornwall’s longest running Christmas show) and WIDDERSHINS for David Mynne.
Jason Bovaird
Lighting Designer
Jason is a multi award – winning lighting designer and has received 4 Green Room Award Nominations (Musical Theatre) graduating from Melbourne University in 1995 and in 2012 graduated from New York University’s Broadway Masterclass in Lighting Design and Projection.
With 34 years of experience Jason’s work has been seen throughout Australia, New Zealand, London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manilla, Tel Aviv, Europe, Dubai and throughout the Middle East. He has worked for most of the major performing arts companies and festivals in Australia and overseas as a lighting designer, stage manager and production manager such as Melbourne Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Sydney Theatre Company, Playbox Theatre Company, Brisbane Festival, Perth Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Criterion and Barbican Theatre (London), Edinburgh Festival, Crown Casino,Theatre Works, Nederlander Theatre (New York), Andrew Kay and Associates.
His national lighting designs include the most recent critical acclaimed production of The Diary Of Anne Frank where Jason received 5 Star reviews for his lighting design along with Evil Dead – The Musical (Sydney / Melbourne). Other designs include Saturday Night Fever, Kitty Litter, 2026 Green Room Awards, Once Apon A One More Time, The Play That Goes Wrong (Australia / NZ), The Blues Brothers, Here You Come Again (Australia), Dream Girls (Australian Premiere), Next to Normal, Xanadu, Kinky Boots (2024 Green Room Nomination), Ruthless (2025 Green Room Nomination), Son Called Moon (2025 Green Room Nomination) In The Heights (Australian Premiere) and The Colour Purple.
Australian Tours of The 39 Steps, Motherhood – The Musical, One Day of The Year, The Club, Jersey Forever (The Original Jersey Boys), The Colour Purple, Around The World In Eighty Days, Love Letters, Oracle, Matador and Barassi – The Stage Show.
Other work includes internationally Shaolin Warriors (Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand), Mister Maker (Singapore / Manilla), Princes Of The Night (Capitol Theatre,Singapore), Busting Out (Los Angeles), Peter Pan Goes Wrong (New York, Australia / New Zealand), Marilyn (New York).
Jason is managed by Ian White Management and owner of Moving Light Productions Australia (THE MOVING LIGHT GROUP).
Marcello Lo Ricco
Sound Designer
Marcello Lo Ricco is a multi-award-winning sound designer who works extensively across theatrical productions, national tours and live events throughout Australia.
Recent Australian touring productions include Here You Come Again (Kay & McLean), Shirley Valentine and The Woman in Black (Gooding & Woodward Theatrical), and Sooshi Mango: Home Made (TEG Dainty).
Recent musical theatre credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (CLOC), & Juliet (CentreStage and CLOC), Sister Act (Footlight), The Wizard of Oz (PLOS), 42nd Street (Babirra), Georgy Girl (ETC), Tarzan: The Stage Musical (James Terry Productions) and American Psycho (See You Sunday).
As founder of LSS Productions, Marcello has provided sound design and production services for numerous major annual events, including the Green Room Awards, the Australian Musical Theatre Festival, the Young Australian Broadway Chorus, the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria – Bruce Awards (2009–2023), and Starbound – Musical Theatre Spectacular.
Marcello has received numerous awards for his sound design work on productions including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Chicago, The Wedding Singer, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, We Will Rock You, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, The Boy from Oz, Chess, Come From Away, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Georgy Girl. He has also received Green Room Award nominations for The Beautiful Game (Manilla Street Productions), Falsettos (StageArt) and Kinky Boots (James Terry Collective).
Simone Sault
Associate Director and Choreographer
Simone Sault (She/Her) is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, director, and movement coach, with a reputation for excellence across Australia and the global stage. Growing up in Melbourne, she trained in classical ballet at the National Theatre Ballet School before beginning her professional dance career with the Sydney Dance Company in 1999. Over her eight-year tenure, Simone performed numerous principal roles, including a critically praised performance of Ellipse at The Joyce Theatre in New York.
Recently, Simone returned from Broadway, where she served as Associate Director and Movement Director on The Roommate, starring Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow, under the direction of Jack O’Brien.
Other notable credits include serving as Associate Choreographer for the US and UK productions of Marianne Elliott and Stephen Sondheim’s Company on Broadway, the North American Tour, and the West End, as well as choreographing and associating for Love Never Dies across multiple countries. She was also the Movement Director for Bell Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and directed a workshop of Cinderella at The Other Palace in London.
Simone’s influence extends to one of the most iconic productions in musical theatre history — The Phantom of the Opera— for the landmark new staging on Sydney Harbour, where she has worked as Choreographer and Associate Director alongside Simon Phillips and Gabriela Tylesova on the first major reimagining of the production in over 38 years.
Her career also spans several high-profile films, including Beauty and the Beast (directed by Bill Condon), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and films directed by Tim Burton including Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Simone has also contributed to numerous television and creative projects, including Giri/Haji for Netflix, Baby Ballroom on Channel 4 UK, Strictly Dance Fever for the BBC, and the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony directed by Danny Boyle.
Her performance career includes roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago (London and Australia), Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Sadler’s Wells, Sinatra at the London Palladium, and On the Town in both Paris and London, among many others.
As a highly sought-after dance coach, Simone has conducted masterclasses and workshops across the globe, including in the USA, Japan, Russia, Australia, China, and the UK.
Producers
Neil Gooding
Producer
Tony Award-winning producer Neil Gooding established Neil Gooding Productions in 2002, with a commitment to delivering high-quality theatrical experiences to Australian and international audiences, with a particular focus on new work.
In Australia, his recent credits producing credit include the new Australian Tour productions of The Woman in Black starring John Waters and Daniel MacPherson, The 39 Steps starring Lisa McCune, The Umbilical Brothers and Ian Stenlake, Shirley Valentine starring Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and Peter and the Starcatcher. He also served as General Manager for the Australian tours of Rent and Afterglow.
Internationally, select credits include Back to the Future The Musical (West End, Broadway, UK and US Tour), the recent Broadway revivals of Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard, Harmony (Broadway) the world premiere of What’s New Pussycat (Birmingham), Islander (New York), Drummer Queens (Australia), LEAP (Australia), The 39 Steps (Off-Broadway), The Empire Strips Back (North American tours, UK and Paris), the Helpmann Award-winning Sweet Charity, the Australian premiere of Dogfight, High Fidelity, Handle With Care (New York) starring Carol Lawrence, and Macbeth starring Alan Cumming on Broadway.
As a director, Neil helmed Passion at Arts Centre Melbourne for Life Like Touring, the Australian premiere of Dogfight by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (Hayes Theatre), the national tour of Thank You For Being A Friend, and the world premiere of Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You. He has also produced and directed Sing On Through Tomorrow by Matthew Robinson, LOVEBiTES by Peter Rutherford and James Millar, Love Letters, Irving Berlin: Songs in the Key of Black (Lucy Maunder), and The Divine Miss Bette starring Catherine Alcorn. Neil was also a producer of the hit Australian play Holding the Man in the West End starring Jane Turner and Simon Burke. In 2009, he produced the original tour of Breast Wishes and directed and produced the Australian premiere of Gutenberg! The Musical!, receiving Helpmann and Green Room Award nominations for his direction. In 2008, he produced (with WhiteBox) the world premiere of The Hatpin, which later played at NYMF in New York, where he also served as Assistant Director.
Neil is the author of Back to the 80’s—now produced hundreds of times annually around the world—and Popstars, and was the founding Chairman of Hayes Theatre Co.
Alex Woodward
Producer
Alex Woodward is an accomplished producer and theatre-maker with nearly two decades of experience in Australia’s performing arts industry. Now at 38, Alex leads Woodward Productions with a focus on creating and touring gateway theatre experiences that attract new audiences to live performance through engaging, accessible, and innovative work. Alex has worked extensively across Australia as a lead producer and general manager, with a growing international presence through the export of original Australian productions. Woodward Productions are the Executive Producers for Trafalgar Entertainment in Australia bringing Fiddler on the Roof to Australia. Woodward Productions are financial investors in Back to the Future the musical Worldwide, The Book of Mormon UK Tour, and have 2 new works currently that are in their commissioning stage.
Notable achievements as Lead/Executive Producer include:
- The 39 Steps (New Production) – Australian Tour, 2025
- The Woman in Black (Original West End Production) – Australian Tour
- Shirley Valentine (New Production) – Australian Tour
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged] – Brisbane
- Plied and Prejudice (New Austen Adaptation) – Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth & London
- A Very Naughty Christmas (Award-winning adults-only Christmas show) – London, Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne
As General Manager/Executive Producer:
- Trent Dalton’s LOVE STORIES – Australian Tour
- Jersey Boys (New Production) for Prospero Arts – Brisbane
- The Pirates of Penzance (New Production) for Prospero Arts – Brisbane
Other credits include:
- Peter and the Starcatcher – (Australian Tour – co producer)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Valkyrie (Commissioned new work)
- Caroline O’Connor: From Broadway with Love
- Sweet Charity
- Bare: A Pop Opera
- YANK! A WWII Love Story
Georgia Putt
Executive Producer
Georgia Putt is an Australian theatre producer working across commercial theatre and national touring productions. She graduated from JMC Academy on a full academic scholarship with a Bachelor of Entertainment Business Management, studying under the mentorship of Simone Parrott.
Following her studies, Georgia further developed her skills in event management working under Simone’s guidance at Inner West Council as an Events Officer, delivering large-scale community festivals including the Dulwich Hill and Marrickville Festivals.
Georgia was thrilled to join Neil Gooding Productions in 2018 and has since developed her producing career under the mentorship of Neil Gooding, contributing to the development, production and touring of a range of theatrical works across Australia and internationally with the company.
Sophie Woodward
Executive Producer
Sophie holds a degree in Fine Arts majoring in Technical Production and has spent the last five years working as a Stage Manager and Technician. Her career so far has seen her building a diverse skillset while working consistently across Brisbane and touring the country.
Now pivoting to the role of Associate Producer and General Manager at Woodward Productions in 2025, Sophie is eager to apply her knowledge and skills in a new capacity. With a strong foundation in theatre making and a keen interest in expanding her professional horizons, Sophie is excited to join the Woodward Productions team.
