What a delight it has been to direct the inaugural season from Heartsleeve Creatives - A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A play that has held a special place in the heart of my family, and I’m sure many others, has been realised anew by our magnificent ensemble. Guided by influences of Frantic Assembly and Rudolph Laban, and underpinned by our Heartsleeve ethos of timeless words, new heart, our actors have brought their knowledge, understanding, diligence and very considerable skill to collaborate in creating a fresh, engaging and entertaining piece of theatre.
Shakespeare in the Gardens has become a summer staple in Melbourne and we are so excited to bring it to the City of Maroondah this summer. We could not have hoped for a better setting than the beautiful gardens here at Wyreena and we have been blessed by the welcome and partnership we have received from the Wyreena team.
The Vintage Circus sights and sounds crafted by my fellow creatives Kathryn and Jenn have formed the ideal playground for mischief and magic to abound! I do hope you enjoy the exploits of our feisty fairies, lively lovers and manic mechanicals. Thank you for joining us for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Nick Walter - Director
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a romantic comedy where love goes very wrong before it goes very right again.
Four young Athenians run into the woods to sort out their love lives (never a good idea). Hermia loves Lysander, but her father insists she marry Demetrius, who is meanwhile being pursued by Helena, who loves him far more than he deserves. Confused yet? Good — it gets worse.
Sharing the forest are two other groups with very different agendas. The fairy world is in chaos as King Oberon and Queen Titania argue, dragging nature itself into their marital spat. Their servant Puck is sent off with a magical love potion that makes people fall in love with the first thing they see — a spell that is applied far too enthusiastically and almost never correctly.
Meanwhile, a troupe of well-meaning but gloriously untalented amateur actors (the “mechanicals”) rehearse a play for the Duke’s wedding. Their efforts are sincere, dramatic, and doomed — especially when one of them is magically given the head of a donkey and becomes the unexpected object of fairy affection.
Add mistaken identities, enchanted naps, bruised egos, and a great deal of shouting about love, and you get a night where nothing makes sense until morning arrives. The spells are undone, the couples are correctly matched, the mechanicals perform their unforgettable play, and everyone learns that love is ridiculous, magical, and definitely not to be trusted — especially in the woods.
LYSANDER - St John Barter-Waters
St John has been a part of the theatrical world for most of their life, having grown up as part of a family well accustomed to the stage. Taking part in the performing arts throughout high-school, St John has since been a talking door in Mort and Lucas Beineke in Addams Family. Their most recent contribution to the stage however was as Assistant Director for Little Women, learning the ins and outs of the other side of the creative process. Returning once more to the stage, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is St John’s first time performing Shakespeare, and a dream come true!
ROBIN STARVELING / COBWEB - Julia Duke
Julia has been involved in theatre for over 20 years both on and off stage as a performer, director and stage manager. On stage, some of Julia’s favourite roles include a Witch in Macbeth, Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray and The Aviatrix in The Drowsy Chaperone. Julia has stage managed shows such as Clue, Anything Goes and Little Women. Directing credits in her profession as a secondary school teacher include Rock of Ages, The Little Mermaid, The Witches of Eastwick, The Wiz and Grease. Julia hopes that you enjoy the show!
HELENA - Jess Harding
Jess Harding is an Australian actor whose work spans classical theatre, contemporary text, and devised performance. She trained at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School before completing the NIDA Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance, later expanding her classical foundations through the Prague Shakespeare Company Summer Intensive. Jess has also found joy in studying music, singing and dance alongside her acting training. Her stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Dir. Jim Johnson & Carolyn Johnson) with the Prague Shakespeare Company and Love and Information by Caryl Churchill (dir. George Lazaris) at NIDA. At VCASS, Jess appeared in Almost, Maine (dir. Christopher Button), as well as the self-devised works The Master and Margarita (Dir. Goran Banyai) and ‘Fess Up a musical (Dir. Ross Hannaford). Since 2011, she has been a long-standing ensemble member with Nuworks Theatre, performing in Romeo and Juliet, That Bastard Brecht - winner of Best International Show at the Edinburgh Fringe - Fagin, Electra, Sticks and Stones, Suffragettes, and numerous other works written and directed by David Dunn. She approaches performance with a spirited curiosity, always eager to expand her craft through vibrant, exciting works.
HERMIA - Laura Hopkins
Laura has been performing for over 12 years, appearing in a wide range of productions across Australia and internationally. Her highlights include starring as Eileen in Belfast: Patrick and the IRA with Nuworks Theatre, which won the Weekly Award for Best Theatre & Physical Theatre at the Adelaide Fringe Festival (2023). Laura also took part in Nuworks’ Europe tour (2017) where she featured in three shows as Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, Electra in Electra, and Good Queen/Baby Bash in Snow White. Laura’s other notable roles include Kate in The Tragedy of Ned and Kate Kelly (2022), Betty in Suffragettes following the return to theatre post-lockdown (Dec 2020), and Alice in Alice in Wonderland (2015). Laura is thrilled to be part of the inaugural venture of Heartsleeve Creatives and is especially excited to bring the heart and vitality of Shakespeare to a modern audience.
PETER QUINCE - Colin Noble
Colin has been engaged in local theatre for the past 25 years and has experience in roles both on and off stage. Performing in both musicals and plays including roles in The Music Man, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairspray and Sense and Sensibility. Colin has also enjoyed the opportunity to perform in some original shows and the experience of performing at the Adelaide and Auckland fringe festivals. Offstage roles have included directing, playing in orchestra and designing and building sets for many shows.
TOM SNOUT / PEASEBLOSSOM - Annabelle Pappas
Annabelle’s stage credits include Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical Jr. (CPP Community Theatre, 2025), Featured Children’s Ensemble in Oliver! (Nova Musical Theatre Company, 2024), Bridesmaid’s Chorus in Ruddigore (Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria, 2024). Annabelle was recently cast as Katherine Plumber in Blackburn High School’s upcoming production of Newsies. Outside of theatre, she loves coaching and playing netball, baking and writing. Annabelle would like to thank her parents for supporting her theatre endeavors, her singing teacher, Lauren Lee Innis-Youren for her constant support and lessons in voice and acting, and Heartsleeve Creatives for this opportunity.
SNUG / MUSTARDSEED - Cassie Quinlan
Cassie’s formal exploration of the performing arts began with the Young Australian Broadway Chorus 20 years ago and has since taken her on adventures in academic study, theatrical performance, and musical direction. She completed a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music at Monash University, majoring in Theatre Studies and specialising in Classical Voice, respectively. Her onstage antics include rambling rainbow recitations, dancing with the dishes, a brief cameo as a clamorous canine, and quite decidedly dying for her roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Beauty and the Beast, Sense and Sensibility, and Macbeth. Behind the scenes, Cassie has brandished the baton as Vocal Director for Anything Goes, Orchestral Director for Oliver!, and Musical Director for The Addams Family.
DEMETRIUS - Aidan Salmon
A late comer to the stage, Aidan first trod the boards as Edward Ferrars in Sense & Sensibility (2023) and has since been making up for lost time performing in a number of plays; Little Women (2024), Macbeth (2025), and musicals over the years; Oliver! (2023), Hello, Dolly! (2024), Urinetown (2025). Having studied several Shakespeare plays throughout their schooling and, being a long-time patron of many a Shakespeare company, Aidan was quick to jump at the chance to be a part of one of the Bard’s greatest comedies. Behind the scenes, Aidan has taken on many roles in the theatre, from stage crew in The Addam’s Family (2022) to set construction coordinator for Oliver! and Urinetown, and enjoys any opportunity to utilise his variety of skills both on and off the stage.
PUCK - Arianna Walley
Arianna studied at Monash University (BA Theatre & Performance) and Impulse Company Australia. Arianna’s theatre credits include Ester in Dryland (Quiet Roar, dir. Erica Chestnut), Mercy Lewis in The Crucible (Australian Shakespeare Company, dir. Syd Brisbane) and Jo March in Little Women (CPP, dir. Jenn Walter). In 2022, Arianna co-created and wrote their first production, We’ll Meet Again, with longtime collaborator, Aaron D’Silva. Arianna has also worked extensively with Nuworks Theatre, appearing in numerous productions and touring award-winning work to the Adelaide Fringe, Auckland Fringe, and regional UK.
TITANIA / HIPPOLYTA - Jenn Walter
Over the past 35 years, Jenn has built a strong and versatile foundation in musical, contemporary, and classical theatre as a performer, director, and musical director. Her Shakespearean credits include Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Gertrude (Hamlet), Portia (Julius Caesar), and Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Additional notable roles include Mother Courage in Mother Courage and Her Children, Clytemnestra in The Electra Legacy, Tiresias in Freak Show (adaptation of Antigone), Eliza Jane in A Punk Opera (adaptation of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera) and Helene Brecht in That Bastard Brecht—all written or adapted and directed by David Dunn. Career highlights include performances at the Edinburgh, Adelaide, and Auckland Fringe Festivals with Nuworks Theatre, also under Dunn’s direction, and performing Shakespeare with Nuworks in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, under the umbrella of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Across more than three decades, Jenn has continued to enjoy learning, collaborating, and growing within the theatre community.
Jenn has also composed for numerous productions, including Stories in the Dark, Little Women, Macbeth, Not the End of the World, Dolphin and Sycamore and Global Stories.
FRANCIS FLUTE / MOTH - Liam Walter
At just 16 years old, Liam has already amassed an impressive range of theatre experience. He has performed with Nuworks Youth Theatre under the direction of Meg Dunn and David Dunn, with roles including Malvolio (Twelfth Night), Bottom/Flute (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Toad (The Wind in the Willows). Liam has also performed with Nuworks Theatre at the Adelaide and Auckland Fringe Festivals in Suffragettes and A Punk Opera (both written and directed by David Dunn). His musical theatre credits include Chip (Beauty and the Beast), The Cat in the Hat (Seussical Jr.), and Callaghan (Legally Blonde). Liam will soon commence Year 11 at Rowville Institute of the Arts, where he will major in Drama Studies.
Director / EGEUS - Nick Walter
Nick has directed and designed over 70 productions including The Tempest, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar and Much Ado About Nothing. His outdoor productions include performances staged in sculpture gardens, a heritage mansion and lakeside metropolitan gardens. He has trained with Shakespeare’s Globe, Donmar Warehouse, Frantic Assembly (London) and Sydney Theatre Company.
As a performer, Nick has appeared in Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet and Electra in Stratford Upon Avon and European tours. He has worked extensively with Nuworks Theatre and performed in award-winning shows at Edinburgh, Adelaide and Auckland Fringe Festivals.
NICK BOTTOM - Kathryn White
Kathryn has been creating theatre for over two decades as a performer, director and designer. She has directed productions of Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sense and Sensibility, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Her choreography credits span a wide range of musical theatre classics such as Anything Goes, Crazy for You, Sweet Charity and Children of Eden. As a designer, Kathryn has created costumes for productions of Clue: The Musical, Honk!, Assassins, and Hot Mikado, and has brought imaginative set designs to life in Honk!, Macbeth, Jesus Christ Superstar and Sense and Sensibility. On stage, she has performed in roles across a range of Shakespearean productions, including Metellus in Julius Caesar, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. A natural character actor, Kathryn’s performances in musical theatre include Nancy in Oliver!, Le Fou in Beauty and the Beast, and Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!.
OBERON / THESEUS - Sean Williams
Sean has been involved in theatre for most of his life. The last few years have seen Sean appearing on stage as John Willoughby in Sense & Sensibility, Prof. Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women, and Ross in Macbeth. Offstage, he can be found in the orchestra pit, most recently playing bass guitar for Urinetown. He also filled the role of Assistant Director for a recent production of Oliver!. As a keen photographer, Sean has shot both headshot and stage photography for several shows, with recent credits including Seussical Jr and Hello Dolly!. He is very keen for the chance to perform some Shakespeare amongst the trees with a great group of people.
Director - Nick Walter
Music & Sound Designer - Jenn Walter
Costume & Set Designer - Kathryn White
Props - Jenn Walter & Nick Walter
Stage Manager - Madeline Dundon
Sound Operation - Lani Zimora & Jasmine Walter
Director’s Assistant - Jasmine Walter
Costume Assistant - Cassie Quinlan
Front of House Team - Kay McPhie, Lee Jones & Richard Pappas
Photography - Miranda Frost
Pre Show Entertainment - Jasmine Walter & Lucas Arnold
Heartsleeve Creatives would like to acknowledge the wonderful support of Maroondah City Council.
We would also like to thank the following individuals and organisations:
Wyreena Community Arts Centre
Mattie Young
Kirstyn Piercy-Szabo at Lightwave Productions
True Fairies
CPP Community Theatre Inc.
Barry Plant Croydon
Rowville Secondary College
Lydia Saroto
Aaron D’Silva
Callum Dale
Lyndsay Dale
Josie Hunt
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