Show Notes
Glenn Elston OAM has directed over 250 seasons Shakespeare, Classic Works, Musicals and Family Theatre. A prominent figure in Australian theatre, he is particularly known for pioneering outdoor picnic theatre in Australia and creating immersive, family-friendly experiences that have become beloved traditions. Elston began his journey in 1987, forming a small performance collective that has since grown to be Australia's largest independent theatre company. His dedication to making Shakespeare and other classic stories accessible to a broad audience has led to the production of iconic outdoor performances, particularly during the summer season, attracting audiences from across the nation. His repertoire includes celebrated productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, Comedy of Errors, Henry IV - Part I, Richard III, Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Macbeth, and As You Like It. Beyond Shakespeare, he has written and directed original stage adaptations of beloved stories like The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Toad’s Birthday Party, The Caribbean Pirates, Jack and the Beanstalk, Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies and Jungle Book – The Next Chapter. His productions of classic texts includes Lady Chatterley's Lover, Wuthering Heights, The Crucible and Pygmalion. In 1990, Glenn was co-producer of Hair which opened in Melbourne and then began a tour around Australia. Glenn took over as tour director in Sydney and travelled with the production to venues in Camperdown, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Townsville, Cairns, Kuranda, Darwin, Wollongong, Launceston, Hobart, Newcastle and Tweed Heads. In 2002, He adapted and directed Much Ado About Nothing into a rock musical with his regular songwriting collaborator, Paul Norton. This adaptation has toured Australia and has enjoyed sold out seasons in many Australian capitols. Six of Glenn’s productions have appeared in five different Adelaide Festivals. Since 2003, Glenn has been collaborating with Djilpin Arts and co-presented the Walking with Spirits festival - a powerful celebration of Aboriginal traditions held at Malkgulumbu (Beswick Falls) in the Northern Territory. This partnership is this ongoing. Furthermore, in 2010 he produced Noel Tovey’s acclaimed production Little Black Bastard to the Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon, further amplifying Indigenous voices on the international arts scene. In 2014, Glenn directed and designed a new Australian touring production of Godspell the Musical which played seasons at Arts Centre Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Traralgon, Sale, Warragal and the Sydney Opera House. Glenn has produced many local and international acts over the years including Sir George Martin in Concert with Glenn Shorrock, The John Farnham Band, James Rayne & Tommy Amanuel (QPAC, Hammer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne and the Sydney Opera House), David Strassman, The Heartbreak Kid, Blues in the Night, The Life and Death of Sandy Stone (Barry Humphries), Five Guys Named Moe, Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! (Penny Arcade), A Stretch of the Imagination and three Australian Tours of Marianne Faithfull including a special performance of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins. In recognition of his contributions, Glenn Elston was honoured with a Melbourne Award for Contribution to Melbourne's Profile by an Individual in 2014 and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2018 for his service to the performing arts. He is the Artistic Director of the Australian Shakespeare Company (ASC) and a director at A.T. Management. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
More from STAGES with Peter Eyers
STAGES welcomes back the enormously talented Eddie Perfect — composer, lyricist, performer, actor and one of Australia’s most distinctive theatrical voices. Eddie is the Tony-nominated creator of Beetlejuice The Musical, and in 2025 he also donned the iconic stripy suit himself, starring as the mischievous, macabre and thoroughly irresistible Beetlejuice in the Melbourne season at the Regent Theatre. Now that extraordinary Australian production is being preserved for posterity — and for your headphones — with the release of Beetlejuice The Musical Live at the Regent Theatre Melbourne, arriving this Halloween, October 31st. The album captures the energy of the live production, with Eddie joined by a stellar Australian cast including Karis Oka, Rob Johnson, Erin Claire, Elise McCann, Tom Wren, Angelique Cassimatis, Rebecca Ordiz, Noni McCallum and Adam Lyon. But this recording represents something even bigger. It marks the launch of Excited Animal Records, a new label founded by Eddie with a very clear mission: to record, release and champion Australian music theatre and the extraordinary artists who create it. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
Jonathan Biggins is one of Australia’s most versatile and distinctive theatre practitioners, with an accomplished career spanning acting, directing and writing. He is also a sought-after corporate speaker, MC and entertainer, bringing the same intelligence, wit and theatrical flair to every aspect of his work. As an actor, Jonathan is renowned for his versatility and finely observed character work. He has performed with all of Australia’s major state theatre companies, with notable Sydney Theatre Company appearances including Peter Sellers in Ying Tong and Henry Carr in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties. His work with Opera Australia includes the role of Ko-Ko in The Mikado, while his performance career has also extended to musical comedy and touring, including Three Men and a Baby Grand. On screen, his credits include the films Thank God He Met Lizzie and A Few Best Men, among numerous television appearances. Jonathan’s talents as a director are equally impressive. Since 2000, he was a co-director of the Sydney Theatre Company’s much-loved Wharf Revue, helping shape its distinctive blend of satire, music, comedy and political observation across more than two decades. His other directing credits include Opera Australia’s Orpheus in the Underworld, as well as The Republic of Myopia, Noises Off and Talk for the Sydney Theatre Company. He also directed the Australian touring production of the Broadway musical Avenue Q in 2009–10. His work for younger audiences includes directing the award-winning productions Pete the Sheep, Josephine Wants to Dance and Mr Stink. As a writer, Jonathan has demonstrated an equally sharp ear for comedy and an astute understanding of Australian life and politics. His fortnightly column for Good Weekend ran for seven years, while his journalism and commentary have appeared in publications including The Age, Australian Traveller and Wine Selector Magazine. His extensive theatre writing includes collaborations on sixteen editions of The Wharf Revue, among them Pennies from Kevin, Sunday in Iraq with George and Waiting for Garnaut. For Opera Australia, he created a new libretto adaptation of Orpheus in the Underworld, while his musical theatre credits include Living in the 70s and The Republic of Myopia. His first full-length play, Australia Day, premiered in 2012, followed by Talk for the Sydney Theatre Company in 2017 and the acclaimed one-man show The Gospel According to Paul in 2019. Jonathan is also the author of four books: As It Were, The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective People, The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective Parents and The Gospel According to Paul. He is presently touring in his acclaimed one-man show, The Gospel According to Paul, and later this month releases a new book tiled Near Death in Venice. Across the stage, page and screen, Jonathan Biggins has built a career defined by versatility, comic precision and an enduring ability to find the humour, humanity and absurdity in contemporary Australian life. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
Marney McQueen is one of Australia’s most versatile performers, weaving together a formidable talent for musical theatre, comedy, cabaret and character performance. A graduate of NIDA, Marney has built a career distinguished by its energy, comic intelligence and extraordinary vocal ability. McQueen made her professional theatre debut as Marion in the original Australian production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, before going on to play the deliciously devious Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray. She subsequently appeared as Nina in Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical alongside David Campbell, and as Princess Zeena in Moonshadow. Her theatre credits also include Into the Woods, The Dismissal, Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot and The Give & Take. Comedy and cabaret have been equally important to McQueen’s career. She created the outrageous Rosa Waxoffski, a Russian beautician whose adventures have taken her to comedy festivals and stages in Australia and internationally. The character began during her NIDA training and developed into a celebrated cabaret creation, demonstrating McQueen’s particular gift for impersonation, character comedy and audience interaction. On screen, her credits include Neighbours, Home and Away, Bogan Pride, The Wedge, The Chinaboy Show, The Mule, Matching Jack and Maya the Bee: The Honey Games. She has also worked extensively as a presenter, MC and cabaret artist. More recently, Marney took centre stage as Céline Dion in the Australian production of Titanique, a role that showcased both her powerhouse vocals and impeccable comic timing. She returns to musical theatre as The Lady of the Lake, in Monty Python’s Spamalot, bringing her abundant gifts to this gloriously comic musical. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
Sharon Millerchip is one of the busiest actor/creatives on the Australian stage with three prestigious Helpmann Awards to her name. Sharon most recently played Ingrid Treloar in BORN ON A THURSDAY By Jack Kearney at the Old Fitz Theatre for which she was nominated for the 2026 Sydney Theatre Award for Leading Actor in an Independent Play. Sharon was Creative Producer for PUTTING IT TOGETHER at the Foundation Theatre and is set to resume her role as the Associate Director for SIX THE MUSICAL in Australia which begins it’s fourth national tour in July 2026 For the Sydney Theatre Company, Sharon was Assistant Director to Priscilla Jackman in Suzie Miller’s smash hit RBG; OF MANY ONE starring Heather Mitchell and directed the one woman show BECOMING ELIZA starring Anna O’Byrne at the Sydney Opera House. Sharon played Caroline in the original company of Yve Blake’s FANGIRLS for Belvoir and QTC and was the Associate Choreographer for it’s return season at the Sydney Opera House Other recent performances include The Queen Mother in THE QUEENS NANNY, Louise Daley in A BROADCAST COUP, Penny in Melanie Tait’s smash hit THE APPLETON LADIES POTATO RACE all for Ensemble, Simon Phillips’ NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Joan in SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS for Darlinghurst Theatre and acclaimed performances as the eponymous heroine SHIRLEY VALENTINE and Johanna Murray-Smith’s iconic BOMBSHELLS which earned her Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Leading Actress in a Play. Sharon is part of an elite group of women worldwide who have played both Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart in CHICAGO. Sharon received Helpmann Awards for both roles as well as the Sydney Theatre Award for Roxie Hart. Sharon played Meg Giry in the Australian premier of Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES (Sydney Theatre Award nom) the spectacular sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in which Sharon also played Meg Giry in the original Australian production. Her other leading roles include Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Mo Award), Columbia in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (Helpmann Award) Anita in WEST SIDE STORY, Demeter in CATS, Catherine in PIPPIN (Helpmann nomination), May in Lippa’s THE WILD PARTY, Sofia in SATANGO (Australian Dance Award), Sonia Walsk in THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, Charity Hope Valentine in SWEET CHARITY (Helpmann Award nomination) For the Sydney Theatre Company Sharon played Cordelia in FALSETTOS and Little Red Riding Hood in INTO THE WOODS for which she received the Mo Award and Sydney Theatre Award for best Supporting Actress. Away from the stage Sharon was Resident Director and Resident Choreographer on the Disney Theatricals blockbuster ALADDIN at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney and Resident Director on Baz Luhrmann's extravagant production of STRICTLY BALLROOM at The Lyric Sydney and Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne. Sharon comprised one third of the popular cabaret trio COMBO FIASCO who performed extensively throughout Australia and the USA where they received a MAC Award nomination for Best New York Vocal Comedy Act and recorded their live album, HERE. Her television credits include Daliance for Roadshow, Home and Away, Spicks and Specks, Cops LAC, The Circle, Willing and Able. Her feature film credits include Gretel Kileen's JIMMY AND GRET DON'T DO SEX and as Wendy Patterson in the Kath and Kim Filum KATH AND KIMDERELLA. Other recent theatre performances include AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS for Ellis Productions, A PICASSO and LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS at the Ensemble Theatre, and Nora Ephron's LOVE LOSS AND WHAT I WORE and MY FIRST TIME, both for Liza McLean at The Sydney Opera House. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
Two of Australia’s most accomplished and celebrated operatic performers, soprano Natalie Jones and mezzo-soprano Antoinette Halloran, come together for the highly anticipated world premiere of Jane Hammond and Therésa Borg’s The Spare Room - a production of Monstrous Theatre and Victorian Opera. Natalie Jones has enjoyed an acclaimed career spanning more than three decades, performing with leading opera companies and orchestras throughout Australia and internationally. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Jones was awarded the Wenkart Singing Scholarship and the prestigious Herald-Sun Aria. Her repertoire encompasses an extraordinary range, from the dazzling coloratura of Zerbinetta, Queen of the Night and Gilda to the lyricism of Manon, Juliette, Violetta, Donna Anna and Konstanze. Her performance of Musetta in La bohème earned a Green Room Award and Helpmann Award nomination, while her creation of Bubba in Richard Mills’ Summer of the Seventeenth Doll demonstrated her commitment to Australian contemporary opera. Antoinette Halloran is similarly one of Australia’s best-loved and most versatile singers, with an extensive career across opera, concert and contemporary repertoire. Her major roles with Opera Australia include Madama Butterfly, Rusalka, Mimì in La bohème, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. She has performed leading roles with Victorian Opera, West Australian Opera, State Opera South Australia, Opera Queensland and New Zealand Opera. Now these two formidable artists share the stage in The Spare Room, bringing their considerable experience, dramatic insight and vocal artistry to a brand-new Australian work. As Victorian Opera prepares to unveil the Hammond/Borg compelling new opera, Jones and Halloran promise to make this world premiere a significant addition to the Australian operatic landscape. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).