Musical Theatre - Commercial/Funded Panel

Panel Chair

Jamie Henson

(Chair)

Jamie was the resident Lighting Designer of the Queensland Theatre Company and in 6 years he designed over 100 productions. He has designed for Nimrod, Queensland & South Australian Opera companies, Stage company, Melbourne & Sydney Theatre companies, Marionette Theatre of Australia, International Concert Attractions, Fine Lines and Gordon Frost Organisation.

He was technical manager of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 1995 and Company/ Production manager/ Lighting realiser for ‘TAP DOGS’ Austral Asian tour. He studied Arts and Entertainment Management at Deakin University and was the Operations Manager for the Victorian Arts Centre.

He designed and operated the lighting for ‘SEEKERS 50th Anniversary tour’. He was awarded AUSDANCE award for Outstanding achievement in Community Dance as part of the creative team of ‘The Right’.

He lectured at the Swinburne University. Then at Melbourne Polytechnic in Production and Technical Services, Theatre Arts, Costume for Performance, Specialist Make-up, Event management courses and at the National Institute Circus Arts.

Lucy Carew

(Deputy Chair)

Lucy is a dedicated Arts/Theatre marketing professional with ten years combined experience working in and producing live entertainment.

Her current role as Marketing Manager at Ticketmaster Australia enables her to have a strong understanding of audience behaviours and purchasing trends, specifically within the musical theatre genre. Lucy oversees a national portfolio of events with a primary focus of marketing campaigns supporting all major musical theatre events working alongside Australia’s premier commercial theatres and producers.

Lucy's background spans both commercial and independent performance contexts, allowing her to bring a balanced, audience-focused and industry-informed perspective to judging work across a range of genres and scales. Worked as a producer of arts, cabaret, and family shows in a Spiegeltent environment, where she was directly involved in programming, artist development, and live performance delivery.

Panellists

Susan-Ann Walker

Susan-ann is an established performer/musician and is a proud emerging writer.

Susan-ann’s music theatre credits include “Rosie” in THE WEDDING SINGER (Director Alistair Smith), “Barushka” in ONCE (Director John Tiffany/Green room award for Best Ensemble), “Martha” in THE SECRET GARDEN (Director Susan Schulman), “Calliope/Aphrodite” in XANADU (Director Christopher Ashley), “Earth Mother” in MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL (Director Gary Young) “Agnes Gooch” in MAME (Director David Atkins), “Mrs Strokosh” in FUNNY GIRL (Director Gale Edwards), “Sister Margaretta” in THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Director Susan Schulman) “Ensemble/Madame Thenadier cover” LES MISERABLES (Director Gale Edwards) and “Jenny-any-dots/Gumbie in CATS (Director Jo-anne Robinson).

Television credits include “Marlene” in GOLD DIGGERS (ABC), MOONMAN, WINNERS AND LOSERS, MDA, DR BLAKE, MRS FISHER’S MURDER and BLUE HEELERS.

Cabarets include JACQUES BREL (Green room award for best cabaret), NOT QUITE RIGHT, BIN GODDESS, YUMMY, THE YUMMY BURLESQUE HOUR (Green room nomination for best original songs) and is currently working on BATHE.

Joti Van Carlos Gore

Fresh from being nominated for People’s Choice Performer of the Year, Joti is a true triple-threat (and then some!)—an award-winning actor, singer/songwriter, choreographer, director, voice artist, and author whose career has taken him across Australia and the globe.

Audiences may recognise Joti from productions including Disney’s Frozen the Musical (National & International Tours), Ragtime, Elvis: A Musical Revolution, Tarzan the Musical, Memphis, and many more. His screen credits include appearances in Hunters (HBO/NBC Universal), Woodley (ABC), and numerous voice acting roles for television and animation.

Known for bringing heart, humour, and unforgettable energy to every performance, Joti loves creating larger-than-life characters.

Drew-Elizabeth Johnstone

Drew-Elizabeth Johnstone has tread the boards as a Showgirl with the World famous Les Girls, and shared the Big Screen with the likes of Gretel Killeen and several TV screens over the years.

Drew-Elizabeth is an award winning Hairdresser having worked in the top salons with the best in the business.

Makeup and Wigs is another love of hers which has had her work within the fashion industry with Top Models of the 90s and with magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Fashion Quarterly and featured regularly as The Assistant Fashion Editor for The Woman’s Weekly.

She has worked with Top presenters within the TV industry, Celebrity Game shows and many TVC’s for Saatchi and Saatchi and O&M.

She works within the Theatre industry and loves everything that comes with live performance. Having the great pleasure of working with Industry Greats, Dolly Parton, Patti Lupone, Jennifer Holliday, John Cameron Mitchel, James Morrison, Marcia and Deni Hines, Bert Newtown, Trevor Ashley, Marina Prior and Caroline O'Connor to name a few.

Drew-Elizabeth is experienced in designing and setting up many shows or running those departments and also working with great crews on many Australian originals and imported shows such as Priscilla, Dusty, Buddy Holly, Gael Edwards, Rocky Horror, Dreamlover, Cabaret, Hair, Grease, Chicago, Julie Andrews My Fair Lady, Heathers, The Wizard of Oz, Georgy Girl, Jersey Boys, The Paris Opera Ballet with Jewels and Swan Lake, Anything Goes, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Australian Ballet's Alice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Shrek, Lorelei, The Who’s Tommy, Parrwang Lifts the Sky, The Wedding Singer, 9 to 5 The Musical, La Cage , Many GFO Rocky Horror Shows, A Christmas Carol, The Producers, Hedwig, The Odd Couple, Lord of the Rings a Musical Tale, Annie.

She is also charged with maintaining Disney's Character wigs onboard their Ships while in Australia and NZ .

Bianca Pardo

Bianca is a passionate Melbourne/Naarm-based designer and maker. Both set and costume excite her and she endeavours to create visceral storytelling experiences through her craft. Bianca graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production – Design Realisation) in 2019.

Bianca’s design credits include Red (Little Life Productions and Company 16), Tarzan (James Terry Collective), What’s Yours (Red Stitch), En Masse (Rawcus), One Day in September (Perryman Theatre Company), Suessical (OCPAC), Guys and Dolls, Passing Strange (Antipodes Theatre Company), TakeBack! (Multicultural Arts Victoria), NGARNGK; Giver of Life (La Mama/YIRRAMBOI Festival); Fucking A, Mad Forest (VCA).

L’Oréal For Women in Science and Kenworth’s Legacy (Moo Motion), Associate Designer on Mother Play, Assistant Designer on West Gate and Streetcar Named Desire (Melbourne Theatre Company) and Costume Assistant on Interior (Rawcus).

Bianca was awarded the Orloff Family Charitable Trust Scholarship in 2018 and was nominated for Green Room Awards for her Tarzan and Guys and Dolls design.

Throughout 2024, she completed the Besen Family Artist Program at the Malthouse Theatre with placements on The Hate Race and Fuck Christmas. Bianca was delighted to be a part of the inaugural Future Creatives Program at the Melbourne Theatre Company in 2024 and 2025.

Adrianna Pannuzzo

Adrianna is a Melbourne-based performer and theatre creator and early- to mid-career artist. She has a multidisciplinary background as a performer, choreographer, and assistant director. She has professional Experience across mainstage, independent, touring, and commercial productions

Her professional debut at 11 was in Billy Elliot the Musical at Her Majesty’s Theatre, which shaped her understanding of professionalism, collaboration, and high creative standards from a young age. Recently she was in the ensemble for Tarzan – the Stage Musical and was the Dance Captain in High School Musical for James Terry Collective.

She trained in New York City at the American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA), completing a bachelor’s degree in music theatre, and has since worked as a performer, choreographer, and theatre maker across Australian and international productions.

Working onstage and behind the scenes has given her a holistic perspective on the creative process and the people involved in it. She values inclusive, supportive rehearsal rooms and thoughtful decision-making.

Roxanne Tamlin

Roxanne is an actress and singer with a distinct range of characters under her belt. In 2018 she graduated from Federation University Arts Academy’s Bachelor of Acting with distinction, and in 2019 she took on a Musical Theatre course with Associated Studios Australia.

Her credits include ‘Nancy Wake’ in the Australian Cast recording of The White Mouse (2016), ‘Puck’ in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018), lead at Witches in Britches (2019-2021), ‘Kate Kelly’ in Fire in the Head (2022), ‘Hero’ in Much Ado About Nothing (2023).

In 2023 she was a Take the Mic finalist at Chapel off Chapel, she also appeared in the film CCTV Nasty. A highlight for her in 2023 was playing the roles of ‘Athena’, ‘Cassandra’, ‘Andromache’,

‘Helen’ and ‘Chorus’ in a 3-person adaption of The Women of Troy with Eagles Nest Theatre, as well as co-producing and playing the villain in a short fantasy film called Legacy.

In 2025, she played ‘Amy’ in a feature film called It’s Showtime, Dan. Recently she has enjoyed being a part of the comedic YouTube channel called Lonely Knights. Great storytelling is

transformative, and Roxanne’s passion is to share that experience with her audiences.