Our Team

Anthony Robinson

Chairperson

Dr Anthony Robinson is a West Australian who is motivated to use his professional experience to boost Artrage’s contribution to arts and culture in Western Australia. An engineer and economist by education he has worked as a business consultant in airlines, mining, resources, and utilities in Australia, Europe, Africa and America for 20 years. He is a business owner and Board member for a number of small enterprises, working to assist organisations with problem solving, strategy and execution.

Lindsay O'Sullivan

Vice-Chairperson

Lindsay O’Sullivan is Chief Operating Officer at Keystart Home Loans and has served in non-executive roles for more than 10 years, including with Artrage since 2010. He has an Executive MBA (Dux) from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kyle Jeavons

Vice-Chairperson

Kyle Jeavons the Development Director of several private property development and investment companies and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Double Major in Finance and Property. Kyle has been a member of the Artrage Board for over 5 years, and maintains a strong passion for assisting the growth of Perth through culture and the arts.

Ezra Hefter

Hon Treasurer

Following studies in Law, Chemistry and Extractive Metallurgy, Ezra Hefter has worked in scientific research and in the resources industry, before trading in the test tubes for the tax act as a partner at Ernst & Young where he has been for 18 years. He has worked with government and appeared before Senate Committees in relation to support for R&D and Innovation in Australia. When not talking tax, Ezra has a range of interests including the arts, old British cars, social justice issues, food, theatre, travel, and BBQ.

Gabrielle Vitali

Hon Secretary

Gabrielle Vitali has been a practicing lawyer for over 20 years and has held litigation, insolvency and commercial roles. She is currently a Senior Lawyer with Westpac Banking Corporation where she provides advice, drafting and negotiation support to the Loan Markets team within the Institutional Bank. She was formerly the Senior Lawyer and Company Secretary of The University of Notre Dame Australia, and she has previousy held board positions on school and local sporting clubs. Gabby’s involvement in the arts includes several years co-managing an indie rock band.

Saffron Solomon

BOARD MEMBER

Saffron Solomon has 20 years’ marketing and communications experience across industries including finance, insurance, energy, disability and the arts. She is Head of Brand, Marketing and Communications at APM and has held a number of non-executive roles over the past ten years. Saffron has been a Board member of Artrage since 2013 and also currently sits of the Board of a not-for-profit disability services provider and a branding agency.

Megan Anwyl

Board Member

Megan is a former lawyer and State Parliamentarian. Since 2001 she has worked as a political lobbyist active in State and Federal arenas. Megan lived in Kalgoorlie-Boulder for 11 years and is passionate about regional development, the arts and greater recognition of Aboriginal and Islander culture and heritage. 

Howard Cearns

Board Member

Co-Founder Little Creatures Brewery, Alex Hotel, Hippocampus Distillery, & Braincells Agency. Ex-Deputy Chair of Tourism WA & Chair of Events Tourism. Background in brand strategy and new product development.

Renee Wingfield

Board Member

Renee Wingfield (nee Pilkington) is a multidisciplinary performer and creative, with a speciality in spectacle and high-end aerial experiences. She is an advocate for the arts with a focus on the creative and the eccentric. Renee is the owner and Creative Director of Fliptease, WA's premier cornerstone aerial and spectacle company. Established in 2006 Fliptease has been performed for audiences all over the world but is proud to call Perth home.

Sharon Burgess

CEO

Sharon Burgess is one of the leading lights of the international Fringe network and a previous Board member of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. With over 12 years’ experience in the world of Fringe, she’s been at the helm of two of the largest venue producers at Edinburgh Fringe including Managing Director of Assembly Festival for the last six years. Her final year at Assembly saw records broken with 575,000 tickets sold to 250 shows that were presented. Alongside her direct Fringe involvement, Sharon has independently produced shows around the world, bringing Fringe World favourites down under. Sharon joined Artrage as CEO in September this year and feel very much at home in Perth already.

Amber Hasler

Festival Director

Amber has been instrumental in building FRINGE WORLD to its position as the third biggest international Fringe event of its kind in terms of tickets sold and the biggest annual festival in Western Australia. Her direction of the festival has helped transform perceptions of Perth by enlivening city spaces, introducing new live acts from thousands of local and international artists to audiences across the state and promoting economic growth during the month-long celebration in February. Amber’s passion for WA’s arts and culture industry has also led to her involvement in several boards including the Chamber of Arts & Culture of WA Board and the Helpmann Awards Panel, which celebrates Australia’s most talented performing artists. She was a 2016 Western Australian of the Year Award Nominee and a 2016 40 Under 40 Award Winner.
 

Jo Hos

Marketing Director

Jo is a 40 Under 40 Award Winner (2018) and a marketing and strategic communications professional with experience across government, non-for-profit and the private sector. Career highlights include helping to shape the development of a screen cultural funding program at Screenwest and contributing to CHOGM 2011 in her role as the Marketing Manager of the Commonwealth Festival Perth. Jo has been with ARTRAGE since 2012 and as a member of the FRINGE WORLD Executive she is responsible for leading the marketing, partnerships, box office and cinema teams alongside substantial contributions to the organisation’s strategic discussions and planning processes. Most recently Jo has joined the Committee of Project Numbat, a non for profit charity that supports numbat conservation work, so that she can contribute her strategic marketing, sponsorship and stakeholder management experience to this worthy WA cause. She has met the Queen of England and the actor who played Karl Drogo; she can't decide which she is more proud of.

Amy Riley

Business Director

Amy is responsible for overseeing the IT and Systems, Administration, HR and Finance functions of the organisation. A Chartered Accountant with a Diploma in HR, she brings strong technical skills to the role alongside a passion for the 'human' part of the HR function and Management. Her favourite thing about working at ARTRAGE is the exceptional team of staff she has the pleasure of working with. Her greatest achievement in life so far is keeping 4 pets alive and well despite managing to kill every plant she's ever tried to care for.

Ruth Morris

Program Manager

Ruth has joined us from the UK with extensive experience in arts, heritage and festival management. Upon leaving Scotland, Ruth travelled to Asia to work on Angkor Photo Festival and Workshops and finally made her way to Perth where she worked on three WA festivals; Southern MTB, Shinju Fringe and Shinju Matsuri. In 2016, she joined the FRINGE WORLD team as Venues Producer and now manages the programming team in her most recent role as Program Manager.

Justin Marshman

FRINGE WORLD Producer

Justin came to Western Australia and FRINGE WORLD to work in the programming team; where his primary responsibilities are programming the Festival Hubs and helping artists engage with the Festival. Justin lives for bringing new, exciting, (sometimes challenging) and engaging experiences to FRINGE WORLD audiences. Before FRINGE WORLD, Justin worked as a production and tour manager, producer and technical director around Australia and overseas. He is currently also the co-director of Brisbane Queer Film Festival and a sessional staffer at Queensland University of Technology.

Kylie Baker

FRINGE WORLD Program Producer

This is Kylie's third FRINGE WORLD after working as Front of House Manager for the 2019 Festival. With a background in performing and management, Kylie is thrilled to be back again as Hub Producer for the 2020 season. A Perth gal through and through, you can find Kylie galivanting around the Swan River on her family's paddle steamer, the P.S Rodney, or hanging around Garden City for late night shopping.  

Alyssia Boyer

Participant Services Producer

Alyssia is a graduate of Arts Management at WAAPA and has worked with many festivals on the international fringe circuit. With a background in performing and independent producing, Alyssia joined the FRINGE WORLD family in 2015 and since then has worked in FOH, technical and is now the full-time Participant Services Producer. Alyssia's favourite thing about the Festival is the curry pancakes from The Woodside Pleasure Garden...YUM! You can ask Alyssia anything about Harry Potter...she will probably know the answer. 

Julia Martini

Program Coordinator

Julia joined our Programming Team after working on music festivals throughout Australia and getting cosy in our FRINGE WORLD and Girls School Cinema box offices. She loves making dumplings & spending too many hours playing video games.

Natalie Oakes

Program Coordinator

After previous roles with the FRINGE WORLD Festival Front of House and Production departments, Nat joins the Programming team this year for her 6th season with the festival. After graduating Nat spent time overseas working with a range of arts organisations from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York to music agency Boiler Room in London, before finding her passion for festival production with independent London festival ops agency We Are The Fair.

With skills from her professional dance, circus and production crew backgrounds she brings a holistic approach to the Program Coordinator role in 2021.

Nat loves a cheeky jet set, but Perth will always be home and she's grateful COVID restrictions have meant another year with the FRINGE WORLD team.

Katie Dixon

Production Manager

Katie has worked in the festival and event industry for over a decade; cutting her teeth in the music industry before moving into more community-based festivals and events. She has a broad skill set, from site crew management, event management, associate producing and operations management before settling into her much loved field of production. Katie is one of the founding members of the FRINGE WORLD Festival team; the cable tie that keeps the team together and the go-to for making dreams and ideas a reality. Alongside building the beautiful Spiegeltents, she leads the way in the onsite design, install and layout of all Hub sites; managing new builds as well as maintaining the old faithfuls. Her favourite moment of each and every FRINGE WORLD is opening night; watching the space the team has built shift into a playground for the people. Katie's greatest achievement is her ongoing ability to adapt to change and problem solve.

Will Richards

Production Coordinator

Will brings his vast festival experience to Artrage having worked various times at Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe and Glastonbury Festival - to name but a few. Using his skills as both a carpenter and a technician, Will ran his own business in the UK for 10 years working on a wide variety of events and for a multitude of different clients. From international rugby matches to exclusive corporate parties, Will has seen alot and had the pleasure of working with many different people from all around the world.
 
Will is a keen musician and instrumentalist and is often found playing in celtic music sessions at various Irish bars around the city. His favorite experience from FRINGE WORLD was having the chance to perform in a Scottish ceilidh band for the artists and staff, it was a night to remember!
 
In 2019, his love for travel and festivals took him to Perth to work FRINGE WORLD for the first time and later that year he returned for FRINGE WORLD 2020. Having now made the move to live in Perth full time, Will is excited to continue to improve his skills and knowledge by fully committing to Artrage and all the exciting projects they have in the pipeline.

Simon Cook

Technical Manager

Hailing from Queensland, Simon joins the FRINGE WORLD team for roughly half the year as technical manager for the festival. With 15 years of experience in the theatre and live events world, Simon uses his skills to jam pack performance spaces into unique and alternative venues. The other half of the year for Simon is either spent working on Edinburgh Fringe or cruising around in his converted camping van.

Meredith Rehburg

Technical Coordinator

Meredith jumped into FRINGE WORLD Festival in 2019, coordinating the technical needs for artists. Originally from Auckland, Meredith has been on the festival train since 2015, working in Edinburgh, Dublin, Adelaide and Melbourne. When not in the office, Meredith is into permaculture, cooking, eating and attempted sewing experiments.
 

Kate Brennan

Logistics Production Coordinator

Kate grew up on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. She began her career in the arts onstage, but quickly found her true passion working behind the scenes. She worked as a stage manager and production manager in the Melbourne theatre scene for several years, before making the shift towards festivals with her first FRINGE WORLD in 2017. Since then, Kate has lived a nomadic lifestyle working for festivals and touring productions all over Australia and the UK, but always returning for FRINGE WORLD in the summer. 2021 is Kate’s first time stepping away from the technical team to the production team, and she is very excited to have more of a hand in making that FRINGE WORLD magic happen!

In her spare time Kate loves days at the beach, road trips, dancing, and chasing waterfalls.

Daniel Bruce

Operations Manager

Dan is a qualified accountant and event management professional, with over 10 years experience in the events industry. Dan began volunteering at charitable events, and has since worked on some of WA's largest event brands including HBF Run for a Reason, Rottnest Channel Swim, Busselton Jetty Swim, Ironman, Tough Mudder and Perth Fashion Festival. Dan joined the ARTRAGE team as Operations Manager in 2019 and has since been integral in implementing a number of key initiatives across the organisation including the development of the 2020-2024 access & inclusion plan, local business engagement program, staff & volunteer management policies, and the environmental sustainability program to roll out in 2021. Dan's greatest achievements include starting his own events management company at the age of 19, earning industry leader (first place) in the 2019 community perception results in the category of Festivals & Community Events, being titled Lions Young Citizen of the Year, and not once having participated in a fun run or triathlon, despite having managed over 50 of these events!

Sarah Cole Bowen

Food & Beverage Coordinator

Sarah is a passionate & dynamic creative with a wealth of experience in both Hospitality and Event Management.

After completing her degree in Contemporary Arts - she has recently returned from living in London and begun an exciting new role within ARTRAGE as Food & Beverage Coordinator.

On track to become a qualified Sommelier, Sarah has been around the Perth Bar & Hospitality scene for many years, and is over the moon to be able to combine her passions for good food, good wine, and good company within the creative and downright fabulous ARTRAGE team. 

After creating a portrait photography series with drag queens she met over the internet in Shanghai, there isn’t much that can shake this one. 

James McMahen

Operations Coordinator

James started his career over a decade ago working for music festivals and other events around Australia before heading off to London to work for the Tate Art Galleries. After jumping onboard the festival circuit in the UK and working on other events such as the BAFTA’s & Wimbledon, James returned home to Perth where he became involved in the Perth local music industry, managing and booking bands, producing shows and touring Australia. This eventuated in tour-managing bands internationally across USA/Canada, Asia & Europe. James has spent the last few years living and travelling overseas while working as a travel agent and logistics coordinator for many clients in the arts and entertainment industry, helping them to showcase their talent and skills around the world.  James has always loved the Fringe World Festival and has made sure he is back in Perth every summer to attend, so he is excited to be involved this year and is looking forward seeing it come alive again in 2021.

Clare Masolin

Staff and Volunteer Coordinator

A Primary teacher in a previous life, Clare brings a tapestry of Not-For-Profit Board membership to grassroots volunteering and everything in between to her second year with FRINGE WORLD. When not on board at Fringe, you’ll find Clare in her stained-glass studio, seeking Zen in the hot yoga studio or practicing her Italian on anyone who’ll listen.

Liam Guiney

Front of House Manager

Liam has been working in the Events Industry for the last decade starting in London at the Lyceum Theatre, home of Disney’s The Lion King (he can recite the show on demand). Since relocating back to Perth he was part of the original Front of House Team at RAC Arena for six years in addition to being part of the event teams at The UWA Student Guild, Heart Inspired Events & Phenomenon Creative Event Services. Liam joins the FRINGE WORLD team after performing in the last two FRINGE WORLD Festivals, with a run at Edinburgh Fringe sandwiched in between, playing the Queen of England – yes he has binge watched the latest season of The Crown.

Mel Jasa

Marketing Manager

Mel is an experienced marketing professional and graphic designer with a passion for both print and digital communications. Alongside managing the development and upkeep of customer-facing Festival technologies, including everything from project management to website UX/UI design, Mel also guides the roll-out of Festival marketing strategies including branding, distribution, advertising, signage, print materials, social media, photography and more. She has also produced the last four editions of the annual Impact Report. Mel is always looking for ways to further develop her skill set and is currently on a mission to advance her command of illustration and animation.

Dana Nguyen

Marketing Coordinator

Dana joined the FRINGE WORLD Marketing team after graduating from WAAPA's Arts Management course. She’s worked freelance as a publicist and producer in Perth’s independent theatre scene and alongside arts organisations like Propel Youth Arts, Performing Lines and The Blue Room Theatre. Dana couldn’t believe her luck when she got the job at ARTRAGE and working on the events she loves everyday is a dream! 

Khazia Wong

Graphic Designer

Khazia is a Macgyver style creative all-rounder who has been part of the team since 2018. She has extensive experience working as a Perth based designer across a diverse portfolio, whilst teaching Creative Advertising and Graphic Design at Curtin University’s School of Art and Design. Khazia’s unique skillset and DIY attitude make her the perfect fit for her creative role at ARTRAGE where she operates as the magical bridge between marketing and production. Her favourite thing about FRINGE WORLD is witnessing the transformation from Perth to playground every summer.

Bruna Aguiar

Festival Marketing Coordinator

Bruna returns to the team as a Festival Marketing Coordinator after graduating in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations. A part-time DJ, you can easily spot her on dance floors around the city all week long. Being a big believer in "doing many things", she's always working on side projects with her mates like photo shoots, digital radio DJ live streams, music production and of course, throwing parties.

Indi Ranson

Partnerships Manager

Indi is an experienced communicator and client manager whose background includes working in marketing, FOH and producing capacities with independent artists, arts organisations and Festivals here in WA. She joined the ARTRAGE team in 2016, and as Partnerships Manager is responsible for cultivating and managing the organisation’s relationships with partners across the government, corporate, media and supply sectors. Indi is passionate about connecting artists with audiences, and making her hometown of Perth the most vibrant place to live and play. She loves coming up with creative ideas to bring brands to life at FRINGE WORLD, and one of her favourite responsibilities is designing the bar offering (including the quality control that goes with it).

Ariane Beyer

Partnerships Coordinator

Ariane first joined the FRINGE WORLD team in 2019 as a Box Office Sales Representative. After spending two festivals in the pink shipping containers, she has joined the team as Partnerships Coordinator. Ariane is going to miss talking to customers about their favourite picks of the festival, but she can't wait to work with our partners to bring FRINGE WORLD 2021 to life. Ariane loves red wine, cheese boards and Thai food.

Tiffany Creasey

Ticketing Manager

After spending 5 years in London, Tiffany joined FRINGE WORLD Festival in 2015. When Tiffany is not planning all things relating to Box Offices, she enjoys drinking wine, eating cheese and watching re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S!

Amir Barber-Skwarko

IT & Systems Manager

Amir is an IT specialist with 15 years' experience across a variety of industries in Australia and the UK, from developing products at tech start-ups all the way to building large-scale data warehouses. Originally joining ARTRAGE as Box Office Manager in 2013, Amir's knack for modernising systems has seen him stick around to manage and develop modern organisation-wide business solutions. Amir is an avid supporter of live music, secretly wanting to work at ARTRAGE just to be involved with The Bakery (Perth's best live music venue ever). He is also currently director of local music organisation Hearts of Darkness Inc. Fun fact about the ARTRAGE HQ: The Prodigy played in the building back in 1991 (back then called Berlin Nightclub).

Adam Dance

IT & Systems Coordinator

In 2018, Adam – an avid Fringe-goer since the first-ever FRINGE WORLD, broke free of his corporate chains and followed his passions, leading him to become our IT & Systems Coordinator. If not at FRINGE you will find Adam at the Theatre or a local gig /bar.  

Kiera Owen

Administration Coordinator

Kiera’s long-term involvement with the local music scene, both as a performer and industry professional has given her a unique variety of experiences in managing bands, teaching music, and booking events and tours both in Australia and overseas. Her keen eye for detail and passion for people sees her responsible for managing the day to day operations of HQ, providing ongoing administrative and business support to the organisation and leading the customer service team across all ARTRAGE projects. Kiera loves the diverse world of artistic expression and her favourite thing about working at ARTRAGE is the shared office playlists.

Elise Hiatt

Festival Administration Coordinator

This is Elise’s third Fringe Festival following a colourful past in customer service. Her expertise has been collected from the depths of basement carparks to the deserts of central Australia. Outside the office, you’ll find her making pasta or playing in her folk band, always with a cup of tea in hand

Nathan Lewis

Customer Service Administrator

After relocating to Boorloo in 2017 from across the Nullarbor, Nathan is a passionate arts manager, radio host, part time DJ and soft rock enthusiast. Having worked in customer service for a variety of non-profit arts organisations, Nathan will make sure your 2021 Fringe World experience is the best one yet. In between answering the admin phone and emails, Nathan is usually front left on a dancefloor or enjoying a sour beer in the sun.

Maytahl Rose

Customer Service Administrator

May has been involved with Fringe since she was 18, and is celebrating her 6th Season of Fringe World. After volunteering at her first Fringe World in 2016, she has worked as an Usher, Venue Supervisor and is now working at Artrage HQ as a Customer Service Administrator. She is passionate about customer service and making sure people leave her service with a smile on their face!

Outside of Fringe World, May has 5 years experience working within the Music and Events industry. During her time in the Music industry, she's been lucky enough to meet Musicians such as Drake, Die Antwoord, Dune Rats, FKA Twigs just to name a few... She even played Basketball with Diplo! May enjoys doing yoga, reading up on Astrology and binge watching RuPauls Drag Race!

Melanie Jones

Finance Coordinator

Melanie is highly skilled at socialising. She is fun, bubbly and excellent at all things Finance. Originally from NSW, she is enjoying her new Perth home and loving being part of the FRINGE WORLD team.

Courtney Meagher

Cinema Producer

Courtney comes from a background in film festivals and film production, and just absolutely loves movies. As Cinema Producer, Courtney pulls together the film programs, oversees the daily running of Rooftop Movies and Girls School Cinema to keep them tip-top, and works closely with the production team to produce the most unique and memorable temporary cinema destinations in Perth. Courtney loves working alongside the ultra-talented crew at ARTRAGE as well as roaming the halls of Girls School in the winter; her favourite building in Perth.

Rodney Bayliss

Rooftop Movies Coordinator

Rodney has over ten years of experience working in WA cinemas, starting out his career as a 35mm projectionist. He brings extensive experience in managing the front and back of house of cinemas. Rodney loves the feeling of seeing people walk out of a cinema with a smile on their face, and exchanging movie reviews and trivia.

Bunk

Barketing Manager

Bunk is FRINGE WORLD’s resident pooch. He has heterochromia and likes wearing a blue bandana to set off his blue eye. He loves jumping in the ivy at The Woodside Pleasure Garden and getting treats from his Fringe mates.