Our Team
Board
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.
Staff
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.