Jolyon James is a multidisciplinary visual artist, writer and performance maker. Between 2014 - 2021 Jolyon was the Artistic Associate and lead artist with Arena Theatre Company and has held teaching and directing roles at The Victorian College of the Arts [VCA] and Monash University. In 2019 Jolyon wrote, directed and designed Robot Song winning the prestigious 2019 Helpmann Award for Best Children's Production.

Robot Song has since been selected twice for inclusion on the VCE Drama Playlist and won two Drama Victoria Awards. Robot Song perfectly showcases Jolyon’s skillset, methodologies and collaborative practices.

The show incorporates live performance, interactive live animation, animatronics and large-scale puppetry with an original Musical score composed by Nate Gilkes. Robot Song has toured extensively throughout Australia and secured multiple international dates including the Imaginate festival in Edinburgh and U.S. and Canadian tours. [on hold due to COVID-19].

In addition to writing and directing Jolyon is a professional animator, illustrator and photographer and embraces new technology in the realisation of all his works. In 2021 he co-created Heart VR, a hybrid live performance and virtual reality work that takes young people on a journey deep into their own hearts. Trapper another co-creation with Arena Theatre Company combined slam poetry with large-scale remotely operated kinetic sculpture and was showcased at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne. Hidden Creature Gallery employs live animation and augmented reality technology to bring to life stories and characters created by young participants. Having already toured extensively throughout Victoria, Hidden Creature Gallery proudly participated in Adelaide's Dream Big 2021, and Castlemaine State Festival.

Jolyon's personal and cultural background is as diverse as his art practice. His mother, a prominent West Australian artist, arrived in Australia as a refugee after fleeing Burma [Myanmar] and raised a family in the remote North West. Jolyon is also the proud parent of a child with a disability. These influences play an important role in the making and access to his work.

Nate Gilkes is an award-winning musician and artistic director working across disciplines of theatre, music and performance. As theatre maker, director, music director and performer, Nate’s artistic practice sits at the colliding points of music, theatre and opera. Drawing on art and popular music, opera and contemporary performance practice, Nate sees music and the sung voice as fundamental connectors to our own ancient, human story and the activating agent for making theatre.

In 2019 Nate composed the score for the Helpmann Award winning production, Robot Song with Arena Theatre Company (Best Production for Children and Young People), and is the current Artistic Director at Marian St Theatre for Young People in Sydney.

Since 2010 he has worked across the country with many companies and in roles including Composition and Music Direction for Robot Song (Arena Theatre Company - Helpmann Award Winner 2019 for Best Performance for Children and Young People); A Kindling Throne (Arena Theatre Company - Work in development 2020)

Previous work includes Direction for new musical Jack of Two Trades (Jeanne Pratt Artist in Residence, Monash University); Composition for The Acoustic Life of Sheds (Big hART and Ten Days on the Island - APRA Art Music Award Winner); Music Direction for Hipbone Sticking Out (Big hART, Melbourne International Arts Festival); Blue Angel (Big hART, Tasmanian International Arts Festival); Collaborations with Rawcus; Vocal Direction for Murru (Big hART and Melbourne Festival); performing in Oedipus Rex/Symphony of Psalms (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs/ Sydney Festival) and Ricercar; Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Dessert (Theatreworks), Chants des Catacombes (Castlemaine State Festival) FOMO: the Fear of Missing Out (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival) all with The Present Tense Ensemble

For MSTYP Nate has developed new works, Testament, The Red Dust and Little Boy Blue.

Nate continues to advocate for strong artist training and teaches regularly at Marian St Theatre for Young People, The Sydney Opera House, Federation University, the Victorian College of the Arts, The National Theatre Drama School and Monash University.

Nate holds degrees from the Victorian College of the Arts in Directing, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Education and and currently completing an MFA in Cultural Leadership at NIDA.

www.nategilkes.com

Ashlea Pyke is an accomplished performer in both Theatre and Musical Theatre with numerous professional lead roles under her belt. In addition Ashlea is a choreographer and movement co-ordinator, recent credits including, Trapper; Marlin and Robot Song with Arena Theatre Company. Ashlea has choreographed numerous shows for Judith Lucy and Denise Scott, including their most recent comedy festival piece ‘Still Here’ and choreographed the adaptation of Alan Broughs ‘Charlie and the war against the Grannies’.

Ashlea’s experience helping to workshop, develop and originate the role of Juniper in the Helpmann award winning Robot Song with Arena Theatre Company and Jolyon James was a life-changing experience for her, shifting the way she viewed both herself as a creative and the possibilities of creating ambitious, exciting works for young people. It inspired her to enrol in a Bachelor of Psychology to facilitate her ability to make meaningful, inclusive theatre with an impact. Having her own children only further inspires her to build and perform theatre that encourages young people to ask questions and dare to dream.