Formed in 1987 by director David MacSwan the company has produced the following productions: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, Romeo &  Juliet, The Taming Of The Shrew, The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Macbeth, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Richard III, The Merchant Of Venice, Henry V, Hamlet, The Comedy Of Errors, The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, The Tempest, Henry IV part 1, Henry IV part 2, Measure For Measure, The Winter's Tale Julius Caesar, The Tamer Tamed (John Fletcher's "sequel" to the Taming of the Shrew) and King Lear.

...Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange...

The aim of the company is to present Shakespeare's work as he intended it; accessibly, entertainingly and with the respect it deserves but the irreverence it can afford. The company is also a chance to see some of the brightest new talent on the theatrical scene, mixing with some of the most experienced.

ALI AITKEN

TRAINING: Adv. Dip. from the Actor's College of Theatre and Television. STAGE: in Hong Kong: Annie, Anything Goes, Char Lee’s Angels, The King and I, The Women, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Al Adyn, Cinderella Santa in Space, The Adumbs Family, Hansel + Gretel, Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady, The Wind in the Willows, Wizard of Oz and Journey to the West. In Australia: The Fitting Room at the Edge. For the New Theatre: Life After George; Oh What a Lovely war, Mate. For Insomniac Theatre Action. SCREEN: TV (HK) ETV, numerous TVC’s. Aust: The Faker, Four Corners (AWB re-enactment). Film: The Rival, The Ad, Maybe Tomorrow, Broken Men, Last Summer, Hysteria, Grace, Will.

OXANA ALEXANDRA - Stage Manager & fight captain

TRAINING: Graduate of The Actor's Centre Australia, The Power of Performance. STAGE: In Russia, for Aksay Community Theatre: Ivan the Fool, Thousand and One Arabian Nights and Homer's Iliad . She also worked extensively as a model for the Victoria Agency. SCREEN: Numerous TVC's in Australia

GIL BALFAS

TRAINING: Graduate of The Ensemble Studios. STAGE: at Studio: Dangerous Corner, The Real Thing, Lysistrata, 5 Women wearing the same dress, It’s a Rap, Come back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean, The Importance of Being Earnest and Cosi. For Ensemble Theatre, Under Milkwood. At the Capitol Theatre Mitridate Re Di Ponti. For FSA Titanic The Experience. For Genesians A Tale of Two Cities, Mansfield Park. At The Civic Centre The Bold and the Reckless. For Coogee Under the Stars Twelfth Night. At the Tap Gallery Go To Pieces, My Fair Lawyer. For Short and Sweet Sleep Disorder and the grand final North By East of Eden. SCREEN: TV: Bad Habits (comedy pilot), All Saints and Stepfather of the Bride. Film, shorts: Spoonman, DED TV, Pay Day, The Womb, Beyond Tears. Feature films: Bondi Chronicles and The Makeover.

AMELIA-JAYNE FRODYMA

TRAINING: Bachelor of Communication University of Canberra, graduate The Power of Acting at The Actor’s Centre Australia. STAGE: (UK) Blue Moon at the Finborough Theatre London. Assistant Producer for Thieving Dingo Theatre company, London. In Australia: for Darkly Gleaming Productions Project 13; Gas Light at the Zenith Theatre. At the Parramatta Riverside Theatre Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. SCREEN: Blackjack for Network 10 and various student films at UNSW.

CHANTELLE GOOCH

TRAINING: Graduate of The Journey (advanced Diploma of Performing Arts) and The Power of Acting, Actor’s Centre Australia.STAGE: The following roles for ACA: Who’s Afraid of the Working Class, Other People, The Shape of Things, Reality Bytes, The Merchant of Venice, A doll’s House, A Thought In the Shape, The Kid and In Times of War. SCREEN:Numerous TVC's. The following short films: The Waiting Room, A Choo and My Kindred My Sanctuary .

SYLVIA KEAYS

TRAINING: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Hollywood. STAGE: US; The Importance of Being Earnest Fullerton College. For AADA: Northshore Fish, Waiting For Lefty, Private Lives. For Complex Theatre LA: Lear’s Daughters, Under The Gun. For Chance Theatre LA The Cherry Orchard. For Classical Theatre Lab LA: Cordelia in King Lear, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Crucible. Aust. For the Newtown Theatre; The New Black, The Consultation, A Time For Everything. SCREEN: Forever, Untitled, Just Look Up, Reverberation, H20 Pics, Peace of Mind, Room For Rent, Art and the Anti Superhero, The Secret Truth, Succubus Hell Bent, Always The Same, Paraphernalia. TV: supporting role in Stupid, Stupid Man.

AMY KERSEY

TRAINING: B.A. UNSW, Diploma of Performance & Acting – ACTT. STAGE: at La Bar Shakespeare! The Cabaret. For Urban Tales Productions: You’ll Eat It and You’ll Like It, Friday Night Youth Group, Palaver, With a Bullet, Swallow, Warm Up and Masticate. At the Bondi Pavillion Theatre The Gut Girls. At the Australian Museum Environmental. At the Figtree Theatre The Winter’s Tale and at the Io Myers Studio The Poular Mechanicals and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has also been a featured performer at The Big Laugh Comedy Festival. SCREEN: numerous TVCs. Feature roles in the following short films; Love's Film Crew , Madison and Footballers (for the Comedy Channel).

MELISSA LAYTON

TRAINING: B.mus. She has trained at the Actor’s Centre Sydney, ACTT and Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble. STAGE: for the Savoy Arts Co. The Gondoliers. For Epicentre, Chicago, The Play; for Chester St. Theatre The Taming of the Shrew. For Workn Girl productions Chamber Music. For Sketched Out productions Grave Intentions. For Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble Instant Romeo and Juliet.SCREEN: numerous TVC’s. The Crossroads (short), Communication Capers (corporate training film), The Coven (independent feature) and Tommy The Kid (short).

GEOFF MCLEAN - associate company member

TRAINING: The Sydney Acting Achool, Dip. Acting. STAGE: for Shakespeare By the Sea; As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Taming of The Shrew, The Tamer Tamed, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Merchant of Venice. At The New Theatre; The Great Gatsby. SCREEN: short films; The Affair, The Loving Dead, Stripping Bare all for Metro TV. For MacQuarie University; I Don't Sleep I Dream and The Independent State of Insanity. White Collar Blue for TEN Network

MICHEAL PENTECOST - Fight Instructor

TRAINING: qualified as a fight instructor with Sydney Stage Combat School. He has worked in a stage combat capacity for The Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia and elsewhere, most recently assisting Lawrence Carmichael in the ABC’s upcoming return season of Double the Fist (in which he also acted). He has taught students at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, The Actors’ Centre, The Actors’ College and at the school itself. Having trained as an actor at The Drama Studio, London, he was introduced to stage combat by the renowned John Waller. He has performed in countless fight scenes throughout his acting career, not a few of them in scenes from Shakespeare. Performing in a production of King Lear some six years ago, he met with Lawrence Carmichael and was introduced to the Sydney Stage Combat School, where he has worked and trained since, becoming an instructor in 2006. When not involved in acting or stage combat, Michael works for SBS Television. You can visit the Sydney Stage Combat web page by clicking here

JAMES SHOOBRIDGE

TRAINING: The Journey – Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts – Acting Actor’s Centre Australia. STAGE: For ACA Dreams in an Empty City, Adventure of a Lifetime, Uncle Vanya, The Crucible, Momento Mori, Dear Dead Days, Measure For Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mind the Gap, Suddenly Last Summer, Sweet Bird of Youth and This is Our Youth. For Tas.uni Bored of the Rings. For NUTS Summer of the Aliens. SCREEN: Force Mass Motion (short), Analyse That for AFTRS.

ANDY WALL - associate company member

TRAINING: graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts BA in acting. STAGE: The Cherry Orchard, The Winter’s Tale, Paper Truths, The Rover, Birth On a Hard Shoulder and A Bunch of Henry’s for VCA. Brave Dave’s Children’s Show for Melb. Central, Macbeth for Art House Theatre Co. Featured performer on Fox Studio’s Titanic, The Experience. For the New Theatre, Banquo in Macbeth. For Shakespeare By the Sea; The Winter’s Tale and Orlando in As You Like It. Hamlet in Hamlet, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Merchant of Venice. Boy's Life for Road Train Productions, Finnegan's Wake for Bloomsday Productions. Snow Angel for the Actor's Factory. Numerous Roleplays. SCREEN: Numerous TVCs. Wayne Peterson in Neighbours, Raw FM and the documentary Pub for Channel 31. Short films include: Blueberry Muffins for Saivanidis & Neeves, The Womb and Foxy for Let's Play Productions.

DENBY WELLER

TRAINING: The Journey – Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts – Acting Actor’s Centre Australia. STAGE: Sisters, A Thought In the Shape, A Doll’s House, In Times of War, The Merchant of Venice, Reality Bytes and Bash. SCREEN: the shorts Admissiion Price and Creative Coverage. She is also a freelance feature writer with extensive publications in Citysearch, The Hub, Food in Focus Magazine among many others. She has recently completed her first feature screenplay DeadPoint and her first stage play Coffee.