PIA Artists of 2020
poetry in action
2020 Artists
JERROD – TEAM NIGHTINGALE
Jerrod is a part of a big family with a rich heritage of music and community service. He, along with his four siblings, learned to play multiple instruments from their father, a professional musician. He also had plenty of company to play endless games of cricket and football. Jerrod was encouraged to pursue his passion in music and performance at a tertiary level. He studied a Bachelor of Musical Theatre at the Queensland Conservatorium (QCGU). There he refined his skills in singing, dancing and acting. Jerrod has played roles such as; Chino in the 60th Anniversary production of Westside Story, Bobby in Company at the Brisbane Powerhouse and Judas in a touring production of Godspell. Jerrod is an eager learner and a passionate performer, dedicated to using his skills to improve the lives of others around him. He feels incredibly lucky that he has the opportunity to connect with thousands of students all over the world, through the amazing work of Poetry in Action.
JAMES - TEAM NIGHTINGALE
A Gentleman from the bush, James was raised on a farm in North Queensland. There he learned everything from riding horses and motorbikes to whip cracking, marksmanship and fixing machinery. His father owns a fireworks company and his first show was in the ensemble for the Townsville-based TheatreiNQ's production of Richard III.. He then worked and trained there for a number of years. Upon graduating WAAPA in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), he has worked for Secret Squirrel Productions, The National Portrait Gallery and TheatreINQ. An avid swashbuckler with ongoing training from Nigel Poulton, Andy Fraser and SADFi (Society of Australian Fight Directors Inc.)
His hobbies include Dungeons And Dragons, camping and cooking.
CHRISSY - TEAM NIGHTINGALE
Chrissy is a singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. She studied music at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music along side short acting courses at ACA, NIDA, the Hubstudio and The Actors Action Academy. In 2016 she composed the songs and also hosted the kids TV show "Preschool Play" which was produced in Calgary, Alberta. In 2017 her script and song work in her webseries rap-musical "Hustle Street" won an art grant from Blacktown Arts Council and has gone into further development. Since then she has written and produced the webseries "How to Write Your Soul" and short film "Chocolate and Coffee" which was a finalist in the Blacktown Arts film festival.
EDWARD - TEAM RAVEN
Edward grew up on the southern coast of Victoria flanked by the ocean and the bush.
He is a graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts (BFA Acting 2018). His theatre credits while training include Trigorin in ‘The Seagull’ (dir. Budi Miller), Moses/Bailey in ‘The Skin of our Teeth’ (dir. Dean Bryant) and Hastings/Murderer in ‘Richard III’ (dir. Budi Miller).
Last year Edward performed in ‘Broken River’ (dir. Richard Murphet) at La Mama theatre, ‘The Pillowman’ (dir. Tim Parsons-Yarrow) at Shenton performing arts centre and ‘Blitz’ (dir. Ebony Rattle) at The Alex theatre
Notably he has featured in the short films ‘The Ghoulies’ (dir. Harrison Lane) Winner of Best Film at the 2018 Student & Young Filmmakers Feedback Film Festival and ‘Sammy the Salmon’ (dir. Jake Shannon) which has appeared in the BFI London film festival, Flickerfest, Lorne Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival and numerous festivals in the U.S. His other film credits include the web series’ ‘Winging it’ (dir. Sarah Burrial), ‘Undergarment Odysseys’ and the short film ‘Meantime’ (dir. Matthew E Thomas)
Edward hopes to climb the tallest mountain on each continent and his favourite bird is the Kakapo.
megan - team raven
Megan is a performer and emerging theatre maker from Western Australia. She graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in 2017. She has trained under Lauren Langlois and Adam Marks of Chunky Move as well as Cindy Salgado, co-founder of Canadian dance company Kidd Pivot. Megan’s past collaborations have included James Berlyn in 2016 for the His Majesty’s Theatre site-specific project Memory Bones, Melissa Cantwell for TILT at The Blue Room Theatre in 2017 and with The Last Great Hunt in THE TALK in 2018. She made her writing debut with her one-woman cabaret Mavis (And Other Broken Objects) at Downstairs At The Maj as part of Perth’s Fringe World Festival 2018. She also participated in Australian Theatre For Young People’s “Fresh Ink Mentoring Program”, co-presented with Will O’Mahoney and Barking Gecko Theatre Company. Since being based in Sydney, Megan has worked with ATYP once again in 2019 for Bathory Begins and Theatre Travels on their inaugural No Intermission: One Act Play Festival. Megan is very excited to work with Poetry In Action in Team Raven.
jessie - team nightingale
Born and raised in Newcastle, Jessie grew up with a passion for the performing arts. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Acting), after training at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In 2019, Jessie starred in the short film ‘Ghoul Power’, which premiered at Event Cinemas George street as part of the SF3 and is now featured as in-flight entertainment on Etihad airways. Her recent theatre credits include, 'Anna' in 'Ginger. Black. Brunette. Blonde' with the Company of Rogues, ‘Van De Maar Papers’ with Ratcatch and a cabaret soloist in ‘Anything You Can Do’, which she also co-wrote and produced. Her highlights at WAAPA include: ‘Gwendolen Fairfax’ in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest, ‘Jacques’ in ‘As You Like It’ and ‘Elizabeth’ in ‘Holy Day’. Other film credits include ‘Joey’ in WA Screen Academy’s ‘FILCH’ and the female lead in the music video ‘Mediocre Frequency’.
Prior to WAAPA, Jessie also trained at the Actors Centre Australia in ‘The Next Step Program’.
Jessie is thrilled to be a member of Team Raven as part of Poetry in Action's 2020 tour!