Developing the Dramaturg – Meet the Mentors

APT is very excited to announce these experienced industry professionals as mentors to our 2024 DTDSA cohort: Alexis West – Kamarra Bell-Wykes, Elena Carapetis, Chris Drummond, Jennifer Medway, Dom Mercer, and Jules Orcullo.

These mentors help guide our five emerging dramaturgs through their company placement phase of the program. Read on for more about the mentors and pairings!

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Kamarra Bell-Wykes & Elena Carapetis

Kamarra Bell-Wykes is a playwright, director, dramaturge, devisor, facilitator, performer, producer, curator, community developer and education consultant. Her transformative practice is highly sought after, delivering innovative research, resources and acclaimed performances.

In 2012 Kamarra graduated from Charles Darwin University and Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Education with a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning and was awarded an honor in recognising and responding to diversity in the classroom before working as a teacher and youth worker across the Northern Territory. She then returned to Melbourne in 2014 to build ILBIJERRI’s education and learning program from the ground up.

Kamarra’s transformative First Nation’s practice is highly sought after across the performing arts, community, health, education and justice sectors.  Since 2017, Kamarra has been exploring the intersection between First Nations cultural and theatre processes, working closely with applied theatre experts Sarah Woodland and Free Theatre. In 2021, Kamarra is designed ILBIJERRI’s premier social impact model and ensemble to deliver community forums, workshops, performances and training across Australia.

Kamarra’s writing and directing credits include A Nightime Travesty (Yirramboi), Because the Night, (Malthouse Theatre), Chase (Malthouse Theatre and HotHouse Theatre), The Score, Scar Trees, Viral, North West of Nowhere, Body Armour, Chopped Liver, Shrunken Iris (ILBIJERRI), Crying Shame (Next Wave) and Mother’s Tongue (Yirra Yaakin).

In 2021, Kamara received the Patrick White Playwrights Award (Sydney Theatre Company) for her work Whose Gonna Love ‘Em? I am that i AM (Footscray Community Arts and ILBIJERRI).

Kamarra will mentor Alexis West.

Elena Carapetis is an award winning actor, writer and director. Since graduating from NIDA, Elena has worked extensively as an actor in film, television and theatre. Elena Carapetis’ first play The Good Son was produced by The Other Ones, a creative partnership between Elena and director Corey McMahon. It premiered with a sell-out season at the Bakehouse Theatre in 2015 and earned her an Adelaide Critics Circle Award as the writer. Her second play Helen Back was shortlisted for the 2012 Adelaide Festival Jill Blewett Award for Playwriting. In 2014 Elena directed second year actors in her own adaptation of Euripides’ The Bacchae at the Adelaide College of the Arts. In 2007, Elena wrote an episode of Marx and Venus titled Bedroom Therapy, for SBS TV. Elena was commissioned by State Theatre Company to write a play for State Theatre Company’s 2016 education program. The result is Gorgon, which will toured extensively throughout South Australia, following a season at The Space Theatre.

Elena Carapetis’ credentials as a playwright came later in her career; she has long been an on-stage favourite at State Theatre Company of South Australia, recently appearing in Machu Picchu. Her other acting credits for State Theatre Company include Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Othello, Between Two Waves our 2014 State Umbrella production, The Comedy of Errors, Features of Blown Youth, Uncle Vanya, Hot Fudge, Central Park West, and The Things We Do For Love. She hopes to continue her career as actor / playwright for a long time to come.

Elena will also mentor Alexis West.

Chris Drummond & Jennifer Medway

Chris Drummond is an award-winning Australian theatre director and dramaturg. His productions have been presented by most major theatre companies and arts festivals in Australia and toured internationally. Chris was Artistic Director of Brink Productions (2004-2023) and Associate Director of State Theatre Company of South Australia (2001-04).

Chris will mentor Ting Zhang.

Jennifer Medway is the Head of New Work at Melbourne Theatre Company.

A dramaturg with over a decade of professional experience in the development of new Australian work, she was Melbourne Theatre Company’s Literary Associate from 2017-2021 and Acting Literary Manager of Melbourne Theatre Company 2021-2022. Prior to this she was Resident Dramaturg at the Australian Theatre for Young People, Studio Artist at Griffin Theatre Company, Associate Artist-Dramatugy at Belvoir, Literary Assistant also at Belvoir, and a regular script assessor and dramaturg for Playwriting Australia.

Jennifer is also a regular guest lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts within their Masters of Directing, Playwriting and Dramaturgy programmes and was on the judging panel for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award’s Book of the Year prize and the Nick Enright Playwriting Prize from 2018-2020.

Jennifer will mentor Kate Cheel.

Dom Mercer & Jules Orcullo

Dom Mercer is currently Head of New Work at Belvoir, and is a dramaturg, director and producer based in Sydney. His role has a focus on new writing and artist development, including leading on all commissions and supporting the creative development pipeline for Belvoir’s MainStage productions in the Upstairs Theatre. He also founded and runs 25A; a curated season of independent works made in Belvoir’s Downstairs theatre to platform emerging artists.

As a freelance creative, Dom has worked across a range of independent, small to medium, and major organisations including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Barking Gecko, Western Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney Chamber Opera, National Theatre of Parramatta, Griffin Theatre Company, The Joan, Sydney Fringe Festival, Old 505 Theatre, KXT, Playwriting Australia/Australian Plays Transform. Dom regularly teaches at NIDA and in 2013 curated the 50 Year retrospective “The Legacy: A Celebration of the Old Tote Theatre Company”, directing several staged readings and curating two nationally televised panel discussions and a three-week exhibition. Other positions Dom has held include Literary and Programs Manager at the Old 505 Theatre, Affiliate Director at Griffin Theatre Company and has previously been Associate Producer and Acting Literary Manager at Belvoir, has been a judge the Sydney Theatre Awards panel and read for several literary awards including the Patrick White Award, Griffin Award, Philip Parsons Award, and the Bruntwood Prize.

Dom will mentor Anthony Nocera.

Jules Orcullo is a playwright, songwriter, and dramaturg. She recently won the 2024 Griffin Award for outstanding new Australian playwriting for her play, My Dad Never Saw The Beatles. Orcullo currently works at STC where she co-facilitates the Watershed Writers Program and she also works as Dramaturg for ILBIJERRI Theatre Company. She is developing two musical plays Fraser Babies and Forgetting Tim Minchin. She wrote songs for Rough Draft #50: The Australian Offence Force. Jules has previously held producorial roles at Belvoir, Co-Curious, and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance and education roles at NIDA, Belvoir, and ATYP. Jules has also worked as a performer, director and dramaturg on independent new works across Australia and the UK. She is an alumna of writing programs at APRA AMCOS, AFTRS, Playwriting Australia, ATYP, The Royal Court, Soho Theatre, and the Lyric Hammersmith. Jules is a proud founding member of Kallective, developing theatrical works for the Filipinx diaspora.

Jules will mentor Bonet Leate.

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