Matilda Awards Welcomes New Committee Members

The Matilda Awards Executive Committee is delighted to welcome four new members.

It is always our aim to keep this organisation refreshed with new ideas and diverse industry experience, and we look forward to working with Penny, Olivia, Anna and Matt to build on the quality of our services and impact of the Matilda Awards.

Penny Challen

Penny trained at QCA and NIDA before becoming a Resident Trainee Designer at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Whilst living in London Penny designed productions for the Bush Theatre, Soho Theatre, Gate Theatre, and RSC. She also worked with renowned designers Es Devlin, Rae Smith and Tom Piper creating & delivering over 40 mainstage projects for the RSC, ROH, ENO, NT and others across Europe and America.

Locally, Penny has designed productions for Opera Queensland, Queensland Theatre, Belloo Creative, and La Boite Theatre. She is the Co-Artistic Director (with Alicia Cush) of Little Match Productions, an independent music-driven production company based in Brisbane.

Penny has served two years on the Matilda Awards Judging Panel.

 
Olivia Hill

Olivia works for the Royal Academy of Dance in the teacher training program and runs a busy theatre school training students in drama, singing, dance and acrobatics.

She is also an experienced adjudicator in both drama and dance having adjudicated at numerous Eisteddfod’s including Biloela, Mt Isa, Orange, Stanthorpe, Lismore, Armidale, Gold Coast, Murwillumbah, and Redlands.

 
Anna Loren

Anna Loren is a writer, actor, theatre-maker, and teaching artist. She holds an MA in Ensemble Theatre and sits on the board of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia as Deputy Chair, where she is dedicated to working towards a more equitable screen industry.

Anna was a finalist in the 2020-2021 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award for her play, COMFORT, and received Playwriting Australia’s Erin Thomas Playwright Fund, for her play, 22. Her short monologue, BURNING SEASON was commissioned as part of the Come to Where I am anthology with Critical Stages Touring and Paines Plough.

Loren’s screenplay, SUGARCANE was supported by La Boite Theatre and Screen Queensland through the 2022 Stage to Screen initiative and was selected for the AFTRS Talent Camp. Anna is Director of the 2022 West End Film Festival and teaches on the acting program at JMC Academy. In the past, Anna has also taught for The Actors Workshop, NIDA Open and Speak Up Studio in Brisbane, as well as the Rose Bruford Youth Theatre in London, where she directed numerous productions.

 
Matt Young
A former Broadway dancer, Matt Young is a Queensland-based LGBTQIA+ actor seen recently in Perfect World for Theatreroo, The Cocoon for Pink Lake Productions, Mamma Mia for The Show Co in Caloundra and The Producers for Altitude Theatre at The Brisbane Powerhouse. 

In 2020, he directed and choreographed The Mystery of Edwin Drood for CQCM in Mackay. He is the founder of Tukuna Acting Club, established in Fiji in 2015, which provides screen acting training  for diverse actors in Brisbane, and across the state. 

Splitting his time between Brisbane and Blackall, he joins the Matilda's Executive committee as a representative of both South East and Western Queensland.

NEW LEAD JUDGE

We are also delighted to announce that Sue Rider will take on role as Lead Judge.  She will replace Susan Hetherington who has led our terrific team of judges so well over the past two years.  Susan will remain on the judging panel while Sue Rider steps into the Lead Judge role.