Cast
Beth Aubrey – Bertha / Lady Ingram
Beth graduated from NIDA in 2006. Some of her theatre credits include Bell Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Actors at Work, Snuggle Pot and Cuddle pie, Love and Money, Closer, Uncle Vanya, The Matchmaker, Don’s Party, The Attic, As You Like It, Anna Karenina and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Her television credits include Home and Away, East West 101 and she has leant her voice to many radio and television voice overs.
Coralie Bywater – Blanche Ingram / Mrs Reed
Coralie completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, majoring in film and theatre studies at the University of Sydney. Her acting training includes the two year full time programme at the late Uta Hagen’s HB Studio in New York City and she continues to work with Annie Swann of the Actor’s Lab, Sydney as well as being one of the founding members of Veritas Players – a Sydney based actor’s ensemble who meet weekly to hone their craft. Coralie’s theatre credits in New York include Mary Bryant and The Maids; and in Sydney: Twelfth Night and America Hurrah (New Theatre), Loveplay (Factory Space/Tap Gallery), Meet The Candidates (Darlinghurst Theatre), Twelfth Night (Bondi Pavilion), and Through These Lines at the Mosman Defence Tunnels, where she portrayed Sister Florence Whiting, a World War 1 nurse. Her television credits include roles in All Saints and Out of the Blue, the upcoming Underbelly: Badness and numerous commercials. She has appeared in both music video clips and short films.
Ryan Gibson – John Reed / Brocklehurst / St John Rivers
A graduate of NIDA, Ryan has just finished a stint on Australia’s much-loved serialised drama Home & Away and has performed in Alan Ball’s ‘one-act-er’ Power Lunch (dir. Anthony Skuse – Darlinghurst Theatre ‘08) – part of Sauna Prod’s sell-out season of Ball Game; Motortown – which kickstarted Griffin Stablemates ’08; Checklist For An Armed Robber (Theatre@Risk, Melbourne); Suzie Miller’s Sold, (dir. John Sheedy); Sex:Cubed (dir. Jennifer Flowers – LaBoite, Brisbane); Das Kalte Kind The Cold Child (dir. Anthony Skuse – Stablemates ’06); Wendy Harmer’s Pearlie In The Park, and Actors At Work for Bell Shakespeare. At NIDA Ryan was lucky enough to work with Barrie Kosky in There Is No Need To Wake Up which was part of the Olympic Arts Festival in 2000.
Ryan’s television work includes City Homicide, Rush and All Saints. His film work includes Kangaroo Jack for Jerry Bruckheimer Films and the AFTRS short Wounded toured the international festival circuit, including the Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner and 2008 Palm Springs International Shortfest. Ryan also spends a good portion of his time in the US honing his craft at such schools as The Chubbuck Studio in LA working directly with Ivana Chubbuck. He has also performed under the auspices of the late Ken Campbell performing in improv shows in the UK, where he also took classes at The Actors Centre in London.
He likes cartoons.
Laura Huxley – Jane
Laura graduated from York University (UK) with a BA honors degree in Acting. She has since performed on stage in the UK, New York and Sydney. Laura continues to study and focus on her craft using techniques from masters such as Stella Adler, Chekov and Larry Moss. She recently studied with Larry Moss in New York and continues to work with legendary acting coach Annie Swan.
Eli King – Rochester
After spending a number years studying at HB Studio in New York, Eli King returned to Sydney to pursue acting. He has performed in various Film, TV, and Theatre productions. Some of his credits include Australian film Cedar Boys, TV show Heartbreak High, and the Belvoir Street theatre production of Edmund. Eli is also a singer and songwriter, and has performed in his own cabaret shows around Sydney.
Cheryl Ward – Bessie / Mrs Fairfax
Cheryl studied at the Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles and at RADA, London completing the Acting Shakespeare course performing the lead in the final production of Queen Lear directed by Brian Stirner. In Sydney she has appeared in over 20 stage productions, most recently in Blue Rock (runner up People’s Choice 2012 Short + Sweet festival) and A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians. In 2010 she wrote, directed and produced Through These Lines, the story of an Australian Nurse serving during WWI, which was performed in the historic defense tunnels at Middle Head.
Tallay Wickham – Helen Burns / Adele
Tallay began training in Australia with esteemed acting coach Annie Swann, before attending HB Studio in New York. Jane Eyre is her Sydney theatre debut. For stage, Tallay has performed in New York in the HB ensemble productions of Bus Stop, St. Joan and To Kill a Mockingbird. In Canada, Crimes of the Heart (True Heroines), The Owl and the Pussycat (The Actors Foundry). Tallay has also appeared on screen in This is Ronald, Alec Ackmanis and Smoothie.
Crew
Fiona Pulford – Director / Producer
Since graduating from the NIDA director’s course in 1998, Fiona was an affiliate director with the Sydney Theatre Company in 1999/ 2000. She has been working extensively in theatre since 1988 in both New Zealand and Australia. Directing work includes: (NZ) Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Cabaret, Waiting For Godot & (Aust) The Human Voice (Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre), The Boyfriend (Wenona), Les Liaisons Dangerouses (New Theatre), Write Now! Short Play Readings for the Naked Theatre Company (Old Fitzroy & The Stables), Happy With Half of My Life (Touring show – London, Edinburgh, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide Fringe Festivals), The Pajama Game (Wenona/ Independent Theatre), Twelfth Night (New Theatre & Bondi Pavilion), a staged reading of America Hurrah! (New Theatre, 2007) & Where Do You See Yourself 5 Years From Now? (Short & Sweet Seymour Centre 2008). & The Wizard of Oz (Wenona/ Independent Theatre)
For Drama Queen Productions/ ADC Productions: The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Glen St Theatre 2009) & Redemption (Old Fitzroy Theatre 2010).
She has also been involved in the development and staged readings for Naked Theatre Company’s New Australian Plays in association with ATYP and was the Artistic Administrator for the 1999 STC Pier Group Young Playwrights’ Award. She also directed one of the prize-winners from this award.
She is currently working on adapting books for stage as well as theatrical and film works of her own. She is also on the Board of Directors / Advisory Board for Participate Film School in Sydney and works as an Events manager in cinema. She recently formed the umbrella company Virtue of Necessity Pty Ltd with longstanding friend Coralie Bywater.
Producing work includes: Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Cabaret, Macbeth, Waiting for Godot (Les Enfants Productions), Mary Stuart, (Sydney, Melbourne, New York seasons) and One Flea Spare for Queensize Productions, The Bible: The Complete Word of God, & Redemption (ADC & Drama Queen Productions)
Anya Tamsin – Designer
Anya graduated from NIDA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts Design. Her recent theatre credits include In The Air Tonight (A list Productions), B Street (Belvoir St Theatre), The Grandfathers (NIDA Open Program), Port (Dir: Kristine Landon-Smith), Noises Off! (Dir: Rodney Fisher) and Pictures of Bright Lights (Tamarama Rock Surfers).
Eliott Glass – lighting designer and stage manager
Elliot Glass is a young aspiring lighting designer and technician. Recent accomplishments include providing technical services and design assistance for Impulse Theatre Co’s production of The Shoehorn Sonata and lighting design coupled with technical support for Light the Night, a charity event supporting services for the homesless.
