Acknowledgment of country

Polyglot acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and create, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. For more than 65,000 years, children and families have created and played here, and we are grateful to make our art on this country too.


Artist

Our Artists
A baby is smiling and sits on sand, wearing a pink bathing suit.

Kaite Head

Kaite (she/her) joined the Polyglot team in 2022, coming on board for the premiere season of When the World Turns at Arts Centre Melbourne. Since then,......

A child sits on a log, wearing a leaf crown and necklace. Their right arm is raised in the air and their fist is clenched.

Youbi Lee

Youbi is a community art project facilitator and multidisciplinary artist who moved to Naarm from Korea 14 years ago. In 2023, Youbi joined Polyglot......

Baby photo - Betiel Beyin

Betiel Beyin

Betiel is an Eritrean-Australian creative based in Melbourne, who works in digital and theatre spaces as a performer, writer, and filmmaker. She is a film......

A child with brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair looks forward.

Justine Warner

A puppeteer at heart, Justine loves expression through movement. She savours subtlety, sensitivity and silliness, and is intrigued by the effects of connection through......

A baby is smiling. Their mouth is wide open. They have short brown hair and are wearing a yellow coat.

Lauren Swain

Lauren is a proud Dabee Wiradjuri person based in Naarm (Melbourne). She grew up in a rural town in the Mountains of Ngarigo Country......

A child is standing on a sandy beach. They are wearing a colourful hat with yellow overalls and a white long-sleeved shirt underneath.

Lauren Sheree

Lauren, also known as Loz, is an actor, musician, and producer originally from Wakka Wakka Country. They have been based on Wurundjeri land since......

Baby photo - Sophia Derkenne

Sophia Derkenne

Living and playing in Naarm/Melbourne, Sophia is a multidisciplinary theatre maker. Sophia’s work and passion centres around immersive, interactive work that is collaborative, accessible, and......

Baby photo - Kuda Mapeza

Kuda Mapeza

Kuda has been acting since high school, but the journey really began when she was awarded the John Bell Scholarship in 2017, then moved......

Baby photo - Clement Baade

Clement Baade

Clement started his acting career at St Martins Youth Arts Centre in 1990 as the Director’s right-hand person. He joined FOG Theatre (formerly known......

Baby photo - Alice Qin

Alice Qin

Alice is an actor, director, educator, and professional Pram Wrangler (Pram People, Polyglot). She is currently the Artistic Associate at St Martins Youth Arts and......

Sue Giles AM

Sue was the Artistic Director and co-CEO of Polyglot Theatre from 2000-2022. During her 22-year tenure, she flung herself into the joyous, chaotic, thoughtful and surprising world......

Baby photo - Zak Pidd

Zak Pidd

Zak is a Melbourne-based performer and sound designer who frequents the stage as actor and musician, preferably at the same time. In 2016, they......

Baby photo - Steph O'Hara

Steph O’Hara

Steph creates flexible and responsive artworks that connect and engage through sound and participation. He is deeply interested in inclusion, public engagement, and interactive......

Baby photo - Sylvie Meltzer

Sylvie Meltzer

Sylvie is a teaching artist, workshop facilitator and performer with a focus on participant-led and devised theatre and community theatre. With a background in......

Baby photo - Mischa Long

Mischa Long

Mischa has worked at Polyglot since 1996, first making sets and props before performing in shows such as Tadpole, Almost A Dinosaur and Checkout. In 2000, he relocated to......

Baby photo - Lachlan MacLeod

Lachlan MacLeod

Lachlan has worked with Polyglot since 2008, forging beautiful and rewarding connections with artists and children at home and across the globe. He has......

Emily-Tomlins

Emily Tomlins

Emily is co-founder and co-artistic director of the award winning independent theatre company Elbow Room. She has worked as an actor, creator, collaborator and director......

Blayne-Welsh

Blayne Welsh

Blayne is a First Nations (Wailwan) theatre maker, playwright, director, devisor, facilitator, storyteller and performer. He has worked both locally and internationally since 2015,......

Baby photo - Ashlee Hughes

Ashlee Hughes

Ashlee finds great joy in seeing children leading artmaking and storytelling. She loves how this connects them to their wider community, and allows these communities......

Baby photo - Afsaneh Torabi

Afsaneh Torabi

Afsaneh is a performer, maker and collaborator working across theatre, live art and installation. Her work is sensory-led and explores the intersection of myth, ecology......

Baby photo - David Pidd

David Pidd

David’s been working in children’s theatre for over 40 years – he’s performed for hundreds of thousands of kids and filled them with laughter......

Justin-Marshall

Justin Marshall

Justin loves discovering new sounds and all the infinite ways of playing and making things with them. He builds instruments, records things and makes......

Katrina-Gaskell

Katrina Gaskell

Having learned from Handspan Theatre artists more than two decades ago, Trina has worked for companies including ILBIJERRI, Melbourne Workers’ Theatre, and Moomba Festival,......

Sonya-Suares

Sonya Suares

Sonya is a multidisciplinary performer, dramaturg, director, producer and arts activist; she has worked across film, television and theatre since her screen debut at......