Mudlark Theatre inc.

Carrie McLean        Artistic Director

Contact Carrie:  0405 760 444 or  carrie@mudlarktheatre.com.au

Jane Johnson        Artistic Director

Jane graduated from the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Performing Arts in 1996.
In 1998, Jane co-founded Second Storey Theatre Productions, an independent theatre company, and appeared in their productions of Duck Variations, The Coming of Stork and the original work Leaving, and the co-productions of A Doll’s House and Dead White Males. 
During her time at Second Storey, Jane was involved in a myriad of projects including; developing, directing and performing in numerous community plays (including atThe Mount Roland Folklore Festival, Sheffield); the co-direction and production of a short oral-history documentary with Sheffield residents; performances at Tasmanian Festivals (such as The Wynyard Tulip Festival and Festivale); numerous performances in Theatre Restaurant Productions and Corporate Theatre appearances for ChimeraProductions as well as arts administration and project management roles for Second Storey.

In 2001, Jane worked as an Associate Director (to Angela Chaplin) on the site specific production Our Path (Theatre North), as a part of the inaugural 10 Days on the Island Festival.  Jane went on to direct a collection of excerpts from Our Path for The Gathering, a Tasmanian community celebration of Federation.

Also in 2001 Jane established Second Storey Youth Theatre, a theatre company for young Tasmanians, and is currently the Artistic Director of the company.  Through SSYT Jane has conducted thousands of theatre workshops for young Tasmanians; produces annual Youth Play Festivals; conducts theatre-in-education residencies throughout the state and has produced the improvisation Theatresports Challenge for the past seven consecutive years.   Directing credits for SSYT include The Kid who Talked to Penguins, James and the Giant Peach, Hating Alison Ashley and The Comedy of Errors.   Jane has also conducted directing theatre workshops with Tasmanians schools and for DramaTas, working with Tasmanian drama teachers.

Jane has worked with many of Tasmania’s key theatrical companies; including TasDance, Theatre North and Tasmanian Regional Arts, in roles as varied as director, associate director, project manager and tutor.  She has also worked for numerous community and government organizations; as an office administrator and youth theatre tutor for Tasmania’s major youth arts festival event Streets Alive (Interweave); and the Tasmanian Government for the development and production of a community health show Risky Behaviours.

As a freelance actor Jane has appeared in many theatre productions for various Tasmanian theatre companies including: Timon of Athens, What is the matter with Mary Jane? (for Mudlark Theatre, formerly syzygy theatre works), One Day Projects, One Day Tour, Our Path, The Vagina Monologues, Cosi,  F:emails,  Hit and Run, Hedda Gabler, It’s My Party, Crazy Brave, Little Murders, The Importance of Being Earnest, Red Cross, One Talk.  Jane has also appeared in a number of rehearsed play readings and script developments for both the Australian Script Centre and Theatre North Inc.  Jane has collaborated in the creation and performance of several short films for the University of Tasmania (Nursing School); has appeared in a statewide television advertisement and provided voice over recordings for local radio stations.

Jane most recently directed A Number  for CentrStage (Launceston) and is directing Mudlark Theatre’s production of Café by Carrie McLean.  She is currently working as a freelance actor, director and youth theatre facilitator and is the co-artistic director of Mudlark Theatre inc. 

Stuart Loone            General Manager

Stuart has had the good fortune to work in theatre for the last 10 years. Theatre direction includes Rooted  and Underneath the Lintel (Mudlark), Little Murders, The Importance of Being Earnest (Three River); Away (make/shift theatre); The Removalists, The Coming of Stork, Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Second Storey);  Our Path (associate director - Theatre North) Hair, Footloose (Launceston College); and the Australian premiere of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens.  Stu has also co-ordinated Theatre North's script development program and works regularly as a tutor in theatre practise and theatre theory.

As an actor, productions include A Number, Torrez, Hit & Run, Redemption, A Doll’s House and Boz & Co. (Centr Stage); Telemachus Clay, The Comedy of Errors, Cosi, Dead White Males (Three River); Monkey Magic (Big Monkey); Our Path (Theatre North). Student shows include Beckett's Endgame and the new works Ruled Lines  and Suburb.  Stu also appeared in supporting roles in the telemovie CABLE (LM Productions/SBS) and Exile in Hell.

He has gained extensive administration experience with various roles at TasDance, Streets Alive, Second Storey Youth Theatre and Theatre North, and also just by being freelance.

With an addiction to independent theatre, Stuart currently has a couple of directorial irons in the fire, along with a role in Pilot - a web TV project which is a spin-off of Uncle Darryl's Chop Shop  - a pub show which was, in turn, a spin-off of the uber-successful pub-soap-opera BGN-7250.   He also looks forward to a residency with Artistic Fraud and Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, in Newfoundland, this winter.

Contact Stuart: 0400 429 436  or email: stuart@mudlarktheatre.com.au