Kate Stones, President
Kate Stones has been working with the CTC since 2009. Kate joined the committee in 2010 and served as Secretary from 2011-2018, becoming President in 2017. Her CTC directing credits include Peter Panto or One Flew Over the Second Star on the Right (2022); The Tempest, (2021); Gallipoli: The Musical (2017); Monkey and the Monk (2015). She has performed for the CTC in numerous productions, including as Elizabeth Hare in Frankentstein’s Children (2019), as Doll Common in Playhouse Creatures (2014) , as Rosie Donahue in The Donahue Sisters (2012) for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Kyneton One-Act Play Festival. Kate works across independent and community theatre on both a voluntary and professional basis, as Creative Director of CreateA, an organisation that creates creative opportunities for adults with disabilities, and Creative Learning Producer for Castlemaine State Festival.
Michelle Dorian, Secretary
Michelle has a degree in Media Studies that hints at her love of cinema but has occasionally led her down accidental career paths including politics and corporate work; she always returns to theatre. She has produced, directed, acted, written, taught performance workshops and been on the board for various companies including Moreland Theatre Company; Art With Heart; and Comme’Arte’Fo, an Italian language theatre company. Michelle’s behind-the-scenes experience includes overseeing sponsorships for Melbourne Theatre Company and managing ticketing/front of house teams for the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing & Ideas and The Festival of Voices in Hobart. Michelle is thrilled to be involved with CTC, having joined in 2021.
Clare Shamier, Vice President
Clare is an academic and actor (in no particular order) and has been performing in theatre and film for a long little while now. She currently teaches media and politics at Swinburne University. Her first appearance with the CTC was soon after her move up the Calder Highway in Peach Season (2016) and since then has gone on to show her face in a number of productions (Frankentstein’s Chlidren, Gallipoli: The Musical, As You Like It). In 2017 Clare was brought on board to run the publicity arm of the CTC. In her scant spare time Clare cares for and rides her 3 horses, Nino, TC and Willow.
Sam Archer, Treasurer
Sam is a theatre maker and experiential facilitator living on Dja Dja Wurrung land. He’s intrigued by people’s stories, loves a good adventure and is happiest on a stage or in nature.
Toby Heydon
Toby is a writer, academic and actor who joined the Committee in 2020. With a background in film and television, Toby came aboard the CTC for As You Like It in 2018. He thereby expanded his repertoire of obscure Shakespeare characters to Pistol (II Henry IV), Seton (Macbeth) and Charles. As a writer/researcher, Toby has contributed to Australian history television documentaries and is currently researching Shakespeare during the Victorian gold rushes.
Isis Jordan
Isis moved to Castlemaine from Queensland in 2016. When she arrived, she began working full time on her aunty’s farm, the famous Holy Goat cheese company. Feeling a bit isolated, she sought out organisations to help her connect with the community. She completed a leadership course, which included a reflection on core values. This helped her consolidate her lifelong desire to explore the world of theatre. Drama had been her favourite subject at high school, but she was steered away from the arts by a practically-minded science teacher. In 2022 she decided that the time had come to remedy the situation, and volunteered to help backstage on the 2022 CTC production ‘Walk with Us’, and then decided to join the committee. Isis volunteers at Castlemaine Community House in their Get Connected program, which links people in the community with activities and groups, to help them feel part of the community. She loves serving her community and, as an animal lover, sharing her front yard with a big mob of kangaroos on Norwood Hill.
Manue René
Manue joined CTC in 2023 for Romeo & Juliet as Count Paris, their first return to the stage since their high school days, and it felt like coming home. Earlier on, they played Beatrice in Servant of Two Masters and toured America with the National Institute of Youth Performing Arts. Since then, they have been lucky enough to be a collaborator in lots of creative projects during their time in Melbourne, including video campaigns, short films, galleries, pop-up performances and anything that had a $5 entry. They were completing a Master of International Relations when the pandemic hit and, feeling the impact of lockdowns, relocated to the countryside. They now work as the Media & Communications Officer for a new program, Youth Take Over, which helps young people find their ‘next step.’ Manue believes that every opportunity is a stepping stone to the next, and they are thrilled their path has somehow mystically led them to a seat in the CTC committee.
