We're Very Serious- taking artists with disability seriously

Spanning two decades in arts and entertainment Sarah-Vyne is a director, choreographer, teacher, arts consultant and interdisciplinary artist working across dance, theatre, screen, curation and arts development. Sarah-Vyne is a Winston Churchill fellow 2013, where she undertook research and professional development with world leaders in the field of integrated practice. These included Candoco Dance Company, AXIS Dance Company, StopGap, GDance, Caroline Bowditch and Marc Brew.

Throughout her career she has worked with Sydney Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Festival of Dangerous Minds, DirtyFeet, Shaun Parker and Company, Bankstown Arts Centre, Sidetrack Theatre, Accessible Arts, Ausdance, Adelaide Fringe, Disney, ABC, The Young Americans, Screentime and Channel 7 and is currently an artist representative, board member at Critical Path. In her former position as arts development manager at Accessible Arts she developed the nation-wide Catalyst Dance program and managed projects for Arts NSW, Ageing, Disability and Home Care, and Ausdance NSW.

Sarah-Vyne is the artistic driving force behind Murmuration, Sydney's first professional integrated performance company and is currently developing ‘Bowerbirds', a short film and directing the companies first major work ‘Days Like These’ to be presented at The Arts Centre Cootamundra in July 2017. Sarah-Vyne is a recognised leader in inclusive arts practice and identifies with invisible disabilities. 

Gabrielle Mordy is fascinated by the ways individuals and communities use art to express their relationship with the world. She is inspired by the power of art to translate experiences and stories across cultures. A passionate advocate for the rights of all people to access the arts, Gabrielle is director of Studio A, a supported studio providing professional development to artists with intellectual disability.

Gabrielle holds a Master's of Fine Arts and a First Class Honours degree in Anthropology. In 2014, Mordy was awarded a Churchill Scholarship and an Australia Council Career Development Award to undertake international research into the supported studio sector. In 2011, she received a Curatorial Mentorship Initiative award from the National Association for the Visual Arts. Gabrielle is also a practicing artist and writer working with a range of media including textiles, printmaking, drawing and sculpture.

Alison Richardson has worked extensively as a theatre director and tutor for community theatre companies Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Shopfront Theatre, PACT centre for emerging artists and Australian Theatre for Young People. Due to Alison’s interest and passion for working with people with disability, in 2007 she established sliced bread attraction which created creative opportunities for people with disability in all art forms.

In 2008 she produced Bakehouse, a week long inclusive arts event held at Carriageworks in Sydney that consisted of workshops, forums, film nights and satellite events. From 2007 to 2010 Alison was the creative programs coordinator for Western Sydney for NSW peak arts and disability organisation, Accessible Arts and during this time she established the hip hop group, First Flight Crew. Alison has also worked as a community producer and tutor for Milkcrate Theatre, Australia’s only theatre company dedicated to working with the homeless and disadvantaged.

In 2007 Alison was awarded the Australia Council for the Arts Young Leaders Award for her commitment to community arts and in 2012 was a finalist in Improving Social Participation for people with disability at the National Disability Awards. Alison sought and garnered her own funding to create the position of creative director of Beyond the Square at Riverside Theatres, a position she held for four years. It was during this time she established RUCKUS, a contemporary performance ensemble of six performers and theatre makers who also happen to have Down syndrome.

Alison was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship in 2015 which enabled her to research disability led theatre practice and inclusive training programs in UK arts and disability companies and organisations. In 2015 and 2016 Alison worked as the accessibility officer for New Year’s Eve for City of Sydney and is currently the access and inclusion coordinator for Vivid Sydney.

Gerard O'Dywer is an actor, advocate and true Irishman! He is a co-founding member of RUCKUS, a contemporary performance ensemble formed in 2011. He has been awarded Best Male Actor at Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival in 2009 for his role in Bus Stop Films' short film Be My Brother, which went on to be awarded Best Film on the evening as well. In 2014 he was flown to Russia to accept the Best Short Film Award for Bus Stop Films’ award winning short film The Interviewer where he again played the leading role. Gerard was awarded Best Male Actor runner up in the Short & Sweet short play festival in 2011 at Newtown Theatre & NIDA’s Parade Theatre.

Gerard is currently in pre-production for his first feature length Australian film starring alongside Aussie screen legend, John Jarratt and featured in Craig Anderson’s feature length horror film Red Christmas at the Sydney Film Festival in 2016. In 2010, 2011 and 2015 Gerard was selected as an ambassador for the NSW Government 'Don’t DISMyABILITY' campaign and he has featured in an advertisement for the NSW Government CareCareers campaign. Notably, in 2012 Gerard was recognised by the Australian Government where he was awarded the Emerging Leaders Award at the National Disabilities Awards.

Morwenna Collett is an experienced leader, project manager, lecturer and consultant. She is currently on secondment as interim CEO of Accessible Arts, the peak arts and disability service organisation across NSW which provides leadership through information, advocacy and the facilitation of excellence in arts practice. Morwenna’s substantive position is as manager, Project Controls and Risk and Disability Champion at the Australia Council for the Arts, where she developed their Disability Action Plan and designed a dedicated funding program to support artists with disability.

As an independent consultant, together with Tandi Williams, she has conducted a major impact evaluation for Unlimited, a UK commissions programme for disabled artists. Morwenna is also a lecturer in the Music Faculty at the University of Sydney and sits on the Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group, the City of Sydney’s Inclusion (Disability) Advisory Committee and the Australasian Chamber Orchestra’s Disability Advisory Committee. Morwenna has Honours and Masters degrees in Music (flute performance and research) from the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and was the recipient of the University Medal.