photo by Sia Duff
Cultural Leaders Program
The ActNow Theatre Cultural Leaders Program has been designed to empower and elevate diverse voices in South Australia’s arts landscape. Through this program, First Nations, POC, LGBTQIA+, and Disabled artists, community leaders, and arts professionals have gained access to resources, skills, and mentorship to aid them in becoming influential leaders.
TESTIMONIALS
“I found it so impactful. It capacitated me in harnessing my giffts and potentials by unlocking the collaborative nature of arts communities and organisations in Adelaide.”
“It’s been wonderful connecting with others, learning from industry leaders, and having fun along the way. What I’ve learned from my mentor is invaluable in guiding my future.”
“I think programs like this are really important because they enable people to feel important, strong, and valuable in the arts community. I learnt so much about the industry, myself and from the other cultural leaders around me. ”
highlights
In 2025, the Cultural Leaders Program included:
Consultation
Ensuring the curated masterclasses and mentors are tailored to support participant developmentFour-Day Intensive
A four-day intensive featuring masterclasses led by OzAsia Festival, State Theatre Company South Australia, Nexus Arts, Windmill Theatre, Adelaide Festival, and Ilbijerri Theatre Company (Naarm)Follow-Up Group Sessions
Meet every two months for a masterclass and a goal-sharingMentorship
4 mentorship sessions with an industry expert, offering personalised guidance and supportProfessional Headshot Photography
Participation Stipend
Reflective Review Process
2025 Cultural Leaders
Abbie Madden
is Artistic Director and founder of inclusive dance and circus company Blindful. Abbie is a dancer, originally from Kaurna Country (Adelaide) where she was a member of the world renowned Australian Dance Theatre’s Youth Ensemble. Abbie is a founding member of the highly successful Yuck Circus. Abbie wishes to work with disabled artists, coming from her own experiences being born with congenital glaucoma. In 2020 Abbie was awarded the National Leadership Award in Arts Access supported by the Australian Council for the Arts, and continues to work in arts and disability as Training Coordinator at Access2Arts.
Kyron Weetra
is a proud Narungga/Saxon clan artist currently living on Ngarrindjerri country. He is a writer, actor, musician, and moonlighter in many creative worlds. Kyron has worked with many Kaurna based arts companies, including the State Theatre Company of South Australia as their resident artist during 2024. Having worked with ActNow over the past ten years, Kyron is currently helping develop and write 'Josh and Sophia Don't Play Together Anymore'. When not treading the boards or weaving the words that are spoke upon it, Kyron can be found in a shed writing and performing tunes with his band 'Thoma and the Humbugs'.
Li (Anneli) Ingle
Li (they/them) is a queer, neurodivergent emerging director with a dynamic background in props, prosthetics and scenic art. They entered the industry after receiving their diploma in live production and technical services from ACArts, sculpting 6ft unicorns for Nicki Minaj’s FOMO tour in 2019. Shortly after they joined the feature film “Escape From Pretoria 2020 (DIR. Francis Annan)” as a brush hand.
Shani Engelbrecht
Shani (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist of Indo-Fijian and Scottish-Irish heritage creating and living on Kaurna Land, South Australia. She holds an Honours degree in Visual Arts (2022) and a Bachelor of Creative Arts (2021) from Flinders University. Race and identity are at the core of Engelbrecht’s practice as she interrogates the incidences of racism experienced by people of colour daily. Engelbrecht has shown works in multiple exhibitions including Art That Walks OFF the Walls (Goodwood Theatre & Studios 2024), Hatched: National Graduate Show Exhibition (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts 2023), not white/not brown (FELTspace 2023).
Xueqian (Chien) Zhang
Chien is an emerging artist whose work blends music, storytelling, and cultural connection. Over the past two years, Xueqian has performed at many major festivals, including the Adelaide Festival, the Adelaide Fringe, the OzAsia Festival, and the Lunar New Year Street Party.
In 2023, Xueqian earned a place to study Vocal Performance at AC Arts and was selected for the CAAP x Artist Lab during OzAsia. She was also invited to record an album and sing a song on a Chinese film soundtrack.
Xueqian has led music and storytelling sessions for the OzAsia Festival, Wirrina Bluegrass Festival, and multiple city councils, using her artistry to bridge cultural gaps.
Jayda Wilson
Jayda is a proud Gugada and Wirangu emerging artist living and working on unceded Kaurna Yarta. Wilson’s practice is a journey to reclaiming their mother tongue through the (re)telling of family history with their visual practice acting as a site for (re)memory and (re)archiving. By working in mediums of sound and print they ground themselves culturally and affirm sovereignty through Gugada and Wirangu wangga, embedded in country on the Far West Coast of South Australia.
Kiara Milera
is an emerging Indigenous filmmaker from Adelaide and has credits for writing, directing and acting. She began her career in 2015, writing for ABC's Black Comedy. She has been working with and supported by the South Australian Film Corporation and has received funding from initiatives to attend workshops and conferences. She has also acted as production assistant for the short film, Coming Home, and as director’s attachment for Warwick Thornton’s, Sweet Country. She has created and developed her own projects as well, including WILD (short film) and Same, Same. But Different (short documentary). She was a co-director for the short film Waiyirri. And has also written & directed for State Theatre’s Decameron 2.0. Her work has appeared in the Adelaide Film Festival and on National Indigenous Television (NITV).
Michelle Kenney
Michelle is a contemporary multidisciplinary artist and cultural leader whose work is deeply rooted in social observation, community engagement, and the exploration of identity, particularly within the Australian Filipino context. With a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Michelle brings a critical and analytical lens to her artistic practice, exploring themes of belonging, heritage, vulnerability, and the complexities of contemporary life.
As the convener of the USAP Collective, an Australian Filipino group, she fosters collaborative projects that amplify marginalised voices, preserve and celebrate heritage, and cultivate spaces for creative exchange. This commitment to community building underscores her belief in the transformative power of "pakikipagkapwa"/ a shared pre-colonial way of fellowship as catalysts for social change and cultural preservation.
Taylor Nobes
Taylor is a professional theatremaker, actor and singer who has worked and collaborated with companies such as BRINK Productions, FRANK Theatre, ActNow Theatre and Windmill Theatre. Taylor was the recipient of The Mill Adelaide’s “Free Range Residency” in 2023. Taylor’s multi-disciplinary work stems from vulnerability with the aim to connect and resonate with audiences. She is most recently the co-founder of a film company that debuted their first award winning film in the 48 Hour Film Festival. This year Taylor will lead workshops and direct a production with No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability. Her most recent original show “The Heart May Or May Not Go On” had its last season during the 2025 Adelaide Fringe Festival.
2023 Cultural leaders
2023 testimonials
“It’s a great opportunity to make more connections… I will take away friendship, and a lot of knowledge that I can use in the field.”
“I think that going in with a cohort and going through it together, felt like kind of a family. It’s a safe environment with such diversity. You don’t have to explain yourself, what your place is and you’re just free to learn and be open. That’s really valuable.”
“My main takeaway from this program is sharpening a lot of the existing skills I have and being able to meet and see an example of so many minority artists that are working in Australia.”
2023 Facilitators: Emily Tulloch (Nexus Arts), Karen Bryant (Midsumma Festival), Emma Webb (Vitalstatistix), Edwin Kemp Attrill, Annette Shun Wah (OzAsia Festival), Mitchell Butel, (State Theatre Company of SA), Gaelle Mellis & Sam Wannan (Tutti Arts), Asha Bee Abraham (Footscray Arts Centre), Jennifer Greer Holmes, Ruth Weldon, Nara Wilson, Jennifer Trijo, Yasmin Gurreeboo (ActNow Theatre), Blake Taylor
(ActNow Theatre), Annabel Matheson (ActNow Theatre), Ayesha Aggarwal (ActNow Theatre)
2023 Mentors: Sasha Zahra, Eva Grace Mullaley, Joon-Yee Kwok (OzAsia Festival), Manal Younus, Emma Webb (Vitalstatistix), Emily Tulloch (Nexus Arts), Karen Bryant (Midsumma Festival), Annette Shun Wah (OzAsia Festival)
In 2023 and 2025, the Cultural Leaders Program was funded by
