Sonya Suares - General Manager

Sonya graduated from the WA Academy of Performing Arts in 2004.  Post-institutionalisation, her theatre credits include Rappaccini's Daughter, One for the Road, In the Family, The Pajama Game, Don Giovanni and Madame Butterfly.  In 2007, she toured with the Complete Works Theatre Company, playing a variety of Shakespeare's leading ladies and in 2008, made her US feature film debut as a glorified extra in Knowing.  

She remains better known for her Australian screen work which includes the features Wil, My Year Without Sex and The Last Ride as well as TV credits on Ocean Girl, Wicked Science, Rush, Very Small Business and East West 101. 

Linda Hum - Production Manager

Production Manager: Linda started acting classes at age 5 before deciding she enjoyed the dark corners of backstage at age 16.  Over the next 5 years she diversified further into writing, directing, lighting, set and props design and construction, costume design and construction and production management.  Moving to Sydney in 1997 she kept up her love of the arts with local groups and moved to Melbourne in 1998 to work as a producer with performing arts projects.  In 2003 she started working for Polyglot Puppet Theatre and is now venue manager for the Cromwell Road Theatre, Polyglot's home.  Linda also works as a venue technician and stage manager for several venues around Melbourne.

Stelios Karagiannis - Lighting Design

Resident Lighting Designer/Technical manager:  Stelios has been lighting shows for over 20 years, becoming the Red Stitch Resident Lighting Designer in 2005. Past work includes The Empty Say (by Kevin Summers), Op Shop (by Rosemary Johns), Boston Marriage (Hoy Polloy), The Real Thring (by Barry Dickins), and Beckett’s Shorts (dir Andre Bastian). Stel has worked in venues all around Melbourne including The Atheneum, La Mama, 45 Downstairs, The Organ Factory, Chapel Off Chapel, Theatreworks, and Gasworks Theatre. Stel is also the Technical Director of Hoy Polloy Theatre Company.

Stel’s Red Stitch Lighting credits include Loyal Women, Playing the Victim, I am Yours, The Country, Bug, This Is How It Goes, Tejas Verdes, Harvest, Jack Goes Boating, The Mercy Seat, The Winterling, Work Of Wonder, This Wide Night, and In a Dark Dark House.

 Peter Mumford - Resident Set Designer

Peter Mumford holds a BA (Honours) from Flinders University and a Diploma in Graphic Design from RMIT.  He has over 25 years experience as a stage, costume and graphic designer and has produced designs for drama, opera and dance companies across Australia.  Recently his stage designs include Only the End by Robbie Bishop, Shakespeare and the Dark Lady of the Sonnets by Enzo Condello, Quilting the Armour – The Story of the Kelly Women by Rosemary Johns, Brenda Addie and Jeanie Haughton, and Carrying Shoes into the Unknown by Rosemary Johns.

For Red Stitch, Peter has designed Iron by Rona Munro (2004) and The Country by Martin Crimp (2005). As Resident Set Designer his credits include Tejas Verdes, Fewer Emergencies, Harvest, 448 Psychosis, Wild East, Motortown, The Mercy Seat, The Winterling, Pool (No Water), Yellow Moon and Leaves of Glass.  In 2008, he received a Green Room Award nomination for set design on the award winning Red Sky Morning.

Ruth Maloney - Venue Manager

Ruth spent her childhood filled with a passion for all things theatrical, spending many years in dance classes and amateur theatre. After raising a family, she completed her Diploma in Small Companies and Community Theatre at NMIT in 2003. Quickly finding employment at the Malthouse Theatre, she filled many roles, including costume maintenance, stage management, lighting operator and venue technician. She also completed the Certificate IV in Live Entertainment. In 2009, she stage managed Bob Downe in ‘World War Bob’ in Katoomba, Adelaide and Bathurst. Ruth has diversified further, becoming Venue Technician for Doncaster Playhouse and Theatreworks, as well as fulfilling various technical roles for the MIAF, whilst finding time to work as a dresser for Opera Australia at the Arts Centre.

Samantha Butterworth-Boord (Box Office)

Sam is in her final year of Contemporary Arts at Deakin University, majoring in Drama and Film and Video. During her time at Deakin she has found a love for sound and film, spending endless hours in the sound studio and editing suites. Her interest in television has taken her to India where she studied for five months on a scholarship.

Recently Sam has acted in the Guilds Award  nominated production of Spamalot with SLAMS Theatre Company, the Channel 31 series Socially Inadequate and has conducted character workshops at McGuire Secondary College.

Sam interned at Red Stitch in 2009 before becoming the company's box office manager.

Emma Hale (Graduate Program)

Emma started out on stage as a dancer/ entertainer at the age of 3 but it wasn’t until 2007 via a 2 year Theatre Arts course at Swinburne University that she found her love for Stage Management. Emma has now graduated from her course where she staged managed The Raven and co-stage managed the 2009 Melbourne Fringe festival circus show: Crazy. She joins the company under the Graduate Programme as an ensemble member for 2010.

David Baker - Intern

David Baker was introduced to theatre when at school. He studied Ignition Theatre Training at NMIT (a theatre course for people with disabilities) (2005), VCAL Arts and Multimedia (2007) and has recently completed a Diploma of Theatre Arts (2009). He is a founding member of Rollercoaster Theatre and performed with them in Big Life (2007)and Realeyes(2009). He has performed with Platform Youth Theatre and DVA.

During the development of Crazy at Swinburne University in 2009, David developed an interest in physical theatre, particularly stilt walking and has continued to perform at festivals and events since graduation. David feels humbled by the Internship he has received at Red Stitch.