Welcome to our 2021 Advisory Committees

May 28, 2021

Feast is excited to announce our 2021 Artistic and Community & Health Advisory Committees, featuring an incredible group of LGBTIQ+ Australians, from a variety of artistic backgrounds.

ARTISTIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Neil Armfield AO

Joint Artistic Director (with Rachel Healy) of Adelaide Festival 2017-2023. Neil was inaugural Artistic Director of Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre, a position he held for 17 years. He has worked with many companies including The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Zurich Opera, Opera Australia, as well as National Theatre UK, Sydney Theatre Company, State Theatre Company SA, Windmill, Black Swan, Queensland Theatre Company,  Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre and more. Neil has directed several award-winning television productions and four feature films including Candy (2006) and Holding The Man (2015). In 2007 he was made Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the arts, nationally and internationally, as a director of theatre, opera and film, and as a promoter of innovative Australian productions including Australian Indigenous drama.

Will Sergeant

Will has been a passionate gay activist for almost 50 years.  He was involved in the early Australian gay liberation movement, participating in Adelaide’s first Gay Pride March in 1973 and Sydney’s first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gra in 1978. Will and his alter ego, Dr Gertrude Glossip, have participated and performed in every Feast since its inception in 1997.

Dr Nikki Sullivan

Nikki Sullivan is the Manager, Centre of Democracy – run by the History Trust in conjunction with the State Library of South Australia.

Prior to working for the History Trust of South Australia Nikki spent twenty five years in academia where she taught in Gender and Cultural Studies. She has published widely on issues of gender, sexuality and the body, and is passionate about feminist activism.

Nick Hays

Executive Director at Australian Dance Theatre since January 2020. Nick has been working in the cultural sector for more than 15 years, including time at leading organisations, The Australian Ballet, Arts Centre Melbourne and Heide Museum of Modern Art, and is also currently on the board of Melbourne’s Dancehouse. Most recently Nick was a senior member of The Australian Ballet’s Philanthropy team, working with dance lovers around the country to bring great art to the stage.

Alison Coppe

A singer-songwriter and poet, Alison has performed at multiple Feast Festivals including her popular k.d Lang tribute show – Constantly Craving k.d in 2014. After receiving her PhD in Creative Writing in 2019, Alison’s current work focuses on many areas including queer feminism, teaching, community arts, gender and sexuality.

Robert Reason

Museum Director of The David Roche Foundation House Museum. Robert joined TDRF as Senior Curator in 2015 and was then appointed Museum Director in June 2019. He is recognised as one of Australia’s leading decorative arts authorities with over twenty years’ experience in the art profession. Robert has curated significant exhibitions and published extensively for the Art Gallery of South Australia and TDRF.

Rhen Soggee

Acting CEO of ActNow Theatre. Rhen Soggee is an arts manager interested in contemporary, multicultural, inter/multi-disciplinary and participatory arts. They seek to affect social change through the arts, specifically with multicultural, intersectional, feminist and queer agendas.

Fanny Jacobson

Former Artistic Director of Feast, Fanny has worked with Feast on arts programming and has a special interest in film, writing and basket weaving. Fanny continues her advocacy for the LGBTIQ+ community with a focus on queer representation, mental health and accessibility to the arts. Fanny will be presenting an event in Feast 2020.

Troy-Anthony Baylis

Visual artist, occasional curator and writer since 1993, his work was profiled recently in The National 2019: New Australian Art at Carriageworks, Sydney and is the inaugural recipient of the Guildhouse Fellowship for a South Australian mid-career visual artist, craftsperson, or designer. His work has been presented at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Midsumma Festival, and Feast, where he has also been Program Manager – First Queers, twice a Board Member, and advisor in various capacities.

Jesse Budel

A South Australian composer-performer, sound artist, curator and arts entrepreneur. Born in Bordertown and raised in Murray Bridge, he recently graduated with a PhD from the Elder Conservatorium of Music, The University of Adelaide, for which he received a Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. Last year Jesse was Producer and Conductor of Considering Matthew Shepard, which had the Australian premiere at Feast Festival in 2019.

Damien Ralphs

Damien from the Gunnai/Kurnai and Wotjabalok people currently works for the Drug and Alcohol unit at SA Health, working with the homeless. Damien has had 17 years involvement with Feast since the age of 16 in a range of events. Damien has been a dancer for 10 years and continues this passion by exploring queer aboriginality and mental health through his work.

Mitchell Butel

Mitchell is the Artistic Director of State Theatre Company South Australia. As an actor, director and writer, he has worked for STC, MTC, QTC, ATYP, STCSA, Belvoir, Bell, Griffin, Malthouse, Opera Australia and the Sydney, Adelaide and Perth Festivals. For STCSA, he has recently appeared in Dance Nation, Mr Burns and Rumpelstiltskin (with Windmill). Directing credits include Caroline, or Change and Violet (Hayes Theatre), Dead Cat Bounce (Griffin Theatre), Candide (Sydney Philharmonia), Funny Girl and Porgy and Bess (Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Spring Awakening (ATYP) and Killing Time (Adelaide, Brisbane and Summersalt Cabaret Festivals).

Eliza Thomas

A queer autistic comedian, who performed in her first Feast in 2019 with her show Ambispectrous. Eliza is an advocate for queer mental health and explores autism, narcolepsy and queerness through her work.

Gail Ellis

Runs TLLPC Pty Ltd, which is a human rights company, with her partner Lisette. The company owns Kindred Spirits Australia, which is a social and community arm that promotes LGBTIQ+ activities. Gail champions LGBTIQ+ rights and is also kind enough to offer her services to the Feast office.

COMMUNITY AND HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Zac Cannell

Zac is an out and proud bisexual trans man. He co-founded and ca-facilitates TransMasc SA, operates the Trans Health SA website, is co-admin for FTM Australia, is a Sexual Health Counsellor for SHINE SA, and Peer Worker for SHINE SA’s Gender Wellbeing Service. Zac is also a Master Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and public speaker/educator in the areas of sexuality and gender diversity. Zac has a history of political and community advocacy, and a passion for promoting human rights of marginalised and oppressed groups.

Matthew Morris

A Community Worker with Bfriend, an LGBTIQA+ peer support service that’s run by Uniting Communities. He has worked in the community services sector for 10 years, and he is passionate about the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people. Matt has been part of the Feast Community and Health Advisory Committee for the last few years, with a particular interest in ensuring that Feast includes opportunities for LGBTIQA+ people to connect with one another and with community through a wide variety of events.

Sue Gallpen

Along with partner Sarah Gallpen, the pair own Adelaide’s LGBTIQ venue Diverse-City, a licensed performance venue with regular events for the Rainbow and wider communities. Involved with Feast over the past few years, they have established a Feast Hub and venue for a wide variety of performing artists as well as mobile catering for Feast opening nights and Picnic in the Park.

Bill Gaston

Part of the LGBTI Connect Team at ECH which provides culturally safe connection to aged care services for members of the SA community. Bill is a member of the LGBTI Advisory Group which guides the services and programs of the Rainbow Hub at COTA SA. A retired social worker, Bill is keen to support the LGBTI community in effective ways. He has been involved in previous Feast events for both organisations including an intergenerational coffee night and a transgender workshop. Bill is looking forward to being involved again in 2020.

Valda Young

Since coming out at 41 Valda has contributed to our Community on the Committee of the GOLDEN Club long enough to get Life Membership, was on the SA Samesex Dancesport Committee for 14 years and as the Chairperson for a number of those years which involved Valda with FEAST and Team Adelaide. Valda’s first involvement in FEAST was as a member of the band at an Opening Night at the Lion Arts Theatre many years ago.  Valda sings in a duo called Citrus Sistas and has organized and sang at dances during FEAST for the last few years.

Jenny Scott

A proud Trans woman and has been an advocate for LGBTIQ rights since coming out in 1993. She exhibited in the first Feast Festival in 1997 and has been associated with Feast in various rolls since then.

Belinda McKeown

Belinda has been involved with Feast both on a performance and production level for a few years now. She loves seeing outside the square and creating opportunities for all people to be able to showcase their talents and aspirations.

Anita Tran

An Intake and Peer Support Coordinator at Shine SA which was established in 1970 as the Family Planning Association of South Australia, SHINE SA expands beyond traditional family planning services to provide comprehensive reproductive, sexual health and relationship wellbeing services.

Today SHINE SA is a key not-for-profit provider of primary care services and education for sexual and relationship wellbeing.

Bruce Thompson

Founder of Bluey Boronia, a quirky gift store in the CBD encouraging LGBTQ+ visibility, age and body positivity. You can find a range of rainbow and mindfulness merchandise. Bruce has held two Feast Festival group exhibitions titled “Is This A Gay Shop?” and “Push My Button” which continue today with DIY badge buttons being generated in-store from community input. Bruce continues to support and promote the LGBTIQ+ communities in anyway he can and is looking forward to holding more events and activities in the future.

Kate Toone (she/her)

New co-owner of the LGBTIQ+ bar, My Lover Cindi, a social worker, PhD candidate studying lesbian sex workers, and small business operator living on Kaurna land. This is Kate’s second year on the Feast community and health advisory committee after attending the festival religiously for a number of years. Kate is passionate about intersectionality, social justice and queer culture.

Harry Dearing

Recently joined the Adelaide Spikers Volleyball Club as a player and committee member. Harry is passionate about building and strenethening relationships with sports, Feast and the wider community.

Also joining the committee is; Neil Clegg, Lucy Hackworth, and Daniel Jeffries.