Founder & President

Zoë believes that anyone can put on a play, as she discovered at age 8 when she wrote a murder mystery with her best friend Isabella for the school concert.

After taking an extended break, she returned to theatre at the Sydney Fringe in 2018 with her production “A Story of Likes” followed by a second Fringe play, “Hotel Epiphany”. “Green Eyes” debuted at the Manly Festival in 2023 and her whodunnit “Murder on the Corso” premiered at the 2025 Festival.

Curiosity, connection and creativity is at the heart of Manly Theatre Group and it is a joy for us to be known for our high-quality, original productions.

Vice-President

Emma was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is a strong believer in the power of words and their ability to shape expression and emotion through dialogue.

Emma has always been in awe of the captivating magic of the theatre. She joined MTG in 2023 and debuted in the Manly Festival of Short Plays as Mrs Jeffries in "Man to Man", a play by director/writer Vivien Thomas.

She absolutely loved the opportunity to be part of MTG's enthusiastic, committed, inclusive and passionate artistic community of local people. She participated in the Short and Sweet Sydney theatre festival 2024 and in Corporate Nonsense in 2025. Emma is thrilled to be part of the working committee and support this growing community of artists in the northern beaches. She was the company secretary 2024/2025 and now VP.

Artistic Director

Kathleen welcomes the opportunity to encourage creativity and sharing the joy of storytelling. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, Master of Arts in Directing, Associate Degree in Creative Writing, Diploma of Project Management, Arts and Culture and has worked with the Festival of Sydney, Carnivale, Opera Australia Sydney Living Museums and The University of Sydney. Kathleen has taught drama locally for several years and contributed to large-scale events and projects, exhibitions, publications, filmmaking, and theatrical productions across Australia as an actor, designer, director, writer, and producer, and now the joy of MTG.

Secretary

With a love of all things theatrical and not one to shy away from a spotlight, Carmel brings a mix of business, marketing, strategy and creative experience to the MTG Committee.

Carmel’s first taste of the stage came through school musicals and amateur productions, and she was even brave enough to audition for NIDA. Life then took her in a different direction, from nursing to advising Australian Government ministers, leading marketing teams, developing strategy and exploring the possibilities of AI.

After a long break from the stage, Carmel found her way back through an MTG physical theatre workshop. She’s delighted to be part of the Manly theatre community and is looking forward to combining her professional skills with her love of storytelling, performance and bringing people together.

She also enjoys a good ballet, theatre or musical — and is still willing to admit to performing a couple of Ceroc routines at community venues about ten years ago!

Treasurer

David worked in the financial markets for more than 30 years as both, a banker at NM Rothschild and as a Corporate Treasurer of Australian Corporations including CSR Ltd, Lion Nathan and Caltex Australia. 

In those roles David was responsible for the Treasury function including financial controls and risk management of Group cash, debt, interest rate and foreign exchange, as well as internal controls and Management and Board reporting. 

Coordinator of Acting Workshops

Having never acted, written a play  or done anything in the dramatic arts at all, Eva Paterson came to the Manly Theatre Group to support her son in his acting endeavours, never intending to do anything but sit on the side lines… little did she know the impact of MTG on her life.

Since April 2022, Eva had written three plays, acted in the various workshops and had one of her plays accepted for the Manly Festival of Short Plays which she acted in alongside her son.

Determined to ensure that the MTG continues to be an inclusive, accepting organisation, Eva is looking forward to continuing the great work done previously.  Eva is determined to continue to encourage people like herself to try things they’ve never tried, extend themselves and most importantly have fun.

Environment, Social & Governance

Contributing to community endeavours and building community connections is second nature to Edith. She sits on charity boards, is an active member of the Can Too running and swimming community, and Manly Surf Club. She brings her background in management and logistics to the MTG Committee while soaking up and learning from the professional creative process. 

Joining the MTG Committee connects the dots to her previous life where an interest in creative writing saw her design and run public writing courses in between management consulting. Edith contributes to MTG as volunteer stagehand, administrative assistant and board level advisor. 

Social Events

John is originally from Cork in Ireland. With a Masters in Marketing, he started his career with one of Ireland’s leading digital marketing creative agencies. Since 2011, John has been working in the marketing recruitment industry both in Melbourne and Sydney, which is now his home away from home.

​You will most likely find John out and about most weekends; enjoying the outdoors, playing football with his local team, cycling or swimming. After all that if there is time, he likes to watch a good movie, listen to a thought-provoking podcast, or read an interesting book!

He joined MTG in March 2023 and loves all things dramatics. As Marketing Director, he focuses on promoting our brand awareness in the Northern Beaches so that theatre is accessible and enjoyed by the local community.

Social Media Manager

Kiara is a final year student at The University of Sydney, majoring in Media & Communications and International Relations. She has spent the last few years of her degree working in social media content creation and social strategy at the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), The United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA), and The University of Sydney Union (USU).

Kiara is drawn to the immersive and escapist nature of theatre. From actors breaking the fourth wall to the organised chaos backstage, she continues to be in awe of the power of theatre and all the artistry that goes into a single production.

As MTG’s Social Media Manager, she loves getting to spotlight the talent, dedication, and entertaining personalities within Manly Theatre Group – as well as share the magic of theatre with as many Australians as possible. 

Tech Production Manager

Is a Brazilian actor with a career in film and television, including work with Netflix, HBO, and Globo Play. He has also worked as a writer and producer. Since moving to Australia in 2022, he has continued to act in TV commercials and theatre productions and has founded Pacific Video to create video content. He is currently an assistant teacher at NIDA, Australia's leading performing arts school.

For Manly Theatre Group “Homecoming” written, directed, and performed in Manly Festival of Short Plays (2024).  Videographer Manly Festival of Plays (2024), main stages productions “1 in 7” written by Vivien Thomas and directed by Kathleen Walker and “The Audition Helpers” written by Carlin Hurdis and directed by Kathleen Walker. Production Manager Lighting and Sound Manly Festival of Short Plays (2025).  Geraldo’s work and knowledge have helped the company move into its permanent residence at Sky Theatre, St Andrews Memorial Hall, Manly.

Stage Manager

Bradley like many before him hails from the murky shores of the UK. Having studied Drama at the University of Manchester, Bradley has since written, directed, and performed in community theatre's whilst holding committee positions to help the running of the spaces.

Bradley moved to Australia with his partner in 2023 and found the Manly Theatre group to be a diverse and welcoming community of budding creatives from all backgrounds. With accessibility and kindness being at the heart of the group Bradley felt super welcome to get involved and is now excited to help others make their creative dreams a reality.

Memberships

Gail grew up on a farm in southern Victoria where creativity was not a prerequisite for milking cows or working on the farm! She started her working life as a legal secretary after which she worked in management consultancy and various other areas. She then worked with some not for profit organisations and her last role was National Program Manager with Can Too. Being retired, she now volunteers at the Lifeline shop in Balgowlah and swims and keeps fit.

Gail was drawn to MTG as this presented a whole different group of creative people to become involved with. She is keen to help grow awareness of MTG and increase participation from our local community.      

Partnerships

Originally from Wales, Claudia moved to Sydney in 2023 and found a creative home at Manly Theatre Group. A lifelong lover of theatre and storytelling, she joined MTG as an actor and has since enjoyed getting involved both on and off stage.

Claudia works in climate and corporate responsibility, with a background in social enterprise, community development, fundraising, and partnerships. As Partnerships Manager, she brings this experience to building relationships and securing support to help MTG grow and continue creating ambitious, accessible community theatre.

When she’s not working or performing, Claudia can usually be found enjoying the local beaches, walking her enormous Labrador, or attempting one of an ever-growing collection of creative hobbies.

Committee Member

Originally from a small city in southern Chile, Mauricio Espinoza grew up surrounded by nature and cameras, where he first discovered the impact of storytelling. After studying journalism, he moved to the capital to pursue film and specialised in scriptwriting. Mauricio has written and directed short films, documentaries, and long-form scripts, with his work recognised internationally for its emotional depth and narrative strength. As a scriptwriting advisor and teacher, he supports emerging writers in finding their voice and building compelling narratives. He believes storytelling is a universal tool for connection and expression, and encourages others to draw from personal experience to create original stories.

Improvisation Coach

Anna Renzenbrink teaches for Improv Theatre Sydney in Redfern and has over 15 years experience teaching improvisation skills to adults. Anna has performed in Improvisation Festivals all over the world and most recently mentored the Hobart Festival of Improvisation Theatre which took place last April. Anna has a particular passion for creating characters inspired by old Hollywood and classic literature.

Committee Member