about us

Kate is recognised as one of Australia's foremost directors of dance-theatre. She is an award winning creator of multidisciplinary works which cross the mediums of film, television and live performance. She graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Dance from the Victorian College of the Arts (School of Dance) and the following year studied at the John Bolton Theatre School. In 1997 she co-founded KAGE with Gerard Van Dyck. As the Co-creative Director of KAGE she has devised, directed and/or performed in all of the Company's works including:

Contamination - Karyn Lovegrove Gallery (Next Wave Festival 1998)

No (Under)standing Anytime – Athenaeum Theatre (Kate received a Fellowship from the Australian Choreographic Centre in Canberra in 1999 to develop this work which premiered at Next Wave Festival 2000)

Birthday – Malthouse Beckett Theatre (Kate was awarded a Womens' Artist Grant from Arts Victoria in 1999 to develop a solo performance directed by John Bolton)

Nowhere Man - North Melbourne Town Hall (Melbourne International Arts Festival 2003)  

The Day the World Turned Upside Down - North Melbourne Town Hall and Artplay (Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2004)  

Al Fresco - Outdoors (Melbourne 2006 Cultural Festival for the Commonwealth Games)

Headlock – Malthouse Merlyn Theatre 2006 (also selected to be on the 2006 VCE Drama Playlist), Adelaide Festival Centre, Sydney Opera House 2009

Appetite – Fairfax Studio Arts Centre Melbourne (Melbourne International Arts Festival 2008)

Many of these works have won Kate and KAGE industry awards and national and international recognition. The awards for Kate include joint winner of the Eva Czajor memorial Award, which salutes women directors, the Canberra Critics' Circle Award for Dance, a Green Room Award for Female Emerging Artist in Dance and the 2004 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance.

Kate was commissioned by Chunky Move to choreograph a new work This Side Up in which she performed in Melbourne in September 1999. The work toured nationally for the Big Day Out in January 2000. Kate was invited to present This Side Up at the World Dance 2000 Tokyo Asian Next Wave in August 2000 where she performed the work with Gerard Van Dyck.

In 2001 Kate was the recipient of a residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris (Australia Council Studio).

Kate was the Australian representative for the Little Asia Dance Exchange Network as part of the Made to Move program and performed her solo work Throw away the fat, bones, skin in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Taiwan and Tokyo in 2000 as part of World Dance 2000 Tokyo Asian Next Wave.

Kate played a leading role in Arena Theatre's production Eat Your Young which premiered at the Telstra 2000 Adelaide Festival and later toured to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Taipai and Singapore.

In 2002 Kate participated in an Arts Business Mentorship Program through Arts and Recreation Training Victoria with creative producer Angharad Wynne-Jones.

Also in 2002 Kate created Underground for the third year dance students at the Victorian College of the Arts. The work was invited to be performed in Saitama, Japan in 2003 where it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 12th Saitama International Creative Dance Contest.

In 2003 Kate received a travel grant from the Ian Potter Foundation to work with Choreographer Benoit LaChambre and Compagnie Par.b.leux (based in Montreal) to perform in 100 Rencontres  for Kunsten Festival des Arts in Brussels and Festival Montpellier Danse.

The same year Kate was Choreographer-in-Residence at Dance Box, Osaka, through an Asialink artist residency grant.

In 2005, Kate was the Artistic Director of a company of six young Australian performers resident at World Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan.

Kate returned to Japan in 2006 to tour KAGE's collaborative work INK to Osaka and Yokohama as part of 2006 Year of Australia/Japan Exchange.

Kate has been commissioned to create new works for Australian Dance Theatre in Adelaide (Misfit for the 2001 Come Out Festival) and Pink Lines for Tasdance.

Kate works as a Choreographer and Movement Director for Theatre. Previous productions include: The ThreePenny Opera Malthouse/Victorian Opera, Michael Kantor's Babes in the Wood, Dennis Moore's The Ishmael Club and Billy Maloney as well as Punch for St Martins Theatre. In 2008 Kate directed Frank Woodley’s acclaimed solo show Possessed.

In 2009 KAGE was invited to be the inaugural Company in Residence at Arts Centre Melbourne.

In 2012 Kate worked as a consultant dramaturge for Polyglot Theatre for their production City of Riddles and also participated in a directorial attachment with Melbourne Theatre Company and Associate Director Peter Evans.

In 2011 Kate directed two new works for KAGE. Sundowner was created in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia Vic and premiered at Castlemaine State Festival in April 2011.  Sundowner will undertake an extensive national tour in 2013. Look Right Through Me is a collaboration with Australian poet and philosopher Michael Leunig and premiered in September at the Malthouse Theatre. Both works were nominated for the 2011 Artshub Award for Innovation in the Arts.

In March 2013, Kate will perform alongside Gerard in a new duet called Flesh and Bone as part of L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program and the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Umbrella Events Program.

Kate is currently developing two new works for KAGE entitled Forklift and Team of Life. Forklift is an international collaboration and will see the creation of a new contemporary outdoor circus work. Team of Life harnesses the power of two great dramatic traditions – sports and theatre. By honouring the great Australian Game (AFL) and the World Game (soccer) it tells stories of young people’s search for different kinds of freedom. 

Gerard’s training and performance experience includes contemporary dance, acting, slapstick, puppetry, and motion capture. Gerard choreographs, teaches, critiques and regularly discusses dance. After graduating at the Victorian College of the Arts he co-founded KAGE with Kate Denborough and has performed in all of KAGE’s award winning works throughout Australia and overseas. Gerard clocked up 50+ performances of his solo The Collapsible Man and won some awards along the way. He has toured extensively with BalletLab and Polyglot Puppet Theatre, and worked locally with artists such as Nat Cursio, Eleventh Hour Theatre, Legs on the Wall, desoxy Theatre and Sandra Parker. Gerard has danced in a piano costume for Sarah Blasko and floated in a space ship for David Noonan. He has directed circus and comedy, and provided dramaturgy for ballet. When Gerard isn’t busy with KAGE he works as a Marriage Celebrant. He is on the dance panel of the Green Room Award Association and is a regular guest on Triple R’s Smart Arts Program.

Simone Schinkel (née Collins) is a creative producer with extensive experience in arts and festival management. Upon graduating from QUT with a degree in Fine Arts (Technical Production), Simone assumed Stage and Production Management positions with LaBoite Theatre, Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, Brisbane Powerhouse, Queensland Music Festival, River Festival, Brisbane Cabaret Festival, Straight Out of Brisbane and Brisbane Festival. Subsequently transitioning into producing, Simone managed the Valley Markets delivering Chinese New Year and Valley Fiesta and was the Event Producer at Ipswich Events Corporation (2006-08). Simone relocated to Melbourne in July 2008 and immediately started employment with Melbourne Fringe producing the Festival's Federation Square projects – a pakour performance, circus show, an interactive projection, and a craft exhibition involving 100 artists from around the world. In 2009 she continued working at Melbourne Fringe as Artist Development Coordinator. Additionally, Simone has worked in Melbourne with Next Wave, Emerging Writers Festival, Western Edge Youth Arts, White Whale Theatre Company, St Kilda Festival, Moomba Festival and Opera Australia. During 2010 and 2011, while General Manager at KAGE, Simone worked part-time for John Paxinos providing management and financial services to Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, The Wheeler Centre, Music Outback Australia and Melbourne Writers Festival.

Originally trained as a singer, Sophie studied classical singing at the Victorian College of the Arts. As a performer she has worked with Opera Australia and the Victorian Opera both in their main stage shows and touring schools operas. Sophie has toured nationally and internationally with acclaimed music theatre shows such as The Sound of Music and The Phantom of the Opera as well as working extensively in children's theatre, corporate entertainment, and cabaret. Sophie has worked in administration, customer service and also teaches singing. She is currently studying for a Master of Arts Management at RMIT

The Gorman brand is now 14 years old (in 2013). Lisa has a team of around 150 staff across 18 Gorman stand alone retail stores nationally and in New Zealand, as well as a thriving online store. She has an experienced retail partner with whom she works with daily to keep Gorman at the top of the industry. She participates in Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival annually and has done for the last 13 years. Lisa Gorman is a great supporter of the local arts, collaborating seasonally with local artists such as Rhys Lee and Rachel Castle and working closely with RMIT on a mentorship program.

Eddie Perfect is an actor, composer and comedian. Best known for his role as Mick Holland in Ten's Offspring, Eddie also wrote and starred in Shane Warne The Musical (2009 Helpmann Award Best New Work, 2009 Victorian Premier's Literary Award Best Music Theatre Script). Other television credits include Kath and Kim, Blue Heelers, Stingers and MDA as well as performing his own brand of dark satirical music comedy on ABC TV's Standup, The Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala, Good News Week and The Sideshow. On stage, Eddie has played Alexander Downer in Keating! The Musical (Company B Belvoir, for which he won a Green Room award in 2008), Macheath in The Threepenny Opera (Malthouse Theatre) and has toured both nationally and internationally in numerous successful one man shows including Angry Eddie, Drink Pepsi Bitch, Songs From The Middle (with The Brodsky Quartet), The Big Con (Malthouse Theatre, with Max Gillies) and most recently Misanthropology (Sydney Festival) for which he won the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer. In 2012 Eddie performed the role of Luther Billis in the Opera Australia production of South Pacific.

Lyn is best known as the founder and previous CEO of Breast Cancer Network Australia. She has an exceptional track record of brand, community and partnership building in the not-for-profit sector with expertise in strategic planning and development, innovative income stream generation and corporate governance.

Lyn is the recipient of numerous awards including as a finalist in the Australian of the Year in 2006 and she was named Melburnian of the Year in 2007.

Carol has an MBA from the Wharton school and brings with her a range of experience from global companies such as General Electric, AT Kearney and The Boston Consulting Group.  Carol's previous roles also include General Manager for the Catherine Freeman Foundation and Executive Producer for Storm Dance Theatre. Carol was recently awarded the Westpac Community Treasurers Award for her work at KAGE.

Adalene is a Tax Manager for Asia at BHP Billiton. She previously worked in the corporate tax division of KPMG for 12.5 years. Adalene is a qualified Chartered Accountant and graduated from the University of Melbourne (1997) with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce.

Linda has a strong brand and marketing background with extensive experience in brand design, creative strategy, advertising and sponsorships. She is an accomplished advertising practitioner most recently leading the Australian ANZ re-brand which included the successful 'Barbara' campaign. Linda is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a Bachelor of Arts - Monash University. She is currently on the board of Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs Marketing. Linda has a lifelong passion for dance and is trained in classical and jazz ballet. She was a keen gymnast in her younger years competing at state competition level.

Peter is a business professional experienced in many industries. After training and working as an actor for many years in the UK Peter relocated to Australia in 1990 and moved in to the business world. His business roles have included Advertising Director of The Age newspaper, General Manager of Staging Connections, CEO of Brite Australia and more. Peter also spent a short time in North Queensland as General Manager of Dancenorth. He brings a strong affinity with the arts, mixed with skill and expertise in business strategy and sales to KAGE and is excited to be part of this dynamic and vibrant arts company.

Sally Arnold has always been a creator. Beginning with her career as a flautist leading into her passion for cooking. She opened a gourmet cookware shop then became a department store buyer. Setting up the new concept of boutiques in the home-wares area within a department store. After several great years working in retail buying around the world, Sally returned to the performing arts. Managing a jazz dance studio and then heading the Corporate Development department of The Australian Ballet. Then followed psychotherapy training in Melbourne with some time spent in the USA. Now Sally combines her business, musical, arts management and psychotherapy background to form Corporate Creative Directions. A program using the power of music, visualization and collage to help business people move through problems, seek solutions to situations, gaining greater staff satisfaction and productivity. Her passion is to combine the world of performing arts with food and wine in unique and exciting partnerships.

Romani has worked in the creative industries for many years, most recently as a consultant solicitor at the Melbourne office of Media Arts Lawyers were she offers services to visual arts clients. This year Romani will join the team at MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival) to present the 2013 program. She is also a practicing visual artist herself, specializing in mixed media sculpture, while exploring imagery through collage and video. She is a founding member and director of the ‘Key of Sea Project’ and founding board member of Northcity4, artist studios and educational organization in Brunswick.

Noè Harsel is a writer, researcher and project manager with a particular interest in social and cultural story-telling. Holding a Bachelor of Architecture (RMIT University) and Master of History (The University of Melbourne), Noe is published in the areas of contemporary culture, Australian studies and short fiction. Her work has crossed the cultural, education, government and private sectors -- often working with multiple stakeholders both in strategy and project management.

Noè has extensive experience in arts production, communications and marketing, and project management. She has worked with organisations such as Australian Centre of the Moving Image, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, Melbourne Museum, Jewish Museum of Australia, Society of Editors and Australian Poetry. She is currently completing a Master of Social Investment and Philanthropy at Swinburne University, Noè is part of the development team at KAGE. 

Michelle graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Dance in 1992 and Masters of Dance Performance in 2000. She has made extensive contributions as a performer and collaborator to both live theatre and film, working nationally and internationally with many prominent Australian choreographers and directors. Michelle is a recipient of The Dame Peggy Van Praagh Choreographic Scholarship, The Australian Post Graduate Award (Industry) Scholarship and Victorian Green Room Award in the category of 'Female Dancer'. She is a 2007/08 SCOPE participant and was nominated for a Helpmann Award in 2007 for her role in the award winning Tense Dave, (Chunky Move) and again in 2009 for her performance in Two Faced Bastard. Her recent work Disagreeable Object was nominated for a 2009 Australian Dance Award within the category of 'Concept and Realisation' as well as a Victorian Green Room Award.

Michelle is a performer in KAGE's Sundowner and has previously worked with KAGE performing in Appetite.

Since early work with Jim Sharman – A Taste of Honey, Terror Australis, As You Like It – and tours for the Arts Council, Helen has worked with most of the leading theatre companies in Australia in over eighty productions of classical and contemporary plays. She has played diverse roles ranging from an eccentric, cart wheeling governess/magician in The Cherry Orchard (MTC) and the disembodied 'Mouth' in Beckett's Not I (Nimrod) to Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire (Harvest T/C & MTC), Ariel in The Tempest (MTC) and Paulina in A.Dorfman's political truth game Death & The Maiden (STC). The Woman in the Window for which she received a Green Room award. Helen's film work includes Iris/Out of Time based on the life of NZ poet Robin Hyde (Iris Wilkinson) and in 2006 a short film – Syllable to Sound – about poetry of protest. In 2007 she read Samuel Beckett with Dublin's Gate Theatre Co and Lou Reed during the Sydney Festival. In 2009 she performed in Kate Cherry's production of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking for Black Swan State Theatre Company for the Perth International Festival and WA tour.

Helen is the lead character in KAGE's Sundowner.

Paul is an Associate Artist at Malthouse Theatre. He has designed lighting for The Australian Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Melbourne Theatre Company, West Australian Ballet, Victorian Opera, West Australian. Opera, Sydney Theatre Company, Playbox, Malthouse, Belvoir Company B, Ballet Lab, Lucy Guerin, World of Wearable Art New Zealand, La Mama, not yet it’s difficult performance group, Chamber Made Opera, and many others. Paul’s work has featured in festivals in Asia and Europe and he has lectured in design at the University of Melbourne, RMIT University and Victorian College of the Arts. Paul has received a number of Green Room Awards and nominations for design, as well as receiving the 2012 Helpmann Award for lighting design. He was named in The Bulletin’s Smart 100 for 2004 and was the Gilbert Spottiswood Churchill Fellow for 2007. He is working with KAGE on Flesh and Bone.

Kelly is an award winning composer and sound artist. In 2009 he received two Green Room Awards for Love Monkey and Coop, in 2007 he received the Melbourne International Arts Festival Award and in 2005 received a Green Room Award and Fringe Festival Award for outstanding composition and sound design.

His recent works include: The School for Wives (Bell Shakespeare) On the Misconception of Oedipus (Malthouse, PTC) Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare), On the Production of Monsters (MTC), Disappearing Acts (World Theatre Festival), The Boys (Griffin/Sydney Festival), Return To Earth (MTC), And No More Shall We Part (Griffin), Julius Caesar (Bell Shakespeare), Die Winterreise (Thin Ice, Malthouse), Save For Crying (Angus Cerini/Doubletap), Expectation (Arts House), The Trial (Malthouse, Sydney Theatre Co, Thin Ice), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (MTC), Love Me Tender (Company B, Griffin and Thin Ice), The Harry Harlow Project (Full Tilt), The Man With The September Face (Full Tilt), God Of Carnage (MTC) and One Night The Moon (Malthouse).

He has worked with KAGE on Sundowner and Flesh and Bone.

From an early age Simon used an unnatural amount of ping-pong balls and sticky tape. Always being creative. This set him up for an even more creative career, and for over 15 years he has been manufacturing props and costumes for film, TV and theatre. These have varied from sewing up ticking mattresses for 'The Pacific' TV series, to making vibrating potatoes for a McCain’s TV commercial. He has worked on shows and movies such as Neighbors, House husbands, Where the Wild Things Are, The killer Elite, Hating Alison Ashley, Bogan Pride, John Safran vs God and has made feathered wings for Myer’s Christmas campaign, gorilla suits for Hamish and Andy, an illusion chair for a David Jones Christmas show and a clown fish for Changhong, TAC's entry into the Moomba Birdman Rally. He is currently the costumier for Princes of the Night at Crown and touring with Giggle and Hoot and friends Live. If Simon can't make it, you don’t want it.

Simon is currently working with KAGE on Flesh and Bone  and has worked extensively with them in the past for all their strange requests.

Clementine Ford is a Melbourne based writer and social commentator with a specific focus in feminism and the social constructions of gender. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Age, the Canberra Times, the Big Issue, New Matilda, the ABC and Sunday Life. She also writes a weekly column for Fairfax Digital's Daily Life, where she was voted one of 2012's Most Influential Female Voices. Clementine has appeared on ABC's Q & A, Mornings on Channel 9 and ABC 24's The Drum. She is a regular guest on ABC 774 and ABC 891, and has hosted shows on Adelaide's 5AA and Melbourne's 3RRR. As a public speaker, Clementine has addressed audiences at the Wheeler Centre, ACMI, Adelaide Writer's Week and Melbourne Fringe. In 2013, she will deliver the Pamela Denoon lecture in Canberra. She doesn't own nearly enough socks, but makes up for it with an abundance of laddered tights. 

She is specifically working with KAGE on Flesh and Bone  having met the team while driving them around APAM.

Emily O’Brien has worked extensively in the field of production both locally and internationally, working primarily in theatre, dance, events and film, primarily in Production and Project Management. Emily completed a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts at the VCA in 2002, undertook an internship at the prestigious Performing Garage for The Wooster Group that same year and completed a Masters of Arts Management at the University of Melbourne in 2012. Emily’s clients and projects include; All Tomorrow's Parties; Arena Theatre Co; BalletLab; Barkly Arts Centre; Black Lung Theatre & Whaling Co; Boogie Festival; Comedy@Trades; Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival (Melbourne 2006); Easy Tiger Smith St; Federation Square; Feel Presents; Film Victoria; Four Winds Festival; Harley Davidson; Harvest Festival; Insite Arts; KAGE; Melbourne Festival; Melbourne Worker's Theatre; MOF; Next Wave; Peepshow Inc; Polyglot Theatre; Spicks & Specktacular – The Finale; the Eleventh Hour; the Other Film Festival; Token Events and Westside Circus, amongst others.

She has worked extensivly with KAGE and is currently Production Managing Flesh and Bone .

Alice is currently working with KAGE on Flesh and Bone. She most recently returned from Back to Back Theatre's American tour of Ganesh Vs the Third Reich, which she also toured to Rotterdam, London and Vienna in 2012. Previous KAGE productions include Sundowner and  Look Right Through Me . Other theatre experience includes: Food Court (Back to Back Theatre / Philadelphia Live Arts Festival); Wild Surmise, On the Misconception of Oedipus, The Histrionic, and Meow Meow's Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre); Spicks & Speck-tacular – The Finale Tour (Token Events); The Gift (Melbourne Theatre Company); A Bird, A Tree, The Moon (Peepshow Inc). Alice’s event experience includes WOMADelaide Festival, Next Wave Festival's Sports Club Project, Fringe Festival, All Tomorrow’s Parties and The Falls Festival. She is currently completing a Master’s degree at The University of Melbourne.