SCOTT WRIGHT – DIRECTOR / WRITER

Scott is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Erth Visual & Physical, Inc., which began in 1990. He trained as a dancer and choreographer in Victoria in southeast Australia, and is a multi-skilled artist incorporating puppetry (one of his greatest loves), movement, acting, aerial, stilts and pyrotechnics. Currently he is working renowned Italian director Chiara Guidi and has just finished production on Erth;s latest show “Prehistoric Aquarium” in which the audience is submerged in a theatrical ancient underwater environment, witnessing the thrills and spills of aquatic life. Scott has also produced work based upon the last thylacine (the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times) kept in Australian captivity. Some of Scott’s personal interests include the survival of indigenous folklore, exploring how ancient stories can be retrieved and presented to new audiences, which has taken him into remote communities throughout Australia. He is also fiercely active in not only making work that is inclusive for children with and/or without disability but also making work with adults with disability as collaborators.

SHARON KERR – Executive Director

Sharon is Executive Director and a founding member of Erth. Originally trained as a school teacher majoring in drama, Sharon has much performance experience. Prior to helping form Erth, she spent five years in contemporary dance theater with empha­sis on improvisational movement. Puppetry became a natural extension of this. Her roles within Erth are many and varied. Contributing to creative and performance direction, Sharon continues to perform whenever she can.  Sharon has also steered the company for many years as its key administrator. Some of her per­formance highlights include her aerial har­ness and flying work memorable amongst these are from atop the sails of the Sydney Opera House, the spire of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne and from the 30th floor of the Nge Ann skyscraper in Singapore.

STEVE HOWARTH – DESIGNER

As Head of Design and a founding and full time member of Erth Visual & Physical, Inc., Steve designs for most of the company’s productions and external com­missions. From the Erth studio/workshop he supervises a team of artists in the creation of the puppets, sets, props, costumes and the associated elements that are on constant tour around the globe. Over the last twenty years in this principal role, he has worked with a wide variety of people, orga­nizations and across numerous media. He oversees the daily production of giant, teeth-gnashing dinosaurs and inflat­able monsters that spring from traditional fine arts and textiles work. Steve also mentors design students from ter­tiary institutions and assists emerging artists in the implementation of their respective crafts.

Catherine McNamara – Co-writer

Catherine McNamara is an emerging performer and maker. She has a Bachelor of Performance (Acting) from the University of Wollongong, and a Communications degree. She began dance training at age three, practicing ballet, modern and jazz. In the last two years she has been studying Bodyweather, a dance method that grew out of Japan in the 1980s. This October, she will dance in Victoria Hunt’s new work TANGIwai at Carriageworks.

In 2014, she performed in Metamorphoses, directed by Linda Luke and Catherine McKinnon (Illawarra Performing Arts Centre), and Teenage Wildlife adapted from Spring Awakening by Alex Tutton, and directed by Chris Ryan (PACT Theatre). She co-wrote and performed in The Defence, which enjoyed fringe seasons in Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and Perth.

In 2013, she premiered the role of ‘Mackenzie’ in Catherine McKinnon’s Hurt Trilogy, Hurt#1 (Kin). She trained for three years with mezzo-soprano Dr. Lotte Latukefu, and in 2012 was selected for Karen O’s Stop the Virgens: A Psycho Opera (Vivid Festival).

Catherine is also a Disability Support Worker with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and has the long-term ambition to make theatre with, and for, people with diverse abilities. Prehistoric Aquarium is Catherine’s first project with ERTH. 

PHIL DOWNING – Sound Design

Phil has a distinct history working with interactive multimedia. After years spent performing music, Phil set about reinventing his means of expression through music, by creating unique and obscure musical instruments. This inspiration has led to the creation of numer­ous soundtracks for theatrical productions (1999–2012). Delivery of video and imagery being an obvious progression, Phil has also worked with various technologies to incor­porate physical interaction (with performers and audience members) into installations and performances, utilizing technologies such as infra-red, sonar and pressure sensors, Arduino programmable circuit boards and Kinect sen­sors. Working with Erth, Phil has developed systems for automated delivery of sound, light and visual effects, and has designed stand-alone sound systems for their various creature puppets. “This one’s going to be a mad professor!” his grandma proclaimed upon his birth.…She was possibly correct!

JOHN RUEGSEGGER – Technical Director

John Ruegsegger has worked professionally in theatre and film for more than a decade. He graduated from Baylor University. Fresh out of college, he was the lead carpenter at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles for three years. After moving to Dallas, he’s been the technical director for productions at every major theater, including the The Wyly Theatre, Theatre Three, and Shakespeare Dallas. Most recently, he was the production stage manager of the national tour of WET: A DACAmented Journey. He believes art can nourish, shape, and benefit society… Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure is doing just that.