From a young age, Melissa knew her passion would be for the performing arts. Growing up she trained in drama and voice and after attaining her Bachelor's degree, majoring in Drama, and her ATCL Diploma in Speech and Drama (Teaching), Melissa has been fortunate enough to have worked at a number of Schools on the Gold Coast and Northern NSW, teaching Speech and Drama and Musical Theatre (Acting/Singing) for the past 16 years.
An enthusiastic performer herself, Melissa has been a part of many productions at Spotlight Community Theatre over the past decades. The last few years, Melissa has taken a step back from being onstage, to focus more on directing and writing. She has had several plays entered in the Gold Coast Secondary School Dramafest competition, with great success throughout the years. Melissa's passion and experience in Musical Theatre and Drama is something she is excited to be able to share with students, along with her love of acting and learning the art of telling stories through character, song, and dance.
Ethan started as a student in 2017 in Youth Theatre and continued on, ending with a final year of Young Adults in 2020. He started a Bachelor of Education in 2021 focussing on secondary teaching (High School), with Drama and English as his main teaching focus.
His journey as a teacher began with being a Trainee teacher under Mitch Walsh in 2022, and quickly moved up to head drama teacher from there. In 2023 he had taken over the secondary sector of drama and began to build not only his skills and those of his students, but also the classroom environment to a safe and secure standing in which we all knew each other and the space to be a safe space to practice drama.
Throughout 2023 he was under the mentorship of Hannah Crowther who taught and instilled in him the skills to teach and handle primary schoolers, leading to now being the lead teacher of Juniors all the way to Seniors. He aims to ensure that the Drama class is always a safe space to experience and explore what it means to be human and to grow into the world of today.
A major focus of his is to instil, shore up and cultivate adequate social and necessary 21st century skills to provide students the tools they need to succeed in today's world
Alana has an avid love for everything Performing Arts. In 2022 she completed her Diploma of Musical Theatre at the Queensland College of Dance, where she was taught by some of Queensland’s most reputable teachers.
Alana has been in theatre for a large portion of her life, being in productions such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Beautiful - the Carole King Musical, 42nd Street, All Shook Up and FAME just to name a few.
She has a strong passion for all areas of acting, singing and dancing, and instilling in others a confidence in themselves to achieve their goals and dreams. As a Spotlight Youth Alumni herself, Alana is beyond excited to teach the next generation what she has learnt.
Sarah has been involved in theatre since she was young - and has been learning ever since. After earning her ATCL in 2017 she gained a passion for teaching youth theatre (which has now led her to pursue Education at University), helping students learn not only acting skills but valuable social skills as well.
She has credits on-stage and off-stage, from performing lead roles and being a vibrant ensemble member to calling cues, lighting our heroes on stage and painting sets to look like a book. Sarah also participated in a variety of school workshops (NIDA, Shake & Stir), enabling her to perform twice at QPAC.
Bringing her skills to our primary-aged students is an exciting journey and she loves to see them grow and gain life-long skills.
Liv graduated from the Spotlight Youth Drama and Musical Theatre classes in 2021 and is extremely excited to come back to teach.
Since graduating, she has featured in hit Spotlight Theatre productions such as 42nd Street, Urinetown, 13! The Musical and Cinderella The Pantomime.
Liv has been accredited with the 2021 Drama Festival Adjudicators award for directing Lockdown and is also a recipient of the Gold Coast Limelight Award for her Outstanding Profile in the Arts.
Since joining Spotlight Youth Theatre in 2015, Georgia has discovered her passion for performing and cannot wait to broaden her knowledge by learning to teach what she loves most.
She has performed in a myriad of productions including musical theatre, opera, plays and holiday pantomimes across a multitude of theatres. Georgia has achieved a High Distinction for AMEB Grade 8 Classical Singing, Grade 5 Music Theory with Honours and is currently preparing for her Grade 8 Flute and Grade 8 Musical Theatre (ASCA) exams.
In her final year of schooling she received 1st places for Vocalfest and Theatrefest, an Outstanding Actors Award at Dramafest and was the recipient of the Performing Arts Award. Georgia is excited to be undertaking her tertiary studies at the Queensland Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music for classical singing. This year will be a year of further learning and Georgia is ready for the challenge.
Ruby grew up performing, having been a part of the Spotlight Youth Program from 2021-2023 and appearing in a multitude of productions both on stage and in the pit across theatres in Queensland. She excelled in Eisteddfods, securing numerous awards across categories, and achieved success in AMEB piano and theory exams. Beyond statewide piano competitions, Ruby has played professionally at various events and musical productions. Currently studying a Bachelor of Music specialising in Jazz Voice at the Queensland Conservatorium, she's constantly growing and furthering her love for music. Ruby has also worked backstage and in the bio box for a multitude of mainstage productions here at Spotlight, including recent pantomimes. She also has experience directing having received a highly commended at the Gold Coast Drama Festival for her direction of a work in 2023.
Amy has been heavily involved in the world of theatre from the age of five, growing up with a passion for community theatre and undertaking extensive training in speech, drama, and voice. After honing her craft, Amy attended the New York Film Academy’s two-week acting camp, further expanding her skills in the art of performance. She holds a Bachelor of Secondary Education, majoring in Drama, and has spent several years teaching in a variety of secondary schools across the Gold Coast. Currently, Amy teaches drama to disengaged youth, using her passion and expertise to inspire students and help them connect with their creative potential. With years of experience both on stage and in the classroom, Amy is dedicated to passing on her knowledge to the next generation of performers. Her enthusiasm for teaching and performing fuels her desire to create a supportive and engaging environment where students can grow and thrive in the world of theatre. Amy is excited to bring her experience and energy to Spotlight Youth Theatre, inspiring students to discover the transformative power of the performing arts.