Artistic Director

Karla has worked professionally with young performing artists since 2000, as a Drama/Acting Teacher, Producer and Director of Theatre and Film.

She graduated with a BA (Drama Studies) from Edith Cowan University, Masters in Teaching (Secondary) from Notre Dame University and a Graduate Diploma (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

She also spent a year studying Directing at the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.

Karla was Head of Drama for 5 years at Mazenod College in Western Australia.

In 2006, she also became the Artistic Director and founder of PAGE OF WANDS THEATRE COMPANY, an independent collective of trained theatre artists, specialising in the production of contemporary and musical theatre.

Karla has a passion for the development and production of new text-based work, working as a director and dramaturg on a number of Australian Premiere productions.

She is currently dramaturging 3 new works for The Seed: Staged Reading program and working on 2 newly commissioned works by internationally renowned Australian playwrights Angela Betzien and Finegan Kruckemeyer, for World Premiere productions at CYT.

Production/Technical Manager

Alister moved to Australia to work with CYT in July 2010 from New Zealand where he has been working in the theatre industry for more than twenty years.

Having left school to perform with a touring show Alister has worked both on stage and behind the scenes since and had come a full circle to teaching high school drama at Unlimited School for the past three and a half years.

Whilst teaching at Unlimited School he  directed The Threepenny Opera, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and The Visit.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Theatre and Film Studies as well as Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning (Secondary) from the Canterbury University.

Alister has spent four years working with The National Academy for Singing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA) as Technical and Production Manager producing musical theatre as well as dramatic works.

Alister has also lectured as a guest artist at Ohio Northern University and worked for more than ten years in the corporate conference industry as a staging technician and an audiovisual producer where he has toured shows internationally.

Alister has also worked as a youth worker, guidance counsellor, multimedia tutor and outdoor instructor.