QLD Equity Graduate Day 2026 - QUT, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane

Host(s)

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  Darren Gilshenan

  After graduating from NIDA in 1988, Darren began his career in musical theatre before spending 10 years with The Bell Shakespeare Company. He followed this up with three years on the sketch comedy Full Frontal, and along with starring in high-profile roles on Australian television.Darren’s television credits include: Fortitude Valley (ABC/Moving Floor Entertainment), Gnomes (Total Fiction/ Stan/ Disney + UK/ AMC Spain & Portugal), Two Years Later (Hoodlum/Paramount Plus), Sunny Nights (Stan, Jungle Entertainment), Ten Pound Poms S2 (BBC, Stan), Bay of Fires S2 (Fremantle), Thou Shalt Not Steal (Stan), Colin from Accounts S1-3 (Easy Tiger Productions/ Bing/ BBC UK/Paramount Plus USA), Population 11 (Stan), Nautilus (Disney+), Upright S2 (Lingo Pictures), Darby and Joan (Acorn), Joe vs. Carole (NBC, Matchbox Pictures), Troppo (Playmaker, EQ Media, Beyond), The Science of Harrow S1-2 (Hoodlum Productions), Harrow S1-3 (Hoodlum Productions), Stateless (ABC, Matchbox Pictures), How To Stay Married S1-3 (Princess Productions, Network Ten), Get Krack!n S2 (ABC), No Activity S1 (US Version) (Jungle Entertainment), True Story with Hamish and Andy (Nine Network), Here Come the Habibs! S1-2 (Jungle Entertainment), No Activity S1-2 (Jungle Entertainment), Maximum Choppage (Matchbox Pictures), The Killing Field (Seven Network), Devils Playground (Matchbox Pictures), The Moodys (Jungle Entertainment), Rake S3 (ABC), The Elegant Gentleman’s Guide to Knife Fighting (Jungle Entertainment), Janet King (ABC), Top of the Lake (See-Saw Films), A Moody Christmas (Jungle Entertainment) and Chandon Pictures S1-2 (Movie Extra).Darren’s film credits include Audrey, Take My Hand, A Savage Christmas, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race, Carnifex, Never Too Late, June Again, Dying for a Laugh, A Few Less Men, Women He’s Undressed directed by Gillian Armstrong, Save Your Legs and Dark City. He also starred in the web series Plausible Deniability produced by Random Pictures. For his work he won Best Actor at IndieX Film Festival. The web series also won the Outstanding Achievement: Best Web Series / TV Pilot at IndieX Film Festival.Darren most recently starred in Job at Red Stitch Actor’s Theatre. Other select theatre credits include Hamlet (fortyfivedownstairs), The Caretaker (Ensemble Theatre), The Hypochondriac (Darlinghurst Theatre Co.), Who’s Afraid of Viginia Woolf? (Ensemble Theatre) for which he received a Best Actor nomination at the Sydney Theatre Awards, Tartuffe (Black Swan State Theatre Co.), Machu Picchu, Fool’s Island, Loot and Our Town (Sydney Theatre Company), Elling, Don Parties On (Melbourne Theatre Company), Mother and Son (national tour) and Strictly Ballroom: The Musical directed by Baz Luhrmann.Darren won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama Series for Stateless. He won the Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for The Servant of Two Masters. The Moodys and A Moody Christmas both won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy at the 5th and 3rd Annual Equity Ensemble Awards respectively.
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  Michelle Lim Davidson

  MICHELLE LIM DAVIDSON is a Korean Australian actress and writer. A graduate of the WESTERN AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS (WAAPA), she has worked extensively across television, film and theatre.Her television credits include UTOPIA, RETURN TO PARADISE, TOP OF THE LAKE, DOCTOR DOCTOR, GET KRACK!N, BLACK COMEDY, THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS, HARROW and PLAY SCHOOL, where she is a regular presenter. She played the lead role of CLARA in AFTER THE VERDICT and appears as NOELENE KIM in the critically acclaimed drama THE NEWSREADER.Her performance in THE NEWSREADER earned her TWO SILVER LOGIE NOMINATIONS and THREE AACTA AWARD NOMINATIONS for Best Supporting Actress, as well as the award for OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES at the EQUITY ENSEMBLE AWARDS. She previously received the EQUITY ENSEMBLE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES for UTOPIA.Michelle was awarded the MIKE WALSH FELLOWSHIP in 2013, recognised as a RISING STAR by the CASTING GUILD OF AUSTRALIA in 2022, and received an ARIA AWARD NOMINATION with PLAY SCHOOL for Best Children’s Album in 2023.Her film credits include the short film BEYOND THE BUBBLE, which premiered at the SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL in 2017, and the AACTA-nominated feature film GOLDSTONE.Michelle’s extensive theatre credits include A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, TORCH THE PLACE and AN IDEAL HUSBAND for MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY; ON THE BEACH, BANGING DENMARK, HOW TO RULE THE WORLD, TOP GIRLS and POWER PLAYS for SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY; THE PLANT and SEMINAR for ENSEMBLE THEATRE; and THE LYSICRATES PRIZE and THE FEATHER IN THE WEB for GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY. Her performance in THE FEATHER IN THE WEB earned her a nomination for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION at the SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS.Most recently, Michelle wrote and performed in KOREABOO for GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY, developed during her time as a resident artist in GRIFFIN STUDIO in 2023. Inspired by events from her own life, the work was widely praised for its nuanced comedic script and Michelle’s performance as HANNAH. KOREABOO returns to the stage at LA BOITE THEATRE as part of BRISBANE FESTIVAL and at MALTHOUSE THEATRE in 2026.As a writer, Michelle has written for ABC KIDS and ABC ME and worked as a script consultant on THE NEWSREADER. Her play WHERE WE LOVE IS HOME was shortlisted for the PATRICK WHITE AWARD at SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY. KOREABOO was awarded HIGHLY COMMENDED for the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the 2026 NSW Literary Awards.Michelle is a Commonwealth representative on the Board of the AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN’S TELEVISION FOUNDATION.
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  Asabi Goodman

  Asabi Goodman is an American-born Australian (Queensland) performer. Her experience extends from performing in a multitude of genres including classical, pop, jazz, blues, RnB, and musical theatre both here and in the US. Most recently, she was seen portraying ‘Matron Mamma Morton’ in the Australian touring production of CHICAGO (2023/ 2024). Prior, she appeared in the Australian touring production of HAIRSPRAY! (2022/2023) as ‘Motormouth Maybelle,’ and reprised the role in the US Broadway touring production (2023). Asabi also appeared in the critically acclaimed Baz Luhrmann film, ELVIS (2022). Asabi has performed with several Queensland based acts including The Soul Men: Blues Brothers Tribute Show, The Australian Pink Show, and RESPECT: The Show, a cabaret dedicated to the life of The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. No stranger to producing her own works, Asabi created the sold-out Brisbane shows, Two Divas: Jazz vs Opera (2022) with world-class Korean-Australian opera singer, Eva Kong, and Trois Femmes Puissantes or Three Powerful Women (2018), a jazz showcase featuring Brisbane singers, Grace Cockburn and Emily Louisa Rose. In 2014, Asabi received acting awards from the Queensland School of Film and Television for her lead role of ‘Nurse’ in the short film, WAITING IN VEIN, and the Norfolk Island Theatre Festival for her lead role of ‘Marlene’ in the one act play, SURPRISE. More recently, Asabi was nominated for a Queensland Matilda Award for her work in the play, THE REVOLUTIONISTS (2021) and a Victorian Green Room Award for HAIRSPRAY!. Up next, Asabi will be starring in the Australian premiere of the musical, MILF, with renowned drag personalities, Hannah Conda (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under winner) and Jens Radda.Asabi was trained in the dramatic arts at the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory in Brisbane and is a proud member of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, serving as the Queensland Equity President since 2020.
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  Loren Hunter

  Loren Hunter is one of Australia’s most versatile triple threat artists. She graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts renowned Music Theatre program.Hailing from Brisbane, Loren most recently starred as Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity (Prospero Arts) & Hermia in The Lovers (Shake & Stir Theatre Company), touring in Sydney and Brisbane.Prior to that, Loren starred as ‘Jane Seymour’ in the original Australian cast of SIX The Musical, touring nationally and reprising the role for the 3rd season and Australian and New Zealand tour.Loren’s other theatre roles include ‘Evie May Murphy’ Evie May,  ‘Mimi’ RENT (Hayes Theatre Company); ‘Liza Minelli’ The Boy From Oz (the Production Company), ‘Mary’ Jersey Boys and ‘Glinda’, The Wizard Of Oz, (Prospero Arts), ‘Elphaba’, Wicked (Free Rain Theatre Company), ’Jean’, American Psycho The Musical (BB Arts/2 Doors Productions) and ‘Mitzi’, Georgy Girl (Richard East/Dennis Smith).Loren performed in the musical theatre adaptation of the film Strictly Ballroom the Musical, directed by Baz Luhrmann and King Kong based on the 1933 film of the same name, both for Global Creatures.This year Loren sung the Australian National Anthem for the Wallabies v British Irish Lions Test 1 at Brisbane Suncorp Stadium.
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  Sam Moor

  Sam Moor is a Emmy®, BAFTA, AACTA and Logie Award winning producer with extensive experience in original Entertainment, Drama, Comedy and Children's content. Sam spent 15 years working in production management for the BBC, as well as Line Producing for a number of London based production companies before moving to Brisbane. Sam is the producer for ABC and BBC’s series, Bluey, which is the most watched show in Australian TV history and is now the Head of Ludo's Production & Commercial. Sam is the producer for Ludo’s original live action series for Stan, Thou Shalt Not Steal, and continues to deliver across all future Ludo Studio productions.
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  Saffron Benner

  Saffron Benner is Head of Artistic Development at Queensland Theatre Company, with thirty years’ experience as a dramaturg.She has worked with Queensland Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre, Shake & Stir, Polytoxic, Tasmanian Theatre Company, Australian Theatre for Young People, The Good Room, Frankston Arts Centre, Playlab, Debase Theatre and Backbone Youth Arts. She was the dramaturg for La Boite’s Actor’s Company (2021-2022); Executive Director of Playlab (2008 – 2010); and the National Arts Education Editor and feature writer for Lowdown Magazine (2008-2010).
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  Julian Curtis

  In 2026, Julian Curtis toured Sydney and Melbourne in Afterglow for Neil Gooding Productions and New York-based Midnight Theatricals, filmed mini-series Who the Hell is Hamish and will next appear in Wild Abandon for Playlab. In 2025, he wrapped supporting roles in three feature films: Hershey, releasing in US cinemas later this year; the indie sequel All My Friends Are Back in Brisbane, currently screening in Australian cinemas; and The Tacoma Exorcism, directed by Julius Avery. His most prominent television role to date is the lead villain in the 2023 Nickelodeon limited series Are You Afraid of the Dark: Ghost Island, an Emmy-nominated season. Julian Curtis is a NIDA graduate and Matilda Award winner.

• Natalie Hall

  Natalie Hall Artist Management represents a diverse array of actors across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. From fresh, emerging artists to seasoned professionals, we are committed to offering a personalised management approach that nurtures each actor’s unique journey to success.Our deep passion for a vibrant creative arts landscape drives us to contribute meaningfully to the film, television and theatre sector, both here in Australia and on the international stage. We take immense pride in creating long-lasting partnerships within the industry and sharing in our actors’ growth and achievements.
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  Jared Mifsud

  Jared brings the experience of a professional career spanning over 15 years which includes Musical Theatre, dancing in two inaugural casts for Princess Cruises, Universal Studios Japan and a six-month stint studying at the world-renowned Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Since returning to Australia in 2018, Jared has fully immersed himself in the Brisbane performing arts scene. He has featured in productions of Boy & Girl and at Brisbane Festival with Oscar Production Company, as well as corporate gigs all around the state. In 2021 Jared began his work as part of the dance team for Creative Generation - State Schools Onstage, a production which features over 2000 students from around Queensland and in 2026 was successfully appointed as the dance coordinator where he was directly responsible for coordination of over 1000 dancers. Jared’s union activity began in 2020 when the AFL asked dancers to perform for free at the grand final, which led to the formation of Dancers Australia, and he sits on the national committee which is made up of dancers, choreographers and dance teachers. In 2026 Jared was elected as the Vice President of the Queensland Performers Committee (equity), an opportunity he is extremely grateful for. Jared is passionate about educating up and coming dancers on their rights to fair pay, safe working conditions and ensuring they have the tools to speak up when necessary.
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  Michael Balk

  Michael Balk is an actor, producer, presenter and singer and current President of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).He has had extensive involvement in theatre, film and television with a large portion of the last decade focused on children’s entertainment. Michael was previously Associate Producer Programming with Nine Entertainment Co and appeared as senior actor in the network's children's programs SMASHHDOWN! and BrainBuzz. Michael is also known widely as scrapboy in the AFI & Emmy award-winning ABC kids show dirtgirlworld and Get Grubby TV.Previously, Michael was the Director of Entertainment at Australia Zoo and often works in advertising on television. A professional member of the Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts, Michael been a proud member of MEAA since 2000 and during his time as QLD President of the National Performers Committee he served on the Animation Committee, Screen Committee, and Intimacy Guidelines Committee.
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  Egan Sun-Bin

  Egan is a storyteller and an Equity Organiser for the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance. He is a 2020 QUT Acting Graduate and since then, has worked as an actor, director, writer and teaching artist. Egan directed the Award Winning Independent Production 'Scenes From A Yellow Peril' which was part of Queensland Theatre’s Door3 Program and had its mainstage premiere at Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
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  Jenny Farrar

  As a Stakeholder Relationship Manager and Education Specialist at Media Super, Jenny is responsible for nurturing relationships and identifying opportunities for partners within various sectors of our creative industries. Jenny has 20 years’ experience as an educator within member-based organisations and 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including her previous role as Founding Director of community bank Clifton Hill North Fitzroy and with Media Super and Cbus Super. Jenny also worked as an industrial organiser with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for 15 years and has an Arts Degree from Monash University, has completed a Diploma in Superannuation and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  Jenny prides herself on member engagement and providing quality service and support to members, employers and those considering joining the only industry super fund dedicated to the Creative Arts, Media Super.