Casting Director Daisy Hicks In Conversation with Monica Sayers

Host(s)

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  Daisy Hicks

  Born in Dubbo NSW, Daisy Hicks is an award winning Casting Director whose work spans across both screen and stage. A selection of Daisy's credits as a Casting Director and Casting Associate include: Tough (Pink Moon Films), It's Fine I'm Fine (SBS), & Juliet (Michael Cassel Group), Seasons 1-3 of Bump (Stan), Joe Vs. Carole (NBC Peacock & Stan), The Dismissal (Squabbalogic), Frayed Season 2 (ABC), Way Out Assistance (Bus Stop Films), the Australian premiere of The Wolves (Belvoir Theatre & Red Line Productions), The Funny Ones (ABC/Unko), Dreamweaver (Conti Bros. Films), Miracle City (Luckiest Productions) along with many, MANY national and international television commercials and music videos. Daisy is also an in-demand self-tape director, workshop facilitator and 1:1 audition coach.
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  Monica Sayers

  Monica Sayers is an Australian-born Chinese artist working across acting, directing, voiceover, yoga teaching and DJing. A NIDA graduate (BFA, 2004), she has built a dynamic career spanning theatre, television, film, commercials, corporate, podcasts and audiobooks. Her stage highlights include Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare), Chimerica and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Company), Hay Fever (Melbourne Theatre Company) Moon Rabbit Rising (Belvoir 25A) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hayes Theatre). On screen, she’s appeared in Rake, Love My Way, The Last Anniversary, The Unlisted, All Saints, The Royal (UK) and The Clinic (IRE). In 2023, Monica stepped into directing, co-directing In A Moment, which won Best Short at the Best Film Awards (LA, 2025). Her directing work also includes Noodle Salad, A Day in the Life of Instagram(Slanted /NTOFP), Rockstars, Tricks & Tricksters Circus Cabaret (NIDA), and multiple theatre and education projects, including Poetry In Action (2025-26). In 2025, she served as Assistant Director on Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and performed in Fewer Emergencies, both Sydney Theatre Award nominees. Monica directed her first full length play in last December, A Chinese Christmas, which was nominated for the KXT Awards including Excellence in Directing. This show will have a remount at the Seymour Centre at the end of the year in time for Christmas. Monica directed Vices and Other Weapons, a Canberra-based short film led by a female creative team, exploring the intersecting lives of two strangers.Monica is a proud member of Equity and is thrilled to be joining the cast of A Beautiful Noise - the musical story of the life and times of Neil Diamond, the Australian premiere this August opens in Melbourne.Monica Sayers is an Australian-born Chinese artist working across acting, directing, voiceover, yoga teaching and DJing. A NIDA graduate (BFA, 2004), she has built a dynamic career spanning theatre, television, film, commercials, corporate, podcasts and audiobooks. Her stage highlights include Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare), Chimerica and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Company), Hay Fever (Melbourne Theatre Company) Moon Rabbit Rising (Belvoir 25A) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hayes Theatre). On screen, she’s appeared in Rake, Love My Way, The Last Anniversary, The Unlisted, All Saints, The Royal (UK) and The Clinic (IRE). In 2023, Monica stepped into directing, co-directing In A Moment, which won Best Short at the Best Film Awards (LA, 2025). Her directing work also includes Noodle Salad, A Day in the Life of Instagram(Slanted /NTOFP), Rockstars, Tricks & Tricksters Circus Cabaret (NIDA), and multiple theatre and education projects, including Poetry In Action (2025-26). In 2025, she served as Assistant Director on Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and performed in Fewer Emergencies, both Sydney Theatre Award nominees. Monica directed her first full length play in last December, A Chinese Christmas, which was nominated for the KXT Awards including Excellence in Directing. This show will have a remount at the Seymour Centre at the end of the year in time for Christmas. Monica directed Vices and Other Weapons, a Canberra-based short film led by a female creative team, exploring the intersecting lives of two strangers.Monica is a proud member of Equity and is thrilled to be joining the cast of A Beautiful Noise - the musical story of the life and times of Neil Diamond, the Australian premiere this August opens in Melbourne.Monica Sayers is an Australian-born Chinese artist working across acting, directing, voiceover, yoga teaching and DJing. A NIDA graduate (BFA, 2004), she has built a dynamic career spanning theatre, television, film, commercials, corporate, podcasts and audiobooks. Her stage highlights include Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare), Chimerica and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Company), Hay Fever (Melbourne Theatre Company) Moon Rabbit Rising (Belvoir 25A) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hayes Theatre). On screen, she’s appeared in Rake, Love My Way, The Last Anniversary, The Unlisted, All Saints, The Royal (UK) and The Clinic (IRE).In 2023, Monica stepped into directing, co-directing In A Moment, which won Best Short at the Best Film Awards (LA, 2025). Her directing work also includes Noodle Salad, A Day in the Life of Instagram(Slanted /NTOFP), Rockstars, Tricks & Tricksters Circus Cabaret (NIDA), and multiple theatre and education projects, including Poetry In Action (2025-26). In 2025, she served as Assistant Director on Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and performed in Fewer Emergencies, both Sydney Theatre Award nominees. Monica directed her first full length play in last December, A Chinese Christmas, which was nominated for the KXT Awards including Excellence in Directing. This show will have a remount at the Seymour Centre at the end of the year in time for Christmas. Monica directed Vices and Other Weapons, a Canberra-based short film led by a female creative team, exploring the intersecting lives of two strangers.Monica is a proud member of Equity and is thrilled to be joining the cast of A Beautiful Noise - the musical story of the life and times of Neil Diamond, the Australian premiere this August opens in Melbourne.