In Conversation with Casting Director Kirsty McGregor and Monica Sayers

Host(s)

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  Kirsty McGregor

  Kirsty McGregor’s journey from performer to an influential casting director working across Australia and internationally has had a significant impact on film and television. She is the recipient of three AACTA Awards and seventeen Casting Guild of Australia Awards, and has also received three nominations from the Casting Society of Americas well as an Emmy nomination.A long-time advocate for the craft of casting, Kirsty has been a leading voice within the Casting Guild of Australia, championing the recognition of casting as a key creative department. Her work has helped shape some of the most acclaimed Australian productions of recent years, including Lion, Animal Kingdom, Babyteeth, Colin from Accounts, Top Of The Lake, The Twelve, Apple Cider Vinegar and Bump.As a former actor, she has always supported creative audition environments, but has also embraced the industry’s shift toward digital casting in recent years. She has adapted her process to maintain trust and creative collaboration while using new technologies to connect with actors and representatives across borders. Her work continues to shape and elevate talent both in Australia and internationally.Kirsty is a proud member of the Casting Guild of Australia, the Casting Society of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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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.