SAM FOSTER

– Founder & Artistic Director

Sam (he/him) is an award winning Actor, Director, Writer, Producer, Stunt Performer and Stunt Rigger as well as being a Physical Theatre Performer, Movement Director and workshop facilitator. He is the co-owner and co-founder of Shock Therapy Arts.

Sam works in theatre, film and large scale events and has worked for a number of companies and festivals over the past 20 years.  His career has taken him to New York, London, Namibia, South Africa, Denmark, Norway and India as well as all over Australia.

SHARI INDRIANI IRWIN

– Executive Producer

Email: shari@shocktherapyarts.com

Shari (she/her) is an Australian theatre-maker of Indonesian-New Zealand heritage, with over 20 years of experience as a producer specialising in new Australian theatre having held positions at Queensland Theatre, La Boite Theatre Company, and currently as an Arts Queensland peer assessor.  Shari also maintains a creative practice as a playwright, performer, visual artist, and director. 

Her creative credits include: as Director: Shadow in a Dress (HWY Festival, La Boite Theatre Company), Sparks First Nations Playwrights Readings (Clancestry, QPAC), Bi Empat (HWY Festival, La Boite Theatre Company); as Assistant Director: City of Gold (Queensland Theatre/Griffith Theatre Company); as Writer/Director: The Bone People (QUT Virtual Production), Recipe (QUT Collab Works); Shari was Program Manager at La Boite Theatre Company 2009-2011, a participant of the CAAP’s Directors Initiative 2018-19; and Producer of New Work at Queensland Theatre 2012-2022. 

Facilitating accessibility for arts lovers with blindness and low vision, Shari has been an Audio Describer (AD) for live performance since 2012 through her volunteering with Vision Australia, and from 2020 in her private consultancy Vantagepoint Audio Description, providing AD services for arts organisations such as The Little Red Company, Dance North, and Access Arts for events  including The Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols and the biennial Undercover Artist Festival.

HAYDEN JONES

– Founder & Artistic Director

Hayden (he/him) is a performer and contemporary performance maker, working across a range of forms including theatre, installation, immersive experiences and cross art-form collaborations. He has worked as an Actor, Director, Writer, Producer and workshop facilitator, for some of Australia’s most recognised and innovative arts organisations. He is also a co-founder of Shock Therapy Arts.
Hayden has an extensive background working in Youth Theatre, Children’s Theatre and Theatre In Education for over 15 years, writing and directing shows for young people, and touring nation-wide performing and teaching workshops.

EMMA CHURCHLAND

– Education Manager

Email: education@shocktherapyarts.com

Emma Churchland (she/her) is a dedicated educator, writer, and dramaturg with a mission to enrich the cultural landscape through immersive storytelling. Over the past decade, Emma has demonstrated unwavering commitment to education, working in secondary and tertiary education across Australia, from metropolitan cities to remote regions in Queensland.

Beyond her role in education, Emma is the Founder and Creative Producer at IMRSE, an immersive theatre company based in Brisbane. Through IMRSE, she challenges traditional performance norms, captivating audiences with experiences that seamlessly blend reality and imagination, fostering play and human connection.

Emma's creative credits include CAKE (IMRSE), where she served as writer, co-director, and producer, earning the production three Matilda Award nominations. Additionally, Emma's expertise as a dramaturg was showcased in La Silhouette (The Sui Ensemble), a production featured at Battersea Arts Center in London.