I Wish...

Geoff Cobham is the Artistic Director of Patch Theatre and one of Australia’s leading culture professionals, with over 40 years’ experience collaborating in all forms of theatre.

His artistic reputation both nationally and internationally comes from an outstanding multi-award-winning career working with several of Australia’s foremost arts organisations and events. He spent ten years as Associate Director of dance theatre Force Majeure, five years as resident designer at State Theatre Company South Australia and has worked in senior management roles at Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and WOMAD.

Geoff founded Bluebottle in 1998, an award-winning lighting design company which integrates outstanding lighting design into theatres, galleries, installations, architecture, exhibitions and music.

He has a long and notable history with Patch Theatre, having worked on a variety of productions including The Fastest Boy, Emily Loves to Bounce and Me & My Shadow before taking the reins as Artistic Director in 2018. While at Patch, Geoff has created in-theatre works ZOOOM, I Wish…, and Home and installation works The Lighthouse, Sea of Light, and Mirror Mirror.

Darcy Grant is a classically trained acrobat, award-winning fine art photographer and physical theatre director. 

Darcy is a founding member of Circa, revered as one of the world’s most adventurous, genre-defying circuses and has trained, taught and toured work on the bleeding edge of new circus at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. 

Where theatre, dance, circus and visual art meet is where Darcy likes to practice. His visual aesthetic is foundation and scaffold to his show making. 

In 2017 Darcy was co-commissioned by Adelaide International Arts Festival and Sydney Festival to direct Backbone by Gravity and Other Myths. The show premiered to 5-star reviews and standing ovations. Backbone won a 2018 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Physical Theatre and was nominated for three Helpmann Awards including Best Choreography and Best New Australian Work. 

The Adelaide Festival commissioned Darcy to create another work for the 2019 Festival – Out of Chaos with Gravity & Other Myths – that also premiered to glowing critical and popular acclaim, winning a Helpmann award for Best Visual or Physical Theatre production. In 2021 Darcy Directed The Pulse – a genre defying work that subsequently won three International Circus Awards and in 2022 was adapted in to an outdoor work of scale MACRO that opened both Adelaide and Edinburgh international Arts Festivals in front of a combined Audience of 23,000 people.

Darcy is currently the Artistic Director of Gravity & Other Myths.

As a photographer, Darcy regularly shoots live performance for companies such as Opera Australia and The Farm. Darcy has had solo photographic exhibitions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Berlin.

Luke creates highly detailed soundtracks for theatre, dance and film, working across all areas of music composition, sound design, foley and sound effects editing.

Luke has composed and produced soundtracks for many Australian and International artists and companies, including: All The Queens Men, Australian Dance Theatre, Australasian Dance Collective, Bare Bones Dance Company (UK), Brink Productions, Belvoir, Chunky Move, Dancenorth, Frontier Danceland (Singapore), Gabrielle Nankivell, Melbourne Theatre Company, Nederlands Dans Theatre, Ox (Belgium/Slovenia), Patch Theatre, Rachel Arianne Ogle, Rambert Dance Company (UK), Restless Dance Theatre, State Theatre Company South Australia, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Tasdance, The Farm, West Australian Ballet and Windmill Theatre Co.

I Wish... is the first production Luke has collaborated on with Patch Theatre.

Will Spartalis is an Adelaide-born, globe-trotting Composer & Sound Designer, Event & Circus Producer, Production Manager, Set Builder, Aerial Rigger, and Nightclub Manager. After working in the Australian and international arts industries for 15 years, his sound and music projects span film, theatre, circus, television, and online. 

Michelle 'Maddog' Delaney is a maker of things. Places, spaces, feelings and things – forests in disused buildings, themed bars and bespoke furniture, shattering plaster BMX wheels, Ediacaran based décor, rocket stands and giant cocoons, and more. She has worked as a designer, production manager, builder, scenic artist, stage manager, sourcer and sorcerer for major companies, festivals and independent artists. She likes nothing better than working in great teams to produce beautiful experiences. She is currently Creative Associate at Patch Theatre and, with Geoff Cobham, has co-designed all of Patch’s shows since 2019. Maddog’s design credits include Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2018–2021, Dark Mofo 2018 & 2019, Adelaide Festival 2013–2016, Darwin Festival 2010– 2015, Adelaide Fringe 2007–2009, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2012, Red Sky Morning – State Theatre Company of South Australia (2016), and co-design with Meg Wilson on Life is Short and Long – Emma Beech and Vitalstatistix (2016).

Alex is an Adelaide-based technician, working across lighting, sound, and av; specialising in technical/system design. Alex started tech at high school to try and skip class, but it ended up becoming something he fell in love with and eventually turned into a career. Since then, he has worked across theatre, film, live music and events for companies including Patch Theatre, Windmill Theatre Company, Australian Dance Theatre, Restless Dance Theatre, Gravity & Other Myths, Marvel Studios and more. He first worked with Patch during a high school work experience placement. He came in for a week of creative development on The Moon’s a Balloon and helped to build set and lighting elements of the show. After getting into the industry as an adult he found his way back to Patch and has become the System Designer, Touring Technician and Operator on most of Patch’s shows/productions.

Renate Henschke is a costume and set designer working in film, television and theatre. Currently based in Adelaide, South Australia, Renate spent 12 years working in Dublin, Ireland in costume departments for many international film and television series. Recent Australian work includes costume design for the ABC/Aquarius Films 10 part series Born To Spy and Sissy a stylish horror film premiering at SXSW 2022 as well as costume and puppet maker for the Beep and Mort television series for the ABC & Windmill Pictures. An ongoing collaboration with film collective Closer Productions has lead to costume designing for the acclaimed SBS 4 part drama The Hunting (Asher Keddie, Richard Roxborough) and the Irish Australian co production Animals (Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat), and the ABC/Screen Australia television series Fucking Adelaide (Pamela Rabe, Kate Box) and the Berlin Film Festival Crystal Bear Award winning short film A Field Guide to Being a 12 Year Old Girl (Tilly Cobham-Hervey). Renate has created work with many theatre makers such as State Theatre Company of South Australia (That Eye the Sky, The Club), Gravity and Other Myths (Pulse), Patch Theatre (I Wish...), Vitalstatistix (The Photo Box, Cher), Windmill Theatre Company, (Honey I’m Home, Girl Asleep), Restless (Exposed) Brink Productions (Memorial) for Adelaide Festival, Is This Yours? (The Club, Angelique), The Border Project (I Animal), Sandpit, Google Creative Lab (Ghost Toast and Things left unsaid) and The Seam (Tiny Things).

Luku Kukuku is South Australia’s favourite multidisciplinary multimedia guru, well known for his specialities of Art, Design, Animation, Digital Media, Interactivity and Sound Responsive Multimedia. For over a decade, Luku has been using this varied palette of skills to forge an expanding and award winning career in the Australian art landscape.

The magic of imagination, the delight of creativity, and the thrill of light, colour, and motion constantly drive Luku to strive towards new forms of artistic expression which fully capture the revolutionary tools at our disposal at this wonderful point in history.

Lisa is an Adelaide based performing arts practitioner specialising in hula hoop, partner and group acrobatics and ensemble work. Having trained and loved circus since the age of 9, Lisa graduated from South Australia’s Circus Centre in 2013. Shortly after, she joined Australia’s leading contemporary circus, CIRCA. Over the course of 5 years with CIRCA Lisa has been a part of 12 different productions and has toured to 13 different countries.

Lisa currently works with Gravity & Other Myths (GOM), where she was a creative collaborator and performer of the Helpmann award winning show, Out of Chaos. Since 2018 Lisa has been touring the globe with GOM, including a 6-month residency at the Chamäleon Theatre in Berlin, where she performed 174 shows. Lisa recently debuted GOM’s latest work The Pulse as part of the 2021 Adelaide Festival.

While not at CIRCA or GOM, Lisa has performed with other companies including Patch Theatre, Briefs Factory, Slingsby Theatre Company, South Australian Circus Centre, Time and Space Circus and a work with Jerome Bell. In addition, Lisa performs with her award winning co-founded company Point & Flex Circus, with their show BOSS SQUAD. When not performing Lisa spends her days teaching circus at the place where it all begun for her, Cirkidz.

Originally from Ngunnawal Country, Amanda grew up as a national level gymnast before diverting her focus to contemporary dance. After beginning her dance studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Amanda instead wound up with a Bachelor of Circus Arts from the National Institute of Circus Arts. Amanda has since worked as an ensemble acrobat with companies such as C!RCA Contemporary Circus and Gravity & Other Myths and as a director and artist with her multi-award winning independent company, Sound of Circus Australia.

Tommy is a circus performer based in Adelaide, working with Gravity & Other Myths and Wildhouse Circus. His career highlights include performing with Wildhouse Circus in & I'll Cry if I Want To and Party Pooper (2017–current), winner of a Critics Choice Weekly Award at FringeWorld in 2023. He has also performed with Circus Trick Tease in Children are Stinky (2019–2020) at Midsumma Festival and Sharjah Fringe (UAE). In 2024 he joins the Patch Theatre and Gravity & Other Myths I Wish… cast on an Australian tour.

Vi is a playful, adventure-loving circus artist drawn to quirky, inquisitive work. She grew up on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia competing in artistic gymnastics for the majority of her childhood but eventually when her love for competing faded she decided she would one day become a professional circus performer. So, at 18 she made the big move to Melbourne to study at the National Institute of Circus Arts. During her study she specialised in partner acrobatics, group acrobatics and corde lisse.  Now, at age 24, she has a bachelor of circus arts and a myriad of experience in the industry including two years with Circa contemporary circus. Vi finds circus to be an incredibly inspiring industry and plans to move forward in her career with passion, determination and excitement.

When not performing, you will likely find Vi by the ocean, with her dog or doing some variation of arts and crafts. 

Since the 1970’s Briony has lived and loved the theatre life, predominantly in Adelaide. She has been very fortunate to tour extensively throughout Australia and overseas with such companies as The Compaigne Philippe Genty, Meryl Tankards Australian Dance Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Co and most recently with the Australian Dance Theatre. Briony is thrilled to be touring around America and Canada in 2023 with the wonderful production “ZOOOM”.

Ayden Martin is a Narungga and Arrernte man from South Australia, Kaurna country, Adelaide. He works in the performing arts industry as a live production technician and part-time cultural performer with the Yellaka dance group.

Ayden, an Adelaide College of the Arts graduate, has advanced skills in live theatre and music. He has worked for large institutions, arts organisations, local government councils, art & music festivals, and emerging & established artists. These organisations include Tandanya (National Aboriginal Cultural Institute), Balya Production, Mosaic Audio Visual, Yelleka, The Centre for Projection Arts, and many more.

Grateful for recently joining the Patch Theatre team, Ayden hopes to learn more from industry professionals, performers, and technicians.

Zoë is a dancer, puppeteer and performer born on Gadigal land (Sydney), NSW Australia and is currently living and working on Kaurna land (Adelaide), SA. Zoë studied at the New Zealand School of Dance and graduated in 2011 with a Diploma in Dance Performance. She is a NZSD Distinguished Alumni for 2021.In 2012 Zoë moved to Adelaide after been offered a position at Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) and worked full-time and as a guest dancer until 2020 under the directorship of Garry Stewart.Since at working in SA, she has also created and performed works by Norwegian choreographer Ina Christel Johannessen and local SA choreographers Daniel Jaber and Lina Limosani.Zoë has most recently been creating and performing in children’s theatre and puppetry shows, working with SA companies Patch Theatre Company (I Wish…), Windmill Theatre Co (Grug and Bluey’s Big Play) and Windmill Pictures (Beep and Mort).

Wakara Gondarra is a proud Yolngu man who spent his childhood years growing up on Elcho Island, North East Arnhem Land. Growing up surrounded by his culture and song lines, Wakara was destined to be a dancer. 

Wakara specialises in Hip Hop, Pop n Lock and Traditional dancing. Wakara travels performing with Djuki Mala dance group appearing at festivals, corporate functions, facilitating workshops and high-profile events across and Australia and internationally. Wakara has represented his culture and people through his dance across Canada, Scotland, Spain, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Greece and The Pacific Islands. 

Wakara is a passionate dancer, and an accomplished actor hosting Move It Mobstyle and featuring in films, including Secret River, The Nightingale, The Furnace and High Ground. Wakara has worked with the likes of Mo’ju, Briefs Factory International, The Hot Brown Honeys, The Wiggles, Baker Boy, Rueben Kaye, Yothu Yindi, Jimblah, and Richard Whitebear “Swoop”.

Simon started at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) in 2004 at the age of 10, specialising in tumbling, teeterboard and group acrobatics. After graduating in 2010, Simon toured internationally as a technician with the company Acrobat for two years. There he learnt the technical skills that surround circus and the performing arts. He trained as a qualified rigger, pursued music and worked as a freelance artist for several years until 2015, when he joined Gravity and Other Myths (GOM). As a core ensemble member this role has taken him to dozens of countries with the shows A Simple Space and Out of Chaos, both of which he has performed hundreds of times. He was also part of The Pulse, GOM’s largest scale work to date, and I Wish…, a children’s show created in collaboration with Patch Theatre. Simon fills his spare time studying a degree in his second passion, architecture.