About Us

Lyn Pelgrave

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Qualifications

• RAD, DDTS, RTS
• Diploma of Dance
• Cert IV Dance Teaching and Management.
• Cert IV TAE. Australian Dance Institute Endorsed Syllabus Assessor.

Dancing, specifically ballet, was the first call to the stage for Lyn. Not a day went by without dancing in it. Lyn graduated with a diploma of dance from the Queensland Dance School of Excellence and shared the stage with Queensland Ballet dancers before moving to Melbourne to extend her dance training. Once back in Queensland Lyn’s professional performance career began with The Oz People children’s theatre company performing more than 25 different shows to over 500 000 children all over Queensland. Lyn then transferred to Twelfth Night Productions, one of Queensland’s biggest theatre producers in its day where she spread her wings beyond acting and dancing to choreography, stage management, tour management, production management and directing. Lyn toured extensively throughout Australia and New Zealand with Twelfth Night Productions working alongside some big names in Musical Theatre including Jon English, Max Gillies, Rhonda Burchmore, Lucy Durack, Susan Ann Walker, Dennis Waterman, Gordon Kaye, Geoffrey Hughes and many more before being introduced to Menopause The Musical producer Jim McPherson. Jim invited Lyn to join the original touring cast production of Menopause the Musical as Resident Director, Resident Choreographer and Stage Manager. Lyn stayed with MTM for over 1300 performers touring through Australia and New Zealand.

Tammy Richards

Administration & Tap

Qualifications

• Cert IV Dance Teaching & Management
• Cert III Assistant Dance Teaching
• Cert IV Business Management

Tammy started her dancing career relatively late in the game, not getting involved in any forms of dance until her late teens. After years of participating in Scouting shows, Tammy progressed into lessons in Ballet, Tap, Jazz & Musical Theatre expanding on her skill set before taking these skills and putting them to use on the Brisbane Musical Theatre scene performing with a variety of companies. She continues to participate in Jazz/Hip Hop, Tap & Cabaret Classes and undertakes vocal lessons with Danika Saal.

Tammy holds a Certificate IV in Business Management, Certificate III in Assistant Dance Teaching, and has completed her Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Management. Tammy is excited to be teaching the younger students in Tap watching them discover the noise their feet make and handling the day to day administration of The Dance and Theatre Factory.

Robert Clark

Musical Director, Vocal Coach, Percussion

Robert’s career began at 15 as principal percussionist with both the Queensland and Australian Youth orchestra and performed extensively in Europe and Asia.

On completion of a Diploma of Music Education in 1979 he was awarded an International Fellowship by the Australia Council to undertake further studies at Indiana University specialising in Percussion and Conducting

Upon graduation he lectured at both the Queensland Conservatorium and University of Queensland and founded the Queensland Youth Choir which he led for a further 15 years.

In 1986 Robert awarded Young Australian of the Year for the performing arts.

Robert has performed and toured as both percussionist and chorus master with many international artists including Frank Sinatra, Peter Allen, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston, Michael Crawford, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis, Cilla Black, and Debbie Reynolds.

Australian artists he has performed with and conducted for include Simon Gallaher, Jon English, Glenn Shorrock, Wendy Matthews, Doug Parkinson, Rhonda Burchmore, Tina Arena and Karen Knowles.

He has also created and produced concerts, and attractions nationwide including Seaworld’s Pirates of Paradise water-ski show and the Police Academy Stunt show at Movie world.

Roberts’s credits include his role as producer and musical director for the 2000 Olympic Soccer Gala Opening Ceremony in Brisbane

In 2016, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University School of Music.

Since returning to Australia in 2015 Robert has been the Musical Director for the following productions.  Jersey Boys RMT   Strictly Ballroom IMTC Les Misérables IMTC  Wicked  RMTC     Pirates of Penzance  QPAC 30^th anniversary season directed  by Simon Gallaher.

In January 22 his Company  Legend House International is producing a professional season of Jersey Boys at the Star Gold coast.

Stuart Fisher

Vocal Coach, Singing

Stu Fisher has been the singing/group singing teacher for TDTF since term 2 of 2022.
Trained in Contemporary Vocal and Vocal Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Stu is a performer in his own right. A veteran in Singing, Acting and Stand-Up comedy, Stu loves engaging with the students, and believes that there is much more to performing than just hitting the notes.

Hannah Macri

Drama/Singing/Tap

Hannah has had a passion for musical theatre for as long as she can remember and her tuition started in 2007 when she began vocal lessons and grew a passion for dance, in the styles of jazz, tap and even Irish dancing. Throughout the years to follow, Hannah built her skills by participating in musicals and plays through school and community theatre, until in 2019, she studied a Certificate IV in Musical Theatre with ADMT. Hannah’s passion grew exponentially from her studies and is now undertaking a Bachelor of Creative Industries with a major in Drama and Performance at QUT.

Kayleigh Bancroft

Jazz/Lyrical/Contemporary

Miss Kayleigh has just started her teaching journey this year with TDTF but has long been both a student and choreographer. Whilst she currently studies a Bachelor of Creative Industries with the intention of working in dance therapy, she herself studied jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap, acting and singing throughout her childhood. This brought her opportunities to perform in musicals such as Sound of Music, Little Women, Fame (Moreton Bay College) and Chicago Jnr (The Theatre Factory). Her latest show was Savoyards’ Mamma Mia in the role Lisa. 

Jaydene Alesana

Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz

Jaydene has been part of The Dance and Theatre Factory since 2012 when she started as a student. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Screen and Stage majoring in Song and Dance with Australia Performing Arts Conservatory and completed her Cert IV in Musical Theatre with ADMT in 2021 as part of her senior school studies.

Jaydene is no stranger to the stage, she made her debut performance as Tiger Lilly in The Dance and Theatre Factory’s 2013 production of Peter Pan. She has gone on to play other major roles including Kathy Seldon (Singin in the Rain, Iona College 2021); Fiona (Shrek, The Dance and Theatre Factory 2020); Paulette (Legally Blonde, The Dance and Theatre Factory 2019); Sara Crew (A Little Princess, The Beenleigh Theatre Group 2018). Jaydene has also performed at Disneyland, Universal Studios, and on the streets of Broadway.  Jaydene recently performed as a featured dancer in Savoyards Musical Theatre Company’s production of Mamma Mia.

She has formal training in Voice, Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Street, Commercial, and Heels. This is Jaydene’s first time choreographing for a musical and she is excited to be doing that with The Dance and Theatre Factory.

Mikaela Drewett

Acro, Silks

Mikaela’s dance journey started in Bundaberg in 2011 with jazz, tap, ballet, and acrobatics. It soon changed to gymnastics late 2012, continuing for 5 years, later moving to competitive acrobatics (3 years), aerial silks (2 years) and going full circle back to dance after returning to Brisbane in only the last 2 years at TDTF. Her favourite style is definitely tap, however she definitely loves acro and aerial silks (the one where you wrap yourself in material hanging from the ceiling and drop). Recently, Mikaela has completed her Acrobatic Arts Teachers certificate and looks forward to sharing her skills and training with the next generation of acrobats.

Caitlin Jamieson

Student Teacher

Caitlin has been dancing at The Dance and Theatre Factory for nearly 10 years, studying ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap. She has recently completed her Grade 9 CSTD Tap exam, and is now working towards attaining her tap teacher qualifications. She has successfully competed in multiple dance eisteddfods, as well as performed with local amateur theatre and school groups in shows such as All Together Now, Big Fish, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The King and I, among other productions. Caitlin has loved choreographing work for the Junior Tap Performance Team, and is keen to choreograph more routines in the future.

Chiara Orso

Student Teacher

Chiara started tap dancing when she was 3 years old, she then joined jazz at the age of 5, then ballet at 13. Dance has always been a large part of Chiara’s life and she loves it dearly. Over the past few years Chiara has sat a total of 9 dance exams, with her completing her CSTD Grade 8 & 9 tap exam earlier this year. Chiara has always adored looking after younger children and is very grateful for the opportunity to share her passion with the next generation of dancers.

Kirsten Brown

JAZZ/TAP