Kate Hunter

Kate Hunter is a Melbourne-based performer/producer with a background in dance and physical theatre. She trained as a gymnast in her formative years, studied acting at the National Theatre Drama School and holds a Graduate Diploma of Movement and Dance.

From 1996 - 2003 Kate focussed on creating work in outdoor and corporate settings. She was a founding member of Style Bandits, a roving comic duo working across corporate, festival and community events including Australian Grand Prix, Australian Open, The Casino, and the Flemington Races. In 1999 Kate joined with costume designer/maker Lulu Lala to form Clench, a visual theatre company that made and performed with large body puppets and used 'manipulated costume'. Clench provided sculptural, enigmatic and interactive installations for corporate events, and performed in a number of theatre shows, including 'Bumblefish' at La Mama in 2000 and 'Vertical Challege' with Polyglot Puppet Theatre in 1999. Clench was commissioned to construct an oversize iconic 'Surfer'puppet for the Centenary of Federation Parade, 2001.

In 2003 Kate devised and performed 'The Janitors' as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival Shrouds project. Kate works regularly with physical theatre company Born in a Taxi, and is currently performing with David Wells in a duo act called The Astronauts, which features two performers entirely encased in inflatable PVC plastic.

In 2004 Kate brought together a number of artists to form 3 Headed Dog - an informal collective of actors, dancers and animateurs working across different genres of performance including physical and visual theatre, dance, improvised text, spoken word and song. Kate's work in progress, 'Homebody', was performed at 3 Headed Dog's first season at Theatreworks in April, and the collective continues to develop an active dialogue between its members as a forum for performance, support and mutual skill-sharing. 3 Headed Dog followed up with another season in December 2004.

Kate works as a producer and production manager, and has enjoyed a long history with Melbourne Fringe as Outdoors Producer, during which she devised and curated 'The Lane Event' in 2001, and 'Fringe Outdoors' at Federation Square and Docklands in 2003. In 2003 she was Production Manager for 'Song Nation' at the Big West Festival, and the City of Whittlesea Community Festival. She will return to the City of Whittlesea as Artistic Director for the 2005 Festival.

David Wells

David is a founding member of Born in a Taxi - a physical theatre company that performs indoor and outdoor theatre, theatre-in-education, and also works extensively in the entertainment industry. Born in a Taxi has toured Australia extensively, and has featured at numerous theatre festivals throughout the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, China and the UK.

David has performed with Theatre of the Ordinary, The Great Melbourne Accordion Orchestra, Gonghouse, Adzohu, and The Blue Project. David has toured with The Urban Dream Capsule to the festivals of Ghent, London, Montreal, Wellington, Perth, Chicago, Galway and Sao Paolo, and was a feature performer at the Blue Thong and Blue Rinse Clubs at the Melbourne Festival of the Arts' 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Currently, David is pursuing his solo improvisational work exploring 'improvised story-telling', and a burgeoning accordion career. He is the key teaching artist with 'Just Us', a mixed-ability theatre company, and recently devised and directed a performance with 'RAG' Theatre Troupe, a group of performers with mental illness, at Theatreworks.