BlackStage

Emma Salmon (she/her) is a Nyikina artist, student and aspiring set designer.

Born and based on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung land, she was the scenic and promotional artist for The Whisper (Brodie Murray, fortyfivedownstairs 2024), commissioned artist for 37 (Nathan Maynard, Melbourne Theatre Company 2024) and associate set designer on Scar Trees (Declan Furber Gillick, ILBIJERRI 2024), and has written for YIRRAMBOI (Melbourne Theatre Company Deadly Creatives 2023) and Deadly Fringe (STAUNCH ASF by Amelia Jean O'Leary).

She is currently studying Drawing and Printmaking at VCA. Her practice spans string making, set, video, illustration and installation and explores First Nations memory and connections in urban, cyber and dream spaces.

Emma Holgate is a proud Mandubarra woman, born and raised on Ngarigo Country in New South Wales and currently based in Narrm on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. In 2023, Emma completed a Production Traineeship with a Certificate III in Live Production and Technical Services at Arts Centre Melbourne, specialising in Sound & Vision. She subsequently won Trainee of the Year at the 2024 Victorian Training Awards and Runner-Up Trainee of the Year at the 2024 Australian Training Awards, and has gone on to become an influential ambassador for on-the-job vocational training in the industry. Since completing her traineeship, Emma’s technical production work spans across theatre, dance, musicals, ballet and opera, in a variety of roles across a range of organisations, predominantly working with First Nations artists, organisations and productions.

Expanding her production skill set into design, Emma was a participant in the 2024 ILBIJERRI Theatre Company BlackStage program specialising in sound and composition, audio visual and lighting design. Emma is also attached to ILBIJERRI's production of The Line.

Stone Motherless Cold (she/they/re) is an Arrernte gem, currently based in Naarm. A crystalline being posing as human, with drag as their main medium, the queer artform centres their other art practices, combining them to create multi-disciplinary projects. These projects are used to explore Blak futurism, gender and sexuality, their experiences with colonialism and living away from Country.

They are part of MoCo (the Motherless Collective), a VIC NAIDOC LGBTQIA+ 2019 title winner and 1st-Runner Up Miss First Nations 2021. Stone has previously directed and wrote  'Alluvium' Yirramboi Festival 2023, curated  ''A Rainbow of Tomorrows Melbourne Fringe Festival 2022, produced 'SMASH: the Drag Show' Midsumma 2022,  directed, wrote and performed in 'The Fae' Yirramboi Festival 2021, performed in 'Drag of Kwatye' 2019 Melbourne Fringe Festival, 'Dis Rupt' Yirramboi 2019 and  'Lets Take Over presents: The Reveillon' at Northcote Town Hall 2019 to name a few...

Sky is proud Palawa woman strong in culture, born and raised in Lutruwita (Tasmania) 

Sky is passionate about her culture and is deeply connected to her community. Recently moving into the film and television industry Sky has had attachments with ABC Stuff The British Stole, SBS Moonbird and Netflix The Survivors. Sky is broadening her knowledge of production in Theatre making.  

Sky comes from a long lineage of storytellers, which ignited her passion for the performing arts. Eager to learn and expand her skill set, Her vast range of skills will inform and be the foundation of Sky’s interest in set design by incorporating her passion for creative design. 

Todd J. Bennett is a Wiradjuri and Filipino composer and sound designer for theatre, film and games. He is part of Melbourne Theatre Company’s inaugural Future Creatives cohort, and also a BlackStage participant through Ilbijerri Theatre Company.

In 2024, Todd was Assistant Sound Designer on Cost of Living at Melbourne Theatre
Company. He was the Sound Design Secondee on Blak in the Room, three one-act plays
produced by Ilbijerri Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company. He contributed original compositions for Blak in the Lounge, a popup workshop and gallery space at Southbank Theatre.
He sound designed for Αριάδνη/Ariadne for La Mama’s Mother Tongue Festival 2024.

Todd composed for a number of sound installations, including at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and at ABC’s Melbourne offices as part of their commemoration of Reconciliation Week 2023. He is currently finishing his Masters of Interactive Composition at the Victorian College of the Arts.