ROMAN BERRY. Independent Theatre Maker, Director, Movement Director, Artistic Director for Divergent Theatre Collective.
Born from Cebu City, Philippines, Roman migrated with his family to Ceduna, South Australia, where he discovered his love for community theatre and the arts. He trained at Flinders University Drama Centre (Acting) and Centre for Performing Arts (Dance). Performance career highlights include playing the role of Ernie, in Jordan Shea’s Malacanang/ Montgomery (Part of the Cybec Electric 2023 program for Melbourne Theatre Company); Cameron Mackintosh’s Australian Premiere of Miss Saigon (Understudy/ Swing); Harry Miller’s Pageant: The Musical. He was the Artistic Director II Commonwealth Youth Games Opening & Closing Ceremony (Australia); created/ facilitated & conceptualised Body and Mind, Wellness Workshops since 2016 (The Voice of Domestic Workers UK). He is also the current resident facilitator at The Couch International Centre (Melbourne) for a series of Theatre Workshops.
He recently returned to Melbourne, after ten years in London, where he collaborated as Director/ Movement Director on several Off West End and Fringe Theatre productions, focusing on New Plays & New Musicals. These were with companies such as Get Over It Productions, The Bread & Roses Theatre, Goldsmiths University, The Hope Theatre, The Jack Studio Theatre, Arrows & Traps Theatre Company, just to name a few. He was also an Artistic Associate and later promoted as Marketing and Production Manager at The Bread & Roses Theatre, London. He directed Lorna Wells’ sold-out season of It Tastes Like Home, The Musical (London). Whilst back in Melbourne, he directed Jamila Main’s Butterfly Kicks for 2019 Queer Quickies Festival at Theatreworks (Melbourne); Creative Advisor for Narre Warren South P12 College's 2019 production of Hairspray the Musical; workshopped a development reading of DTC’s Illegals the Game Show at Multicultural Arts Victoria. Directed Electric Dreams, the Musical by Drew Lane, produced by Music Theatre Melbourne. He produced Before Breakfast an Opera (dir Dan Graham), which featured Australian Opera Soprano Jane Ede at the 2022 Sydney Fringe and was the Production Administrator for Kwento’s 2022, One Hour No Oil (dir Kenneth Moraleda) at KXT Bakehouse Theatre (Sydney).
He is currently co producer/ Movement Director for up coming Sydney premiere and inaugural production of Teenage Dick by Mike Lew at Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville, Sydney). He is the Artistic Director for Divergent Theatre Collective, which champions new work.
The Fair Play project, funded by Creative Victoria, is an equity and inclusion capacity building program for organisations that receive multi-year funding through Creative Victoria.
Meet student Richard ‘Dick’ Gloucester. He navigates his way through high school politics and love triangles. Richard has cerebral palsy and has been bullied his entire life. Now is the winter of his discontent… he’s had enough and plans revenge. His mission: to become high school president. As the election approaches, will he be able to outwit his classmates in his bid for presidency or will charismatic Richard fall deeper into a web of greed, manipulation and deceit? Our hero is faced with the hardest question of all: is it better to be loved, or feared?
It’s early morning in 1947 Australia. Sunshine streams through the window and birds are singing. But Charlotte is on the war path. Her head hurts, the bread is stale. Why can’t Alfred find a job? A delicate waltz tinkles around the corners of the room, disturbing the ghosts of memory. Remember when she danced for 500 hours? When a poet thought her beautiful? Little does Charlotte know that this morning’s coffee will be served with a side of devastation. And it all happens, before breakfast…
Based on Eugene O'Neill's play, the one act opera Before Breakfast puts a marriage under a magnifying glass, revealing a domestic landscape littered with dashed dreams, hardship and unfulfilled aspirations. Set against the backdrop of the gruelling dance marathons of the 20’s and 30’s, Charlotte’s emotional struggle resonates in a post lockdown world.
Originally composed for Beverly Sills, Before Breakfast combines a haunting, intimate score by Thomas Pasatieri (American Beauty) with a powerfully emotional libretto adapted from the Eugene O’Neill play by Frank Corsaro. Three-time Green Room Award nominee and Opera Australia regular, Jane Ede stars as Charlotte, with pianist Kate Johnson. Disability Advocate Dan Graham directs, and the 1 hr performance includes a brief post-performance Q&A with the artists and leading Disability Arts guests about access and opera. All performances offer wheelchair access, Braille flyer insert and post show Touch tour. 9th September will be Auslan Interpreted, and 10th September is sensory friendly.
This production is proudly supported by Sydney Fringe (Limitless), 107 Projects, Opera Australia, Divergent Theatre Collective, Australian Chamber Orchestra, R & M Parkin and partly funded by Create NSW.
The Fair Play symposium will platform the knowledges, leading practices and lived experiences of First Nations, Disability, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse creative practitioners.