THE SIX-SIDED STAGE - SYDNEY FRINGE - 2025
JAMES HARTLEY - HOST/PRODUCER
James (he/him) is an award winning director, writer, and actor of theatre and film. He was born in Western Sydney, grew up in the Philippines, and is of Malay-Chinese and Australian-Scottish descent. He is neurodiverse (autism spectrum disorder level 1) and has a mental disability (schizo-affective disorder).
In 2013 he won Best Director at Short+Sweet Sydney, the largest short play festival in the world. Through the theatre company he created, the Upper Crass Theatre Company, he has directed six productions of new Australian writing; Transcendent Love will be his seventh. As a director, career highlights include Death in the Pantheon (which he also wrote) at Flight Path Theatre and Fragments by Maura Pierlot at Pioneer Theatre. He has also directed or written scenes for Slanted Theatre, Wise Words, Shakespeare by Night, and Senseless & Fitz.
James also hosts and produces the Upper Crass Players improv troupe who have been regularly performing together since 2016. Three of their members won Impro Australia’s Scriptless Cup in 2018. James has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Film Studies and a Certificate IV in Screen and Media.
ATLAS ADAMS - CREATOR
Atlas (he/him) is an Australian improviser and game designer best known for co-starring in Dungeons & Dragons at the Sydney Opera House, and producing the world's longest improvised play.
Atlas studied improv design in Canada with Keith Johnstone (inventor of Theatresports). In 2013, Atlas directed and produced “The Bunker” which broke the record for the world's longest improvised play (100 hours). In 2015, Atlas became the first person to win two Golden Goose Awards, Improv Australia’s annual award for the best new improv show.
Since 2012, Atlas has hosted and designed interactive games for hundreds of events—from the 16-month season of murder mysteries at Elizabeth Bay House and Melbourne’s Labassa Mansion, to corporate events for CommBank, Atlassian, and Google, and Canberra’s largest-ever murder mystery for Kingpin.
LINDA CALGARO - PERFORMER
Linda is an Improvising actor, director, producer, and teacher with over 25 years experience in the performing arts. She also performs with the award-winning Improv trio Lady Fingers ('The Weird Sisters' Sydney Fringe 2022 & 2023) and is the Director of the Improv theatre company, The Tiny Impro Co ('As the Dough Rises', Sydney Fringe 2023; 'Last Scene Standing', Sydney Fringe 2024).
JASON DUNN - PERFORMER
Jason Dunn has performed improv in Sydney for more than a decade. He has taught workshops, won competitions and delighted many audiences.
NICHOLAS RICHARD - PERFORMER
Nicholas is experienced in screen, theatre, puppetry, voice acting, improv, cabaret, and stand-up comedy. Among his credits, Nicholas toured with Interactive Theatre International (ITI) from 2018 to 2022 as Manuel in Faulty Towers: The Original Dining Experience, and as Ricky and Ray in Confetti and Chaos. From 2012 to 2017, he was the voice and puppeteer for Hoot the Owl on the ABCKids' wrapper program Giggle and Hoot, as well as the live shows that toured around Australia. His recent stage credits include Mother and Son (Hunters Hill Theatre, 2024), Vickie and Vinnie (Coffee House Productions, 2024), The Italian Comedy (Something Wicked, 2023), as well as his own self-produced one-person comedy show Swipe Left which premiered at Adelaide Fringe, followed by a limited run at Sydney Fringe.
ANNE WILSON - PERFORMER
Anne is a seasoned improviser, actor, and teacher, and has trained with Keith Johnstone at the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary. She is a Cranston Cup Grand Finalist and caused havoc improvising as a waitress on The Bachelor Season 3.