Team
Chelsea Zeller
Artistic Director
Chelsea is an actor, comedian, and theatre-maker. She graduated from Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts (Acting) and has trained in comedy at The Second City Chicago. Chelsea's solo shows High Achievers and Massive B*tch premiered to sold-out seasons at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She co-founded theatre company fear+love, devising and performing new work in clowning and physical comedy for The Malthouse Theatre, The Butterfly Club, Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals, and Regional Arts Victoria. Chelsea also regularly teaches and performs with Improv Theatre Sydney, and tutors for Belvoir St Theatre and Marian Street Theatre for Young People. As the Artistic Director of Fairfax Youth Initiative, Chelsea is passionate about education through the arts and giving young people in rural areas a platform for creative self-expression.
Bryce Ives
Executive Chairman
Bryce Ives leads some of regional Australia’s most significant game-changing projects. Bryce was the longstanding Chief Facilitator of the ABC’s Heywire Regional Youth program (twelve years), the AgriFutures Horizon Summit (ten years), the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Awards (six years), and has a longstanding commitment to the Fairfax Youth Initiative as an Artist, Artistic Director and now as Chair of the steering committee. Bryce is a renowned creative leader, storyteller, facilitator, broadcaster, and producer. Underpinning Bryce’s work is a fundamental belief in transformation through education; Bryce is the Vice President of Public Affairs of Torrens University Australia and Think Education, and of the Media Design School in NZ.
Emma Kelly
Artistic Associate and Community Leader
Emma is an alum of Fairfax Youth Initiative, having first attended as a part of Swan Hill youth theatre ensemble in 2013, and returning in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Fairfax, drama class, and the local theatre group kept Emma busy during her high school years, and her interest in performing and community work grew from there. In 2017 she co-directed the children’s play Aristocats and after graduating from high school she co-directed the full-length musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Now pursuing a career in education, Emma wants to foster creativity in the learning endeavors of the coming generations. Emma is interested in stories about identity and self-discovery..
Bayden Clayton
Artistic Associate
Bayden bio.