Santa Claus is everyone’s favourite jolly visitor from the North Pole. He has taken a special break from toy making to be part of our Christmas play this year. Santa spends his days checking his Naughty and Nice List, feeding his reindeer, and sharing hot chocolate with Mrs Claus and the elves.
When he is not getting ready for his big Christmas Eve journey, Santa loves telling stories, laughing his famous “Ho, ho, ho!” and reminding children everywhere to be kind and helpful.
Santa is very excited to meet all the boys and girls and to spread a little extra Christmas magic. He hopes you enjoy the show, and he wants you to remember to leave out a cookie or two on Christmas Eve.
Donna Lee was born into a show business family. Her father, Frank Cleary was a juggler, and her mother Gloria Dawn, was one of Australia’s mist foremost music theatre performers. NIDA has a scholarship known as ‘The Gloria’s’ in her memory.
Donna’s music theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Showboat, They’re Playing our Song, Oklahoma!, Snoopy the Musical, Dames at Sea, Summer Rain, Forbidden Broadway, Nunsense, Hello Dolly, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Menopause the Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Half Time and Hairspray, to name a few.
Her performance as Ado Annie in Oklahoma! Won her a Green Room Awards. Since then she has been nominated for her roles as Madame Thenardier in Les Misérables, and the Dubbo Housewife in Menopause the Musical. Also, a Mo Awards nomination for her performance as Ms Darbus in High School Musical.
Donna is an established cabaret performer and has been honoured with two Mo Awards for her cabaret work, as well as an ACE Award nomination for Cabaret Performer of the year.
Her tribute show Donna Lee Sings Doris Day always plays to packed audiences as well as her tribute show Donna Lee Aings Petula Clark which won her a GLUG Award (Sydney Critics Award) for best Best Cabaret Performance.
Born and raised in Sydney, Isabella Colusso began her training at the Glenda Yee School of Dance (GY Dance) before completing an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts at ED5International in 2022.
She recently hosted and performed in Candy Cane Lane (Regprom) and, in her youth, appeared in Beauty and the Beast and Annie (Packemin Productions). Her film and television credits include Thor: Love and Thunder, I Am Woman: The Helen Reddy Story, Nine Perfect Strangers, Last King of The Cross as well as campaigns for Domino’s, Qantas (Safety Video), Fire and Rescue, TAL Insurance, and KFC.
Isabella proudly joined Season 3 of TheatreBridge and participated in the 2025 Rob Guest Endowment Workshop Series.
She is thrilled to be making her theatre debut in Santa Claus the Musical with Teatro and is proudly represented by Kulik Management.
Nina Hurley is a Sydney performing artist who has been training since the age of three. She started her training at GY Dance, formerly known as Glenda Yee School of Dance under the guidance of Glenda Yee and Johanna Van Althuis-Jone. Seeking further training Nina graduated from ED5INTERNATIONAL in 2022 with an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts under the guidance of William A. Forsythe and Elena De Cinque. Nina’s professional credits include dancing backup on The Voice kids as well as singing at the Lifeline charity ball. In later years she was a virtual choir member for Grayboy Entertainment’s production ‘Musicology’ for P&O Australia, a body double on the Masked Singer, a dancer for the Star Observer’s gala and Club Broadway in the Domain. Nina made her professional Musical Theatre debut in Disney’s My Son Pinocchio. Nina is proudly represented by Presley Management.
Oliver is a Music Theatre graduate from the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT), previously Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Oliver most recently appeared in the Ensemble and covered the role of Axel in Theatreworks’ production of the sold out, brand-new Aussie musical, Bearded: The Musical. Prior to this, Oliver made his professional debut in 2023 QLD tour of A Very Naughty Christmas (Woodward Productions) playing a cheeky and naughty Elf.
Other credits include Baldwin Blandish/Dance Captain in Cry-Baby the Musical, Ensemble/Bert Barry Cover in 42nd Street, Dance Captain/Swing in Working: Localised, Swing in Heathers: The Musical (QAEMT), Host in Bluey Live! (HVK Productions), Charlie and Others in Maybe a Miracle (Echelon Productions). In addition to his studies at QAEMT, Oliver is also a 2020 Graduate of the Diploma of Musical Theatre from NIDA, where he worked with the likes of Philip Quast, Anne-Maree McDonald and Simon Burke AO. Oliver is proudly represented by Aran Michael Management.
Instagram: @oliverclisdell
Alexis is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music, holding a Bachelor of Music (Music Theatre), as well as a Cert IV in Dance from Ettingshausen’s Pro.
Her theatre credits include Bald-man #1 in Confessions of a Drama Queen (Hayes Theatre Co / Winner of Best Musical, Sydney Fringe 2025), Euterpe in Xanadu (Ikigai Entertainment), Lead Vocalist in Broadway Reimagined and Broadway on Tour (Perth/Sydney/Canberra), Sally in Reefer Madness (AIM), Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast (Beyond Cinema x Viral Ventures), and Shelby in We Are the (End of the) World (Supply Evolution).
Screen and TVC credits include Gatorade, Five Blind Dates (Prime Video), and Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney/Marvel).
Lexy is delighted to be joining the cast of Santa Claus the Musical, which feels perfectly on-brand for someone whose due date was Christmas Day (sorry, Mum)!
Originally from Lake Macquarie, Jasper began performing at a young age before moving to Sydney to further his training, becoming a 2021 graduate of ED5 International under the guidance of William A. Forsythe. Shortly after graduating, he made his professional musical theatre debut as a Swing in Nice Work If You Can Get It at the Hayes Theatre Company. Other credits include: Swan Lake (The Australian Ballet), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (The Australian Ballet), Mustardseed in TinkerBell & The Dream Fairies (The Australian Shakespeare Company), Maybe A Miracle NSW School Tour (Perform Australia), Sydney Showboats (Australian Cruise Group) and Boys In The Band (SMA Productions).
Jasper also took part in the inaugural season of TheatreBridge in 2023 and is grateful for all the incredible opportunities Nathan M. Wright & Andrew Bevis have provided for everyone through this program and beyond.
Proudly represented by Kulik Management and is thankful for the continued support of his family and mentors.
Having most recently performed in Teatro’s inaugural production of the Addams Family, Toni Kingsman Pope is thrilled to be back on the stage for Santa Claus: the Musical. She begun her performing arts training in Queensland, at LAUNCH Performing Arts Centre, under Michelle Hopper Doyle – to whom she holds the highest appreciation for. She then moved to Sydney in 2024, following her participation in the second season of THEatre Bridge. Her professional credits include multiple TVC campaigns, NBC’s Young Rock and Stan’s Joe vs. Carole. She has also been working as the assistant to Nathan M. Wright throughout the development of the THEatre Bridge Kids & Teens program, an opportunity for which she is highly thankful.
She would like to extend her gratitude to the team at Teatro for believing in her.
Instagram: Toni.kp
William is a Sydney based, versatile performer with international experience. He is a graduate of Brent Street, and a member of TheatreBridge Season 2. His professional credits include Universal Studios Beijing (Swing – Frog Choir; Beatboxer – Jump, Dance, Surprise!), The Australian Ballet (Actor – Swan Lake, Manon) and most recently appeared as Lucas Beineke in Teatro’s inaugural season of The Addams Family. William is elated to be back on the Teatro stage to share the joy and fun of the Christmas season!
At just 25 years old, Abbey McPherson has already made her mark across every corner of the Performing Arts industry. Her training is as diverse as her talents, with foundations in the Royal Academy of Dance, Glen Wood Tap, AMEB Vocal Examinations, and an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts from ED5 International. Abbey is also a qualified Sports Nutritionist, specialising in dancers and supporting professional performers in fuelling their bodies for the most energetic performance on stage.
You may have seen Abbey on screens across Australia in a variety of roles. Most recently, she voiced Alice in the animated series FriendzSpace (ABC/iView), appearing in over 52 episodes, before being cast as Lizzie in Rebel Wilson’s Australian feature film The Deb.
Her television career began at age ten, starring as Adelaide in the Logie Award–winning ABC series ‘My Place’. She later appeared as a featured dancer in the Dance Boss Finale (Network 7), Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door (Shine), and in commercials for Universal Studios Australia including Boxtrolls, Paddington, and Shaun the Sheep. Now as the live show host of Ready Set Dance (Paramount+), Abbey performs alongside some of Australia’s most iconic children’s entertainers.
Abbey’s theatre journey began at twelve, performing as Marta in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Sydney Capitol Theatre. She went on to play Grouchy in Bonnie Lithgow’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Sydney State Theatre, sharing the stage with some of Australia’s best-known performers such as Magda Szubanski, Sir Cliff Richard, Rachel Beck, Peter Everett, and David Hobson.
She later starred as Tinker Bell in Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies and as Alice in Alice in Wonderland for the Australian Shakespeare Company. Abbey currently appears as Magnolia in Grayboy Entertainment’s circus spectacular SAWDUST, which returns to Sydney this January.
On the corporate circuit, Abbey has performed internationally with SMA Production’s hit girl group The Diamonds and Evoke Entertainment’s trio Les Femmes, taking her talent to stages aboard Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Cunard Line, MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Holland America Line.
She toured as the headline vocalist for the Local Business Awards Tour, performing 32 shows across NSW and the ACT, and continues to work with companies such as Arnott’s Australia and St George Bank, sharing the stage with artists like Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian at major corporate events.
A true triple threat, Abbey is deeply passionate about storytelling, in every form it takes, and brings authenticity, energy, and heart to every performance.
Bella grew up in Perth WA, where she trained at APAN Academy, attaining both an Advanced Diploma and a Certificate IV in Musical Theatre. Bella then relocated to Sydney to complete her Musical Theatre training at the iconic Brent Street Studios. Recently, she completed Theatre Bridge seasons 2 and 4, created by Nathan Mark Wright and Andrew Bevis.
Bella’s performance credits include Penny Pingleton in Hairspray (HAMA Productions), directed by Vincent Hooper and choreographed by Thern Reynolds; Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (HAMA Productions);Henrietta in All Shook Up (HAMA Productions); and Serena (Delta Nu) in Legally Blonde the Musical (HAMA Productions). Bella played the role of Heather McNamara in Heathers (HAMA Productions) to great critical acclaim at WA’s Fringe World festival.
Recently, Bella played the role of Crofty in Nails, the musical, at the Festival of New Works at the Hayes. Bella has filmed a TVC with Stephen Tannos for Unloan by CommBank and had the opportunity to appear on Perth’s famous Channel 7 for Telethon for numerous years.
Bella is thrilled to be joining the cast of ‘Santa Claus the Musical’, taking on the role of Tenchy for an amazing season.
A versatile classical-crossover artist, Raphael made his professional debut in Opera Australia’s 2012 Melbourne season and, since then, has performed across Australia, and internationally.
He is a two-time finalist in the prestigious Herald Sun Aria Competition, a runner-up in the National Liederfest Competition, and a Green Room Award nominee for his role as the Musiklehrer in CitiOpera’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and as Diavolo in Victorian Opera’s Galileo.
In 2018, Raphael took part in Rotary International’s Next Generation Services Exchange, where he was a featured soloist in the Monteverdi Vespers at the Bayreuth Young Artist Festival in Germany.
Raphael was a Top 6 Finalist in the Inaugural Artists of Colour (AOC) Initiative Music Theatre Competition in 2020.
Credits include: Eddie Souther in Sister Act: The Musical (Xroads Live/GFO), Passarino/Phantom Understudy in The Phantom of the Opera (HOSH/Opera Australia), Joseph Buquet/Phantom Understudy in The Phantom of the Opera (Opera Australia/Cameron Mackintosh), Papageno in The Magic Flute (Manhattan Opera Studio, USA), Tiridate in Radamisto (Manhattan Opera Studio, USA), Cinderella’s Father in Midnight (Aspect Entertainment), The King in The Sleeping Beauty (Victorian Opera), Rapunzel’s Prince/ Lucinda in Into the Woods (Watch This).
Raphael is regularly engaged as a National Anthem singer, having performed at official events with Government of Victoria and most notably, sang the Australian National Anthem at the 2022 Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Raphael is also a freelance music director and educator, having taught and conducted with the Australian Boys Choir and Melbourne Singers of Gospel, and has taught at schools across Victoria and New South Wales. He co-produced a number of musicals with OXAGEN Productions and music directed
Choreography for Theatre: The Addams Family (Teatro), The Rocky Horror Show – World Tour (UK/Europe/New Zealand), Sugar, Sugar – workshop (Cochrane Entertainment) The 50th Anniversary The Rocky Horror Show (Paris), San Xing Dui – The Musical (Beijing One World), The 2023 Small Business Champion Awards (Precedent Productions), The Rocky Horror Show 50th Anniversary Production (Crossroads and Trafalgar Entertainment), The 2022 Women’s Business Awards (Featuring Caroline O’Connor), The 2022 Small Business Champion Awards (Featuring Chelsea Gibb and Martin Crewes), The Rocky Horror Show – South Africa (Trafalgar Entertainment), Aspects of Love (Hayes Theatre) Musical Staging/Producer (Walk this Way Productions), Games for Lovers (The Vaults Waterloo), Crazy for You (Watermill Theatre & UK Tour), The Rocky Horror Show UK Tour 2013 to 2023. High Society (The Old Vic – WhatsOnStage and Broadway World nominations for Best Choreography), The Rocky Horror Show (The Playhouse – Broadway World Nomination for Best Choreography) Xanadu (Southwark Playhouse), Fing’s Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be (Stratford East),The Tailor Made Man (Arts Theatre – Broadway World Nomination for Best Choreography), Sweet Smell of Success (Arcola – What’s Onstage Nomination for Best Choreography), The Rocky Horror Show 2014 to 2018 – Australian Productions), Director/Choreographer – Xanadu (Hayes Theatre – Broadway World nominations for Best Choreography), Guys and Dolls (TPC), Avenue Q (Arts Asia Pacific – Helpmann & Green Room Award Nominations for Best Choreography), Gutenberg! The Musical (Neil Gooding Productions – Helpmann Award Nomination for Best Choreography), Breast Wishes (Bien Etre Productions), Not Quite Out of The Woods and Pennies’ from Kevin (Sydney Theatre Company).
Choreography for Events: Luna Park – Dream Circus (Artists in Motion), DGDA Immersive Launch – Saudi Arabia (The OpenLab), Director of Parade and Protocol – 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham (Beestone & Associates), Choreographer Dubai World Expo 2021 (Artists in Motion), Choreographer – AFL Grand final Halftime show (Chochrane Entertainment) , Associate Director 48th National Day Celebrations – Abu Dhabi (Betty Productions), The Head of Choreography & Staging for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony (Jack Morton Worldwide), Artistic Director for both Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan (Betty Productions), Director of Mass Choreography for the 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Sochi (Five Currents), Director of Choreography for John Lewis’ 150th Anniversary.
Mass Choreography: The 2015 Opening Ceremony of The Pacific Games – Papua New Guinea (Makoda Productions), The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of both London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games; The 2010 Commonwealth Games Delhi Handover Ceremony (Betty Productions), Oman’s National Day, Director of the Finale Segment in the Closing Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (David Atkin’s Enterprises), Assistant to Director of Choreography) 15th Asian Games – Doha (David Atkins Enterprises).
Choreography for Film: Voltron (Rawson Marshall Thurber) Better Man – Dance Casting Associate (Michael Gracey), Elvis (Baz Luhrmann), Motion Capture Artist on the Academy Award winning film Happy Feet, Associate Choreographer on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and ‘The Wicked Faced Boy’ in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge.
Choreography for Television: BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, So, You Think You Can Dance (Australia), ITV’s Breathless, The 2010 Helpmann Awards, Sydney & Melbourne Comedy Festivals.
Awards: Broadway World Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | Xanadu | 2016, WhatsOnStage Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | High Society | 2015, Broadway World Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | High Society | 2015, Broadway World Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | The Rocky Horror Show | 2013, Broadway World Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | The Tailor-Made Man | 2013, WhatsOnStage Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | Sweet Smell of Success | 2012 Helpmann Award Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | Avenue Q | 2010 Green Room Award Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | Avenue Q | 2010 Helpmann Award Nomination | Best Choreography in a Musical | Gutenberg – The Musical | 2010 Green Room Award Nomination | Best Supporting Actor in a Musical | MammiaMia! | 2006
Teatro At the Italian Forum is joint spearheaded by internationally acclaimed theatre artist Andrew Bevis, whose multi-decade career across the West End, Australia, and major global events has placed him among the most respected creatives in contemporary theatre.
Andrew Bevis is an accomplished actor, director, and musical director whose work spans genres, continents, and stages of every scale. His leading performances in the West End and the UK include Les Misérables (Palace Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Piccadilly Theatre), Jerry Springer: The Opera (National Theatre/Cambridge Theatre) in the role of Tremont – Chick with a Dick, Little Women, Tobias in Sweeney Todd (Sadler’s Wells – Opera North), The Hypochondriac (Bath Theatre Royal), Diamond (King’s Head Theatre), Cable in South Pacific (BBC Radio 4), and roles in These People and Terminus (R.A.D.A.).
His extensive Australian stage work includes standout performances as Brad in The Rocky Horror Show, Henrik in A Little Night Music, Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! starring Jill Perryman, Spring Awakening, Favourite Names for Boys, and Follies. He also starred in the title role of Martin Guerre at the Watermill Theatre in the UK — the originating home of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, in which he appeared and served as Musical Director on its Australian tour.
Andrew also lent his voice to the title character in Disney’s feature-length animation The Cat Returns (Studio Ghibli), working alongside Anne Hathaway, Kristen Bell, and Tim Curry.
Beyond his performance career, Andrew has made significant international contributions as a Musical Director and music creative. His credits include:
His expertise has also shaped large-scale global events, having worked on the creative teams for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, 2015 Pacific Games (PNG), Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
As a director, Andrew helmed the Australian revival of Aspects of Love and served as Resident Director on the recent blockbuster 50th Anniversary Australian tour of The Rocky Horror Show starring Jason Donovan.
A passionate educator and mentor, Andrew is co-founder of THEatreBRIDGE with Nathan M. Wright — a program developed for elite full-time graduates and early-career performers. It connects emerging artists with Australia’s top theatre professionals, reframing skillsets and mindsets for long-term success. Teatro at the Italian Forum now becomes the home for this mission — uniting top-tier professional theatre with exceptional training and performance opportunities. Andrew directed and musically directed TEATRO’s first production The Addams Family.
Therèsa Borg is a writer, director and performer. She is a graduate of the University of Melbourne (B.Ed. Sec. Music) and twice of the Victorian College of the Arts (Opera Studio; Masters: Writing for Performance).
Her directing credits include Titanic starring Anthony Warlow at Melbourne Town Hall; Sweeney Todd starring Anthony Warlow and Gina Riley at Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; The Light in the Piazza at Arts Centre Melbourne; Disney Under the Stars at the Sydney Opera House and Sidney Myer Music Bowl; Paw Patrol Live! at Wembley Arena; and voice-directing the Muppeteers twice in New York City.
Her operatic directing credits include productions of The Consul and La Cenerentola to outstanding reviews.
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Teatro at the Italian Forum is a vibrant cultural hub bringing the magic of live performance to our community.
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Located in the heart of Leichhardt, Sydney
