Fame Theatre Company Staff

Nicole Wheeler
Director, Owner and Founding Student of Fame
Bio coming soon
Our Amazing Team

Marcia Carroll
Production and Office Manager
I am a trained teacher who has worked in the Arts for over 40 years. After many years as an Irish Dancer, I retired from that Art/Sport as part of a Victorian and Australian Champion 4 hand team. I then moved into jazz ballet and ballroom dancing. I completed examinations and teaching certificates in Jazz, New Vogue
While still teaching, I was also an active part of the creative team in a dance school and involved in the production of many performances, displays, competitions and examination displays. I
When I moved to Brisbane, my two older children joined Fame, and within months, I was choreographing a piece for the senior musical which led to further artistic involvement, student supervision and ultimately over the period of a couple of years, my position as office and production manager.
I have a life-long love of, and commitment to supporting, the Arts, predominantly the performing arts, and to exposing young people to the wonder of live theatre and the richness it can bring to their lives. This love dates back to my first musical, My Fair Lady, which I saw at the age of two in Melbourne, thanks

Cheryl Paulsen
Wardrobe and Class Supervisor
I started working for Fame as a Den Mum in 2001 when Ferny Grove Training School first opened. A year later I was employed as the costume and canteen co-ordinator. And I am still here loving the job, the kids and the staff. My challenge is to find and/or make costumes to fit them all!

Sophie Stephens
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Music (Musical Theatre)

Cheyenne Richards
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Arts – Applied Theatre – double theatre major Graduate Diploma of Education – Primary

Joel Curtis
Joel’s passion as a teacher lies in knowing that his students are far more capable than they think they are (and even more capable than we silly adults give them credit for!). He enjoys creating a positive, fun but demanding environment that affords students the opportunity to discover what they can do and learn to do it even better.
Education
M Music Studies (Pedagogy) – Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
B Music (Music Education) – University of Sydney
Dip Performing Arts – ED5 International
Other Training
Musical Theatre – NIDA
Sign Language Levels 1 & 2 – Deaf Society Queensland
Experience
Performance
Peter Pan & Mad Hatter – Tokyo Disneyland
Miles – Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens
Various international children’s touring productions
Various cabaret and live music shows
Creative
[title of show] – Musical Director/Larry – Understudy Productions
13 The Musical – Musical Director – The National Theatre Company
Connect Four – Harvest Rain Incubator
Flaw Play/Flaw Play Relapsed/Flaw Play Relapsed …Again – Double Agenda
Teaching
Voice Teacher
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
ED5 International
Private Studio
School Teaching
MLC School – Primary Music

Julie Thornton
I have the privilege to work with children everyday.
I am so, so luck to have been invited into the ‘Fame’ family in 2014…I can honestly say it’s my happy place.
Working along side the incredibly talented children and devoted tutors and staff makes my job as ‘superior to the children’ a joy.
I did many, many performance in dance, drama and musical theatre when I was growing up and now to see that passion, dedication and love for the Performing Arts radiate and shine from this next generation keeps my feet tapping, my heart singing and my head full of dreams. Love, Love , Love my job.

Solange Lipcin
Diploma in Choreography Composition for Musical Theatre.
Advanced Diploma in Education.
Diploma in Musical Theatre Performer.
Solange Lipcin is an international singer and musical theatre performer, born in Argentina, based in Brisbane, with a professional talent for a variety of styles: Jazz, Latin Jazz, Pop, Tango. After completing her studies at the Conservatory of Music Manuel de Falla in Buenos Aires, Solange travelled worldwide to be in touch with a multi- cultural background, which has encouraged her to try new styles of music and to sing in six different languages. Solange particularly enjoys teaching children because they are creative, spontaneous and their imagination allows them to be playful at all times. This is inspiring, challenging and motivating, and enables her to use her skills to keep them engaged and learn while having fun. She decided to settle in Australia looking for new opportunities to develop her career and to continue encouraging others to enjoy music as much as she does.

Leia Fox
FORMAL QAULIFICATIONS:
Bachelor of Applied Theatre
Graduate Diploma of Education
Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts
Currently undergoing the final stages of my ATCL teaching diploma in Speech and Drama
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE:
I was a student at Fame Theatre before becoming a tutor. I started at Fame when I was 11 years old, and have been a member of the Fame family for 22 years!
Been a tutor at Fame for 15 years, and have taught Teeny Fame right through to Seniors.
Currently teach and choreograph all of Show Team and Added Attraction’s repertoire.
I have had the wonderful opportunity to write and direct a number of Fame shows.
I’ve Worked at Stuartholme Girls School teaching private Speech and Drama lessons.
Trained in Jazz ballet at Julie Little Dance Studios for a number of years.
Have completed all Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced graded Speech and Drama Trinity College exams.
Completed a number of QUT acting workshops
Performed in a number of University shows
Performed in Kidding around shows that travelled out to various schools.
Have been a Drama, Dance and Classroom Teacher at Mackenzie Special School (previously Mt Gravatt East Special School) for 7 years.
I have directed and coordinated the end of year school productions since 2011.
I am currently coordinating and running a collaborative process and theatre experience integrating the Primary and Special school students.
Volunteered at The Royal Children’s Hospital Wonder Factory for a couple of years, where I got to work with and inspire creativity in lots of incredible children’s lives.
Have worked on a cruise liner in the Entertainment Department.
Bianca Rapp

Stephanie Baxter
Steph has been with Fame Theatre Company for over 10 years. During this time she has been involved in hundreds of shows for the company both onstage as a student, in the classroom as a tutor, and backstage as a technician.
Steph has had the chance to perform alongside the QSO in their collaboration of both Shakespeare’s and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and at Woodford Folk Festival as a part of contemporary theatre piece Meet the Greelies. She has become associated with Underground Productions performing in Urinetown, Bat Boy, Adding Machine: A Musical and MetalHead, as well as taking on various technical roles. Steph was both lighting designer and a performer in Pokémon Live!: The Musical, and earlier this year took part in a staged workshop reading of Matthew Samers’ new musical, Hell and High Water.

Katie Swan
Katie absolutely loves working with young and emerging performers, and works hard to ensure that all her students are constantly learning new things to ensure their growth as a performer, but also so that they are excited about class. Whether teaching and correcting vocal technique, or directing students in an acting exercise, or creating new choreography for upcoming performance, Katie is aware of the importance of challenging class content as well as making each class fun and enjoyable. She is very happy working for Fame and enjoys creating and encouraging passionate and versatile young performers.

Cienda McNamara
She has been seen on stage in Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble’s production of Richard Cienda was a resident artist with Grin and Tonic as a part of its in-schools program. In addition to the touring Cienda performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. (Del ArtË award).
January 2014 Cienda presented Hardly The Portrait of A Lady, at Short+Sweet Cabaret Festival in Sydney winning awards for Best Female Performer & Best Script, In April 2014, Cienda appeared in TROUBLE for Drop Bear Theatre at the Tamarama Rock Surfers, Sydney. In early July Cienda performed at the Tasmanian Cabaret Festival as part of The Festival of Voices. In September 2014 Cienda appeared in A Doll’s House, adapted by Lally Katz, directed by Steven Mitchell-Wright for La Boite Theatre Company and Brisbane Festival. Winning a Matilda Award for her portrayal of Kristine.
In June 2015, Cienda premiered her new cabaret- UnPC as part of the Queensland Cabaret Festival. In December Cienda played The Ice Queen for The Myer/ Brisbane City Council Christmas Pantomime.
In 2016 Cienda previewed her new show Natural Born Spinster and appeared in a tourism campaign for the New Zealand Market. In February 2017 she appeared in The Danger Ensemble’s Macbeth as Malcolm and Hecate.
Her other acting credits include Minefields and Miniskirts, Assassins, Anything Goes, Children of Eden and Antigone.
DIRECTOR In 2003, Cienda’s directing career began to flourish, gaining both experience and esteem within the Queensland arts community. Credits include Undies: The Cabaret and The Hum Series: featuring Megan Shorey (Joymas Creative), Private Lives and A Doll’s House (Starlight Theatre), Gimme, Gimme Tales of An Eternal Optimist and The Fool’s Journey at the Judith Wright Centre, This Way Up (Brisbane Powerhouse), Rhythm Junkies ( Red Hot Rhythm) Historia (Shesaid Productions) and Parade (Warehaus Theatre Company) at QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre. Cienda has a particular interest in William Shakespeare and has directed Food of Love: A Shakespearean Cabaret for the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble as well as Shakespeare Bits for Carpe Diem Productions. For Grin and Tonic Troupe she directed a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cienda also worked as an Assistant Director with Jon Halpin on Betrayal and Heroes for Queensland Theatre Company and for Lindy Hume on Opera Queensland’s production of Candide
In 2012, Cienda was selected to become a member of the prestigious Lincoln Center Directors Lab in New York City, where she worked with leading members of the Broadway community.
In February of 2013, Cienda directed the workshop of SPARK for Joymas Creative. She also developed and directed the premiere of Joymas Creative’s the25project in May of 2013. Cienda was the director on World Goes ‘Round for the Queensland Conservatorium and Rhythm Junkies: Revived, the new incarnation of the highly successful Rhythm Junkies from 2012 ( This show went on to receive an award at 2014 Australian Dance Awards). She was also Co-directed The Taming of The Shrew for the Brisbane Shakespeare Festival and 4MBS.
In 2015 she worked on the Australian premiere of The Waiting Room at Melbourne Theatre Company under the direction of Naomi Edwards. Cienda also directed the Australian premiere of Ryan Scott Oliver’s 35mm, A Musical Exhibition and directed Only The Good Die Young which played at the QLD Cabaret Festival and a season at The Butterfly Club, Melbourne . She directed a production of Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. And a new production of Little Women for Brisbane Academy of Musical Theatre.
8 LOCATIONS AROUND BRISBANE
With 8 locations around Brisbane, there’s a Fame Class near you
ALBION
Arana Hills
Coorparoo
Eatons Hill
Indooroopilly
Manly West
Mt Gravatt
North Lakes
Fame Theatre Company
Regular Office Hours: 9.30 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday (Message bank available outside of these hours.)
43 Burdett Street, Albion QLD 4010 (PO Box 2360, Fortitude Valley BC QLD 4006)

Fame Theatre Company
Phone: (07) 3252 4806
Regular Office Hours: 9.30 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday (Message bank available outside of these hours.)
43 Burdett Street, Albion QLD 4010 (PO Box 2360, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006)
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