STAGES with Peter Eyers

Deborah Jones is one of Australia’s most respected arts journalists, with a career spanning more than 25 years as a writer, critic and editor at The Australian. She served as Arts Editor for a decade and also edited the paper’s influential Review section, later becoming Executive Editor for five years.
Joining the Sydney bureau in 1987 as a sub-editor, Deborah rose through the ranks to become a leading national voice in arts criticism. In 2001 she was appointed Arts Editor, a position she held for nearly ten years, shaping coverage of theatre, dance, opera and music across the country. She subsequently became the paper’s national dance critic — a role she continues to hold — while also reviewing musical theatre and opera.
Deborah holds an honours degree in drama from the University of Newcastle, completed part-time while working as a journalist. She later spent three years as a drama tutor at the university, grounding her criticism in both scholarship and practical understanding of performance.
In addition to her work for The Australian, Deborah has been the Sydney correspondent for the London-based Opera Magazine for seven years, reviewing opera performances in Australia for an international readership. She is also a member of the Sydney Theatre Awards judging panel, contributing her expertise to recognising excellence on stage.
Now working as a freelance writer and editor, Deborah specialises in dance, musical theatre, theatre and opera. Her blog, deborahjones.me, continues her lifelong conversation about performance — archiving reviews, offering commentary, and proving that retirement is no match for a seasoned journalist with a passion for the arts.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).

Gaye MacFarlane is an acclaimed Australian mezzo-soprano whose career has spanned more than four decades across opera, musical theatre, concert performance, television and radio. A born performer, she began singing professionally as a teenager on Australian television before completing a Diploma in Operatic Arts at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Her early operatic career saw principal roles with major companies including Opera Australia, Victoria State Opera and South Australian Opera. She performed leading roles in works such as Carmen, The Italian Girl in Algiers, Orfeo and Euridice, Ariadne auf Naxos and The Rape of Lucretia. Highlights include the title role in Carmen in both Australia and Germany, Venus in Tannhäuser, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and appearances in Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
Gaye’s transition into musical theatre began when she was cast as Eva Perón in Evita, alternating the role with Patti LuPone in the Australian production directed by Hal Prince. This success led to starring roles in Barnum, Song and Dance, They’re Playing Our Song and Sweeney Todd.
Her European career flourished from 1985, with leading roles at Berlin’s Theater des Westens and Munich’s Theater am Gärtnerplatz. She appeared as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Sally Durant in Follies, Anna in The Rink and Velma Kelly in Chicago, performing alongside legends including Hildegard Knef and Eartha Kitt.
As a concert soloist, Gaye has performed Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with leading orchestras in Australia and abroad. 
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
www.stagespodcast.com.au

Zindzi Okenyo is a dynamic African Australian actor, director and singer. 
After graduating from NIDA in 2006, Zindzi was a member of Cate Blanchett’s Residents Company at Sydney Theatre Company for three years. In 2012 Zindzi toured Europe and the USA with A History of Everything and began as a much-loved presenter on ABC’s iconic children’s program Play School. 
Her kids project Zindzi & the Zillionaires is one of her most exciting adventures. A stunning hybrid of joyful R&B musical grooves combined with songs and themes that every child can love - friends, family, love, sharing, the wonders of nature. And of course, good vibes for the parents too! 
She is a familiar face on Australian TV screens with roles in series such as Fisk, Critical Incident, Troppo 2, Deadloch, Wakefield, The Code, Janet King, Harrow, and Sisters.
In 2022 Zindzi joined Melbourne Theatre Company as part of the twelve-member cohort of Artistic Associates in an industry-first consultation capacity across two years. She has performed for most of Australia’s major theatre companies and recently began directing for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, Griffin and Darlinghurst Theatres.
Zindzi’s directing credits for Sydney Theatre Company include the Australian premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Assistant Director on Death of a Salesman and Associate Director to Wesley Enoch on A Raisin in The Sun. For Melbourne Theatre Company, Zindzi has directed the premiere season of Kirsty Marillier’s Destiny and co-directed with Shari Sebbens Is God Is (a co-production with Sydney Theatre Company). 
Other credits include co-directing with Shari Sebbens the acclaimed production of Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner. This was a co-production between Green Door Theatre Company and Darlinghurst Theatre Company which went on to a season at Malthouse Theatre. Zindzi directed Orange Thrower for Griffin and Choir Boy (co-directed with Dino Dimitriadis) for National Theatre of Parramatta. 
Zindzi is presently at the helm of  Purpose, a Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins being presented by the Sydney Theatre Company on stage at Wharf 1theatre until March 22nd. In June she returns to the stage as actor in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
www.stagespodcast.com.au

From Brighton Beach in Melbourne to a garret overlooking Notre Dame in Paris, Amanda Pelman’s life has unfolded at the intersection of music, theatre and bold reinvention.
She began as a radio journalist while studying at RMIT, before heading to London in 1981 to work with Dire Straits. Recruited home by Michael Gudinski to Mushroom Records, Amanda spent eleven years as publicist, label manager and A&R manager, signing emerging artists including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. She co-managed Jimmy Barnes, co-founded Body Beat and Melodian Records with Ian “Molly” Meldrum, and guided Indecent Obsession to No.1 hits across Europe and Asia and a US Billboard Top 20.
Transitioning to theatre, Amanda became Casting Consultant for Cameron Mackintosh Productions on RENT, auditioning thousands for just 24 roles. She went on to cast major productions including Oliver!, Cabaret and Fiddler on the Roof, and was the original Casting Director for Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the musical.
A producer of landmark live events — from Long Way to the Top to Live Earth Sydney and Sound Relief — she later served as Contemporary Creative Director at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, creating sold-out tributes to David Bowie and George Michael.
Four marriages, countless stages, and a career spanning rock royalty to Broadway blockbusters — Amanda Pelman’s story is one of resilience, instinct and spectacular adventure.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
www.stagespodcast.com.au

A graduate of National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1980, Garry Scale has built a rich and varied career across theatre, cabaret, film and television. Born and educated in Geelong, Victoria, he first trained as a teacher before moving to Sydney to pursue acting — a foundation that would later bring his journey full circle.
Garry became a beloved figure on Sydney’s cabaret scene through his long association with the Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo. Performing alongside Tony Sheldon, Genevieve Lemon, Brett Murphy and Philip Scott, he helped create a string of sharp, irreverent comedies that became legendary. Their annual Christmas pantomimes — including Ubewdy and the Beast and Sunset Boulevard: The Panto — remain highlights of the city’s cabaret history.
On the musical theatre stage, Garry has appeared in productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Boy from Oz (as an original cast member), The Fantasticks, Hairspray, Buddy, Merrily We Roll Along, Carrie, and Bye Bye Birdie, among many others. He has performed for major theatre companies across Australia and toured extensively throughout the southern hemisphere. His television and film credits include All Saints, Heartbreak High, Police Rescue, The Sullivans and Billy’s Holiday. For many Australians, however, he is fondly remembered as the voice of “Johnson” in the children’s series Johnson & Friends.
In recent years, Garry returned to education, retraining as a teacher librarian, taking up a full-time role. He has transformed his school into a thriving performing arts hub — producing plays, building a dedicated theatre space, and inspiring students through storytelling and stagecraft. 
Whether under the spotlight or guiding young performers, Garry Scale remains devoted to the transformative power of theatre.
The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).
www.stagespodcast.com.au