I AM HERE - artist panel and mixer

Next date: Tuesday, 10 June 2025 | 06:00 PM to 08:00 PM

As part of the Burwood Art Prize, hear from a panel of artists as they share their knowledge and creative practices. Then connect with other artists and creatives at our post-panel mixer.

This is a great opportunity for Sydney based artists to come together and connect.

Tickets are free but bookings are essential.

About the panel

Anthea Doropoulos

Anthea Doropoulos is an accomplished dance producer and arts manager with 16 years of industry experience. As a creative producer, she has driven innovation in the dance sector by establishing platforms for research, residencies, development, workshops, and productions, with a focus on inclusive and accessible dance practices for both emerging and established dance artists

Since 2007, Anthea has served as Director of DirtyFeet, transforming the organisation from a grassroots initiative into a sustainable, vital contributor to Australia’s independent dance sector. Under her leadership, DirtyFeet has become integral to the dance ecology, renowned for its support of emerging dance artists and inclusive programs, including collaborations with artists with disabilities.

In 2019, Anthea began her role as Creative Producer at Campbelltown Arts Centre, where she successfully delivered sell-out dance seasons for Sydney Festival, featuring works by artists Rhiannon Newton and Jasmin Sheppard, Since 2021, she has also produced compelling new works by Martin del Amo, Brianna Kell, Party Dozen, Raghav Handa and Emma Harrison. During 2019 and 2020, she also served as Program Manager for March Dance, Sydney’s flagship independent contemporary dance festival, managing 122 artists and 102 events annually.

Anthea is deeply passionate about community engagement and actively collaborates with artists and communities from diverse backgrounds. She has championed First Nations artists, emerging talents, and artists from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, LGBTQIA+, and artists with disability, consistently demonstrating her commitment to fostering a more inclusive and culturally rich arts landscape.

Sara Mansour

Sara Mansour is a practising lawyer, poet and co-founder and director of the Bankstown Poetry Slam.

Under Sara’s leadership, Bankstown Poetry Slam has grown into Australia’s largest regular live poetry event, hosting crowds of up to 2000 people.

Bankstown Poetry Slam won the Special Award at the 2023 Premier’s Literary Awards – the first arts organisation to receive this honour – and the 2016 Western Sydney’s Leadership Dialogue Pemulwuy Prize.

Sara has curated and hosted over 200 poetry events. She has also coordinated high school programs for young people, established Australia’s first ever National Youth Poetry Slam and directed multiple festivals. Most recently, she has been appointed as a trustee at the Sydney Opera House and was a 2024 Finalist for the NSW Young Australian of the Year.

Bria McCarthy

Bria McCarthy creates art for theatre, literature, film and education, specialising in experimental shadow puppetry. She created the ‘Shadow House’, a textile sculpture shown at the Art Gallery of NSW and Penrith Real Festival. Her solo show ‘Dragon Hearts’ won the 2023 Sydney Fringe Award for Best Emerging Artist. She was the 2022 ACE Indigenous Artist Resident, and her debut manuscript was shortlisted for the 2022 Text Prize. She is an autistic artist with Wiradjuri and Irish heritage. Her work is characterised by an emphasis on multispecies storytelling, neurodivergent imagination, and it is always a little magical.

Jules Orcullo

Jules Orcullo (she/they) is a playwright and songwriter. She currently works as Dramaturg at Sydney Theatre Company. In 2024, she won the Griffin Award for her musical play My Dad Never Saw The Beatles, and her debut musical Forgetting Tim Minchin was nominated for an AWGIE Award and Time Out Award for Best Musical. She works as a mentor and facilitator for emerging artists through Sydney Theatre Company, ShopFront Arts Co-op, Curious Works, and Australian Plays Transform.