PYT Fairfield is proud to introduce you to our 2024 Company program participants.

An offshoot of the Ensemble, Company is an Artist-in-Residence program that takes eight of the best and brightest emerging Western Sydney theatre-makers to develop a brand new Australian work, telling stories, that only they can tell.

Over the next six months, participants in Company will immerse themselves in a bootcamp-style theatre devising education program, culminating in the creation of a new Australian work, for which they will be paid.

Additionally, all eight participants will embark on an interstate study tour. This year, thanks to the generous support of Brisbane Festival, they will travel to Brisbane to experience a weekend of performances designed to inspire and engage them in various aspects of a creative career.

See below for bios:

Images: L-R Kobra Sayyadi, Neda Taha, Daniel Mehareb, Molly Goetz, Benjamin La, Nandika Nellicka, Sarah Gattellari, Michael Giglio (image credit Anna Kucera)

Kobra Sayyadi
Writer-in-Residence

Kobra Sayyadi is an emerging writer, dramaturg and interdisciplinary artist who lives on Dharawal country in South West Sydney. She is interested in working across different mediums including poetry, theatre, film and audio to tell stories that probe, excite and elevate. She has a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in English literature and minor in anthropology and has recently been selected for ATYP’s Cultivate Emerging Dramaturg program and National Theatre of Parramatta’s Page to Stage program. She is a member of PYT’ 2024 Company program and was the Co-Head Writer and Assistant Director of ‘Tuân’s Party‘ (dir Neda Taha), a nominal Australian play devised by young Western Sydney artists as part of the 2023 PYT Company program. Kobra’s latest project is co-writing and producing a new children’s work with the 2024 PYT Company program, to premiere in November 2024.

Kobra is also Co-Writer and Assistant Director of the play adaptation of novel ‘Detention‘ with celebrated Dramaturg and Actor Callan Purcell, for Monkey Baa Theatre.

In 2022 Kobra completed a residency at the Bankstown Arts Centre and published her first feature essay ‘Unveiling through Art‘ on Turkish-Australian contemporary artist Cigdem Aydemir for the Sydney Review of Books literary magazine. She is also Co-Producer of a short film written by Western Sydney filmmaker Faraaz Rahman. Kobra is also a Blog Producer and Executive Member of the Community Environmental Monitoring (CEM) blog, a group dedicated to grassroots community activism concerning air pollution in Australia.

Neda Taha
Director-in-Residence

Neda Taha is an interdisciplinary artist from Western Sydney, whose journey began with street hip-hop as a member of the award-winning dance crew, ‘The Pioneers’. Her dynamic performances have graced prestigious stages like the Sydney Opera House and at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Neda’s talents as an actor and deviser are highlighted with credits in the Helpmann-nominated dance theatre show ‘Playlist’ and short film ‘The Whispering Glass’, which premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Sydney Opera House. She also gained recognition as the principal dancer in BLKB3RY’s viral music video ‘Ha’ele Ki Pilitania’, which has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube. She also had her directorial debut in 2023 with the hugely successful, sold-out season of ‘Tuân’s Party‘ and in 2024 premiered her new dance theatre work ‘Pioneers‘ (dir. Eliam Royalness) as part of the City of Sydney’s Art and About program in 2024.

Neda is also a dedicated member of PYT Fairfield, where she has made significant contributions as a Director, Actor, Co-Writer, and Senior Tutor for their after-school drama program, ‘Junior Ensemble’. Her commitment to nurturing young talent, coupled with her impactful work across various artistic disciplines, continues to define her as a vital force in the Australian arts community.

Daniel Mehareb
Performer-in-Residence

Daniel is a writer and performer of Egyptian heritage from South West Sydney. He uses poetry and comedy to tell stories of his community for his community. He has previously been a state finalist for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s ‘RAW Comedy Competition‘ and came second with his team in the 2024 ‘Bankstown Poetry Grand Slam‘. He has performed and featured as a poet in poetry slams around Sydney such as the ‘Bankstown Poetry Slam‘, ‘Bread and Butter Poetry Slam‘ and ‘Westside Poetry Slam‘ as well as having performed stand up comedy since 2018. He is also currently part of National Theatre of Parramatta’s Page to Stage program. Having studied International Relations and Middle Eastern studies at the Australian National University, he aspires to use storytelling as a tool to weave decolonial political and cultural awareness in his art.

In 2024, Daniel was one of the lead actors in a four-person Ensemble for PYT’s ‘Sitcom‘ (dir Yvan Karezi), and is part of the 2024 PYT Company as a lead actor.

He is currently working on writing and performing a one man show ‘Big Nose Big Dreams‘ for the 2024 Sydney Fringe Festival.

Molly Goetz
Tech-in-Residence

Molly Goetz is an emerging performer, lighting technician and mechanist from Western Sydney. Molly embarked on her theatre career in 2024 as a lighting technician, bringing with her a deep passion for the field and a commitment to excellence. 

Since beginning her journey, she has had the privilege of working alongside a range of talented and supportive colleagues, which has enriched her experience and fueled her enthusiasm. With the experience Molly has gained this year she has had the opportunity to work in corporate events providing technical services as well as a multitude of performances, most recently she was offered the opportunity to work as mechanist on PYT’s new dance work ‘Katma‘ (dir. Azzam Mohamad). Molly was also given the opportunity to work as a lighting technician and support crew for ‘Pioneers’ (dir. Eliam Royalness) which premiered as part of City of Sydney’s Art and About program and went onto a season at Blacktown Arts. 

With a strong dedication to her craft, Molly aspires to build a fulfilling career as a mechanist/lighting technician and eagerly anticipates the opportunities and growth that the future holds.

Benjamin La
Writer-in-Residence

Benjamin La is a Writer, Filmmaker, Photographer and Theatre-Maker who loves poetic, nostalgic, heartwarming, slice-of-life stories. He is passionate about character-driven stories exploring the complexities of family and romance.

Benjamin has been published in the StoryFactory anthology ‘Platform 1‘ (2023), writing Chapters ‘In Defence of the Christmas Beetles‘, ‘The Galahs on the Corner of Wendy Avenue‘, and ‘Poems I Wrote |About Her Sitting on the Beach in Newcastle‘ and he has recently been selected to be part of National Theatre of Parramatta’s Page to Stage program. He is currently a resident artist at PYT Fairfield, co-writing a fun, young adult musical about second-generation kids achieving their dreams, ‘Little Big Dreams‘.

Nandika Nellicka
Performer-in-Residence

Nandika Nellicka is an emerging Indian artist from Western Sydney, with a background in dance, music and acting. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Social Science at Western Sydney University while pursuing experience in acting and singing.

Nandika has participated in community performances from a young age and is currently part of PYT Fairfield’s 2024 Ensemble. In 2023 she performed in ‘Tahlila – Lullabies Under the Stars‘ (dir. Aseel Tayah) for Bukjeh Theatre at the ‘Way out West Festival for Children‘, and has been a facilitator for PYT’s Pilots program since the start of the year. She has also performed as a singer at PYT’s Piano Lounge and as an actor in the 2024 short film ‘Waves‘ (dir. Cristobal Olguin).

Sarah Gattellari
Performer-in-Residence

Sarah Gattellari is an Australian-Uruguayan-Italian artist born and raised in Western Sydney. With a passion for dance, acting and mindset, Sarah acts as a NSW Ambassador for the RISE Musical Theatre Program which places mental health and mindset at the forefront for young performers. Her theatrical credits include ‘Tuân’s Party‘ (dir. Neda Taha), ‘Piano Lounge‘ and ‘Sitcom‘ (dir. Yvan Karezi) at PYT Fairfield and as Mrs Weston in a stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ for Ruby Productions. As a screen-actor, her television credits include playing the recurring role of Kentucky native, Miss Elizabeth in the NBC Universal series ‘Young Rock‘, Aoife/The Wicked Witch In The Waterfall in upcoming web-series by Kookoo Entertainment, and numerous TVCs for LEXUS, YoPro, ASICS Australia and Lounge Lovers. With the support of PYT, she co-produced ‘Fiesta Del Barrio‘, a mini Latin-American festival with a focus on community engagement and empowering Latin American artists. As a vocalist, she has performed in various venues across Australia including The Star Event Center Sydney, The Palms at Crown Melbourne and White Bay Cruise Terminal. As an emerging Musical Theatre artist, Sarah is always seeking ways to enhance her skills and has been accepted into various programs including PYT Ensemble & Company, Theatre Bridge Company, RISE and JRP Masterclass.

Michael Giglio
Performer-in-Residence

Michael started as an actor in the film industry as a young Dino Dibra in Foxtel’s 2011 ‘Tough Nuts’. He then proceeded to book several ads for KFC, Kirks, and Energy NSW. After Graduating Newtown Highschool of The Performing Arts and dropping out of studying business at UNSW after one year, he then went on to study acting at Sydney Actors School, receiving an Advanced Diploma for Acting for Screen Media. He then went on to play Giuseppe Cianciulli in ‘Deadly Women’ (Binge) and began working behind the camera. His credits behind the camera are numerous, working as an assistant director on feature films including ‘From All Sides’, ‘Get a Life Alright’, ‘Gift that Gives’, ‘My Foolish Heart’, ‘According to Otto’, ‘Rhapsody of Love’, ‘Script of Life’, ‘It’s Our Time’, on music videos, and several short films. He has also worked as a production assistant, runner, camera assistant and producer.

‘From All Sides’ (dir. Bina Bhattacharya) was selected to pitch by Cannes Marches Du Film in France.

For the past 2 years, he has worked as a musician, gigging five days a week in bars and pubs across inner and outer Sydney. He is the frontman for the Indie-Rock, Western Sydney Band, The Bernies.