The PYT Fairfield Company is an Artist-in-Residence program that nurtures Western Sydney’s most promising emerging theatre-makers. An off-shoot of the PYT Fairfield Ensemble — a collective of young adults (18–28) from Fairfield and surrounding suburbs — the Company provides a select group of eight artists with a paid opportunity to develop an original Australian theatre work.
Launched in 2022, the PYT Company is curated by PYT’s Creative Producer – Youth and Emerging, AWGIE-nominated writer Bina Bhattacharya, who offers dramaturgical and producing support. This year she will be assisted by Associate Producers, Neda Taha and Tom North as the PYT Company strive towards their new work. Over six months, participants engage in an intensive, bootcamp-style theatre-making process, refining their skills and collaborating to create a work uniquely their own.
Beyond the creative process, the program offers a broader industry perspective through an interstate study tour. Thanks to the generous support of New Annual Festival, this year’s cohort will travel to Newcastle for a weekend of performances designed to inspire and expand their understanding of a creative career.
The 2026 Company program participants are (L-R):
Director-in-Residence – Bedelia Lowrencev
Writer-in-Residence – Pahola Zepeda
Technician-in-Residence – Sansona Trinh
Technician-in-Residence – Jayden Le
Performer-in-Residence – Roger Ly
Performer-in-Residence – Lana Page
Performer-in-Residence – Nicola Fahel
Performer-in-Residence – Cassie Smith
See below for bios:
Bedelia Lowrencev
Director-in-Residence
Bedelia is an actor & artist, proudly operating on and for works across screen and stage that are Crip Queer & Western Sydney at the heart. Bedelia has a keen interest in communal care, story sovereignty, and reciprocity. In particular, challenging the Western gaze on body, community and identity, the reclamation of CaLD queerness, and relation to land. Most recently, Bedelia has worked with Milk Crate Theatre, Curiousworks, Dea[f] Collective & Re:group, AFTRS, ArtsHouse, Accessible Arts, Liverpool Biennial, Disability Pride Festival, NAVA, Runway Journal, and Riana Head Toussaint’s Crip Rave Theory. Currently, Bedelia is a mentor for the 2026 Ripple CaLD Disability Program, and part of 2026 PYT Ensemble.
Pahola Zepeda
Writer-in-Residence
Pahola Zepeda was born in 1997 in Western Sydney, where she is still based. She is a first generation Australian, born to immigrant parents from El Salvador. Pahola works across singing, stage management and writing. She treats art as a paradox: the same work that reflects a person, a culture or a world back at itself can also confront it.
She is drawn to work that sits with difficult realities rather than tidying them, and to the power art has to hold and nurture, to transform and heal, both communally and personally. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Sciences, with interests in philosophy, theology, writing and community development, and stays curious about learning more within the arts.
She stage managed Hayat Amina in 2025 and has been a PYT Ensemble member across 2025 and 2026. She has a strong love for memes, animals, Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Star Wars.
Sansona Trinh
Technician-in-Residence
Sansona Trinh is a south-western Sydney theatre technician and cultural performer who admires all aspects of crafting art – illustration, animation, film, writing, music, textiles, construction, the list could go on! At the beginning stages of their art career, they’re starting to piece together the importance and responsibility of an artist; to strike a meaningful balance between entertainment, education, functionality, and connection. This embarks them on a journey to build good foundations and personal taste as a creative and human being. We can find Sansona venturing unique opportunities that has allowed them to travel across Sydney, Melbourne and Asia, connecting and exchanging their work as a Chinese-Australian artist with others.
In 2025, Sansona was head of lighting for the Short+Sweet Sydney Theatre Festival and was lead technician/set designer for “What Are the Odds?”, a PYT Company play, debuting theBollywood-comedy-drama at PYT Fairfield. Having dabbled in film production at Western Sydney University for about two semester [2022/23], they’ve stepped another foot into the film world as a cast extra, production assistant and second camera assistant for multiple short films and web-series this year. Sansona has also worked with ERTH Visual & Physical Inc. as a production manager/technician and puppeteerat Bradfield’s Collider Festival [2026] and Soft Forest at Parramatta’s Mid-Winter Festival [2026], bringing joy and encouragement to children and adults alike through a 3-4m tall puppet called Fauna.
Other endeavours include preparing for the Qing Fong Dragon and Lion Dance Team’s 8th Year Anniversary and Cabramatta’s Moon Festival as a lion and dragon dancer. Sansona has been a performer and instructor with them since 2018 and has competed at Australia’s first National Lion Dance Competition [2025] and at three international dragon dance competitions [2025/26]. Simultaneously, they’llalso be thetechnician designer and operator for this year’s production of “COOKED” [dir. Laura Y Jackson], written by Angel Dugganand Lana Page, with shows inSeptember at KXT Underground.”
Jayden Le
Technician-in-Residence
Jayden Le is an emerging Vietnamese Indonesian artist from South-West Sydney. His interdisciplinary practice spans across his roles as a live production technician, puppeteer, director and actor; featuring a creative style prized on bringing a community-driven, thought-provoking and uplifting approach to storytelling on the stage or screen. Jayden began his journey just last year, leaping into Fairfield PYT’s 2025 Ensemble Program and later being cast as a lead performer in their newly developed work “What are the Odds?” (2025).
This year for 2026 PYT Company, Jayden takes to the booth and production bringing flair, awe and immersion as a lighting & audio technician. As a technician, Jayden has built a strong portfolio and skills supporting local artist residencies and has completed masterclass training in live-production, lighting, stagecraft and audio. His technician credits include; ‘Turn off the Dark’ (by Little Wing Puppets), ‘Break the 5th Wall’ (by Flowtality), ‘The Return’ (dir. Ala’a Al Qaisi), ‘Milk Fruit & Tiger Balm’ (dir. Roger Ly), Peppa Molina’s ‘Flamenco Dance Showcase’ and more.
Jayden’s love for storytelling also extends to the front of stage, being a lead actor in devised theatre play ‘What are the Odds’ (dir. Neda Taha), supporting actor for staged play-reading ‘Big Trouble in Little Saigon’ (dir. Robert Hoang), puppeteer in theatre show ‘Soft Forest’ (by Erth), lead actor in short film ‘Hired’ (dir. Ben Chow), and co-lead in short film ‘Sweet Milo’ (dir. Ranican Zapanta); as well as writing & directing his debut short film ‘Borrowed Time’ (2025). With a diverse, adaptable skillset, eagerness for learning and active involvement with local artists/organizations (Outloud Arts, Curiously West, Shopfront Arts, etc.), Jayden continues his commitment and passion for building and performing stories as a performer and technician.
Roger Ly
Performer-in-Residence
Roger Ly is an actor and comedian with over a decade of performance experience across theatre, film, television, and live comedy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, majoring in Sociology and Anthropology and Creative and Performing Arts, and has trained in the Meisner technique.
His theatre credits include Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Whale Chorus. He was also a voice actor and associate producer on Interview with a Hero, an award-winning short film directed by Celeste Diep. In 2025, Roger was awarded a residency with PYT Fairfield, culminating in the development of a new play and a private showing for members of the Khmer community. Alongside acting, Roger has experience in writing, directing, and developing original works.
Roger is currently undertaking stunt and martial arts training to further expand his screen and stage performance skills. He has appeared in national advertising campaigns and has recently been cast in a major international feature film Roger working alongside leading international talent. His approach to acting draws on the Stanislavski and Meisner methods, with a strong focus on truthful, emotionally grounded performances. Passionate about authentic storytelling. Roger continues to develop work for both stage and screen that explores identity, culture, and the human experience.
Lana Page
Performer-in-Residence
Lana Page (she/her) is a Khmer-Australian Writer/Actor living and working on Dharawal, Gadigal and Durag land. This year, Lana is a creative alongside the PYT Fairfield’s 2026 Ensemble program. In 2026, she plans to produce the play COOKED, which debuted at the Sydney Fringe Festival in September 2025. In 2025, she performed as Konstantin in The Seagull (dir. Tim Maddock), Hamletmachine by Heiner Müller (dir. Linda Luke), and as JEAN in COOKED at Sydney Fringe. In 2024, she performed in Maryland by Lucy Kirkwood (dir. Mark Rogers), Murder on the Dance Floor by Chelsea George (dir. Mark Rogers) and a devised work Hyena co-written by the cast (dir. Lisa McDonnell).
Lana is a full scholarship grant recipient of the New Colombo Plan cultural exchange program awarded by the University of Wollongong and Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema (HATC). She has returned from Hanoi, Vietnam where Australian students and HATC collaborated to create short films based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, their film titled THYSIÁ (dir. Bùi Đức Hiếu and Max Arnold). Lana has recently completed her studies at the University of Wollongong, completing a Bachelor of Performance and Theatre. Now, she returns to Western Sydney to pursue her passion of theatre making; as a producer, actor and writer.
Nicola Fahel
Performer-in-Residence
Nicola Fahel is a Middle Eastern-Australian emerging actor, director, writer, and creative artist from Western Sydney. From a young age, he developed a passion for the industry after being inspired by the power of storytelling and the ability to connect to characters on stage and screen. He is a graduate of Excelsia College, where he completed a Bachelor of Dramatic Art, majoring in Theatre Practice. Throughout his practice, he has explored various roles in theatre-making, including actor, director, writer, co-producer, props and costume designer, sound and lighting designer, graphic designer, and social media marketing manager. His previous credits include ‘Naturalistically Short’, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘House of Cards’, and ‘CAPAfest’.
In 2026, he joined the Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) Fairfield ensemble, where he has continued to hone his craft in performing, directing and collaborating with fellow ensemble members to devise original work. He is also excited to make his debut as a performer-in-residence for the company showcase. Nicola aspires to pursue opportunities across creative mediums, enhance his skills, mentor future creative practitioners, and create innovative drama that is engaging and amplifies diverse voices. In his practice, he strives to tell stories that ignite conversations and leave a lasting impression on audiences.
Cassie Smith
Performer-in-Residence
Cassie Smith is an emerging creative based in the Western Sydney area. She started her acting career in 2017, undertaking an Advance Diploma in Screen and Media at the Academy of Film Theatre and Television (AFTT), graduating in 2018. Throughout this time she has practiced scriptwriting and acted in both theatre and film, within and outside AFTT. The short film, Abberation, in which she acted in became a finalist in the Lithgow Halloween Film Festival in 2021.
Cassie has further interests in music and dance. She started dancing at age 6 at Network One Dance Studio in Minchinbury and continues to pursue this interest at Nadia’s Performance Studio (NPD). She began learning music in primary school, dabbling with trumpet, guitar and piano. She has also recently become a beginner piano teacher for children at NPS.
Cassie would like to continue pursuing her passions, improving professionally as an actor, scriptwriter, musician and dancer.
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