Visiting Fellow (Performance)

Peter Cousens (Session 1- 2003)

Peter Cousens is one of Australia’s most outstanding musical theatreperformers and his talents have extended to achievements in almost every field of live entertainment. Peter has been successful as an actor (stage and TV); a cabaret artist; performing at multi-national corporate functions; as a commercial and television presenter and as a recording artist.

Peter’s roles in Australian and overseas theatre have been varied and highly acclaimed. In 1998 Peter returned to Australia to play Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat after 12 months playing the role of the Phantom in London’s West End production of Phantom Of The Opera.

His previous starring roles include Tony in West Side Story; Chris in Miss Saigon; Raoul in the Australian Production of Phantom Of The Opera; Alex in Aspects Of Love; and Marius in Les Miserables.

During 1999 and 2000 Peter worked with the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies, featured with the Australian Opera and with all the major state theatre companies around Australia.
The most recent endeavour for Peter has been to devise and write, with Tony Sheldon, his own one-man
cabaret show entitled A Life On Earth. For more information on Peter: www.petercousens.com

Bert van Dijk (Session 2 - 2003)

Bert van Dijk is one of New Zealand’s most innovative theatre directors, who has worked extensively throughout Europe and Australasia as an actor, dancer, singer, choreographer, director and movement & voice tutor.

Over the years Bert has directed numerous productions in a great variety of genres: Mime, Physical Theatre, Bi-cultural, Inter-cultural, Classics, Musical, Community and Outdoor Theatre.

His work features a highly developed physical and spatial vocabulary, an extraordinary sense for vivid, complex imagery and an exciting inter-cultural perspective, that combines Occidental, Oriental and Polynesian principles and codes.

Bert van Dijk's international performance and self-devised theatre work is recognised throughout Europe and Australasia.

More information on Bert and 'Devised Theatre'

A scene from "The Butterfly's Evil Spell" - Directed by Bert van Dijk
A Performance Research project 'Shades of Light' investigating the interaction of
Light and Performers Presence.