Performance Bio

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Sam is story teller, performer and theatre maker.  He has worked as an Actor, Director, Writer, Producer, Stunt Performer, Stunt Rigger, Physical Theatre Performer, Movement Director and workshop facilitator. He is the co-owner and co-founder of Shock Therapy Productions.

Sam works in theatre, film, TV and large scale events and has worked for a number of companies and festivals over the past 16 years.  His career has taken him to New York, London, Namibia, South Africa, Denmark, Norway and India as well as all over Australia.  

Sam has won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for his work as a Stunt Performer in Mad Max – Fury Road.  He appeared in the first season of the Netflix Australia original production, Tidelands in the role of Zach Maney. Sam has also had roles in TV series The End and Reef Break and appeared in a number of independent short films. 

He was also awarded Best Director at the 2015 Matilda Awards for Shock Therapy’s production of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman. Sam has also been nominated twice for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Matilda Award. 

Sam was involved as a physical performer in the creative development of King Kong – The Musical by Global Creature. He has been part of the creative team for further developments of the show in London and New York in preparation for the shows Broadway premiere in 2018. 

Sam has written and created a number of works with long time collaborator Hayden Jones for their company Shock Therapy Productions, including Viral which was awarded Best Independent Production at the 2016 Matilda Awards, was nominated for Best New Australian Work and has been published by Playlab.  Sam and co-creator Hayden Jones also directed a Norwegian version of Viral  which was produced and toured by Akershus Teater.

Sam and Hayden's new work, Undertow premiered in 2020 and is the second work to be published by Playlab. 

Shock Therapy has won a total of 5 Matilda Awards, including Best Independent Production 3 years in a row.  

Sam has also worked extensively on large scale events as a director and movement director. In 2015, he was assistant to Gavin Robins on the Opening Ceremony of the Asia Cup. In 2016 Sam was the Movement Director on a major project for the 2016 Bleach Festival called Shifting Sands, Directed by Donna Jackson.  He was Movement Director for the Woodford Folk Festival Opening Ceremony in 2016 and has been Performance Director for the Fire Event at Woodford since 2017.   

Sam is directing a major production, which is in development called Odysseus: Live which is a live retelling of the Homer's Odyssey, performed and created by slam poet and hip hop artist, Luka Lesson in front of a live orchestra.

Sam also performed in and directed a section of the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.   

Shock Therapy Productions were also commission to create a new work for the Commonwealth Games Arts Festival, Festival 2018 called Welcome to Sameville. Sam not only co-directed and co-wrote the piece but also starred in the show as Professional Von Gleich. 

Shock Therapy were also commissioned by Splendour in the Grass to create a new performance installation work. The Cleaners premiered at Splendour in 2018 and was then performed at Bleach Festival in 2019.  

Over the past 16 years Sam has toured extensively in secondary schools throughout Australia mainly with Zeal Theatre.  He is also a highly-experienced workshop facilitator and has worked for Queensland Theatre, Qld Arts Council, The Warehouse Workshop Acting Studio, Goat Track Theatre, Grin and Tonic, Zeal Theatre, Backbone Youth Theatre, The Young Company (Cairns), ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People), Empire Theatre (Toowoomba), NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts), Drama Queensland and Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus). He has also worked as a facilitator with Qld Shakespeare Ensemble’s Shakespeare in Prison’s project in 2015. 

Sam continues to perform and create work that is meaningful and thought provoking and enjoys exploring cross art form collaborations.