Meeka creatives

Meet the creative team of Meeka

Christina Costigan

Christina was bitten by the acting bug early in life.  From performing solo shows for a captive audience (her family) at a young age, she swiftly became a drama queen at high school and in 1995 graduated from Deakin University (Rusden) with a BA in Drama and Media.  Since then, Christina has performed in countless plays from Shakespeare to Stoppard via Genet and Brecht. In 1999, she co-founded Baggage Productions, dedicated to producing original work by women writers, including The Subconscious Cometh (Trades Hall, 2011), Rhonda is in Therapy (fortyfivedownstairs, 2012), The Okinawa Hymen Repair Kit Factory (Bluestone Church Arts Space, 2013), Ambition (Bluestone, 2014) and Madwomen Monologues (2011-2015). Christina has undertaken extensive further training with the likes of David Latham, Anthony Crowley and Russell Fletcher in Melbourne; and with Vincent Guastaferro, Russell Boast and Rick Pagano in Los Angeles, where she lived and worked from 2009 to 2011.  

Kevin Summers

Has worked in all facets of the business for four decades. Favourite theatre roles include the monologues The Christian Brothers, Eclipses and Wrecks. He recently directed The Savages of Wirramai at La Mama. Film roles extend from the cult classic, The Pirate Movie to the soon to be released Legend of Ben Hall.

Television work includes most local productions including sustaining roles in Cop Shop, Prisoner, Neighbours (ten years as Det. Alex Skinner), Janus and Phoenix. His plays include Salvation Jane, The Empty Say and his most recent, Patient 12, has been published by Currency Press. He recently won the My Brother Jack short story competition.

Keith Brockett

Born in the UK, Keith has trained at the National Theatre Drama School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and performed extensively throughout Australia, most notably for Melbourne Theatre Company (Happy Ending), La Mama Theatre (Still a Hero, Motherf*cker, and a national tour of Porcelain), 5Pound Theatre (Sex Diary of an Infidel, Because of Reasons, Noises Off!) and The Kin Collective (Glimpse, The Leenane Trilogy, Hook Turn), of which he is a founding member. Keith was also awarded Best Male Actor for his performance in Death by 1000 Cuts at the 2007 Short and Sweet Festival.

A series regular in the ABC cult hit The Librarians, for which the cast won Best Comedy Ensemble at the 2011 Equity Awards, Keith has appeared in Rush, The Time of Our Lives, Bruce Lee Played Badminton Too, Warren and Verite

Kelly Nash (Eileen)

A teacher and performer, Kelly trained at Rusden in the 1980s. Kelly has pursued careers in both acting and teaching. She has had roles in Neighbours, Blue Heelers, and Stingers, and in fringe theatre around Melbourne. In 1994, she co-wrote Beauty is Your Duty, satirising the beauty industry which has morphed from a raunchy cabaret into an entertaining corporate show, an insightful community show into an educational schools’ show. She also wrote and performed in Survivor Schoolyard, about bullying, and was part of the work-shopping process and acting team in The Condom Dialogues and The No means, No Show. She appeared with Judith Lucy, Denise Scott, and Nelly Thomas in Being a Woman is Good for Your Health for the Royal Women's Hospital.

Claire Pearson

Claire is a Melbourne based actor with over 10 years experience across theatre, film, voice, children's entertainment, writing and production. She trained at QUT with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2008. In 2011, Claire received grants from the Ian Potter Foundation: Cultural Trust and Arts Queensland to study Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA, London). 

 Claire has worked with Queensland Theatre Company, Laboite Theatre Company, Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, Queensland Ballet, High Tide Theatre Company & Only Connect (London), Playwriting Australia, Dead Puppet Society, The Good Room, Underground Cinema (Melbourne), Boutique Theatre and has performed at both the Brisbane and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. Claire wrote and produced the sell out seasons of  "Battlefield Blues" for the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival and  'Mona Brow Williams presents...'  a one woman show, for the Anywhere Theatre Festival at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane, 2013. Claire's feature film work includes JUCY, All my friends are leaving Brisbane and Reef n Beef. In 2008, she won the Warner Roadshow Studio's Queensland New Filmmaker Award for Best Female Actress for short film, 'Years'.  Claire is currently teaching Acting for beginners at the Centre for Adult Education (CAE), Melbourne.  Claire is a proud member of equity.

Liam Gillespie

Liam Gillespie first appeared on stage before he was born as his pregnant mother performed in Juno and the Paycock, and he has been acting ever since.  He has enjoyed a fruitful amateur career in both Brisbane and Melbourne.  His notable credits include The Pirates of Penzance, Anything Goes and My Fat Friend.  He is also proud of his numerous contributions to the Irish theatre landscape in Melbourne. Liam is thrilled to be a part of Meeka in it's inaugural production and looks forward to seeing it flourish.

Dan Walls

Shaun Kingma

Shaun studied Classical Voice at the Victorian College of the Arts and has appeared as a soloist in numerous Concerts, Operettas and Opera, receiving awards for both his direction and performance credits.

As a Director, Shaun’s recent credits include: Long Gone Lonesome Cowgirls (National Tour – Ellis Productions); Frankenstein; Next to Normal; Singing In The Rain; LaCage Aux Folles (National Theatre with John O’May and David Rogers Smith); Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love at the National Theatre, The Hatpin (Magnormos); Tomorrow Morning; Man of LaMancha ;Tim Rice & Elton John’s  Aida ; Blood Brothers ; Ozmade Musicals (Magnormos); Return to the Forbidden Planet ; Is There Life After High School? ; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ; the Australia Premiere  of Hello Again and David Lindsay-Abaire’s  A Devil Inside.