Nakia Brighouse is the Director of Operations & Student Services and has been part of the APAC leadership team since November 2022. With a strong commitment to student experience and institutional excellence, Nakia oversees operational performance, student admissions ... and support, compliance, event management, and service delivery across the Conservatory.

Nakia holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Australian Catholic University (ACU) and a Bachelor of Education (Primary) from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Prior to joining APAC, she spent 15 years at QUT in senior roles in international admissions and Higher Degree Research advisory. Nakia is also an Associate Fellow of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), recognising her extensive experience and contributions to the international education sector.

With a strong background in planning, coordination, and large scale engagement initiatives, Nakia brings a refined skill set that enhances APAC’s student experience.

Avril is an award-winning lecturer and teaching artist. She was an academic leader of the dance specialisation within the Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for 14 years, and has previously worked with... APAC as an expert critical friend on new degree development.

Avril has a Master of Arts (Research), from QUT and is currently completing her PhD. Her Masters thesis is titled “A Contemporary Model for Dance Artists in Residence in Secondary Schools”. Avril also holds Pilates instructor qualifications and Feldenkrais Method practitioner qualifications.

“Give yourselves the permission to be excellent” A passionate acting teacher, Sean teaches from the film set to the classroom, from the stage to the studio straight to the students of APAC. An independent actor, director... and producer he has travelled his way round the world and through the industry. His credits include:

Appearing in TV Rake, Home and Away, All Saints films Don’t Tell, Sanctum 3D, his latest film JIVA is showing at Cannes Film Festival in 2020. Theatre As You Like It, Mercy Thieves, Rigoletto, and Hamlet.

QLD Executive Producer of the Short+Sweet Theatre + Cabaret Festival, Sean provides a professional pathway into the industry. Director and producer for OperaWorks LA, Taiwan International Arts Festival, Regional Theatres such as the Brolga and independently in Australia and U.S.A.

Course coordinator – for the past 3 years he has been helping artists realise their passion by turning their talent into a career.

As Head of Musical Theatre at APAC, Shannon is passionate about developing confident, creative, and resilient performers equipped for sustainable careers within the industry. ... Shannon is an actor, vocalist, and teaching artist with over a decade of professional performance experience. She holds a Master’s Degree in Music Theatre (Distinction) from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London 

Her screen acting credits include playing Sara Newman on Shortland Street, and she is set to appear in the 2026 Netflix series East of Eden. Shannon has also written and produced several original cabarets, which have been presented at national theatre festivals and featured as headline productions on cruise lines.

Alongside her performing career, Shannon is a passionate vocal coach and director.

Joe’s extensive Film and TV career – as a photographer, cinematographer, editor, producer, and teacher – commenced in the late 70’s in special events, as well state-wide TV commercials, documentaries,... corporate, marketing, entertainment and instructional videos. In the late 90’s Joe established his own successful professional photography business, specialising in portraiture, fashion, commercial and advertising – as well as video editing and film production.

Over the span of his career he has also worked alongside Brisbane based cinematographers producing work for a wide range of advertising agencies, as well as significant large-scale Queensland Government projects. 

Joe brings extensive technical and creative skills and experience to APAC, as well as formal qualifications in a GradCert in Tertiary & Adult Education, excellent communication skills and complete professionalism. All of direct benefit to the students he teaches and the professional colleagues with whom he works on a day-to-day basis.

Sherri has had an extensive movement background and has furthered her training in acting and fight combat disciplines. This has allowed her to work in many areas through the performance industry... including stage, screen, and live interactive theatre productions. Her credits include solo-actor performances of the stage play adaptation of ‘Animal Farm’ performed at the Powerhouse, Sonia in Uncle Vanya (The Curators Theatre); Lady Capulet in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ in the Shakespeare Festival, and MJ in ‘Mania’ as part of the Brisbane Arts Festival. In addition to her stage roles, she her work has also included: TVC’s, voice-over work, and roles in International, National and Local film projects like Project Eden (Mad Anth’m Pictures), Practise Patience (Sparrowland Productions) and Phoenix Rising (Vertical Realm Productions). Whilst lecturing at APAC, she still continues to work professionally in the industry.

Born and raised in Italy, Mirko graduated in the early 2000s. With a background as a Chef Presenter, he devotes his life to performance on both screen and stage as an actor, accomplishing to date over 200 screen...  productions and hundreds of live performances. Roles include Narnia, The Leftovers, Home and Away, Wanted, Neighbours, Joe Exotic and an array of International & Domestic Feature Films. Mirko has won several awards as an actor and as a Director/Writer and run classes in QLD, NSW and VIC as mentorship for artists who wanted to deepen their understanding of truthful performance and business growth in the industry.

His goal is to allow each student to unleash the artist inside, make it boundaryless and curious and find the freedom to learn, reflect and create while maintaining a vision and be abreast of the constant evolution of the Film/TV industry. Understanding the business allows the artist to be like water and filter through the gaps constricting creativity and successful outcomes.

Marcus Oborn is an Australian theatre professional, working as a voice and text coach, actor, voice actor, theatre director and producer, and academic. He is the second Australian certified as a Patsy Rodenburg Associate. As a voice and text coach, ... practical insights that support informed decision-making and effective resource allocation. With hands-on experience working wihe has worked on award-winning productions for Queensland Theatre, La Boîte, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, State Theatre Company South Australia, Brisbane Festival, BlakDance, Ad Astra, Pip Theatre, Salad Days, and others.

He has directed successful independent productions including The Mercy Seat, Oedipus, Medea, The Crucible, Buckets, MOTH, and Statespeare. As an actor, he has appeared on stage for Opera Queensland, Queensland Music Festival, Hive Collective, Fringe Brisbane, Metro Arts, Playlab, Big Scary Animal, and Room to Play, and on screen in Young Rock 2 and Nautilus.

He is completing a PhD at the University of Southern Queensland, specialising in Shakespeare, classical rhetoric, and vocal pedagogy. His teaching specialties include voice, Shakespeare, acting and rehearsal craft, voice over, script analysis, and dialect.

For more visit www.marcusoborn.com

Camila brings extensive experience in financial planning, budgeting, payroll, and performance analysis within the higher education sector. She has a strong ability to translate complex financial data into clear,... practical insights that support informed decision-making and effective resource allocation. With hands-on experience working with ERP systems and institutional resource planning, Camila has strengthened reporting processes and enhanced financial governance across organisations.

Her approach focuses on aligning financial practices with strategic priorities to improve efficiency, sustainability, and overall performance. She is passionate about using sound financial management to support operational success and long-term organisational growth.

Heidi Gledhill, Queensland based award- winning theatre director and producer, is the founder and Artistic Director of independent theatre company Room to Play. Heidi has been Artistic Director of independent theatre venues,... The Crypt in Sydney and Paddington Substation in Brisbane. Heidi Gledhill studied theatre at Macquarie University in Sydney and was granted a scholarship to work at La Sapienza Rome University in Italy, working alongside Nobel laureate, theatre-maker, Dario Fo. Heidi also worked with the legendary physical theatre company, Frantic Assembly, in London in 2022.

Heidi’s directing credits include Ionesco’s The Bald Prima Donna, Brian Friel’s Afterplay, Tom Holloway’s Red Sky Morning and Dario Fo’s Mistero Buffo, supported by Queensland Theatre and presented at Billie Brown and The Hanging by Angela Betzien at Playlab Hotlines. Recently she directed Lally Katz’ The Eisteddfod for Metro Arts Local Season and The Bull the Moon and The Coronet of Stars by Van Badham at Metro Arts. I AM KING I AM QUEEN was devised and directed for Anywhere Festival and toured to New Zealand and Sydney, winning Sydney Fringe Award and Brisbane Powerhouse Award.

As a lecturer at Australian Performing Arts Conservatory (APAC) she has translated and adapted, The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo together with students of APAC, directed David Ives, Its all in the Timing at the Brisbane Arts Multicultural Centre. She has been invited by Queensland Theatre to be on the assessment panel for Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. She is currently on the Board of Anywhere Theatre Festival and passionate about independent theatre in accessible and fascinating spaces.