WRITER & PRODUCER | Dr. Moni Lai Storz
Moni is the Artistic Director of The Australasian Chinese Theatre Company. She created the ACT with a dedicated mission: to provide opportunities for more Chinese Australians & new Zealanders to be involved in the performing arts.
Moni was a sociology lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne & now runs her own cross-cultural consultancy. For over 20 years she has trained global managers on how to do business in Asia. Her passion for the theatre developed early in primary school back in British Malaya. She has “acted” since then – giving many corporate performances using Accelerative Learning techniques & tools from the theatre.
A novelist and poet in her spare time, her passion is building cultural bridges amongst peoples of the world. Moni’s books include Notes to My Sisters, Heaven Has Eyes, the Yin Yang of Loving, Artworks to the Soul: A Collection of Poems, Sacred Words: A Grief Journey Well Travelled, Dancing With Dragons: Chopsticks People Revealed for Global Business, Mind body Power: The Self Help book on Accelerated Learning. Our Man in Beijing is her first play.
DIRECTOR | Wolf Heidecker
In 1997 Wolf came to Australia with more than 25 years of experience as artistic director, administration and public relations officer, tour manager. He was the Chief Executive Officer/General Manager at the Osnabrueck Theatre Pty Ltd in Germany for eight years. His theatrical experiences encompassed Opera, Operetta, Musical, Music-Theatre Choir, Ballet, Drama Theatre, Theatre for Young People, Symphony Orchestra, Set-Workshops with several German opera and theatre companies, including the State Theatre Nuremberg, Wuerttemberg County, Esslingen, Bosch-Theatre Stuttgart, State Theatre Stuttgart, Theatre Oberhausen.
In Australia he worked as Orchestra Manager in Brisbane, and Business Director for Australia’s renowned Flying Fruit Fly Circus in Albury-Wodonga before moving to Melbourne where he was manager of the “Wyndham Cultural Centre”.
Wolf has many and diverse undertakings to his credit besides Our Man in Beijing. These include Foxholes of the Mind by Bernard Clancy, The Man They Call The Banjo – Waltzing Matilda: The Musical by Felix Meagher/Dennis O’Keeffe Dive, Musical by Xavier Brouwer, Refugee Realities by Graham Pitts, Site UnSeen by Robyn Szechtman and Graham Pitts, Silence by Hoa Pham Norm and Ahmed by Alex Buzo, Cymbeline by W.Shakespeare (Co-production with Fontanel/Sydney, at 45downstairs/ Melbourne).
Not only is Wolf a trained performing artist/director, he is also a Business Economist and currently manages Many Moons Group Inc. and Larrikin Ensemble Theatre in these capacities. He is also a Registered Marriage Celebrant and a Behavioural & Communications Analyst/Psychotherapist.
SOUND & LIGHTING | Richard Lyford-Pike
Aside from being a light and sound designer, Richard is multi-talented in diverse areas. A trained interior decorator, he is also a drummer and plays in several bands nationwide. His day job as a realtor in Grace Realty allows him little time for his passion, which is the making of an animation film. Richard was the project manager of the ACT’s building/studio and garden.