Kelly Somes

Kelly Somes is the director and co-author of the highly successful one-man show Lloyd Beckmann, Beekeeper. This funny and poignant work has been met with sell-out seasons up and down the east coast of Australia in 2010 and 2011, and was selected for the 2011 VCE Playlist and published by Currency Press.

Her company Soulart Productions was founded in 2002 as a banner under which to produce new Australian work; not only in the theatre, but in film. It has spearheaded sell-out premiere production’s of award wining playwright Mary Rachel Brown’s All My Sleep and Waking (2008) and up and coming playwright Alison Mann’s She’s Not Performing (2010). Kelly’s directorial and devising work was featured in La Mama’s 40th Birthday Explorations Season in The Grief Project.  As a freelance director she has directed and devised new work with dynamic companies such as St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre creating puppet extravaganzas Argy Barge (2006) and Flibberty Gibbet (2007).

Her work has also been acknowledged through awards and nominations including the 2005 Melbourne Fringe Festival Visionary Award for the alleyway puppet skirmish, The Human Layer (which she co-directed and dramaturged) and she was also nominated for a 2010 Green Room Award for Set Design in Independent Theatre for Lloyd Beckmann, Beekeeper with co-designers Tim Stitz and Ashlee Hughes. Kelly worked as a director mentor for Platform Youth Theatre on their emerging artist projects including Post and has directed a series of short filmed scenes for use in high aptitude tests for the Australian Council for Educational Research.

Kelly is graduate of VCA School of Drama’s Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Art (Directing) (2004).

For an updated resume or biography please contact me at kellysomesproductions@gmail.com