The Company of Bunk Puppets
Jeff Achtem
Artistic Director & Performer: Swamp Juice & Bunktopia
Too impatient to make films, Jeff discovered puppetry as a visual language for live cartoon story-telling. He draws on a varied background in mime (Omnibus: Montreal), clown (Michel Dallaire: Hangar des Mines, France), mask (Rene Bazinet: Montreal) and puppetry. On-stage, his productions have traveled the globe, with recent notable visits Off-Broadway (New York City), Soho Theatre (London West End) and across venues in Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, France, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, New Zealand, Australia & South Korea.
Tim Sneddon
Performer: Sticks Stones Broken Bones & Bunkasaurus
With a background in clowning, puppetry and physical theatre, Tim has been a performing member of Bunk Puppets since 2015. In that time, he has toured through Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, Egypt, The Philippines, Germany, Holland, the UK, and extensively through China. Additionally, Tim works as a Creative Producer for Multi-Arts Festivals, and as a Director for contemporary community art projects. He creates art with young people (Arena Theatre Company, Artists for Kids Culture, The Village Festival), and works as a Clown Doctor within the Humour Foundation.
Hamish Fletcher
Performer: Slapdash Galaxy
Hamish is a versatile puppeteer and puppet maker, & holds a Masters in Puppetry from Victoria College of the Arts. He has trained under Philipe Genty, Mary Underwood, Duda Paiva and Peter Wilson. and a range of productions for ABC television, Sticky Pictures, Super Studios and Windmill Theatre, Arena Theatre, Victorian Opera, Men of Steel, MIFF and Circus Oz. He has toured to China, Japan, Malaysia, UK, Ireland, USA, Singapore, Portugal & Canada. He has won Best Host at Kidscreen 2012 as Hoot The Owl for ABC and Festival Directors award as part of Men of Steel at Melbourne Int’l Comedy Festival.
Emilie Bloom
Performer: Bunkasaurus & Hello Red Planet
Emilie Bloom is a comedic actor and physical comedy performer specialising in Clown. She has a Diploma in Creative Industries and Theatre Arts. and has trained for two years at the professional Theatre School of Philippe Gaulier in Paris, France During the course of her career her work has toured in Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, regional theatres and festivals across Australia, New Zealand, Tokyo, the UK and Europe. Emilie currently works with The Humor Foundation as a Melbourne Clown Doctor and is a studying a Diploma in Costume Design at Melbourne Polytechnic.
Nick Carver
Musician - original score: Swamp Juice
Nick plays double bass, ukulele & percussion in The Manny Fox Trio. A talented multi-instrumentalist & music educator, he has toured Australia, Canada, Nepal, Botswana & Namibia in bands, theatrical productions & educational tours. Proficient in a wide variety of music genres, spanning from hardcore punk to traditional jazz, Carves is a accomplished musician with a strong DIY ethic. As well as performing and composing in The Manny Fox Trio, Nick engineered and mastered the original score for Swamp Juice. .
Christian Bagin
Performer: Hello Red Planet
As a physical comedic character actor, puppeteer & clown, Mr Bagin is a regular performer with Polyglot, Company 13, Make a Scene & Short Attention Space and has worked with directors Rosa Campagnaro, Anthony Lucas, Sue Giles, James Pratt, & Ian Pidd. In 2017, he played Macbeth in Company 13's Macdeath, performing at the Arts Centre Melbourne and across regional Australia in 2018. He also performed in the Inaugural Annual Dance Affair as the Bell Boy, played a Stink Police, worked with Make a Scene as a puppeteer in the Victorian Opera's version of Sleeping Beauty.
Belinda Green
Production Monager : Australia & Asia
Bindi has extensive tour management experience, touring with Polyglot Theatre, My Darling Patricia, Die Roten Punkte & Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey. Based in Melbourne, Bindi has also worked as a Production and Stage Manager for Arts House, Melbourne Festival, Big West, Next Wave, Melbourne Theatre Company & Federation Square. She has especially enjoyed collaborating with artists like Tristan Meecham, one step at a time like this & Aphids Her considerable travels with Bunk Puppets have taken her to Japan, Edinburgh, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Macau, Malta & across Australia.
Tristan Kelly
Musician - original score: Swamp Juice
Tristan is a singer, guitarist, composer and primary school teacher. As the front man and songwriter for charismatic party band de jour, Manny Fox, he regularly leads dancefloors to a frenzy. Recent appearances at : Folk, Rhythm, Life and Renaissance Festival, Brunswick Music Festival. Tristan’s songs have been recorded by producers Nick Huggins and Joe Hammond, receiving airplay on Triple J, Triple R and PBS. Manny Fox’s recent single single ‘Harry’ was directed by Brian Cohen at Umbershoot, and premiered on Tonedeaf. Tristan also collaborates with Melbourne outfit Hello Satellites on guitar during live shows.
