Meet the Rebus Theatre Board of Directors

Meet The Board

Daniel Savage

President

Daniel Savage joined the Rebus Board in June 2019. Daniel has been a practicing visual artist based in Canberra for over a decade, exhibiting nationally and has developed a reputation for creating dynamic, engaging, and conceptually rigorous work. His practice is often self-referential, employing his individual experience of disability as a point of difference to engage audiences in exploring and reassessing established ideas and preconceptions that exist within society.

Daniel is also an active advocate for disability access, inclusion and representation in the arts, having worked alongside major arts festivals, organisations and institutions to increase awareness and engagement.

He brings to the board his extensive knowledge of art and disability, his broad connections within both the contemporary art and disability communities, and his passion for developing the skills, reputation and critical discourse of artists with disability.

Evelyne Meier

Vice President

Evelyne Meier joined the Board unofficially in November 2018 and as an official director in February 2019. Evelyne loves art as a communication medium, be this design, dance or theatre. She has experienced the impact of theatre in changing people’s attitude when she was director of the Australian Institute of Family Centred Care.

She was keen to engage with people who are promoting social change, advocating for people with disability and who are inclusive.

Evelyne has served on several boards. Her background spans nursing, international banking, government, education and the not-for-profit sector. She has a strong governance, grants and policy background and applies these skills for Rebus.

Penny Zhao

Treasurer

Penny Zhao joined the Rebus Board in October 2021 as Treasurer. A young professional and Certified Practicing Accountant by trade, she brings to the position contemporary financial acumen, Masters qualifications in professional accounting and financial management, as well as previous experience as a finance officer within the disability support sector.

Originally a migrant to Australia, Penny fondly recalls her first time using Australian public transport where she was helped by other passengers to reach her destination. From that moment on, she firmly embraced the Australian spirit of a ‘fair go’ for all and has since been engaged in a number of activities promoting diversity and cultural exchange, including Chinese language teaching and mixed-team dragon boat racing.

Hanna Cormick

General Board Member

Hanna Cormick joined the Rebus Board in May 2020. She brings with her a history as an international theatre-creator and performer, as well as her lived-experience as a disabled artist with atypical access needs.

Hanna is a performance artist and curator, with a background in physical theatre, dance, circus and interdisciplinary art. She is a graduate of École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq and Charles Sturt University’s Acting degree. Hanna’s practice has spanned many genres and continents over twenty years, including as a founding member of Australian interdisciplinary art-science group Last Man To Die, one half of Parisian cirque-cabaret duo Les Douleurs Exquises, and as a mask artist in France and Indonesia. Her current practice is a reclamation of body through radical visibility.

Michael White

Acting Secretary

Michael White joined the Rebus Board in May 2021. Michael has been involved in the arts as a theatre practitioner and advocate for over 40 years. He studied Drama at Flinders University and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Drama (Performance) in 1973. In 1979 he moved to Canberra and worked as an actor with the Jigsaw Theatre in Education Company and Canberra Youth Theatre. In 1981 Michael moved to the UK and found work in theatre-in-education projects in Wales. In 1983 he returned to Canberra and worked here as a freelance actor and then moved to Melbourne where he worked as a freelance Assistant Director with Crawford Television.

In 1987 Michael was a co-founder of the Melbourne Workers Theatre, a theatre company that was funded under the Australia Council’s Art in Working Life Policy. In 1989 Michael returned to Canberra where he worked again as a freelance actor and also joined the ACT Arts Council and worked as a Community Arts Officer. Over the years he has worked as a performer with State Theatre Company of SA, Junction Theatre Company (SA), Canberra Theatre Company, People Next Door (ACT) and the ABC. He also worked as a film technician (8 feature films)for the SA Film Corporation.

In 1993 he commenced work in Canberra as an Industrial Officer for the Actors Equity Section of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) the trade union that covers performers and all those who work in the media and entertainment industries. (He had joined Actors Equity in 1974.) In 2000 he became ACT Branch Secretary of the union and he left MEAA in July 2014 after 21 years. During his time at MEAA he also served on the ACT Cultural Council, the ACT Government’s arts advisory body. He is currently the Co-ordinator for The Childers Group, an independent ACT based arts advocacy group.

Paul Marshall

General Board Member

Paul Marshall joined the Rebus Board in October 2021. Paul is a group and experiential coach with a particular interest in coaching and training solutions for neurodiverse teams. Paul’s specialties include team capability development with a focus on trust, accountability, ethics, values and behaviours, culture and mood. Paul has been involved in community theatre for over 30 years - as an actor, director, stage manager, lighting operator and more recently as President of a Queensland theatre that recently celebrated 50 years of continuous operation.

Paul is a Chartered Professional Engineer, has been admitted as a Barrister in the State of Queensland and holds Doctorates from the faculties of Chemical Engineering and Law. Paul has also worked in the areas of risk and compliance with some of Australia’s largest energy companies.

Louise Bannister

General Board Member

Lou Bannister joined the Board in October 2023. Lou moved to Canberra in 1991. She has been advocating for herself and other people with disabilities most of her life, and has been working in the ACT disability community sector for 25 years.

Lou is passionate about the right for individual choice and control, and creating a fully inclusive community through mentoring, education, advocacy, leadership, and innovative design and solutions. She was awarded the ACT Chief Minister’s Award for Inclusion by an Individual in 2012.

Lou has served on number of Boards and Ministerial Advisory Councils. Lou works closely with ACT Health and ACT Ministers to improve the disability community’s access to health, housing, education, arts and services. Lou is a Professional Associate to the College of Adjuncts at University of Canberra.

Lou loves music and the arts. She uses music and performances to help manage her anxiety and depression.

Long Serving Past Board Members

Simone Penkethman

Former President

Simone joined the Rebus Board in October 2016 and was President from early 2017-November 2019. She has a strong history and wealth of experience in the Arts and Community sectors in Canberra. Having worked for Canberra Youth Theatre and Canberra Arts Marketing in the 90’s and Naughties, Simone took up the role of Arts Officer at Belconnen Community Service (BCS) in 2009. She has since thrived in a number of roles in at BCS, most recently Communications and Community Development Manager.

Simone‘s unique and valuable perspective, keen business sense, and knowledge of governance systems and protocol have been invaluable to the company over her tenure on the board.  Her stalwart leadership and guidance has helped us through a time of much change and growth and the Rebus management team would like to thank Simone for her sage advice and ongoing support for Rebus’ vision.

Craig Wallace

Former Vice President

Craig has been involved in Rebus from the very beginning through his work at Nican, a disability information and referral service that acquired the initial funding for the project that led to our development as a company. He joined the Rebus board in October 2016 and took on the role of Vice President in 2017 serving in that role until November 2019.

Craig also works as the Policy Manager at ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) and has led work on policy, campaigns and advocacy around housing, income support and employment, urban planning, transport, citizen engagement and investments in quality services for the Canberra community. 

With a background in the Australian Public Service including housing policy, leading a community housing association, working in a business chamber and as the President of a national peak disability rights body, Craig is passionate about social justice, human rights and the importance of affordable and accessible housing. Craig has a disability and uses a wheelchair.

Noonee Doronila

Former Treasurer

Noonee Doronila joined the Rebus Board in October 2016 taking up the position of Treasurer. She has served on a number of local boards and committees including the Domestic Violence Prevention Council, the Performing Arts Advisory Committee, the ACT Cultural Council and the Multicultural Women’s Advocacy Committee.

Noonee is a Filipino Australian multicultural artist and has a 30-year career in social work with the Australian Public Service. Since moving to Canberra in 1996, Noonee has been involved in workshops for the development and production of plays, poetry publications and performance poetry focussing on issues of migration and cross-cultural identity.

Noonee has written several plays and edited two community poetry books. She was a recipient of an Asialink Literature Residency in the Philippines. In 2007, she was an International Women’s Day awardee by the ACT Government, for her contribution to multicultural arts. She is also a recipient of the Canberra Critics Circle Award 2007 for Theatre for writing and directing Manila Takeaway. In 2015, she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to the community through social welfare and cultural organisations.

Alana Foster

Former Treasurer

Alana Foster joined the Rebus Board in November 2019 taking up the position of Treasurer. Alana has 30 years’ experience as an accountant, auditor, senior executive and consultant working with public sector agencies and boards, supporting people to deliver quality outcomes that make a difference through strong governance, planning, financial management, legal compliance, transparency and accountability.

She also volunteers her time on the Lids4Kids Australia Board as the founding President and Treasurer of this popular charity that works with Australian families, schools, communities and businesses to rescue plastic and aluminium lids for recycling, that would otherwise end up in landfill and waterways.

She currently mentors students with challenging life circumstances studying drama and humanities at the Australian Catholic University through the St Vincent De Paul’s Clemente Program.

Alana is a passionate supporter of the theatre and advocate for the cast and stories representing the wider community including those with a disability. Alana is helping to build and grow the company and to secure ongoing long-term funding arrangements.

Rebus acknowledges the Ngunnawal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, and pays our respect to elders past, present and emerging.

We practice radical empathy through theatre and other arts to stimulate healing and provoke social and environmental change. Together with our donors and friends, Rebus is embarking on a bold new path to reach more of our marginalised than ever before. Play your own part by making a tax deductible donation to support our mission here!

Donate to Rebus!