ABOUT US
Our mantra is to place young people at the centre of the story, both in those we tell onstage and those that make up our local industry. We’re all about creating professional opportunities for emerging artists. Known for visceral, design-led work and a fierce commitment to artist development, we create high-calibre productions where young creatives are mentored, supported and challenged. As a pre-professional theatre company, our goal is to set the standard for what’s possible when emerging artists are taken seriously.
WE ARE...
Pre-Professional
Ribix Productions is an independent, pre-professional theatre company fiercely committed to creating work that looks, feels, and runs like professional theatre, even as we grow towards it. Our goal is to become a fully professional company, where every artist is remunerated with industry standard wages for their craft. Making that jump from amateur to professional is hard, especially for young companies like ours. We’re not there yet… but we’re on the way.
Right now, we operate using a project-specific, Equity-approved profit share model. Every cast and crew member is paid equally, regardless of experience or training. Our rehearsal rooms run to professional standards, our expectations are high, and our belief is simple: just because we’re small, doesn’t mean we play small.
Design-Led
Ribix is a company fuelled by “theatre magic”. We’re obsessed with how each show looks, feels, and sounds, from the holistic design all the way through to tiny hidden surprises. In each project, we strive for that soft gasp from the audience, the delight at a moment of beauty that has taken them by surprise.
To achieve this, we work closely with designers from the very beginning, shaping the world and atmosphere of a show long before rehearsals even begin. Ours is a collaborative process across all areas of design, so that every part of the show is intertwined. Our approach is playful and deeply creative, bringing wide-eyed curiosity to creating living pictures onstage.
Artist-Focused
We’re fiercely and deeply committed to our artists, onstage and off, and this is evident in each step of the production process.
Artist development is at the forefront of our creative practice. Each project has mentoring opportunities built in, with experienced actors and theatre practitioners directly mentoring our emerging artists throughout the production process. We specifically collaborate with young theatre practitioners, building an atmosphere where they are supported, challenged, and trusted. We’re setting the benchmark for what happens when emerging artists aren’t just invited in — they’re running the room.
We’re dedicated to creating the rehearsal room we wished we’d walked into sooner. One that is welcoming, inclusive, accessible, deeply playful and imaginative.
MEET THE TEAM
Rachel Pengilly
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Rachel Pengilly is an award-winning director, actor, writer, and educator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Bachelor of Secondary Education from the University of Canberra, receiving the Chancellors Commendation.
Rachel made her mainstage directorial debut in 2023 with her original play Legacies, as part of the Q the Locals seasons at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre.
Rachel currently works as the Drama teacher at Narrabundah College, where she recently directed Puffs, which won three Combined Area Theatre awards including Best Production and Best Director of a School or Youth Play, and was nominated for a further seven.
Working across theatre, film and television, highlights of Rachel’s acting career include the multi-award-winning and internationally acclaimed short Comments (dir. Danielle Baynes); the 2024 Naarm tour of I Have No Enemies (dir. Christopher Samuel Carroll), after appearing in the initial workshop and subsequent Canberra premiere; and Echo Theatre’s 2021 production of Wolf Lullaby (dir. Jordan Best), where her portrayal of nine-year-old Lizzie received critical acclaim (and serious concerns because everyone thought she was actually a child).
Rachel is represented by Kermond Management and is a proud member of MEAA Actors Equity.
Shannon Parnell
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Shannon is a multi-award-nominated musician, singer, composer, songwriter and dancer. She has composed for a range of different mediums, including theatre, dance, film, and video games.
She was most recently nominated for Best Original Work in the Combined Area Theatre awards for her compositions and sound design in Legacies (Ribix Productions). Her theatre highlights include composing and lyric-writing for Foxes: The Musical, for which she was nominated the Patricia Kelson Encouragement Award, also in the Combined Area Theatre Awards, and incidental music composition for The Train Station (Ribix Productions). Her compositions and sound design can be heard onstage in Canberra this year in a variety of (currently secret) projects.
Music aside, Shannon has worked across theatre and film in a range of performing, backstage, and administrative roles. Her performance highlights include lead roles in The Melody, Campbell Media’s multi-award winning short film, and Mortis Lux by Will Scott which was selected for Canberra Short Film Festival and Far South Film Festival. When she’s not composing music, Shannon spends her time training in street dance, Taekwondo, and working her day job as a physiotherapist.
Hannah Pengilly
COMPANY STAGE MANAGEMENT
Hannah Pengilly is an accomplished stage manager, movement director, and actor with a passion for the performing arts. Hannah studied Stage Management at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) in Sydney, Australia. She also brings a combined 14 years of training in ballet, contemporary, and jazz, developing a strong foundation in movement and expression. Hannah has also honed her acting skills through five years of theatrical training and two years of intensive coaching with acting coach Fiona Hopkins.
Since the inception of Ribix Productions in 2016, Hannah has been an integral part of the company. Most recently, she worked as Stage Management and Movement Director for the Australian Premiere of Peter/Wendy, co-produced by Ribix Productions and Lexi Sekuless Productions. She was also actively involved in the creative process of Legacies for which she was also Movement Director and Stage Manager.
Beyond the stage, Hannah is a recognised social media influencer, having collaborated with prestigious brands such as Disney, Marvel, Screen Australia, Sony Music, Apple, Samsung, and more. Her online presence has allowed her to connect with a diverse audience and share her passion for the performing arts.
OUR STORY
Ribix Productions was formed in 2015 by Rachel Pengilly and Shannon Parnell with a simple idea: that no one should feel incapable because of their age. Young people have big ideas that are so rarely realised and we set out to challenge this in the performing arts industry. Our inaugural production of The Train Station hit the Canberra “stage” (and by that, we mean a little church hall in Belconnen) in early 2016 and was seen by approximately 130 people over 3 nights.
In 2018, our first main-stage production Foxes: The Musical premiered at Belconnen Community Theatre (an actual stage this time), enjoying a sold out run and rave reviews from audience members. Over the next year, we developed a series of smaller projects, including the experimental dance project If I Could Only and the devised theatre festival Stage Devision. After five years of workshops and developments, our next major project Legacies was staged in 2023 at the Q (an actual professional stage!) and was Ribix’s debut mainstage production, launching our small company as a main player in Canberra’s independent theatre scene.
10 years on and our focus is shifting. Whilst it’s still core to who we are as a company, we don’t exclusively present new and original works. Our focus instead is on creating innovative and imaginative theatre, led by design, that welcomes, challenges and supports young artists.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
For upcoming auditions, ticket sales, and project information, head to our What’s On page by clicking on the button below.
For information about joining our team and making sure you’re in the loop, get in touch! Head to our Contact Us page by clicking on the button below.