Ian Lawson
Artistic Director/CEO
Ian Lawson is a multi award-winning Queensland based Director and Dramaturg who has had a focus on new Australian work for over two decades. As Artistic Director/CEO of Playlab Theatre, Ian has transformed the organisation into a progressive new-writing theatre, developing and directing the critically acclaimed Blue Bones, The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek and Magpie. Ian has also worked for numerous other organisations including: Queensland Music Festival, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Theatre Company, PWA, University of Queensland, JUTE Theatre, Griffith University, Zen Zen Zo and Screen Queensland. Ian was the Associate Director at La Boite (2002 – 2008), where he managed the Creative and Professional Development programs and directed numerous productions including My Love Had a Black Speed Stripe, Urban Dingoes, The Pineapple Queen, The Danger Age and The Narcissist, which also had a season for the Sydney Theatre Company.
Danielle Carter
Program Manager
Dr. Danielle Carter is the Program Manager at Playlab. Danielle completed her doctorate titled Envisaged, invited and actual audiences: A new model to approach audience research in Australian community-engaged performance projects at Queensland University of Technology in 2019. She was the Managing Director at Brisbane Youth Theatre (2016 – 2019). During her PhD Candidature, Danielle supervised undergraduate students in Creative Industries Work Integrated Learning Projects: Positive Mindset Creative Arts Festival and Queensland Music Festival’s Under This Sky. From 2007-2014, Danielle worked in financial services in Sydney, London, Melbourne and Brisbane. She trained in Meisner Technique at The Actors Pulse in Redfern, Sydney and in screen acting at Screenwise under Denise Roberts.
Madeleine Border
Program Associate
Madeleine Border is a Meanjin/Brisbane theatre maker, performer and writer. A voice that mixes political satire and quirky dialogue, she writes to provoke, intrigue and amuse. She was Playlab Theatre’s Young Playwright-in-Residence (2019), Backbone Youth Arts resident artist (2019), Express Media’s Left to Write Program participant (2020), Playlab Theatre commissioned writer for Rising (2021), Incubator Program participant (2021), Dead Puppet Society Academy Program participant (2022) and Assistant Director on Counterpilot’s Breaking (2022). Madeleine’s theatre collective, Yours Sincerely, creates experiential live theatre; Sometimes it’s Hot like the Sun (2018), This Fantastic Plastic Planet (2019) and Deep Breath In (2022). After doing a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Political Science, she completed her Masters of Writing, Editing and Publishing at UQ in 2019.
Geoff Winter
Finance Officer
Geoffrey Winter holds a Bachelor of Commerce (UQ) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He has spent time working in commerce, business services and tax and also spent several seasons working with the team at the Queensland Theatre Company. As the finance officer, Geoffrey thoroughly enjoys working with the talented and creative team at Playlab and always looks forward to the new works being nurtured and produced. Geoffrey also holds his Bachelor of Music (Musical Theatre) from the Queensland Conservatorium and has toured Australia as a performer in several national tours; The Rocky Horror show (GFO), The Bodyguard (GFO), Scooby Doo Warner Brothers (LifeLike Touring) to name a few.
Seán Dowling
Graphic Designer
Seán Dowling is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator who specialises arts organisations. A fixture in the Brisbane arts ecology for the last decade she designs for prominent local organisations such as Brisbane Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, Museum of Brisbane, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Camerata, Playlab Theatre, La Boite and Dead Puppet Society. As visual designer and illustrator Seán has been attached to numerous Counterpilot productions such Avoidable Perils (2020), Spectate (2017) and Crunch Time (2018) which was the winner of The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work.