OUR BOARD
Roxanne Smith
Sydney, NSW
Eora Nation
Chairperson
Born in New Zealand and raised in Albury, Roxanne completed a B.A. Design for Theatre and Television at Charles Sturt University, Wagga. She commenced her career working in creative roles and event delivery with regional and city theatre companies and venues including Riverina Theatre Company, Wagga Civic Theatre, Riverina Playhouse, City Recital Hall and Sydney Opera House.
In Sydney Roxanne was dedicated to the planning and delivery of high-level events, most significantly as Event Account Manager at Sydney Opera House overseeing large scale Forecourt concerts and Vivid Live. Roxanne has also toured theatre performances across Australia and the UK including performances for young audiences and pantomime. Whilst based in the UK she also worked on the Edinburgh Fringe and Edinburgh Christmas Festivals.
Roxanne returned to the Riverina as Venue Coordinator of the Wagga Civic Theatre expanding the Theatre Hire program and process as well as greatly improving the artist and audience experiences. This then drove Roxanne to relocate to Victoria to lead the operations of the existing historic Union Theatre in Wonthaggi and establish venue operations for the new cultural centre on Phillip Island – Berninneit. Following the Victorian adventure Roxanne headed to the Darwin Entertainment Centre as Head of Operations and Acting CEO.
Roxanne is now applying her organisational prowess to Opera Australia as Technical Director, leading technical planning and delivery, facilities and logistics and the magical world of manufacturing.
Alison Nadebaum
Hobart, TAS
muwinina Country
Treasurer
Alison studied arts management at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Management.
She started her career in Perth’s small-to-medium sector, holding roles in administration, finance, project and venue management, and producing at organisations including Deckchair Theatre, Thin Ice Productions, and ARTRAGE. She spent the next decade in NSW, holding a variety of roles at Sydney Opera House across the areas of event delivery, commercial enterprises, ticketing, and special events. Alison subsequently led the business management and operations for Sydney Opera House Presents, the Opera House’s internal programming and producing department, for five years. Joining the senior team responsible for delivering major business transformation, she was appointed to the inaugural Chief Operating Officer position at State Opera South Australia; before moving to Tasmania – she is currently the Director of People & Culture at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
An experienced facilitator, she frequently designs and leads workshops that leverage a people-centric approach to enhance efficiency and results, and is regularly accessed to provide people-related expertise and insights across the cultural sector. She has also served as a peer assessor for state and federal arts funding administered via Arts Tasmania and Creative Australia.
Alison served as Chair of the OTYP board from 2019 – 2025, and now serves as Treasurer.
Airlie Circuitt
Deniliquin, NSW
Wamba Wamba Perrepa Perrepa Country
Born and raised in Sydney, Airlie studied for a BA in Fine Art at the National Art School, before marrying and moving to a sheep and cattle station on the Lachlan River on the mighty Hay Plains.
Airlie’s long and tireless association with OTYP has seen her involved with the company since 1991. She is passionate about and dedicated to the incredible things the organisation has created for and with the youth of the region.
As a former, elected Hay Shire Councillor, Airlie was honoured for her years of service as a local government member. She was previously the General Manager of Radio 2HAYFM, the Secretary of the Isolated Children’s Parent Association, and the Director of the “Ulonga” Grazing Co. She was appointed the International Services Director for the Rotary Club of Hay, was an inaugural Board Member of Shear Outback, the Australia Shearers’ Hall of Fame, and has been both the Secretary and President of the Riverina Women’s Club.
As a proud parent and grandparent, Airlie, now based in Deniliquin, continues to be actively involved in the community as a classroom volunteer at St Michael’s Primary School and through U3A (University of the Third Age). She brings a strong community,
social and local government networking knowledge to the OTYP board, and is the former Chairperson and current Secretary of South West Arts, the Regional Arts Development Organisation for South West NSW.
Alysha Herrmann
Glossop, SA
Ngarrindjeri Country
Alysha Herrmann lives, loves, and creates from regional South Australia as an independent creative producer, writer, performance-maker, and community organiser, and the co-founder Part of Things. Part of Things is an ideas hub, small co-working space and producer of weird & wonderful creative experiences in regional South Australia. As a creative practitioner, Alysha makes performances, installations, experiences, presentations, poetry, digital exchanges and other creative things in all kinds of strange places, including real-life lounge rooms, train stations and backyards. She works across disciplines in the arts, education, tourism, community development, youth work, social justice and social enterprise
Once upon a time Alysha was a disconnected and very angry high-school dropout and teenage parent who thought the arts was a waste of time and money. Some of that story here.
Alysha is best known for her work collaborating with young people and regional communities and she is a Regional Arts Australia Fellow and an Australian Rural Leadership Program Fellow. Alysha graduated from Deakin University with First Class Honours in Creative Writing in 2024 and a GradCert (Creative Business) from University of Canberra in 2023. She has won multiple awards for her creative and community work, including the Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Ruby Award, and has worked in formal producing and programming roles for Country Arts SA, Carclew, Ramble Arts, Writers SA and others. Alysha currently serves on the boards of Outback Theatre for Young People and Carclew. She also works as a high school Arts & English teacher in regional SA and is the parent of two gender-diverse legends.
Raina Savage
Picton, NSW
Dharawal and Gundungurra Country
Raina has a Master of Arts & Cultural Management from Deakin University, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and over 12 years’ experience running regional theatres, galleries and museums, and delivering arts development projects and place-based festivals across Australia. Raina also has a Bachelor of Arts from Australian National University and was awarded the University Medal along with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons- First Class) from Southern Cross University.
Raina has worked with First Nations Communities for over twenty years as a Native Title Lawyer, as Senior Regional Legal Officer with Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation in remote and regional WA, and through her ongoing business with Wajarri Traditional
Owners – Ethical Engagement Consultancy, which empowers First Nations groups to manage their own native title and cultural heritage matters.
Raina has been a Presenter, Venue Manager and Artistic Director of regional theatres for over eight years. She successfully project managed the setup and launch of Goulburn Performing Arts Centre, including establishing all operational procedures, dynamic programming and community engagement, and is currently doing the same for Wollondilly Shire Council. Raina’s passion is regional Australia and delivering unique, authentic experiences grounded in place and engaging the entire community in creating, experiencing and celebrating the arts.
Raina has a strong record in artistic direction of festivals, community engagement and place activation, demonstrating successful collaboration with key community stakeholders to deliver ongoing community cultural benefit. She developed GFEST Fringe Festival in WA celebrating social, cultural and sexual diversity, into a 10 day event, complete with Speigeltent and outdoor stages, in just 4 years. At Griffith she created MY FEST – Murrumbidgee Youth Xtreem Arts Festival which attracted over 1500 young people and delivered the world premiere of Sunshine Super Girl, by First Nations Writer-Director Andrea James, supported by Yarruwala Wiradjuri Cultural Festival. Co-presented with the local Wiradjuri community, the festival was an inclusive program of exhibitions, performances, cultural tours and workshops presented by Wiradjuri artists, to promote and celebrate Wiradjuri arts and culture across the Western Riverina.