The Wind Telephone

About the artists 

Danni Ashton

Danni is based in the Southern Midlands with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Performing Arts from Edith Cowan University has directed, performed, produced and state managed many plays, musicals, for over 30 years with Western Australian and Hobart theatre companies Burning Skye Productions, Roleystone, Old Mill, Harbour, Melville, Playlovers, Goldfields Rep, Limelight, Garrick, Marloo, Blak Yak, Stirling, Whiplash, Hobart Repertory and Hamley Productions. Danni has also worked in the Community Services space for around 20 years. 

Danni has directed a numerous amount of award winning and successful productions, which include Indian Summer for Playlovers (2007 Best Overall Production, ITA Dramafest), The Sum of Us for Old Mill (Second Placed Best Play, 2008 Finley Awards), A One Night Stand-Off for Garrick Theatre (Best Overall Production, Best Director, Southwest Drama Festival), The Return for KADS (2008 Best Overall Production, ITA Dramafest), A Streetcar Named Desire for Old Mill (Second Placed Best Play, 2009 Finley Awards), Trainspotting for KADS (2009 Best Director, ITA Dramafest) The Boys for Old Mill Theatre, Black and White for Old Mill (2010 Best Director, Southwest Drama Festival. Best Overall Production, Hillsfest) The Woman in Black for Stirling Theatre Players, Company for Old Mill Theatre and Gypsy for Marloo Theatre. Devised pieces are Pickles for Blue Room Theatre and Black and White for Burning Skye Productions.

Danni has directed several times for Hobart Repertory Theatre, plays include Two for Onefest in 2012 for which she won the Most Promising Director award, Peter Pan 2013, The Talented Mr Ripley 2014 and Educating Rita 2017. Recently in 2019 Danni Assistant Directed and Stage-Managed Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues for Hobart Repertory Theatre and then in 2023 co-directed Stephanie Briarwood’s Tasmanian written Jingled with Mel King, 

Danni was also Vice President of the Independent Theatre Association in Western Australia for four years and board member of the Old Mill Theatre board for 3 years.

Melissa King

Mel King is a graduate of Theatre Nepean 1991. She is an actor, voice over artist, director, puppeteer and has appeared in corporate videos TV and film. In theatre Mel has performed with Riverina Theatre Co, Canberra Theatre Co, Siren Theatre Co, and REM Theatre. Joining Terrapin Puppet Theatre in 1994, Mel has performed in more than a dozen shows touring nationally and internationally and was nominated in the best actor category for The Tasmanian Theatre Awards for her role in the The Riddle of Washpool Gully. Since permanently moving to Hobart in 2003, Mel has performed with Blue Cow Theatre, Big Monkey Theatre, Tasmanian Theatre Company, Tasmania Performs, Mudlark, Ten Days on the Island and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. In 2024 Mel won best performance professional theatre for her solo performance in Every Brilliant Thing. Her short film credits include Our Man in Tasmania, Knit One, The Promising and Sound Blocks Pain. Her feature credits include First Fagin, Arctic Blast and The Wiggles Movie. She has puppeteered for TV on Farscape and The Wiggles and acted in Deadloch The Gloaming ( Stan), Rosehaven( ABC)G.P (ABC), Fallen Angels( ABC) and Home and Away(7).

She has been a member of Actors Equity since 1991.

Ivano Del Pio 

Ivano is based in Hobart and is an award-winning performer who has worked extensively in theatre, film and voice in Tasmania for 22 years.

He has acted for many companies including Blue Cow Theatre Company (The Tempest, Don Juan), Loudmouth Theatre Company (Jekyll and Hyde, How To Hold Your Breath), Tasmania Performs (It’s A Dad Thing), Tasmanian Theatre Company (readings; Broken Valley, The Danger Age), Hamley Productions (Alice’s Adventures Underground), React and Act (The Laramie Project, Craig Wellington Productions and TTUT (Spamalot), Bijou Creative (My Fair Lady).

Some film credits include the recently awarded Tabernacle (New York City’s Chain Film Festival Best Drama Short and Runner Up Judges Choice BOFA), Best Kept Secret, Dog of a Job and The First Fagan. Ivano was the voice of Buzz Bumble in The Buzz Bumble Show (Blue Rocket Productions and Channel 9GO).

He has had successful appearances on The Chefs’ Line and Gourmet Farmer (SBS), Gruen and Rosehaven (ABC).

Ivano has had some directorial experience as Assistant Director for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (Tasmanian Theatre Company) and Director of Flame (Limelight Productions). Ivano was also on the Tasmanian Theatre Company Board and founder of The Tasmanian International Storytelling Festival.