Grace Spinks (she/her) creator/ director

Grace Spinks is a Brisbane based singer-songwriter who blends folk, musical theatre, and contemporary music. Grace recently graduated from the QLD Conservatorium of Music, and in the past year for Grace has performed at Woodford Folk Festival, begun staging her own events, and put on a run of preview shows for her original musical, ‘The Middle Room.’ With a fresh set of original music, inspired by her travels and the stories that she grew up with, Grace is an exciting young creative to watch. 

 

 

 

 

AJ Betts (they/them) playing Louise

AJ is in their third and final year at the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT). They have been performing for over 15 years, starting off in youth choirs and theatre groups in Indonesia and Singapore, before immigrating to Brisbane in 2014.

Their university credits include Alternate Richie Walters in ‘A Chorus Line’ and featured performer in ‘Songs for a New World’. Before QAEMT, AJ was heavily involved in community theatre, with roles including Moritz Stiefel in ‘Spring Awakening’ and Rusty in ‘Footloose’. In 2021, they recieved the JMC Academy Martini Award for Best Actress for their short film debut in ‘Lola Cooper Needs a Boyfriend’. They’re so stoked to bring this beautiful show to life.

 

 

 

Kate Hudson-James (she/her) playing Rae

 

Kate Hudson-James hails from Toowoomba and is a recent graduate of the Griffith Conservatorium’s Bachelor of Musical Theatre. Performance highlights from university include Carrie in Carrie the Musical and Bebe Benzenheimer in A Chorus Line.

Kate has recently performed at Woodford Folk Festival and is starring as Juliet in the Empire Theatre’s 2026 production of &Juliet. Kate’s passion for performance is rooted in writing and storytelling, and she is so excited to share the gorgeous music and lyricism of The Middle Room. You can follow her work on instagram at @katehudsonjames.

 

 

Chloe Flannagan (she/her), playing Elizabeth

Chloe Flanagan is a bubbly, creative performer who people have been laughing at – ‘with’ is neither here nor there – since her birth. Originally from the Gold Coast, Chloe began singing, songwriting, playing guitar, and playing piano from eight years old.

She is a 2025 graduate of the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre’s Bachelor of Musical Theatre program, where she played Judy Turner in ‘A Chorus Line’, Helen/Sue Snell understudy in ‘Carrie: The Musical’, and Rosemary in scenes from ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’.

 

 

 

 

Charlie Green (he/him) – musician, electric and upright bass

Charlie Green is a Brisbane-based electric and upright bass player; he specialises in jazz, and has a strong background in rock, funk, fusion and Latin music. Starting out playing in blues trios while he was in high school, he slowly got hooked on jazz after seeing several shows by local Brisbane artists.

He has spent the past few years honing his musical talent and working his way into Brisbane’s local music scene. In the past year Charlie has graced the stages of the Brisbane Festival (in modern jazz and Latin quartets led by Max Irvin and Milly Sargeant), the Brisbane International Jazz Festival (playing with the Afro-Cuban jazz collective Orquesta Con Alma, led by internationally renowned Dr. Chris Stover), and Brisbane City Hall (as part of Martes en Marte, a 14-piece salsa group led Ethan Coleman). Additionally, he has played a miriad of smaller shows with his jazz fusion quartet Squibs, many jazz standards gigs, and two musicals (QAEMT’s and QCGU’s award winning production of A Chorus Line and Grace Spinks’ independent production of The Middle Room).

Charlie is currently completing a Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Queensland Conservatorium.

 

Jack Flannagan (He/him) 

Jack through the years has pursued every chance he got, receiving roles like Jack Kelly (Newsies), Emmett Forrest (Legally Blonde), Christopher Boone (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime) and more! Taking training at places like Pineapple Studios and the Sondheim Theatre in London, with vocal lessons and acting coaching in Australia for numerous years. Jack has followed his passion for musical theatre wherever it’s taken him, and here he is now, he hopes you love our show!

 

 

 

Olivia French (she/her) playing Mary

Olivia French is a Gold Coast performer who has spent more than ten years bringing stories to life on stages across Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland. Some of her previous stage credits with companies such as Encore Theatre, Ballarat National Theatre and Ballarat Lyric Theatre included Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, and the title role of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. She later revisited this role in the Webby Award Honouree podcast adaptation, which she co-created, assistant directed and narrated. Her audio work also includes co-directing the Peter Pan podcast and serving as creative director for Raven Mad.

Since settling in Queensland, Olivia has portrayed Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Shelby in Steel Magnolias and Irene Adler in Moriarty. A teacher by day and storyteller at heart, she is delighted to bring Mary to life and to help share the world of The Middle Room with audiences.

 

Maggie Barret-Beck (she/her) Swing

Margaret (Maggie) Barrett-Beck is a Brisbane-based creative who is ready and raring to make her name in the performing arts industry. From the age of 4, Maggie has made her deep passion for musical theatre her reality. Throughout 2025 and 2026 Maggie has been a part of the QAEMT Pre-Tertiary Program at QPAC, School of Rock through Passion Productions, and is thrilled to join the cast of The Middle Room for the Brisbane Anywhere Festival. Having graduated from High School in just 2025, she is continually building on her performance experience and skills and is seeking every opportunity to do so.

Maggie puts her own heart, soul, and personal stamp on the stories that she gets to tell in this beautiful art form that we call musical theatre.

 

Ethan Coleman (he/him) playing jaime

Sid ‘SJ’ Bromley Jazz Award recipient Ethan Coleman is a performer, composer and educator, and a Bachelor in Music graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Ethan is an active member of the Brisbane music scene, performing with a multitude of bands across many genres, including pop, rock, jazz and Cuban. Recently, Ethan has performed as a pianist in the Ipswich Musical Theatre Company’s 2025 production of A Little Night Music, where his contribution was hailed as ‘beautifully performed’ by reviewers (Stage Buzz Brisbane). Ethan has performed in many of the city’s premier venues and is frequently called on as a session musician for studio recordings, most recently as pianist for Brisbane artist Pygmalion’s EP, ‘Instrumental VGM, Vol. 3’. Currently nurturing the talents of multiple students at his growing private teaching studio in Pullenvale, Ethan is looking forward to travelling overseas to further expand his skills, and eventually pursuing a Masters of Music. He is an avid reader and cinema-goer, and can often be found lost in a bookstore. For more information visit @ethan_coleman_music on Instagram.