Sea of Light

Geoff Cobham is one of Australia’s leading culture professionals with over 40 years’ experience collaborating in all forms of theatre.

His artistic reputation both nationally and internationally comes from an outstanding multi-award-winning career working with several of Australia’s foremost arts organisations and events. He spent ten years as Associate Director of dance theatre Force Majeure, five years as resident designer at State Theatre Company South Australia and has worked in senior management roles at Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and WOMAD.

Geoff founded Bluebottle in 1998, an award-winning lighting design company which integrates outstanding lighting design into theatres, galleries, installations, architecture, exhibitions and music.

He has a long and notable history with Patch Theatre, having worked on a variety of productions including The Fastest Boy, Emily Loves to Bounce and Me & My Shadow before taking the reins as Artistic Director in 2018. Over the past four years Geoff has created in-theatre works ZOOOM, I Wish… and Home and installation works The Lighthouse, Sea of Light, Superluminal and Wonderverse.

Michelle Maddog Delaney is a maker of things. Places, spaces, feelings and things – forests in disused buildings, themed bars and bespoke furniture, shattering plaster BMX wheels, Ediacaran based décor, rocket stands and giant cocoons, and more. She has worked as a designer, production manager, builder, scenic artist, stage manager, sourcer and sorcerer for major companies, festivals and independent artists. She likes nothing better than working in great teams to produce beautiful experiences. She is currently Creative Associate at Patch Theatre and, with Geoff Cobham, has co-designed all of Patch’s shows since 2019. Maddog’s design credits include Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2018–2021, Dark Mofo 2018 & 2019, Adelaide Festival 2013–2016, Darwin Festival 2010– 2015, Adelaide Fringe 2007–2009, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2012, Red Sky Morning – State Theatre Company of South Australia (2016), and co-design with Meg Wilson on Life is Short and Long – Emma Beech and Vitalstatistix (2016).

Wendy has done set and costume design for a variety of performing arts companies and has done everything else from site co-ordination to prop maker and scenic artist. Set and Costume Designer Credits include: Worldhood [Australian Dance Theatre], One [Tutti], Skip Miller [Brink Productions], The Little Green Tractor [Patch Theatre], Ruby Bruise [The Misery Children & Vitalstatistix], Harbinger [Brink Productions], Man Covets Bird [Slingsby], Superheroes [Stone/Castro Productions], The Hypochondriac [Brink Productions], Freaky [Cirkidz & Circus Monoxide], After The End [Adelaide Fringe 09], Beetle Graduation [Brink Productions), The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy [Slingsby 2007], and Three Men in a Tub [Fringe 2009]. Other roles have included Designer and builder of Travelling Street Theatre, Assistant Designer for the Persian Garden, [Adelaide Festival of Arts Nightclub 2008 & 2006]. Site Coordinator [WOMADelaide 07], Prop Maker & Scenic Artist [Moonlantern Parade 2007–2009, Fringe Parade 2009, Windmill Performing Arts, State Theatre Company of SA, Australian Dance Theatre and Performing Lines Wicked The Musical].

Soulfully inspired, multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, Rob Edwards combines the moving melodies of jazz, blues and R&B with the powerful art of storytelling to create a unique and authentic sound, sure to leave a lasting impression.

Rob combines his passion for culture and Indigenous roots and his family's story through the stolen generation, with his heavy influences of new wave soul makers Hiatus Kaiyote, Jordan Rakei, and Tom Misch to bring impactful messages supported by head-bopping grooves and tonal explorations. An ever-expanding sonic journey of raw emotion.

It has been an impactful few years for Rob, recently supporting artists such as Ash Grunwald, Budjerah, Jack Botts, Barkaa, Hot Potato Band, and WILSN. Also sharing stages with artists like King Stingray, Vika & Linda, and Christine Anu, as well as performances at Harvest Rock Festival 22' the Jobs & Skills Summit 22' at Parliament House Canberra, appearing at NSS stage WOMADelaide 23', Yabaardu Festival 22', 23' and South Australia’s NYE Light Up Festival. Not to mention multiple finalist for Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist in the SA Music Awards 21’ and 22’.

Elizabeth Yanyi Close was an Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Language Groups, whose family links are to the communities of Pukutja and Amata in the APY Lands.

Elizabeth was born in Adelaide but grew up in outback SA, returning to Adelaide to complete her secondary schooling, and attend University to complete a Bachelor of Nursing and a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing. Elizabeth worked as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department of a busy Adelaide Metropolitan Hospital for a decade, while using art as a means of processing the intergenerational trauma and its impact on her family.

In 2007, Elizabeth began to paint professionally and exhibit her work throughout Adelaide and her practice organically grew as she balanced nursing, art and motherhood. By 2014 she had built up a full-time arts practice, and after the birth of their second child, Elizabeth and her husband decided to move home to the APY so that they could immerse their children in their culture and language.

Patch Theatre acknowledges the lasting contribution of Elizabeth's artwork in our installation Sea of Light.

Alex is an Adelaide-based technician, working across lighting, sound, and av; specialising in technical/system design. Alex started tech at high school to try and skip class, but it ended up becoming something he fell in love with and eventually turned into a career. Since then, he has worked across theatre, film, live music and events for companies including Patch Theatre, Windmill Theatre Company, Australian Dance Theatre, Restless Dance Theatre, Gravity & Other Myths, Marvel Studios and more. He first worked with Patch during a high school work experience placement. He came in for a week of creative development on The Moon’s a Balloon and helped to build set and lighting elements of the show. After getting into the industry as an adult he found his way back to Patch and has become the System Designer, Touring Technician and Operator on most of Patch’s shows/productions.

James Oborn is a composer, sound designer and technician from Adelaide, Australia. He trained at Adelaide College of the Arts. James specialises in creating soundtracks for theatre productions, dance, short films, and has begun working on his first video game soundtrack.

Recent work includes Sea of Light [Patch Theatre], Barbaros [Lina Limosani], Guthrak [Under the Microscope], Weight [Jasmine McWatters] and Precious Things [Temeka Lawlor].

James starts his compositions at the piano, but enjoys working with a huge range of styles and sounds. ethasound.com is his home on the web for releasing personal projects, under the alias Etha. His music is freely available and released under a Creative Commons licence.