About Us
About Us
Founded by Madeleine Gandhi and Sean Landis in 2021, Fruit Box Theatre is an independent LGBTQIA+SB theatre company based on Gadigal Land (Sydney, Australia). Our mission is to strengthen queer representation, wellbeing, and collaboration in the arts.
We develop and produce original works that explore the spectrum of queer life – beyond tropes of shame, isolation and discomfort. Our community-based practice aims to strengthen intersectional representation, artist wellbeing, and collaboration in Australia’s arts sector.
Fruit Box takes original creative works from conception to fruition by partnering and connecting with our community. You can learn about our past and current projects by clicking the links below.
Meet the Team
-
Madeleine Gandhi (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Director
hello@fruitboxtheatre.com.au
Madeleine (she/her) is a producer, lawyer and the General Manager of social enterprise Stage A Change. She was previously the General Manager of Darlinghurst Theatre Company and worked in the legal team of a national theatrical production company.
She has produced work at the Sydney Opera House, Griffin Theatre, Hayes Theatre, Kings Cross Theatre and Darlinghurst Theatre Company. She is a Green Room Awards judge, ArtsHub contributor and Non-Executive Director of literary journal The Suburban Review.
Madeleine is passionate about advancing the rights of artists and facilitating opportunities to share authentic Australian stories.
-
Sean Landis (he/him)
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
hello@fruitboxtheatre.com.au
Sean (he/him) is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Fruit Box Theatre. He is a director/producer with experience in Sydney’s independent theatre scene and a passion for new queer Australian work. Over the past 12 months he has led the Fruit Box RIPE Development Program in the creation of five new productions which were presented during Sydney WorldPride.
In 2021 he was recognised by Out for Australia’s “30 under 30 Awards” for his work to platform diverse LGBTQIA+ voices in theatre. Sean is the Marketing Manager at Performance Space, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney.
-
Courtney Henson (she/they)
Access Coordinator
producer@fruitboxtheatre.com.au
Courtney Henson is a driven performer, researcher, and access co-ordinator with a passion for performance, not-for-profit work, and disability advocacy. They recently graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Hons. 1st Class) after completing their thesis on Social Performance and Disability.
They have extensive experience working with artists and not-for-profits and have a desire to address the inaccessibility of the Australian theatre and performance sector through their research and accessibility coordination work.
Our Values
INTEGRITY
We are committed to learning from and listening to our community. Constructive conversations are welcome so please do not hesitate to email us if you have any comments, suggestions or feedback.
Creatives are selected for our programs by the Artistic Director and Managing Director through a merit-based application process. Criteria is clearly specified in Expressions of Interest and feedback is provided upon request.
RESPECT
The process of navigating identity politics in a rehearsal room requires respect, trust and a commitment to learning and unlearning. We ask all participants in our programs to treat different perspectives with empathy and open-mindedness.
We aim to be as representative of Sydney’s rainbow community as possible. Racist, transphobic, sexist, biphobic, ableist, homophobic or otherwise discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated. Any grievances should be communicated to the Artistic Director or Managing Director as soon as possible.
COMMUNITY
Fruit Box Theatre facilitates a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+SB artists to heal, share and express themselves through storytelling. Through doing so, we seek to promote connection and wellbeing within Sydney’s LGBTQIA+SB community.
Our Supporters
Our Partners
Our Awards
