The founding members of Backstage Productions Oz have written, directed and performed in stage productions across Europe, the USA, the UK and Australia. Their goal is to now enable creative talent to fulfill their ambitions in community theatre. Empowering the varied elements of local performance with a blueprint for exciting theatre experiences.
They are producer Gaye MacFarlane, and playwrights Lucy Twomey and Brian Twomey.
The playwrights have written two each of the four plays that will feature in the inaugural November 2025 short play season to be performed at Gulgong’s historic Prince of Wales Opera House. Built more than 150 years ago, it is the oldest still-operating Opera House in the Southern Hemisphere.
About Us
Gaye Macfarlane - Producer
As a 14-year-old Gaye’s ambition was to be a singer. This dream paid off as an 11-year student she was given the chance to join the TV channel 9 show Sound of Music. Then Gaye scored a successful audition for the musical Evita. From that point onwards her career followed the “yellow brick road” of musicals. Invited to Germany to audition, she was bound for Berlin having won the coveted role of Velma in Chicago.
For 11 productive years from 2007, Gaye was in demand as an agent for opera singers in Germany. She credits this time as giving her the organisational skills and knowledge of production to enable her to produce, not only her own shows, but also those for other organisations. Gaye sums up her career as follows: “It echoes the lyrics - ‘Then you career from career to career’ - of the Sondheim song ‘I’m Still Here’ from the musical Follies. My life has been enriched with a myriad of experiences ranging from opera to musicals and even rock ‘n roll.”
Lucy Twomey - Playwright
Educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and London, Lucy trained in dance and drama in London. She starred in Working by Studs Terkel in Boston USA and appeared in the Sydney production of the Vagina Monologues. Lucy also featured in Sydney Dance Company’s blockbuster ballet, Berlin. She has written two plays and played Coco Chanel in the Blackheath Theatre Company’s highly successful production of More than a Little Black Dress. Trained as a journalist, Lucy worked in London on the world’s largest selling woman’s magazine. Arriving in Australia she became section editor on the Australian newspaper and then a researcher and script editor with SBS television.
Brian Twomey - Playwright
Born in Ireland, but educated in England, Brian started his working life as a journalist in London before moving into public relations and marketing. His entire career has been devoted to delivering the written word, doing so in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. His promotion credits range across sectors such as aviation, technology, finance and the arts. Brian has written two plays and is currently finishing a novel.
