Liz Skitch

At St Margaret’s 1988-1993

Liz Skitch is an award-winning writer, director, producer and performer, specialising in physical comedy and working with a mission to enact social change. After graduating from St Margaret’s, Liz travelled to Japan as a Rotary exchange student where she attended Siebi Girls High School in Gifu for one year. On her return she studied a Bachelor of Arts in Drama at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and went on to further her studies in theatre, specialising in clowning, satire and physical comedy at the School of Philippe Gaulier in London. 

Based in Queensland for the first fifteen years of her career, she co-founded the award-winning independent theatre company Debase Productions, established herself as a skilled writer and devisor of performances for children and young people, and toured the country in shows with Kite Theatre, Queensland Arts Council, ArTour, Queensland Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare. 

In 2008 Liz completed a Masters in Creative Industries (Events Management and Creative Enterprises) at QUT. Also in 2008, Liz was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to return to Japan and research children’s theatre practices. Her children’s theatre productions, celebrated for their ability to play to non English-speaking audiences, have been presented in the UK, Japan, Malaysia and China.

Since moving to Melbourne in 2012, Liz has had two children and created a trilogy of one-woman theatre shows. Her most recent new work, ‘Mothermorphisis’, directed by Maude Davey, premiered at La Mama in 2018. The Age newspaper reported: “You couldn’t ask for a show that channels the spirit of La Mama with more irreverence and passion.” Her multi- character tragi-comedy ‘Spoilt’, directed by Fiona Scott Norman, also received critical acclaim before touring Victoria and Queensland throughout 2014 and 2015.

In 2018, Liz returned to Queensland to direct and devise a large-scale street theatre project for the Commonwealth Games. In 2019, Debase Productions received a Gold Matilda Award for a 20-year contribution to the theatre industry in Queensland.

In Melbourne, Liz works mostly as a director, devisor and dramaturge.  She has directed a string of award-winning shows for the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. She worked as Director of the SPARKS Youth Clown Troupe (National Institute of Circus Arts 2013-2015) and founded the Melbourne Community Clown Troupe. However, Liz is probably best known as the comic accordionist who curates and hosts The Moulin Beige, a comedy cabaret with a classic vaudeville feel. In 2016, Liz received The Fields Award for her contribution to contemporary vaudeville in Australia.

Of her St Margaret’s experience Liz said: “I guess not a lot has changed, apart from the fact I get to hang out with boys these days. Back at school I LOVED drama and knew from Year 8 that this was what I wanted to do (Hats off to my divine drama teachers Sue Osborne and Sabina Head). But I was never the female lead… I was always the comic relief and generally ended up wearing a beard. True story.  I was always a leader at school, not in an official capacity but I had the ability to come up with great ideas and get people on board. I think I was only in grade 9 when I organised a charity event to raise money for Drought Relief which involved a huge walkathon around a local race track – my vision was that everyone would carry decorated umbrellas; unfortunately the irony was lost on the sports teachers who insisted we include decorated hats as well. I was in the house that always seemed to come last- Kendall… is it still the losing house? Bede won everything…or Milton.  All the Bede and Milton girls seemed to be very sporty and pretty and their dads drove the fastest shiniest cars.  But I didn’t want to be in Bede or Milton; I was passionate about my beloved Kendall. I put my energy into creating elaborate “March On” parades on sports days. One year we were the “Kendall Criminals” – all wearing black and balaclavas and mid choreographed movement sequence we literally held the judges hostage and STOLE the trophy! 

“I made my longest surviving friendships at St Margaret’s. There are four of us. We all played in the orchestra and concert band together and ended up running all the activities for the younger kids on Band Camp. Yes, we had band camps! I was also a passionate debater at school and the art of debating taught me to question everything. There is no doubt that this has informed my practice as an artist on a mission to enact social change through the work that I create.”