Teen Gala 2022

Anna Blinks-van Broekhoven is a young disability advocate and mobility aid user, particularly focused on the lack of adequate accessible public transport in Victoria. She has done theatre all her life and otherwise loves painting and spending time with her three cats.

Poppy Holden is a Year 10 student from Melbourne.

She won the Stonnington ‘What’s Your Story?’ competition in 2019 and 2021, and the VATE ‘A Story in Miniature’ in 2022. She has always loved stories – reading them and writing them.

Alice is a 14 year old Melbourne student. She enjoys reading and learning random information. They are very excited to perform!

Erin Kim has used story telling as a form of expression about herself and current interests. Seen through her paintings “Belonging” and “Acceptance” which were showcased in Top Arts 2021. Exploring her identity and adolescence living in Australia as a Korean-Australian. Addit... Read more

Charlie Mackenzie is a 15 year old musical theatre performer, she also writes acoustic folk and rock music. Charlie is in love with 80’s music and grew up with artists like Queen, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears and Kate Bush however she takes much inspiration from modern artists like Phoebe Bridge... Read more

Audrey McKenzie is a 17-year-old year 11 student with a longtime passion for writing and literature. After winning the 2022 Kill Your Darlings School Writing Prize, her love for writing has been reignited and she hopes to one day share her writing with the world. She is very excited to be performing... Read more

Arshia Rana is a year 11 student, public speaker and debater, and avid reader. The founder of In My Opinion, Rana aims to teach the youth of today effective communication skills to help drive meaningful change, by creating and sharing public speaking/debating resources on her page and hosting course... Read more

Fig is a 17-year-old emerging poet and artist. They grew up in rural Victoria, and much of their work is inspired by the bush terrain where they grew up, finding ways to integrate the themes of native Australian flora and fauna into their artworks. Fig has performed previously at the 2022 Teen Gala,... Read more

Sunday Williams-Starkie is 16 years old, and loves to sing, write music and stories and perform. They love to experiment and create, and are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to perform something at the Teen Gala, and hope many people will one day be able to enjoy their words. ... Read more

Rufaro Zimbudzi is a Zimbabwean-Australian singer, actor and writer. Her passion for the creative arts has allowed her to openly express the fusion of cultures she was brought up on in the diaspora, as she strives to be the representation she never truly saw growing up. Rufaro is a musical theatre u... Read more

I am a 13 year old boy from the Macedon Ranges. I play soccer and guitar and love the Beach Boys. I can’t say I like poetry because I have read all the books and the poets, because I haven’t read any. But what I like is how it can appeal to anyone regardless of experience. I like to have fun w... Read more

Lee Peenfather is a 15-year-old writer and poet from Melbourne. In 2021, Lee became the overall state champion of the OutLoud Slam Poetry Competition with their poem “What Would You Say,” which explored their experience as a queer gender diverse teen. Lee has gone on to perform in multiple Wheel... Read more