Bravewords

A beautiful behind the scenes story from the world of musical theatre. Guy Noble has conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Western Australian, Tasmanian, Queensland and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, the Auckland Philharmonia, Hong Kong Symphony and Malaysian and Bergen Philharmonic orchestras.He is the host and accompanist each year for Great Opera Hits (Opera Australia) in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. He conducted Opera Queensland’s 2014 production of La Boheme, Opera in the Alps (2008-2017)and Opera in the Markets (2009-2017). He is conductor and host for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Classics Unwrapped series at the Adelaide Town Hall, and conductor and host for the Queensland Symphony’s Music on Sundays series at QPAC.Guy has worked with a wide variety of international performers with orchestras across Australia, including Harry Connick Jnr, Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, Dianne Reeves, Glenn Frey, Randy Newman, Clive James, Conchita, The Two Cellos, Alfie Boe, Olivia Newton John, Paloma Faith, Ruthie Henshall and Meow Meow.He is also the host of Concert Hall on Qantas Inflight.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

The power of a young girls imagination when it's driven by a CRUSH!Adrienne is an author and writing coach and co-host of Bravewords Live. Her writing studio, Bravewords, is based on the Central Coast of NSW. Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

What's driving this young mans obsession with his idol, Robbie Williams? Andrew Henry is a Sydney theatre producer. His company, Andrew Henry Presents headlined the Sydney Opera House with Michael Sheen in Amadeus.He reimagined Death of a Salesman with Anthony LaPaglia in a national smash-hit.the landmark stage adaptation of Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers, in collaboration with Belvoir Street, won 5 Sydney theatre Awards. This year he’s about to bring back the global phenomenonPrima Facie to Sydney and Melbourne in May/June. 

In her late 70's, Ingrid began dating again. Ingrid Haydon began life as a textile designer then became an exhibiting artist nearly fourty years ago with solo exhibitions in Sydney, Canberra and the Blue Mountains.   She's won a fewprizes in the past and my work has been selected for the Dobell and Sulman art prizes in the Art Gallery of NSW.Ingrid taught painting and drawing for many years at Hornsby and Meadowbank Tafes.I self published the first “adult”, (meaning for adults tocolour in!) colouring in book when I was 24. Ingrid is new to writing.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Weddings are beautiful... but we're also just humans trying to get along!Jelena Curic is a writer of literary fiction, crime, and comedy. She is also the resident Diva in the Croatian community, singing most weekends. A 2023 Westwords Alumni, her stories can be found in Westwords Bad Western Sydney, Bad Western Sydney. The Second Case, Living Stories the Other City, Short Stories Unlimited Leaving Home Anthology and Written Off Literary Journal. She was also shortlisted for the Born Writers Award 2023 and 2024.She has read at Bravewords, was a panellist at BAD Crime Festival 2024, alongside Candace Fox and Dinuka McKenzie, and was accepted into the 2024 Accelerator program with Westwords and Parramatta City Council. Her debut novel, Sing To Me, was released in September 2025 through Westwords Books.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Emergency Departments - Egg Sacks anyone?Michael Hayes recently retired from 30 years working as a respiratory physician on the Central Coast of NSW. He then "stumbled into one of Ado’s writing courses and here I am."Plenty of academic publications (In vivo quantification of pulmonary beta receptors using positron emission tomography etc etc) but this is my first attempt at writing anything creative."One of the joys of medical practice is the amazing stories you get to be part of. I’m hoping to share one of these at Bravewords and just hope I can do it justice." Michael Hayes. Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Oh, the wild history in every playground interaction! Born in Singapore, KT Major writes literary fiction, essays and poetry. KT’s stories have won several awards, including most recently the 2025 Louie Award for crime writing. She has been published in lots anthologies and journals, including The Big Issue, Splinter, Verandah, Grieve, and BAD Western Sydney, among others. 

Theatre in Education! Someone's got to do it! Duncan is an actor living on Darkinjung land on the coast. He has worked in Australian TV, theatre and voice-over for the last 20 years (and then some).  Credits include Reckless (SBS), He Had it Coming (Stan), Deadloch, The Letdown, We Interrupt This Broadcast, The Messenger, At Home with Julia, Laid, Comedy Inc, Life Support, All Saints and Home and Away. When he can’t get a gig on screen, Duncan moonlights as alter ego Glenn Twenty <Glenntwenty.com.au> He teaches drama to students on the coast and in Sydney. Music courtesy of Sean Peter

This story is called WALLY. Hold on to your paddles, it’s the swinging 70’s! Michael Kilp was born and bred on the central coast.  He and his wife ran the paddleboat business, Aquafun, on Avoca Beach Lagoon for 26 years, hence his nickname, Paddleboat Mick. Mick never dreamed he could write a great story but he had a lot locked in him. Bravewords writing courses have drawn them out and our community love listening to them through BRAVEWORDS LIVE. Now we’re thrilled to share them around the world. Music Courtesy of Sean Peter

Linda is a medical practitioner and writer. She works across essay, memoir and fiction. She has been widely published, featuring in Australian Book review, Kill Your Darlings, Westwords Living Stories, Zinewest, Grieve 2024 and Persephone Literary Journal, amongst others.Her debut novel will be published in February 2027 by Summit Simon and Schuster, and she is currently featuring in Parramatta's Lit as a storyteller alongside several other Bravewords performers. Her first play, The Leftovers, is to be performed as a rehearsed reading at Riverside Theatre in September.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Rob is co-host of Bravewords Live, alongside his wife Adrienne Ferreira.Rob is an actor, writer and director. His current story telling show, VIRGIN IN A KNIFE FIGHT, is touring nationally in 2026. For more information follow @robbyjcarlton on insta. Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Luke Carman’s debut work of fiction, An Elegant Young Man, won the 2014 NSW Premier’s New Writing Award and was shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal, the Steele Rudd Short Story Prize and the Readings New Writing Award. His essay collection, Intimate Antipathies, was published in June 2019. His collection of stories, An Ordinary Ecstasy, was published in July 2022. Luke is the 2025 Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellow at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Donne Restom is a singer, writer and storyteller. She is the founder of sell-out storytelling event, Kink in the Tale: Storytelling for Grownups and her debut one woman show, Everyone in my Family is Dead or About to be was nominated for Sydney Fringe 2024’s Best in Theatre Award. Donné has written and released three albums, and her fourth is scheduled for release next year.Tix for Donne's January show in Gosford: https://funhausfactory.org.au/whats-on/eimfid/2026-01-10/This story was recorded live at the Funhaus Factory in Gosford. Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Stephanie was brought up in Penrith – when it was still a semi-rural town, rather than an outer suburb of Sydney. Stephanie left school at 15, doing a variety of jobs while trying to complete my education: cleaning, nursing aide, process worker.Most of Steph's working life was spent in Sydney courts andtribunals, as a transcription typist, then training court typists and recording monitors.Steph moved to Wyong 15 years ago. It reminds her of the Penrith she grew up in.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Nadia Townsend is a writer, director, dramaturg and actor whose work has taken her from the sands of Namibia on Mad Max to the heart of Darra in Queensland on Boy Swallows Universe. This year she has contributed to script development with Goalpost Pictures, directed two new theatre works, completed a short film (The Great Divide), and begun writing a new play with Luke Carman, supported by Wyong Art House.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Ross Markey is a Central Coast writer. Music Courtesy of Sean Peter.

Rob is co-host of Bravewords Live, alongside his wife Adrienne Ferreira.Rob is an actor, writer and director. His current story telling show, VIRGIN IN A KNIFE FIGHT, is touring nationally in 2026. For more information follow @robbyjcarlton on insta. Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Bravewords - true stories told well. The first story in this podcast series is DUBROVNIK, written and told by Bravewords founder, Adrienne Ferreira. Adrienne is an author and writing coach and co-host of Bravewords Live. Her writing studio, Bravewords, is based on the Central Coast of NSW. Music courtesy of Sean Peter.