Director Tony Knight, actors Stephanie Rossi, Marc Clement storm Adelaide's Bakehouse in their STARC brilliance

STARC Productions' director Tony Knight with actors Stephanie Rossi and Marc Clement brought edgy productions to the Bakehouse Theatre (closed in 2022) in Adelaide city. Knight, a former head of acting at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) mentoring some of Australia’s most celebrated actors, such as Cate Blanchett, Sam Worthington and Miranda Otto
Image courtesy STARC Productions

STARC Productions' trio staged a triumphant storming of the Adelaide theatre scene from 2017. STARC (from the initials of director Tony Knight and actors Stephanie Rossi and Marc Clement) brought a series of edgy productions to the Bakehouse Theatre in Angas Street, Adelaide city.

Knight, from Sydney, was trained at the Drama Centre London and became head of acting at Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) mentoring some of Australia’s most celebrated national and international actors, such as Cate Blanchett, Sam Worthington, Alex O’Loughlin and Miranda Otto. Knight was also programme leader for the musical theatre (B.A. Hons.) course at the LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore, besides teaching, directing and lecturing in many other parts of the world.

After moving to Adelaide where his roles included teaching musical theatre at the University of South Australia’s school of creative industries, Knight produced and directed a professional production of Harold Pinter’s Old Times and William Mastrosimone’s Extremities at the Adelaide Festival Centre.

He founded STARC Productions with actor/singer/dancer Stephanie Ross (a former South Australia primary school performance program coordinator) and Marc Clement, also an actor/singer whose roles included a starring role in the South Australian film Ambergis.

STARC dazzled by taking on a mix of genres in its plays from Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers to Jim Cartwright’s Two, set in a British pub; to A Night at the Theatre, short comedies by American playwright David Ives; to the romantic Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Tony award-winning playwright Terrence McNally. Rossi and Clement embraced the multi roles and versatile demands of these twohanders with style.