Megan Jones' love for performance began at just five years old, directing fairy tales in a chook shed in Maribyrnong. "I used to round up all the kids in our street and make them perform. And I was always the star," she recalls. Even then, she had a clear sense of purpose. "All I ever wanted to be was an actress."

Her passion was nurtured at high school, where a dedicated drama teacher introduced her to house plays, school productions, and competitions. "I won Best Actress awards at school. It wasn’t a posh private school - it was a disadvantaged school in the western suburbs - but the teachers were fantastic," she says. "That’s where the Leunig family also went. We were all there in poverty, but we had these amazing teachers."

Jones’ career took off almost immediately after graduating when she was invited to join a touring theatre company. "Within a year, I was performing in school shows alongside Amanda Muggleton. Then I was sent to Ballarat to help set up a theatre company. We created performances and toured the region." The work had a lasting impact. "We started a Youth Theatre Company for kids who had nowhere to go except to play sport. Some of them went on to become opera singers and visual artists. That’s something I’m really proud of."

Her journey led her across the globe, including an intensive year training in Russia under master teacher Albert Filozov. "That year changed my life. The way Russians approach acting is special. I learned so much about myself, and it gave me confidence. Albert believed in me, and that belief kept me going. He gave me permission to find my own way."

Jones later became the Head of Performance at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), where she was challenged by the stark differences between theatre and circus. "In theatre, people want to be part of a group and feel things. In circus, they’re individually focused. They want to show their strength, their flexibility, their skill - it’s more like sport. My job was to help them express something inside themselves through their acts, rather than just stringing together tricks."

Her work at NICA culminated in international recognition, with one of her productions selected to open the world’s largest circus festival in Paris.

"Every year, a school is chosen to open the festival, and we created a piece for that. I also took a work to The Auch Circus Festival, where the best circus schools from around the world share ideas and techniques.It was an incredible experience."

Recently, Jones starred in Every Lovely Terrible Thing at Theatre Works, a play that received glowing reviews. "It was really successful, and I was so happy for the writer, Adam, because it was a personal story of his." She also directed Mara, a one-woman show about Cinderella’s stepmother. "The actor plays ten characters and sings eight original songs. It’s not a musical, but it’s very theatrical. We’re hoping to bring it to Ballarat later this year."

Despite her vast experience, Jones remains dedicated to fostering theatre in her community. "There’s a lot of visual art and music in Ballarat, but virtually no theatre. A handful of us with national and international experience want to change that. We just have to find the money to make it happen."

STORY BY MAHMOOD FAZAL
PHOTOS BY CHRI S TURNER

Megan Jones
For more information about Megan's latest work, visit labkelpie.com @labkelpie