Carly Sheppard is a cross-disciplinary performance artist based in Naarm (Melbourne), working across dance and theatre making and performance, sculpture, drawing, writing, voice, and installation. Her practice navigates complex narratives of  intersecting race, class, mythologies and identities we inherit and how meaning is created and processed through prisms of colonial interruption. Carly’s work reflects her fascination with the chaos of conflicting cultural paradigms.

Carly’s career and practice have been platformed and nurtured through invaluable artist initiatives run by BlakDance, British Council, Australia Council for the Arts, ILBIJERRI and more. Carly’s formal training includes Careers In Dance at NAISDA Dance College and a Bachelor of Dance at Victorian College of the Arts. Carly’s recent performance credits include Chase (A Daylight Connection), A Nightime Travesty (A Daylight Connection), Set Piece (Anna Breckon and Nat Randall), Considerable Sexual License (Joel Bray Dance), Anthem (Performing Lines and Arts Centre Melbourne) and Love (Dee and Cornelius).

Accolades

2023 Green Room Award Nomination – Best Performance in Theatre Companies for Chase

2022 Kate Challis RAKA Award – Highly Commended for Chase

2019 Green Room Award – Best Production In Experimental Theatre for Crackers N Dip With Chase N Toey’

2019 Green Room Award nomination – Best Performance for Crackers N Dip With Chase N Toey’

2020 Green Room Award – Best Performance in Independent Theatre for Love

2020 Green Room Award Nomination – Best Performance in Theatre Company for Anthem

2015 ACCELERATE – British Council

2013 Aunty Eleanor Harding Award – Victorian Indigenous Performing Arts Awards

Experience

2023 Co-Devisor and Performer - A Nightime Travesty by A DAYLIGHT CONNECTION, Carly Sheppard and Kamarra Bell-Wykes, Yirramboi Festival, Meat Market Melbourne

2022 Concept, Performer and Co-Devisor – Chase by Carly Sheppard and Kamarra Bell Wykes. Produced by Malthouse Theatre, HotHouse Theatre and A Daylight Connection. 

2022 Performer – Set Piece by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon. Presented by Performance Space and Sydney Festival in Sydney; and Arts House and RISING in Melbourne.

2021 Performer – Considerable Sexual License by Joel Bray Dance. Presented by Darebin Arts (Northcote).

2020 Performer – Anthem by Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves and Christos Tsiolkas. Presented by Sydney Festival & Perth Festival. Initiated by Arts Centre Melbourne. Produced by Performing Lines in association with Arts Centre Melbourne.

2019 Co-Choreographer and Co-Devisor – Negotiating Home x Red Earth by Carly Sheppard and TAI Body Theatre. Presented by Yirramboi (Melbourne).

2019 Performer – Love by Patricia Cornelius. Presented and produced by Dee and Cornelius at fortyfivedownstairs (Melbourne) and Biennale Teatro (Venice).

2019 Performer – Anthem by Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves and Christos Tsiolkas. Presented at Arts Centre Melbourne. Produced by Performing Lines in association with Arts Centre Melbourne.

2019 Performer – Take This For It Is My Body by SJ Norman. Presented at Dark Mofo (Hobart).

2019 Performer – Cicatrix (All that was taken, all that remains) by SJ Norman. Presented at Performance Space (New York).

2019 Assistant Director and Producer – BLAKflip (Circus Oz)

2018 Concept, Performer and Co-Devisor – Crackers n Dip with Chase n Toey by Carly Sheppard and Josh Twee. Presented at Arts House (Melbourne).

2018 Co- Choreographer and Co- Devisor – Red Earth by Carly Sheppard and TAI Body Theatre. Presented at Pulima Festival (Taiwan).

2018 Performer – Rest Area, & Stone Tape Theory by S.J Norman. Presented at Arts House (Melbourne) for Festival of Live Art.

2017 Performer – Take This, For It Is My Body by SJ Norman. Presented at Science Gallery (London).

2017 Performer – Aeon by Lz Dunn and collaborators. Produced by Performing Lines. Presented at Performance Space (Sydney).

2017 Artist in Residence – Arts House (Melbourne).

2016 Concept, Creation and Performer – Moving House by Carly Sheppard. Presented at Footscray Community Arts for Wominjeka.

2016 Performer – Take This, For It Is My Body by SJ Norman. Presented at Dancehouse (Melbourne) for Melbourne Festival.

2016 Performer – Aeon by Lz Dunn and collaborators. Produced by Performing Lines. Presented at Arts House (Melbourne).

2016 Performer – Sand Song by Deon Hastie. Produced by Insite Arts. Shanghai

2016 Assistant Director – Circus Oz Strong Woman Intensive Masterclass.

2015 Creator and Performer – Nah Nuthin for Pieces for Small Spaces. Presented by Lucy Guerin Inc (Melbourne).

2015 Performer – North West Of Nowhere by Kamarra Bell-Wykes. Victoria tour produced by ILBIJERRI.

2014 Creator and Performer – White Face by Carly Sheppard. Commissioned by Next Wave Festival. Presented at Footscray Arts

2014 Choreographer and Performer – ‘Aakarshan’ by Vertical Circus and Kathputli Colony. American School, Basava International School, New Delhi Flying Club, Kamani Auditorium, Australian Embassy (New Delhi) .

2014 Performer – Which Way Home by Kate Becket. Produced by ILBIJERRI. Presented by La Mama (Melbourne).

2014 Choreographer – North West of Nowhere. Victoria tour produced by ILBIJERRI.

Residences, intensives and secondments

2019 Blakdance First Nations Dialogues (New York)

2018 Critical Path Mirramu Residency – Mirramu Arts Centre (Bungendore)

2017 Asia Discovers Asia Meeting (Adam) Creative Intensive (Taipei)

2017 Dancing Earth Summer Intensive With Rulan Tangen (Santa Fe)

2015 ACCELERATE – British Council (Australia and United Kingdom)

2015 Arts House Dance Massive Indigenous Choreographers Residency (Melbourne)

2015 ILBIJERRI Black Writer’s Lab: Script Development And Performance (Melbourne)

2013 Circus Oz Blackrobatics Intensive (Melbourne)

2012 Wilin Centre Spring Intensive with Gary Lang, Jacob Boehme, Tammy Giselle, Gina Rings And Tanya Bosak – The Univeristy of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts (Melbourne)