Team and Board

Tish Naughton

Chief Executive Officer (She/her)

Appointed CEO of Feast Festival in April 2023, Tish is an award-winning entrepreneur with over a decade of small business management experience. Specialising in financial management, compliance, reporting, systems and procedural development, her goals are to ensure Feast becomes a sustainable business so that it can serve the community for a further 25 years and beyond. 

Tish is a passionate and driven individual who seeks to inspire change and lead by example. A proud lesbian, she has been attending Feast since 2007 and is excited for the opportunity to guide Feast Festival as a queer-run event and continue the fight for representation, visibility and celebration.

Katherine Sortini

Creative Producer (She/They)

Katherine is a theatre maker, creative and founder of independent award-winning theatre company, Deus Ex Femina. She works at Feast Festival as the Artist and Venue Liaison and a Creative Producer. She works across multiple disciplines including theatre, poetry, music and writing.

In 2021, Deus Ex Femina developed their debut multi-disciplinary original show, All The Things I Couldn’t Say which had its premiere season at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe. It opened to a sold-out season, 5 star reviews and won The Adelaide Festival InSpace Adelaide Fringe Award. It was also selected to be a part of the RUMPUS 2022 Season in which the rendition of the show will premiere in 2023. In 2022, Katherine was nominated for the 7 News Young Achiever Award and was selected to be a finalist. In 2023, she will compete in the SA State Final of the Australian Poetry Slam.

Katherine is passionate about supporting and encouraging the LGBTQIA+ community and its artists.

Matthew Liersch

Artist & Venue Liaison (He/They)

South Australian-born producer, tour coordinator, and arts administrator, Matt brings a flair for queer storytelling and a passion for showcasing local talent. His work has seen him collaborate with some of Australia’s most celebrated cabaret, burlesque, and comedy artists, including Reuben Kaye, Kween Kong, Tash York, Hannah Conda, Michael Griffiths, Dolly Diamond, and Dolores Daiquiri.

In 2025, he was awarded Overall Best Emerging Producer at Adelaide Fringe, following two sell-out seasons of Tash York’s Chaos Cabaret and Lindsay’s Prodea’s A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride. With support from the Mental Health Commissioner for South Australia, he curated a post-show Q&A designed to foster an open, affirming conversation around mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community.

A career highlight was touring regional Victoria in 2024 with a series of drag makeup workshops. Growing up regional himself, this experience reflects Matt’s drive to bring community, connection, and queer joy to every corner of Australia.

Stiles Swanepoel

Marketing & Communications (He/They)

Stiles is a writer, digital marketing specialist, and co-founder of Meadow Media, a social media and digital storytelling agency. He holds a BA in Languages and graduated with distinction in both his Honours in Visual Culture Studies and Master’s in Digital Culture and Media with a research focus on trans and gender-diverse narratives, particularly how these stories are shared through animation and comics online.

A strong advocate for social justice and queer representation, he has spent years mentoring, tutoring, and teaching. In 2020, he was named top achiever of the University of Pretoria’s Challenge Programme, a leadership initiative centred on social justice and community care.

Amanda Wheeler

Business Development Manager (She/Her)

Penny McAuley

Chairperson (she/her)

Penny is an arts and culture leader with over 35 years of experience across local government, disability advocacy, and festival and event management. A passionate advocate for people and place, her career has been grounded in the belief that remarkable things happen when individuals, organisations, and communities are supported to thrive.

She has held senior roles with some of Australia’s most beloved cultural institutions, including General Manager of the SALA Festival, Head of Marketing and Events at South Bank Brisbane, Program Manager of Vibrant City at the City of Adelaide, and Patron Services Executive at the Adelaide Festival Centre. With deep insight into both the creative and logistical sides of cultural programming, Penny understands the unique opportunities and challenges of delivering inclusive, impactful events.

Born in Whyalla and raised with strong ties to Yorke Peninsula, Penny brings a lived understanding of regional communities and the importance of connection, collaboration, and representation. She was appointed to the inaugural South Australian Rainbow Advisory Council in 2024 and has held multiple board roles across Australasia and Adelaide, continuing her advocacy as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Now running her own multi award-winning business in Adelaide, Penny is driven by a desire to give back, uplift others, and forge stronger, more inclusive futures. Her leadership is guided by one key question: What could we be doing differently to bring our whole community with us—more meaningfully, more impactfully, and more sustainably?

Nick Hays

Board member (He/him)

Nick Hays is the Executive Director of Australian Dance Theatre, the nation’s oldest contemporary dance company founded on Kaurna Country in 1965. Nick has contributed to Australia’s cultural sector for nearly 20 years, most recently as Chair of Melbourne-based independent theatre company, Rawcus, a board member of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria and Deputy Chair of Dancehouse Melbourne. Nick is also currently on the Board of Writers SA and Project Animo.

As a young queer person growing up in country NSW in the 90s, Nick is incredibly committed to ensuring that queer artists, and queerness, are visible, respected and supported, and that all communities celebrate the diversity of sexuality, artforms and artistic voices.

Anthony Von Der Borch

Board member (He/him)

Anthony is an accomplished professional bringing with him a wealth of experience in the community partnerships, sponsorships and events sector, as well being a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. He also has extensive experience working within the areas of corporate communications and brand management, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of South Australia and specialising in professional writing. Anthony’s expertise, dedication, and passion make him a key asset in bridging gaps and building strong connections between organisations and communities while championing equality and creating a more inclusive society.

Charlotte Coulthard-Dare

Board member (She/her)

Nangka.

Ngai mityi Charlotte-nha. Ngatyu Yura Mityi Unakanha. Ngaityu Adnyamathanha Barngarla and Yankunytjatjara Transgender Yurartu

“Hello, my name is Charlotte. My Adnyamathanha name is Unakanha – which means 3rd born daughter. My ancestral ties are with the Adnyamathanha People, The Barngarla People and The Yankunytjatjara People of South Australia”

Charlotte is a country girl at heart, who grew up in and around Quorn in the Northern Flinders Ranges.

Radio has always been a part of her life and she speaks up about First Nations and LGBTIQA+ issues and is on the airwaves both locally and nationally here in Adelaide with the First Nations radio show Nunga Wangga through Radio Adelaide 101.5fm, as Presenter.

In 2016 Charlotte came out as a proud First Nations Trans Woman during the filming of the short documentary called “Just Harry”.

Charlotte was named NAIDOCSA LGBTIQ Person of the Year in 2019 and was an Ambassador for Feast Festival in 2021.

Jenn Allan

Board member (She/her)

Jennifer has 14 years’ experience in risk assurance and advisory working in consulting firms and industry. Jennifer started her career working at Not for Profit Accounting Specialists (NFPAS). In this role she worked on audits, administration takeovers, and accounting for various for-purpose organisations. In the following years, Jennifer worked across consulting firms and in industry, in assurance, risk, and compliance roles before going back into professional services with PwC.

For the past 2 years Jennifer has worked with organisations on improving risk environment and achieving strategic objectives with a focus on governance and culture.

Jennifer is the proud Mum of a trans man and the site lead for the Shine employee group at PwC. Jennifer has a strong belief in inclusion and equity which drives her commitment to be a part of the change to a better future for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting from Uni SA and is a Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.