“There has been lots of highs and lots of lows.”
The life of an actor is one long rollercoaster ride. With continuous ups and downs, unexpected twists and turns, long periods of calm, to times where it seems out of control. The career of Brittany
Santariga perfectly embodies this analogy. From a young age, Brittany knew she wanted to pursue a career in acting. Her career has been nothing short of inspirational, completing a wide range of training within Australia and America, working professionally in film and television, to co-founding a theatre company in Sydney. I am beyond excited to take you on the ride as we jump on the rollercoaster with Brittany Santariga!
Brittany Santariga
THE BEGINNING
Cue the pop soundtrack, hair gel and pink ladies’ jackets as a young Brittany went to see a
production of Grease the musical. “And I was like, that’s what I want to do”.
Having switched from dancer to soccer player, then to aspiring actress, Brittany joined Murrells
Academy and began taking classes in speech and drama. From there she was introduced to Todd
Barty at Props Youth Theatre. It was Todd who introduced her to Terri and Brendan at TheatreiNQ after she had just watched her first Shakespeare Under the Stars, RICHARD III in 2011. She made her debut performance for TheatreiNQ at the age of 15, as an ensemble member in Shakespeare Under the Stars the following year in a production of THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
The Bridge Project - the first year (2012)
THE BRIDGE PROJECT
Brittany went on to join the newly formed training program The Bridge Project as one the first ‘bridgees’ ever! In fact, Terri will confess that Brittany was one of the reasons the training program was even conceived. Brittany spent 2 years training with Terri and Brendan, appearing in 5 shows during that time - KING LEAR (2012), X-STACY (2013), THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (2013), MACBETH (2013), and THE SHAPE OF THINGS (2013).
“Just being able to practice and hone your craft in a space where the people are so invested you and showing you what theatre is - there is honestly nothing like it in the country.”
At the end of her second year with the Bridge Project, Brittany was accepted into the Bachelor of Acting at WAAPA. So an 18-year-old Brittany flew across to the other side of the country where she trained for a further 3 years at one of the best acting schools in the country. In her final year at WAAPA, Brittany recieved the Chris Edmund scholarship which offered her the opportunity to seek out international opportunities. She travelled to America, met with agents and managers, and attended a bunch of courses.
Brittany Santariga in THE SHAPE OF THINGS (2013)
POST GRADUATION
Fresh out of WAAPA, Brittany entered the industry with a bang, booking a recurring guest role on HOME AND AWAY as troubled teen, Jennifer Dutton. What was initially supposed to be a 2-month gig, was continuously extended to be 8 months long! Shortly after this, she booked the Foxtel series FIGHTING SEASON.
Brittany Santariga on the set of HOME AND AWAY.
“I was like I’m working! I’m working! I’m working! You think it’s going to lead from job to job to job but then it didn't - it just stopped.” It is at this point when we see a lot of actors ‘give up’ and this certainly crossed Brittany’s mind. She talked about the importance of having a purpose. Between The Bridge Project and WAAPA, Brittany had been studying for 5 years, having her schedules and days planned out for her. So having to organise it herself became a challenge. “I had a big come down after that. Moving to a new city, figuring out who my friends were, trying to get a job, to just survive. I let my acting and creative process go.”
Just in time to re-spark her love for acting, Brittany was invited to come back to Townsville in 2019 to play Desdemona in OTHELLO with TheatreiNQ. “It gave me the kick up the butt. I was asking myself what was I doing? This is what you want to be doing! That experience reminded me why I love it so much.”
Brittany Santariga performing alongside her mentors Brendan O'Connor & Terri Brabon in OTHELLO (2019)
COVID - 19
Brittany was involved in a production that was cancelled because of Covid-19, directly impacted by the pandemic. Nothing was happening in the acting world and many artists in lockdown suffered immensely. “There was nothing happening, it was very bleak. No auditions coming in and it definitely bled further than just the lockdown period. That was when I really questioned whether I was going to be an actor or not.”
Feeling lost and without purpose, she received a lifeline from Terri and Brendan as they started
online 'Alumni Sessions" over Zoom. "Sessions" is the name we give the training designed for 2nd and 3rd Year members of The Bridge Project. “Terri Brabon helped us through lockdown. She started doing Sessions with the alumni. That is how the production of ORPHANS (2022) came about – she chose scenes from that play as a scene study. Then when the lockdown was over and we stopped doing online Sessions, we all stayed in contact and started doing our own Sessions. We did play readings, and gave each other tasks. We had been reconnected. And we thought, what are we doing? We should be working together!”
The Lockdown Sessions (2020)
STACKS ON THEATRE
Brittany, along with James Thomasson and Lachlan Stevenson came to Townsville to rehearse
ORPHANS in 2022, just as TheatreiNQ moved into their new HQ at Cottell Street. What perfect timing! By day, she helped Brendan build the ClubHouse Theatre and by night, she rehearsed the show with Terri. Whilst rehearsing ORPHANS, they were further mentored by Terri and Brendan to create their own theatre company in Sydney. And from there, STACKS ON THEATRE was born as they took ORPHANS down to Sydney as the debut production for the company.
Brittany Santariga in ORPHANS with Gus Loveday (2022)
“It has been so challenging but so nice to have an outlet to be able to choose the plays we want to
do and challenge ourselves in that.” For the past two years they have produced 6 shows including, A PINTER REVIEW (2022), PURGATORIO (2022), FOR THE TIME BEING (an original script by Lachlan Stevenson and mentored through TheatreiNQ's PLAYGROUND Writer's Festival in 2022) GLITTER PUNCH (2023) & THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (2023 - which incidently had 9 Bridge Alumni in the cast) “The Wind in the Willows] made my heart so full. It made making the work so easy as everyone shares the same passion and work ethic all instilled in us from our time at TheatreiNQ.”
THE LIFE OF AN ACTOR
Brittany's career has currently come full circle as she takes to the stage with Bell Shakespeare in a production of KING LEAR. Incredibly, the show sees her working alongside two other Bridge Alumni - James Thomasson and Emily Edwards. Ironically, the last time these three performed together on a production was in Townsville's very own Shakespeare Under the Stars - in, you guessed it - KING LEAR!!
James Thomasson, Brittany Santariga & Emily Edwards on the first day of KING LEAR Rehearsals with Bell Shakespeare (2024)
Seeing a group of actors, who came from the same small town and training program as myself, with their own theatre company in Sydney blows my mind! It is truly so inspiring! Getting to talk to
Brittany made me appreciate all the hard work, physically and mentally, that goes into life as an
actor. It doesn’t all just work out, jobs aren’t always lined up, but with true passion, dedication, and
lots of work you can have a successful career – and a happy life - such as Brittany Santariga’s!
“There is nothing else I could do, I love it [acting] so much, I just can’t spend my life doing anything
else.”
Thank you to Brittany for taking the time to share her rollercoaster career with me, both openly and
honestly! And thank you for reading!
x Alyssandra Higgins
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