Headshot for Amy Kowalczuk

Amy Kowalczuk

Amy’s passion for the theatre was ignited by the formative experience of landing the title role in Alpha Theatre’s production of Annie at age 10. Now, 27 years later, she’s still stating “I can’t. I have rehearsal.”

Amy has worked extensively as a professional actor, performer, puppeteer, and director. She is also a qualified secondary performing arts educator, arts education officer and; an occasional sessional academic for the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Education. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts (Performance, Literature), a Bachelor of Education (Secondary Arts and Media studies) from the University of Canberra and; a Master of Theatre and Performance (Directing) from the University of New England, from which she graduated with Distinction honours. It was through her Masters that the debut work of her own theatre company (Alchemy Artistic) won top directing awards for the 2023 CAT awards, Ovation awards and Canberra Critics Circle awards. These honours were for her critically acclaimed production of Gordon Graham’s The Boys. Amy is a graduate of the Queenie van de Zandt Advanced Musical Theatre Course (Sydney, 2010) and holds two qualifications (200 hour YTT and 50 hour Yin YTT) in Yoga teaching. She is about to embark on a Cert IV of training and assessment. 

Amy has performed in over seventy productions, cabarets, films, training videos and advertisements for various agencies and companies. As a professional actor/puppeteer and touring presenter, Amy dedicated 10 years of services to national identities, such as Questacon and The Starlight Children’s Foundation (where she was employed as an Excited Particle and a Captain Starlight, respectively). She has toured interstate (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change – NIDA, 2013) and abroad (Monaco, Mondial du Theatre, 2017) with a revival of her acclaimed performance of Nell Gwynn in Pigeonhole Theatres Playhouse Creatures by April de Angelis. A highlight of her career is performing at The Princess Grace Theatre in Monaco. She originally performed this role as part of the 2016 Season at The Q Performing Arts Centre and revived the role at The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. She has also directed Winnie the Pooh for Free-Rain Theatre and Co-directed The Wedding Singer for Queanbeyan Players. 

Recent performances include Rose of Sharon in Grapes of Wrath and Jane Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular (Canberra Rep), Sandra Gangel in Beautiful Thing and in the small ensemble for Holding the Man (Everyman Theatre). Other memorable roles across the years include Annelle in Steel Magnolias, Henriette in Casanova, Molly in Home at the End, Pool (No Water) and as a repeat Goldilocks in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Some notable musical theatre roles include Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, April in Company, Holly in The Wedding Singer, Ado Annie in Oklahoma, Anita in West Side Story and Fantine in Les Miserables.

Amy’s 2024 performances have already included the roles of Dr Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest (ACT Hub) and Polina in Seagull for Chaika Theatre. She also read the title role of Medea for ACT Hub’s Hubathon, to raise funds for the efforts of independent theatre in the capital. Amy has simultaneously been rehearsing A Streetcar Named Desire and Bombshells for Echo Theatre (performing at The Q in July). She is currently gearing up to direct two back-to-back shows (Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice and Peter Wilkin’s The Chalk Pit) at The Mill Theatre for Lexi Sekuless Productions in December/January.  

Productions