cast

Christophe Truschel is a French actor who made his acting debut in Australia where he studied acting 3 years full-time before landing his first lead role in Life Class. He has also appearded in a TV pilot in Australia and various short-film and theatre projects in Australia and France. He now lives in Paris and is working on making his first short-film. Christophe also has a Bachelor degree in International Business obtained in Australia, and works in the import/export industry aside of his film projects.

Lysette Le Cerf hails from country Victoria, where she began her training in theatre with the late Margaret O'Donnell at age 14. She has since studied film and television acting at various institutions. 'Life Class' marked her feature film debut when they began filming in 2013! She loves to watch actors such as Emma Thompson, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett on the screen. When she is not acting, she enjoys archery, horse riding, writing and homemade obstacle courses. *Important note: She liked colouring BEFORE it was socially acceptable for adults. Lysette is with BMEG agency.

Cody Ross started his training in the Specialist Drama Course at John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle, WA. After high school he gained a place at the National Institute of Dramatic Art where he took part in a number of productions, including Punk Rock by Simon Stephens, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and Richard III by William Shakespeare. He graduated with a Bachelor of Dramatic art in 2012. Since graduating, Cody landed the role of Mick in the Australian feature film Life Class, as well as a number of short films including the role of Oliver Moon in Azoelix Productions' Waking Moon.

Jamie Forbes has appeared on television, in films and many stage productions. Television shows include Neighbours, The Fast Lane, Prime Time and The Countdown Rock Awards. Films include High Tide, Backstage and The Shallows.

He has written for television (BackBerner, Little Horrors) and radio. He is an award winning playwright and has had many short stories and articles published. He also works as a musician. 

Mahamati lives happily in Bega and works as an Educational Administrator at Mumbulla School for Rudolf Steiner Education.  She has always loved acting and began her love affair with it when she was 5.  She went on to graduate from The Drama Studio in Sydney in 1987, worked in a small way in TV and radio in Japan and in theatre in Sydney and has more recently discovered the joys and freedom of community theatre for both adults and teenagers.  She likes nothing more than to act or direct a play with others drama tragics.  While she made a couple of very small films in the early 1980, this is the first "real" movie she has been in.  She feels privileged to have worked with such a great cast and crew on "Life Class".

BA Drama at Flinders University, made a couple of short films and acted in innumerable theatre productions, then took to the road as an itinerant wanderer for twenty plus years. During this time lived in spiritual communities; studied Zen, Sufism and Comparative religions. Immersed in the Human Potential movement of the Seventies- Primal, Gestalt, Encounter, Tantra et al. 

Worked as a barman, waiter, flower designer for Manhattan offices, landscape gardener, body guard, pizza chef, actor. Lived in a remote Himalayan Valley and discovered the healing power of flowers, made a range of flower essences and for twenty years has been producing them and speaking at International Conferences and fascilitating workshops world wide. 

Studied and fascilitates Family Constellation work. Worked and studied with Penelope Chater in Character Creation, a work based on and developed through the works of Yat Malmgren and Rudolph Laban. 

Happily lives and gardens in his little bit of paradise and works with the Turning Circle Theatre group on the far south coast, from time to time.

DAVID WILLIS H.D.T.(S), B.Ed.

David is an accomplished and experienced actor who has numerous credits to name including the stage roles of Reverend Paris in The Crucible, Master Fenton in The M Wives of Windsor and the Teen Angel in Grease.

He was also a radio broadcaster on Melbourne's Magic 693. Apart from his recent role as Sergeant O'Reilly in Life Class, he played the leading role of Father Ryan in The Mission Priest as well as minor TV acting roles in The Sullivans and Something Stupid with Magda Z.

Co-founder of the Australian Children's Choir, David is a qualified and experienced teacher, accomplished music singer and pianist. Currently conductor of the Sapphire Coast Concert Band, David has directed over 20 musicals in Melbourne and the Gold Coast including La C Aux Folles, Footloose, The Full Monty and Brigadoon. He and his twin brother, Geoff teamed up to write two original musicals. While Geoff composed the music and lyrics David wrote the scripts for The Great Houdini and Oprah the Opera. He and Geoff are working on a major project with entertainment legend, Tim Ferguson, called Billie and Dinosaurs.

Michael Ubrihien is an aspiring actor and filmmaker. From a young age he was a big fan of movies, and felt acting was the next logical step. He studied Drama in high school, and after graduation joined a local theatre company to do workshops, and in 2012 performed in their theatre show 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. 

In 2013 he completed a Certificate III in Performance at the Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art, and later that year performed roles both in front of and behind the camera in feature film 'Life Class'. Since then he has completed an Advanced Diploma of Performance, and appeared in numerous short films, commercials, music videos and short plays.

He has also made a small number of short films. He endeavours to have a successful career in acting or filmmaking, and continues to strive towards this goal.

BA (Hons) in Drama/Film, Graduate of the Australian Film & TV School

Following a varied life pursuing my own and others' personal growth, the last 26 years have been devoted to family life, bringing up 2 gorgeous children and keeping my partner entertained.  Due to my natural inclinations and my poor eyesight, I have had minimal worldly pursuits.  Those that I have had, have included directing films, working with High School students teaching and creating theatre with them for the last 15 years and my work mentoring and leading young men and their fathers/mentors through a Rite of Passage. 

My abiding interests are gardening, ceramics, working within and for community and writing.  I have also (with my family and friends) built a stone and mud castle in the bush and I love storytelling. Physically, I have one functioning eye and wear an eye patch much to the amusement of small children and my daughter, and I prefer to be kept warm!  "Life Class" has been the first time for a very long time that I have been in front of the camera.

I studied drama at secondary school and have been a part of many stage plays in the local theatre community. Each of my directors has despaired at my preference for improvisation and comedy; a preference which I tamed for this role. I am now studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics/Law (Honours) at the Australian National University.

Rebecca is a librarian and student teacher who likes to act on the side. She is President of Theatre Onset in Bega and has previously performed with the Melbourne Workers Theatre and was a founding member of the Endeavour Theatre Company. 

She has also sung with the Melbourne Chorale and the Melbourne Philharmonic Choir, and lately with the Jonathan Richman Experience.

Elizabeth Brennan studied theatre and acting at Drama Studio Sydney in the late 1970’s early 80’s. As a performer she has worked mainly in children’s and adult theatre, including Theatre Sports, before undertaking a degree in Theatre Studies at the University of New South Wales. 

While living overseas in the USA during the 1990’s Elizabeth performed in a number of Off-Off Broadway productions in New York City before leaving the world of acting to pursue other interests.

After moving to the Far South Coast of NSW in 2009 she became involved again in theatre, performing with a local theatre group in several productions and won the Best Actress award in the  Merimbula Short and Sweet Festival of 2013. This film marks her debut on the big screen.

Elizabeth Blackmore is a  retired Secondary Teacher, who grew up in an alcohol free home.  Luckily she was able to kick this habit at Teachers Colleges and from then on enjoyed a normal Australian  social  life.  However, she still remembered the disapproving looks from the old aunts, which stood her in good stead as a Temperence Lady in Life Class!!

Marna trained in acting at the National Theatre in Melbourne and went on to perform, direct and write plays for community theatre in Victoria, N.S.W and Queensland. She was interested in the theatre from an early age and enjoyed writing plays during her childhood. Marna was involved with the Candelo Arts Society (N.S.W.) during its theatrical heyday performing in plays and directed ‘The Rivers of China’, which went on to tour secondary schools in the region. After twenty busy years running a marketing company in Melbourne she is now focussed on writing plays and developing a TV series concept, as well as content writing for social media and web. Her play ‘Hot Chick Goes Out For A Duck’ was selected for the Merimbula Short & Sweet Festival in 2013 and Sydney Short & Sweet Festival in 2014. Life Class is her film acting debut and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Over the years Chris Boyle has dabbled in local amateur theatre, with small roles in Spectrum Theatre Group’s, “Dinkum Assorted” and “Prix D’amour” and Candelo Arts Society’s production of “Romeo and Juliet”. As a past member of the Nomads choir, Pambula, Chris has been involved in many local choral productions as a soprano soloist and is currently enjoying taking Flamenco dance classes. 

Chris loves the creative process, and enjoyed the experience of working as an “extra”, as Mrs Crane’s shadow in “Life Class, the movie”. 

Chris also produces and presents a weekly community radio program on 93.7 Edge FM in the Bega Valley.

Matt Lavis
From usually swinging spanners as a diesel mechanic to being on set as 'footy lout no 2' was an incredible transformation, great script guys.

Ian Heffernan
My name is Ian but I prefer Toad and I am a dairy farmer on the south coast NSW. We supply our milk to Bega Cheese and I enjoy my job because it is different every day. I work hard during the week and enjoy hanging out with my fiancé and mates on weekends, going shooting, fishing, playing football and listening to country music. I'm a bit of a jokester and am pretty positive because life shouldn't be so serious. Being involved in Life Class was a great opportunity and I would defiinitely give it a go again. My mates and I now say we are big time movie stars. People don't believe us until we show them the shorts. It's a bit of a laugh and good conversation starter.

Greg lives and works in Pambula and is a member of Spectrum Theatre Group Merimbula not only appearing on stage, but building sets and props for many stage shows. 

He came on board the Life Class journey making signs and props such as the collapsible easels. 

Greg enjoyed his starring role as the train driver in the old railway shoot – first time in the movies!

Lesley joined the film industry in London, working as Derick Knight’s assistant at Knight Films in Berwick Street.

In the USA, she production managed the feature ‘Down Under’ for director Joel Leiber. Returning to Australia, she directed 2 short films, ‘Kings Cross’ and ‘Wild Wife’. Next she produced Tom Cowan’s fourth feature, ‘Sweet Dreamers’. She became a sculptor around 1995 and abandoned the film industry. Tom Cowan persuaded her to record the narration for ‘Life Class’.

Brianna shaw is an aspiring actress who is currently studying a Bachelor of Performance at Wollongong University. She has now recently joined Phoenix Theatre company in Wollongong.

She has featured in a diverse range of stage productions and advertisements. In "Life Class", which is set in her home town Candelo, she takes on the role as an extra and crew member.

Robyn Whitby, Danielle Pirrie, Sandra Taylor, Bernadette McKinnon, Anelia Bozinovska, Melissa Cattlin, Jarrah Cattlin, Stephen Stuart, Isabelle Champagne-Chittick, Stella Forbes, Jeni McMillan, Mia Soroka

Harry Frankel, Thomas Fink, Justin Horan, Andrew Vial, Paul Murty, John Clark, Kari Vullo, Robyn Whitby, Lisa Garner, Elenka Bozinovska, Tinka Kostadinov, Liam Patrick, Leland Hooley