About Us

Creating Shiny Hearts

At Shiny Heart Productions, we believe theatre and wellbeing belong together. Every story we tell, scene we create, and experience we share is designed to spark joy, nurture growth, and help children shine with happy, resilient, and connected hearts.

Founded by Susan Huang - an actor, theatre-maker, & wellbeing educator - Shiny Heart Productions was born from a simple but powerful idea: stages and stories can change lives. From her early experiences on stage to her work in wellbeing education with schools, Susan saw firsthand how engaging theatre and creative play could joyfully ignite curiosity, nurture empathy and courage, and help children connect deeply to themselves, others, and the world. She dreamed of creating a theatre company that would bring these benefits to every child - empowering them to thrive, uplifting families, and enriching schools and communities. 

Our Mission

Growing a world of Shiny Hearts through the joyful power of art! 

Through captivating theatre, workshops, and experiences, we inspire and empower every child to thrive - to feel good, function well, and connect deeply with themselves, others, and the world. We actively cultivate confidence, empathy, resilience, connection, and responsibility, creating a ripple effect of wellbeing for families, schools, and communities. Because when children thrive, the world shines brighter.

Our Vision

A world where every child's heart shines bright, nurtured through the joy and transformative power of theatre and art. 

Our Approach

We believe children learn best through play, exploration, and connection. Every performance and workshop is designed to bring wellbeing and SEL to life through engaging storytelling, creative play and connected experiences, guided by our 3 magical pillars:

⭐ Ignite - To spark curiosity and imagination, opening doors to new stories, ideas, and adventures.

🙂 Delight - To create joyful, uplifting experiences that invite laughter, wonder, awe and playful learning.

💛 Unite - To help children connect deeply, fostering shared growth and meaningful relationships.

Through this approach, children actively develop and practice lifelong social-emotional skills while enjoying fun, interactive, and uplifting theatre experiences.

Our Experiences

Step into uplifting worlds of imagination, play, and discovery.

Through our touring theatre performances, interactive school workshops, and creative community events, we create experiences that:

⭐ Spark joy, laughter and connection for children and families
⭐ Support teachers in embedding SEL through arts-based learning
⭐ Help venues bring communities together with high-quality, inspiring shows

Our productions aim to nurture wellbeing and social-emotional learning, growing essential like skills in :

• Self-Awareness - understanding their own feelings, from giggles to grumbles, and building confidence in themselves. 

• Self-Management - learning to befriend big emotions, bounce back from challenges & strengthen resilience along the way

• Social Awareness - growing empathy and seeing the world through another’s eyes

• Relationship Skills - practising teamwork, communication, and kindness

• Responsible Decision-Making - choosing courage, care, kindness and creativity in daily life

Our shows are more than entertainment - they're hugs for the heart. We empower children, uplift families, and enrich school communities, leaving sparkles of kindness and courage that lasts long after the curtain falls. 

We invite you to join the magic - Together, let's grow a world of Shiny Hearts! 

Meet Our Team

Susan Huang – Founder, Creative Director & Producer
Susan Huang founded Shiny Heart Productions from her love of storytelling, creative play, and supporting children to flourish. With a rich background in acting, theatre-making, and youth drama and wellbeing education, she combines her passion for the arts and evidence-informed practices to create uplifting theatre, festivals, and workshops that nurture wellbeing and strengthen social-emotional learning. Her vision is for children, families, and school communities to thrive - inspiring and growing confident, empathic, resilient, connected and responsible young people, through the joy and transformative power of art. 

Kate Bookallil & Siobhan Lawless - Co-Producers - Founders/Co-Artistic Directors, Flight Path Theatre & Inner West Drama
Kate and Siobhan have been instrumental in bringing Shiny Heart Productions’ vision to life, supporting the team with creativity, guidance, and unwavering belief in the power of theatre to inspire children and families. Driven by a love for theatre and performances, Kate and Siobhan have been working on and off stage for more than 30 years and continue to share this love with the community through their two ventures: 

• Flight Path Theatre - an independent and much loved non-profit theatre venue in the Inner West, Sydney

• Inner West Drama - an inclusive and community driven drama school for all ages. 

Dave Brown - Mentor, Founder/Artistic Director, The Paperboats
Dave Brown is an acclaimed Australian theatre-maker with over three decades of experience creating innovative, immersive theatre for young audiences. As former Artistic Director of Patch Theatre Company, he co-created and directed 28 original works for children, touring extensively across Australia and internationally. In 2016, he founded The PaperBoats, a platform for pioneering early childhood theatre through collaboration and devised productions, including Especially on Birthdays and Seven Little Wonders, which won the 2022 Ruby Award for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences. His work has earned numerous accolades, including a Helpmann Award, the Mickey Minor Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Walk of Fame. Shiny Heart Productions is grateful and honoured to work under Dave’s mentorship to create theatre that is innovative, engaging, and deeply resonant for young audiences. 

Creative Team – Additional Key Artists

Our extended creative family includes talented performers, directors, designers, and technical specialists, each chosen for their expertise in children’s theatre and visual storytelling. Together, they craft seamless, visually rich, and interactive productions that delight, inspire, and engage children and families. We are grateful for the contributions of our current and past creatives, including Maliyan Blair, Amy Van Gelder Brown, Matt Abotomey, Temeka Lawlor, Bob Weatherly, Emma Van Veen, and Hannah Cogan - whose passion and artistry help bring every Shiny Heart story to life.

Discover Our Shows

Step into worlds where imagination, play, and wellbeing come alive. Explore our current shows and workshops today.

Images by Philip Le Masurier: 1. Especially on Birthdays 2024 Temeka and child playing and laughing, 2. Especially on Birthdays 2024 Tim and Temeka, 3. Opening night of EoB 2024 - Inner West Counsellor Olivia Barlow, Temeka Lawlor, Kate Bookallil, Siobhan Lawless, Matt Abotomey, Susan Huang.