Associate Artist Program
Ruci Kaisila | PERFORMER | WRITER
Ruci is a musically gifted performer in gospel and soul. From a young age, Ruci, along with her twin sister Joanne, developed a passion for music through singing and performing at their local church. With Ruci on piano and vocals and Joanne on guitar and vocals, the dynamic duo captivated audiences with their soulful ballads. Ruci has featured in many Outer Urban Projects works including GRAND DIVISIONS - A MOVED URBAN CANTATA presented at Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne International Arts Festival; Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre opening POETIC LICENSE, The Big Anxiety's TAKEOVER and HUME STUDIOS Residency projects, REVELATIONS recording project in URBAN STUDIO and 125BPM Concert at Melbourne Recital Centre.
Joanne Kaisila | PERFORMER | WRITER
Joanne is a proud Fijian-Australian. She is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist performer – playing guitar, drums and bass. From a young age Joanne developed a passion for gospel and soul music and has performed in many seminal shows for Outer Urban Projects including GRAND DIVISIONS – A MOVED URBAN CANCATA at Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Festival, POETIC LICENSE opening at Darebin Arts Centre and HUME STUDIOS at Kangan Tafe. She recorded on REVELATIONS in URBAN STUDIO, performed in the TAKEOVER residency and is a key artist on the Australian/Fijian collaboration of the transnational performance and film project, KIN - Dudi & Jojo.
SAHRA DAVOUDI | ACTOR | WRITER
Sahra graduated in art and architecture at the University of Tehran with a Bachelor of Theatre Art in 2009. Sahra was involved in many student productions as a writer, actor, costume and set designer. Her dissertation thesis was an adaptation of the short story by Raymond Carver - ‘Neighbors’.
Sahra's first professional work as an actor and writer in Australia was with Outer Urban Projects' dance theatre work, VESSEL at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Fringe (2017). She then went on to work as a writer and actor in THE AUDITION, which premiered at La Mama in 2019 and was remounted in 2024 at La Mama Courthouse, The Bowery Theatre, and Bunjil Place.
Kush Kuiy | WRITER
Kush Kuiy is an independent producer, writer, and storyteller whose practice explores third-culture identity, shifting ideas of home, cultural inheritance, and belonging. Working across writing, performance, and research, she experiments with form as a way of finding the most honest and resonant way to tell a story.
Her recent work includes writing on VIGIL with Outer Urban Projects and contributing to large-scale visual outcomes for Viv’s Place, a social housing development in Melbourne’s south-east. She is currently developing a long-term research project, 'HOMECOMING', which traces personal and diasporic journeys between Australia and her family’s country of origin.
Natasha Lakkis (nee Hanna) | MUSICIAN
Natasha is fast becoming a well-known name in Melbourne’s orchestra scene. The eldest of 8 children of a musical family from Roxburgh Park, she began playing violin at 3 years of age. In 2014 Natasha was the principal 2nd violinist for the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and collaborated with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra on their tour to New Zealand. She was violin concertmaster in 2012 & 2013 for Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight conducted by John Foreman.
Josef Hanna | MUSCIAN
Josef Hanna is an Associate Artist. He began playing the violin at the age of 4. Josef was raised and educated in Roxburgh Park. His past teachers include Helge Thelen, Elizabeth Sellars and Roy Theaker. Josef is currently studying under Sophie Rowell.
Josef has been a member of the Melbourne Youth Orchestra (MYO) since 2012. In 2015, he was appointed the position of Concertmaster and has retained the position into 2016.
Karla Hanna | MUSICIAN
Karla Hanna is a Lebanese-Australian artist. She is a professional violinist with extensive experience in performance and teaching for over 20 years.
Karla has worked as a freelance musician, performing with orchestras such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, as well as working regularly with different Chamber groups around Australia. She studied at the Australian National Academy of Music from 2015-2017 and is currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Music.
Milad Norouzi | WRITER | MUSICIAN | PERFORMER
Milad is a rapper, singer-songwriter and performer. Milad’s creative life began in the underground rap studios of Tehran. He joined Outer Urban Projects in 2015 after attending its remount of POETIC LICENSE at Darebin Arts Centre. As a writer/performer/actor he has written and performed in Outer Urban Projects' major works POETIC LICENSE at fortyfivedownstairs (2017), GRAND DIVISONS - A MOVED URBAN CANTATA at the Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne (2015), LIBERIAN BOY (2018), and THE AUDITION, which premiered at La Mama in 2019 and was remounted in 2024 at La Mama Theatre, The Bowery Theatre, and Bunjil Place. Milad has also recently recorded his moody underground EP THE LITTLE LIONHEART in the company’s URBAN STUDIO.
Emmanuel Kaisila | Vocalist
Emmanuel is the youngest of the talented Kaisila family. He is also musically gifted through his family roots in gospel and soul. From a young age, Emmanuel, along with his twin sisters Joanne and Ruci, developed a passion for music through singing and performances at their local church. The trio captivate audiences with their soulful ballads. Emmanuel’s work with Outer Urban Projects includes 125 BMP, Melbourne Recital Centre, HUME STUDIOS, TAKEOVER residencies, and the upcoming transnational performance and film project, KIN - Dudi & Jojo.
Tangata Tupou | SONGWRITER | MUSICIAN | VOCALIST
Tangata Tupou began singing at a young age. Born to a musically gifted family, Tangata's passion for music started in the family living room and at her local church. Tangata's Cook Island heritage has a huge influence on her style of music. She and sister Fakaoho have been performing together for many years. Both artists learned how to play musical instruments and sing from their dad. She is an independent vocalist, performing with sister Fakaoho and cousins, Ruci, Joanne, and Emmanuel Kaisila. Tangata is a recipient of a Hume Art Award.
Fakaoho Tupou | MUSICIAN | VOCALIST
Blending Māori and Pacific Islander influences with her love for Gospel and Hip Hop, Fakaoho Tupou is an asset to any concert or performance. She is a musically gifted singer with a strong following in the Pasifika and gospel community, and is a recipient of a Hume Art Award. Fakaoho has featured in many Outer Urban Projects works - URBAN CHAMBER BEYOND at the Melbourne Recital Centre, the opening for POETIC LICENSE at the Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre, LIBERIAN BOY, REVELATIONS in URBAN STUDIO, HUME STUDIOS and TAKEOVER residencies and GRAND DIVISONS – A MOVED URBAN CANTATA at Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Festival.