About

29 Scenes is an independent theatre company founded by playwright Fleur Murphy, producer Fiona Stafford and director Tom Royce-Hampton, and is dedicated to developing, presenting and touring compelling new Australian work.

Since launching in 2022 with the acclaimed world premiere of Hearth, 29 Scenes has built a reputation for intimate, character-driven theatre that places contemporary social questions at the heart of deeply human stories. Hearth was selected for the 2022 VCAA Theatre Studies Playlist and toured across metropolitan and regional Victoria, reaching students from more than 20 schools.

In 2023, 29 Scenes partnered with Darebin Speakeasy to present the world premiere of The Fence, a vital one-woman work that received strong audience and critical acclaim. The production returned in 2024 for a metropolitan and regional tour, continuing the company’s commitment to taking new Australian work beyond its premiere season.

The company’s next production, Never Always Ever Was, expands its practice through cross-cultural collaboration, live music and an ambitious story spanning generations, continents and decades. The production is currently working with Regional Arts Victoria to support future touring and connect the work with audiences across Victoria.

Grants & Awards:
2023 - Australia Council Project Grant - THE FENCE
2023 - Australian Writers' Guild Monte Miller Award - Longlisted - THE FENCE
2023 - Darebin Arts Speakeasy Grant & Programming - THE FENCE
2022 - Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award – Shortlisted - THE FENCE
2022 - RAV & Creative Victoria Sustaining Creative Workers Grant - THE FENCE
2022 - Darebin Arts Speakeasy Development Grant - THE FENCE
2022 - VCAA Playlist Selection, Theatre Studies - HEARTH
2022 - RAV & Creative Victoria Sustaining Creative Workers Grant - HEARTH
2021 - Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award – Shortlisted - HEARTH
2021 - Besen Foundation Arts Grant - HEARTH
2021 - Creative Partnerships Australia MATCH Lab Fund - HEARTH
2020 - Merri-bek Flourish Arts Recovery Grant - THE FENCE
2020 - Theatre503 International Playwriting Award – Longlisted - HEARTH

FLEUR MURPHY:
Fleur Murphy is a playwright, producer, and founding member of the independent theatre company 29 Scenes. Originally from regional Victoria and now based in Naarm/Melbourne, she creates original theatre works that explore contemporary social issues through emotionally rich storytelling.
Her plays have been presented across Australia and internationally, with productions touring to regional centres, major festivals, and historic sites. Recent works include The Fence (29 Scenes), which premiered as part of Darebin Arts Speakeasy’s 2023 mainstage season and toured throughout Victoria in 2024; ROARING (2024), an immersive theatre work that premiered to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim; and Hearth (2022), which premiered at La Mama Courthouse, toured Victoria, and was selected for the VCE Theatre Studies Playlist. Other works include Shadows of Angels (Adelaide Fringe, Shepparton Arts Festival, Edinburgh Fringe), My Country for a Peach, and Don’t Say Bubba.
Fleur’s writing has been recognised through nominations and shortlistings for some of Australia’s leading playwriting awards, including the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award, the Griffin Award, the Lysicrates Prize, the Monte Miller Award, and the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, as well as the international Theatre503 Playwriting Award (UK). Her short film Rain for Morgan won multiple international awards, including Best International Short at the Ireland International Film Festival.
Fleur is currently preparing for the premiere of Never Always Ever Was, commissioned by Belfast-based C21 Theatre, developed with support from the British Council, Culture Ireland and The Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation. The work will premiere in April 2027 before embarking on a Victorian tour with the support of Regional Arts Victoria. She is also developing Tupperwars (working title), a new Australian musical.
Fleur holds a Master of Theatre: Writing from the Victorian College of the Arts (2019), and has been supported through opportunities including an Australia Council mentorship with playwright Tom Holloway, Theatre Works’ Associate Artist Program and a La Mama New Work Residency.

TOM ROYCE-HAMPTON:
Tom Royce-Hampton is a director, dramaturg and performer based in Melbourne. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, Actors Centre Australia, and the VCA School of Music, his career spans over two decades across theatre, film, and live performance. His work is driven by a commitment to rigorous and collaborative development processes, meaningful community engagement, and the creation of sustainable pathways for independent Australian artists.
Tom began his career as a member of Taikoz, Australia's leading taiko ensemble, touring nationally and internationally for over a decade and performing alongside artists and companies including Kodo, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Douglas Dunn + Dancers. During his time with Taikoz he travelled extensively to Japan to study traditional forms of drumming, dance and theatre, shaping his approach to physicality and ensemble work.
As a director, Tom's credits include Hearth with his own company, 29 Scenes, and ABYSS (VCA Theatre School). He has also worked as assistant director on Machinal (VCA Theatre School) and The View Upstairs (Sugary Rum Productions), and as dramaturg on Chi Udaka (Taikoz). Alongside his directing work, Tom has built a strong reputation in fight and movement direction, serving as Associate Fight and Movement Director on Bell Shakespeare's Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Coriolanus and Romeo & Juliet, and as Assistant Fight and Movement Director on Melbourne Theatre Company's Bernhardt/Hamlet and The Removalists.
Tom is passionate about the development and presentation of new Australian work and is a founding member of independent theatre company 29 Scenes and production company Brickwood Films. His collaboration with playwright Fleur Murphy has been a defining creative partnership: he directed Murphy's Hearth for 29 Scenes in 2022, which toured metro and regional Victoria and engaged more than 20 schools as part of La Mama's education program and the VCAA Playlist. He subsequently produced Murphy's The Fence for 29 Scenes and Darebin Speakeasy in 2023, with a further tour in 2024. For Brickwood Films, he is developing a film adaptation of The Fence, written by Murphy and starring Louisa Mignone.
As an educator, Tom has worked as a teacher and workshop leader with Moorambilla Voices since 2009, delivering programs in regional and remote NSW.

FIONA STAFFORD:
Fiona Stafford is a freelance producer based in Melbourne and has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for over 15 years in a number of roles, from artist management to immigration, publicity and marketing, and event management. Currently, she also works as the Operations Manager at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. 'Hearth' (29 Scenes) was her debut independent theatre production, giving her the opportunity to expand her skills and pursue her passion for supporting emerging independent theatre-makers in developing, staging and touring new Australian works. Fiona will continue to work with 29 Scenes in the presentation of future projects and productions.