Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’ (he/him) is the Artistic Director & Creative Producer of BJTC.

A Nigerian-born, award-winning Creative Producer, Curator, Visual Artist, Writer, Performer, and Disability Support Worker based in Boorloo (Perth). He holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism & Media from the University of Hertfordshire (UK) and a Master of Arts in Screen Arts from Curtin University.

Ayo is known for creating immersive, poetic, and emotionally resonant theatre works that fuse spoken word, live music, and movement. He co-founded The Outsiders, producing acclaimed shows such as An Evening of African Poetry & Storytelling (nominated for Outstanding Overall Design at The Blue Room 2024 Awards) and Our Stories, Our Motherland. He also founded blue joy theatre co, which supports early-career artists through development programs and new work productions.

Alongside his theatre work, Ayo is the co-frontman of TAB Family, a music project blending Afro fusion and alternative pop, which won the 2025 FRINGE WORLD Award in the Music and Musicals categories. His current projects include developing till we meet again and better late, than never. Ayo also serves as Communications & Marketing Coordinator at The Blue Room Theatre and sits on the boards of the Western Australian Youth Theatre Company (WAYTCo) and Regional Arts WA.

Anja Starkiss (she/her) is the Program & Production Coordinator of BJTC.

An independent producer, performer and creative originally from Narrm (Melbourne) and currently based in Boorloo (Perth). Since graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2023) with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making), Anja has taken her time to explore many facets of Perth’s arts industry, always following compelling storytelling and collaborative processes.

As Program and Production Coordinator for Blue Joy Theatre Company, Anja is fueled by a passion for supporting artists to tell their stories, prioritising people-first, inclusive and collaborative approaches to programming and process. In doing so, she hopes to support Blue Joy Theatre Company’s mission of amplifying underrepresented voices, showcasing bold ideas and supporting emerging artists to find their place in the industry.

Anja’s recent credits include performing inHow to: Break a ChairandAll the Words I Cannot Find (The Blue Room Theatre, 2025) and producing the upcoming seasons of New Beginnings and better late, than never as part of FRINGE WORLD Festival 2026.

Shelby McKenzie (She/They) is a performer, director, and movement artist. They graduated with first class honours from WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Honours) in 2022. During this year they researched embodiment in live theatrical performance. Their thesis Moments in Performance; Developing an Aid for Articulation and Reflection has been published through the Edith Cowan University library.

In their practice, Shelby builds character through movement-led practices like Laban Movement Analysis and Bogart’s Viewpoints. They focus on developing extensive physiological understanding of character so they can work from the outside in. 

Shelby is a bilingual/bimodal artist studying towards a diploma in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), with the intention to incorporate the language into their practice. They aim to broaden access for performers to engage in theatre-making through inclusive practices.