Who is Lyndall Grant?
I am an actor, fight director, movement director, and motion capture specialist based in Melbourne. I am also the director of Captivate Action, a company that provides training and creative services in all of those areas. My training and early career were spent in the U.K., I think because I thought it would be exciting to train at a U.K. drama school (it was). After leaving drama school, I found fight and movement performance particularly thrilling and constantly immersed myself in training and work in this area, until it unexpectedly grew into a headline part of my practice.
I returned to Australia in 2016 and have been balancing work as a performer, creative, and educator ever since. As a performer, I was lucky to be in Melbourne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and as a creative I work across the country for companies such as the Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Michael Cassel Group, GWB Entertainment, Malthouse Theatre, Red Stitch Actors Theatre, and Opera Queensland.
I am also a recovering veterinarian from a much, much earlier life.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
Nothing. It’s a constant slog to keep your head above water in this industry, but I keep slogging because I cannot remotely imagine myself doing anything else. I have indeed tried imagining it, especially during those times when work is so scarce that it’s terrifying, or the opposing times when I’ve said “yes” to so many things that I am tortuously tired and my bone marrow aches. However, my experience is that creative work is intertwined with being alive, and I unfailingly get joy, stimulation, fulfilment, excitement, adventure, growth, and a sense of achievement from being in our industry.
What I would love is more time (i.e. money) to expand into more creative areas, especially the ones that don’t have an immediate financial payback: writing, producing, making theatre, film, TV, content, and devising new work. However, as a freelancer running a business, time is inexorably linked to money. My income comes only from the effort I invest to create it, so it’s currently not feasible to turn down paid work for a long-game enterprise.
So, I keep innovating, looking for ways to be more streamlined in my work, and wrangling my time into different configurations in the hope that opportunities will emerge for new creative projects. I would love there to be more opportunities to work on new major Australian works.
Who inspires you and why?
I am regularly inspired by so many people in our industry – we really host an incredibly talented, intelligent, resourceful and amazing bunch of artists. I love working on collaborative projects where each person takes up a niche in their own specialty, and these niches combine to move a piece forward together. I love watching each specialist at their element in their zone, making choices that appear mysterious and a bit magical in the way they can make all the difference.
On every gig I work, no matter the scale, every person involved is always simultaneously balancing this current gig, their other concurrent gigs, their future gigs, their as-yet-unsourced gigs, their personal lives, and whatever other things they try and cram around all of this. I am inspired by anyone who is excited by their craft, and who is dedicated to exploring how to interact with it.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Where to start? The world is really in a challenging place at the moment. It sounds overused and empty, but kindness and empathy are so important, and the idealist in me would remind everyone to invest in them (including myself). If each person truly and genuinely invested in them, then I feel that many of the challenges we currently face would start to resolve.
On a more proactive and personal level (and perhaps one that’s more achievable), I would create work that reminded people of the excitement, imagination, simplicity, adventure, and inspiration to be found in stories. I would love a culture where we celebrated art and stories as being a fundamental part of life, accessible to and accessed by all demographics, and not seen as being shunted towards the privileged sections of society.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Goodness. You know, I genuinely haven’t had a “real” holiday (where I am not travelling for work) for over 10 years. Aside from making a mental note to address this, I enjoy travelling anywhere I can get “lost”, see new things, and have new experiences. I love the challenge of travelling through foreign countries and getting “stuck in”.
I could really get on board with returning to a backpacking holiday through Europe like I did in my early 20s, although now that I’m in my 40s, I’d probably do it with fewer hostels, a bigger daily budget ($70 a day, anyone?), and a suitcase on wheels. I would love to spend a couple of months walking a pilgrimage route such as the Camino de Santiago (I would carry my pack for that one).
If anyone would like to keep all my jobs ready for when I get back, that would be great.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I think one of the best things about Melbourne is that it’s a city you experience, rather than simply see. So I tend to take visiting friends to do the things I love about living here: long brunches in cafés, hunting down great coffee, catching a show, wandering the laneways, and just walking around the city for the vibe.
If they’re from overseas and enjoy wildlife, I’ll take them to Healesville Sanctuary if we’re short on time or, if we have more time, head a little further out to find some kangaroos in the wild (although with one friend, we literally spotted kangaroos in the grasslands around the airport. Tick!). A trip to the Mornington Peninsula for the beaches or the Yarra Valley for the trees is definitely on the list too, especially if wineries or distilleries happen to be involved.
One of my close friends absolutely lived her best life on a day trip to Ballarat and Sovereign Hill
What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading A Life in Secrets by Sarah Helm, a non-fiction book about Vera Atkins – an incredible woman who was a senior intelligence officer and Deputy Head of F Section (the French Section) of Britain’s Special Operations Executive during World War II. She was at the centre of Britain’s covert operations supporting the French Resistance.
I stumbled across the stories of women SOE agents in France while doing some research, and have since become hooked on learning more about all of them. It is extraordinary what actions can be set in motion by seemingly small and quiet acts, and the sheer courage people can show in the face of absolute terror.
What are you currently listening to?
My Spotify recommendations are a little eclectic at the moment. I worked on MJ the Musical as the Resident Physical Movement Coordinator, so MJ is now a frequent feature on my playlists. This is interspersed with opera from Dvořák’s Rusalka, following recent work as Movement Director on Sarah Giles’ stunning production for the Opera Conference.
So, to be honest, anything that can break through the earworms from those shows is welcome! I’m listening to a lot of Marian Hill, Baker Boy, Flight Facilities, alt-J, Imagine Dragons, and a gorgeous German group of classical singers called Sjaella.
Happiness is?
Happiness is feeling fulfilled. Being active. Sharing, exploring, and playing with the kind of people who let you forget yourself. Having freedom. Gardening.
I think it’s important to remember that happiness rarely occurs in isolation and shouldn’t be something we strive for constantly. Rather, it comes amongst, alongside, and during moments of sadness, anger, and disappointment, and that’s okay.
What does the future hold for you?
Who on earth knows? I think one thing the last few years have taught us is that nothing is “so unreasonable” that it won’t be thrown at us, and that we were quite amusing when we used to think we were laying foundations for certainty.
All going well, however: Over the coming weeks, I am thrilled to be appearing in Monstrous Theatre’s The Ballad of Dan O’Malley, written by Paul Mitchell and directed by Theresa Borg. It’s a beautiful, naturalistically poetic piece centered around the AFL controversies of the 2010s. What attracts me to it is the very human story of what it’s like to navigate your own passion and integrity within a large and unstoppable system that will exploit them, even weaponise them, for its own aims.
I’ll also be fight directing the return season of Death of a Salesman with GWB at Her Majesty’s Theatre, working on Sarah Goodes’ Break of Day at the Malthouse, and making a cheeky trip to Sydney for another project (TBA!). I’ll be returning to the VCA to teach stage combat to the second- and third-year acting students, as well as running specialist stage combat courses for more experienced performers through Captivate Action.
Longer term, I’ll keep trying to shift things into different positions to see if I can get them all to align as efficiently as possible!
Lyndall can be seen as Suze in Monstrous Theatre’s production of Paul Mitchell’s The Ballad of Dan O’Malley – which will be presented at the Explosives Factory, St Kilda, from 12 – 22 August 2026.
Image: Lyndall Grant (supplied)