The Telling it with Pride Speakers (TiPS) Program 2026 is almost here!
TiPS is dedicated to uplifting the diverse voices of the LGBTIQA+ community, empowering people with lived experience to create meaningful social change through storytelling. Now entering its third year, the program provides participants with tailored training, mentorship, and support to strengthen their storytelling and public speaking skills, build confidence, and amplify their impact across Victoria.
Today, we’re excited to introduce the incredible lineup of guest speakers joining this year’s program. These inspiring leaders, advocates, and creatives will guide participants through a series of workshops covering Storytelling for Social Change, Self-Care and Community Care, Public Speaking, Storytelling Skills, and Media and Digital Advocacy.
Upon completing the program, participants have the opportunity to become professional lived experience storytellers through the VPC’s LGBTIQA+ Speakers Bureau. By elevating community voices, TiPS and the Bureau help to foster greater understanding, empathy, and inclusion across workplaces, organisations, schools, and communities throughout Victoria.
This year’s program is facilitated by Ivy Crago (she/they), a member of the Victorian Pride Centre team and a local theatre-maker, producer, and storyteller. Having been involved with TiPS since its inception, Ivy is excited to be leading the program into its third year. Drawing on their background in theatre and community engagement, Ivy oversees the planning and development of the program, bringing valuable insights from previous years to support participants on their storytelling journey and help create an empowering experience for all involved.
Meet the Guest Speakers of the TiPS Program 2026:
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About Dean Arcuri (he/him)Dean Arcuri is known for being Melbourne’s busiest homosexual. He is an entertainer, journalist, photographer and beloved community figure. As cabaret comedian Frock Hudson, he has performed at festivals nationwide for over a decade and is a regular host of corporate and LGBTIQA+ community events. Dean has produced countless fundraisers and shows with local businesses and groups, from trivia and karaoke to pageants and bingo. A former Victorian Editor for SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer, he also produced and presented programs on JOY 94.9, including MAD Wednesdays and the news program The Informer. During Victoria’s 2020 lockdowns, Dean co-hosted livestreamed variety shows and created Pride Cup Trivia, connecting inclusive sporting clubs across the state. Each year, he performs at major events including the Better Together Conference, Gay Ski Week, and Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. Whether on stage, behind the camera or on the airwaves, Dean is dedicated to celebrating and amplifying the diversity and joy of Australia’s LGBTIQA+ communities. |
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About Lauren Swain (she/they)Lauren Swain is a proud Dabee Wiradjuri person also of mixed settler heritage. She grew up in a rural town in the mountains of Ngarigo Country (Cooma, NSW) and is now based in the big smoke of Naarm (Melbourne). Lauren’s upbringing underpins a multidisciplinary artistic practice grounded in community consciousness, care and working with what you’ve got. Lauren is drawn to more non-traditional forms of theatre from immersive worlds to political satire. Think: notes app poet, meets Healthy Harold’s #1 fan, meets Mr Bean, meets lots of cups of tea, meets always up for a boogie kind of theatre maker. Lauren is a maker, performer and facilitator with Polyglot Theatre Co, Bloomshed Theatre Co and associate artist with Pummel Squad. Lauren is also passionate about making space for the generations to access the arts and can be found teaching theatre making at the VCA, University of Melbourne or facilitating workshops with Young people in schools and community programs, from contemporary Indigenous Theatre programs to play based making workshops. Lauren is also the co-founder of ‘Where the Snails Go Theatre Co’ a new company that centres wonder, play, connection, interactivity, with an attention to slow time and the natural world. They predominantly make work for young people and their adults in this context. |
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Meet Tristan Meecham (he/him)Tristan Meecham is an Artist, Performer and Artistic Director and Co-Ceo of All The Queens Men. All The Queens Men is a queer, artist-led contemporary arts organisation creating original, ambitious multi-art form experiences that reflect communities, celebrate difference, and spark collective joy. Tristan is the 2023 Australia Council Fellowship recipient. More information: |
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Meet Katia Ariel (she/her)Katia is an award-winning author, book editor and educator from Melbourne/Naarm. She was born in Odesa, Ukraine. Her memoir, The Swift Dark Tide, was shortlisted for the Stella Prize in 2024 and won the 2024 Society of Women Writers NSW Non-fiction Prize. Katia’s work has appeared in the Age, Womankind Magazine, Archer and The Guardian. She was the recipient of the Varuna Residential Fellowship (2022) and Bundanon Writing Residence (2024). Katia holds an Arts/Law degree from Monash University and Graduate Diploma and Publishing and Editing from RMIT. Her second book, Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch, was published by Wild Dingo Press in June 2025. |
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About Fleassy Malay (they/she)Fleassy is an award-winning poet, two-time TEDx speaker, and internationally renowned spoken word artist. A queer, neurodiverse parent and advocate for LGBTIQA+ rights and women’s empowerment, they blend vulnerability and power to inspire change. Founder of Mother Tongue Poetry, Fleassy mentors in public speaking and authenticity. Their poem Witches went viral in 2018, and they’ve published multiple books and albums. Fleassy has performed globally, was a 2017 Slam finalist, and won Reciter of the Year in 2022. Their show Fierce-Gentle won two Judges Picks at the 2023 Melbourne Fringe. Based in Melbourne, they studied at The BRIT School. |
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About Triana Butler (she/her/it)Triana Butler is a broadcaster and digital creative from Narrm/Melbourne. A broadcaster in radio, podcasting, and the online space for more than a decade, Triana creates story arcs that cross over from the digital to the physical world, spanning public events and social feeds. Her work as a presenter in the gaming sphere has seen her host live events for Maybelline, Riot Games, Fortress, and Microsoft, and she’s led a series of community panels at PAX Australia and Melbourne International Games Week. Behind the scenes, Triana has worked on some of the biggest gaming and esports events in the country, including Melbourne Esports Open, DreamHack Melbourne, and IEM Melbourne 2025. One of the leading trans broadcasters in the country, Triana has hosted podcasts for organisations like LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Triana’s work as a music presenter has seen her acknowledged as a Finalist in both the Australian Commercial Radio Awards and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Awards. |
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About Oliver Ayres (he/him)Oliver Ayres (he/him) is a critically acclaimed disabled trans actor, theatre maker and community leader.
He is best known for original works ‘I’m Ready To Talk Now’ and ‘No Seasons’. Oliver was the inaugural recipient of Theatre Network Australia’s ‘Change Maker’ award. His other awards include ‘Best Experimental Work’ and ‘Access and Inclusion Award’ with Melbourne Fringe. He was a 2025 finalist in the Transgender Victoria Awards for Creative Excellence. |
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About Ryan Hamilton (he/they)Ryan is a fat/queer independent theatre maker, producer, arts worker, and critic based in Narrm (Melbourne). He’s known for his arts criticism on Instagram which reimagines the relationship between critics and audiences, and aims to build inquisitive and curious audiences for the arts sector. He has worked with organisations such as Melbourne Theatre Company, ILBIJERRI, Melbourne Shakespeare Company, Theatre Works, Monash University, and Theatre Network Australia to develop social media content and strategies that connect meaningfully with audiences. His work has been seen at Melbourne Fringe, and he most recently wrote and produced Fuck Your Funding, a new play which critiqued the state of arts funding in Victoria. |
We are so excited to have these guest speakers as part of this year’s program. Stay tuned as we continue to celebrate and amplify LGBTIQA+ voices through storytelling!
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