Center Stage

Luzita Fereday's (Class of 1986) life path has been shaped by her passions. From captivating audiences on the Fine Arts Theater stage and touring the world with the Royal Shakespeare Company, to teaching at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, her journey as an actor, performer, and now voice coach has been a "long and winding” one.

“But I'm doing what I love, and not many people can say that," she says with a proud smile.

That long and winding road began at JIS, where her love of performing firmly took root as she immersed herself in productions such as The Sound of Music, The Taming of the Shrew, Death of a Salesman, and many more. With a nostalgic laugh, she recalls her first musical experience in Middle School Carousel, playing opposite fellow 1986 alum and JIS Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman Phil Rickard in Death of a Salesman, and overcoming stage fright while singing at school events as part of a student band. 

“My experiences at JIS really gave me the foundation to explore and take risks, and I'm very grateful for them. [They gave me] a really good foundation to go out into the world and explore things.”

She especially treasures the invaluable lessons and memories of learning from such inspiring drama teachers as Ms. Myerson, Dr. Allen, and Mr. Dinlocker, who played a “huge role in really nurturing my love of the performing arts and really encouraged me to pursue what I loved”. 

“Dr. Allen instilled in me the importance of rigor and discipline; if you said you were going to show up for rehearsals, you had to be at rehearsals,” she says. “On the other side of that, he also showed me how essential it was to kind of maintain a sense of humor and be silly.”

To this day, she utilizes this approach in her career as a voice coach working with corporate executives, professional actors, and performing arts students. 

“It's absolutely a balance that I maintain now: that ability that you can be playful. I call it ‘playful trial and playful error’, so you're learning by failing.”

Luzita’s connection to JIS and Jakarta was established long before her days as a student, as it was her father, architect Tom Pope, who had designed the original concept of the Cilandak campus we know and love today. She was also born in the Indonesian capital, leading to a childhood immersed in the country’s rich heritage and traditions, then surrounded by classmates from a diverse patchwork of languages and cultures. 

“Growing up in Jakarta, I grew up with a soundscape of different languages and voices, [and] being a Bahasa Indonesia speaker has definitely given me an appreciation for different rhythms, sounds, and cultures,” she recalls, adding that her curiosity for multilingualism only grew throughout her time at JIS. 

“At school, I had friends from all over the world — I always asked them for different words and phrases in their language [...] I think if I hadn’t become an actor, I might have gone into translation.” 

She goes on to quote Charlemagne, who said that “to speak a second language is to have a second soul”. The sentiment resonates deeply, reminding her of how privileged she was to pursue the life she wanted for herself after graduating from JIS by attending London’s prestigious — and highly competitive — Royal Academy of Performing Arts.

“But it did take me a while because I auditioned and I didn't get in the first year,” she concedes with a spirited laugh. “I auditioned again the second year and I got recalled.”

Instead of acting as a deterrent, the challenge gave her “permission to dream big”.

“It struck me that this [performing] is something that I'm really passionate about. I'm going to do it, and I'll take the highs and the lows — I don't wanna do anything else.”

Fueled by that conviction and a deep passion for her craft, Luzita would go on to land background roles in TV shows and movies such as Minder, Firm Friends, Rift, and Sister My Sister. Still, her heart belonged to the stage, so when the opportunity to tour with the Royal Shakespeare Company arrived, it was a dream come true.

As a cast member of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she embarked on a tour of the world that started in the United Kingdom, then went on to dazzle theater-goers in Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. 

“It was an amazing opportunity. When I was in Sydney performing, one of my former JIS teachers, a math teacher, sent a little note backstage saying she had just watched me perform!”

Luzita would find herself facing a pivotal crossroads in her career when the demanding schedule of rehearsing during the day and performing at night no longer aligned with her new passion: to be present for her children.

“Personally, I wanted to spend time with my kids and have time with my family,” she explains. “So I thought, how can I be involved in a creative way and still be a part of the process of putting together a performance?

Determined to stay connected to the creative world, Luzita began exploring new avenues. She pursued postgraduate studies at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where she delved into directing and voice coaching. During this time, she worked with the National Youth Theatre in London, honing her skills as a director and discovering the art of voice, accents, and dialects. In 2008, she moved to Perth to complete a master’s degree at Edith Cowan University, focusing on “investigating accents and dialects for the Australian actor”.

Though she loved learning, Luzita knew she needed to be involved in the performing arts.

“I needed to contribute [...] I wanted to work with actors on accents and dialects, so here I teach at WAAPA now — the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts,” she explains.

In addition to being a respected faculty member at WAAPA, Luzita teaches corporate clients (including the Australian Association of Crown Prosecutors, Chartered Accountants ANZ, and Women Leaders in Public Safety) and works with both stage and screen actors.

She recounts a particularly memorable experience working on an Australian television series titled Bali 2002, which needed voice coaching for an actor playing an Indonesian investigator — which meant she was perfect for the job!

“I helped link the sound features of a Bahasa Indonesia accent to his characterisation, and he did really well! I’m really fortunate that I have this worldview because if I’m working with an actor and I need a Dutch accent, I just think of my Dutch friends,” she shares with a laugh, crediting her multicultural upbringing at JIS for being invaluable to her work. 

As she reflects on her “long and winding” journey, Luzita offers some insightful advice for current JIS students: stay determined and curious, embrace the highs and lows, create balance, know the industry, and build your network.

“Above all, back yourself. Believe in your unique voice and perspective. As Shakespeare reminds us, ‘To thine own self be true.’”