Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst are the Co-Artistic Directors of Clockfire Theatre Company and Clockfire Creative Lab. Together, they create original devised theatre grounded in physical performance, Lecoq pedagogy, and a shared commitment to ensemble-driven storytelling.

Emily founded Clockfire in 2012 after completing her training at the Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris (2011), following earlier studies at Theatre Nepean, University of Western Sydney. Madeline trained at L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq (2018), completing both the two-year professional course and the Laboratory of Movement (LEM), and holds a Bachelor of Performance from AIM Dramatic Arts.

As collaborators, Emily and Madeline have co-created many of Clockfire’s major works, including Ruins / أطلال for Seymour Centre and 25a Belvoir, Plenty of Fish in the Sea (Winner: Best Theatre, Best Physical Theatre, and the Festival Director’s Award, Sydney Fringe 2023; Edinburgh Fringe, House of Oz 2024); Night Parade of One Hundred Goblins (Sydney Festival 2020, commissioned by the Art Gallery of NSW); The Natural Conservatorium for Wise Women; and we, the lost company. Their collective body of work is known for its physical precision, theatrical imagination, and emotionally resonant storytelling.

Alongside their creative practice, both artists are dedicated educators. Emily taught movement and improvisation at the University of Wollongong and has directed numerous student productions, while also teaching across AIM Dramatic Arts, AFTRS, Casula Powerhouse, InPlay Arts and schools throughout NSW. Madeline teaches Mask, Mime, Clown, Bouffon, Movement and devising at institutions including NIDA, ITS, Riverside Theatres, Monkey Baa, and schools across the state. She also works as a Clown Doctor with The Humour Foundation.

Together, they lead Clockfire with a spirit of curiosity, generosity, and invention, shaping a distinctive theatrical language that continues to evolve through collaboration, ensemble, and play.