When Julie Miller moved from Brisbane to Glen Innes almost two years ago, she didn’t expect to become the driving force behind one of the region’s most exciting creative groups – the New England Stage and Screen Academy (NESSA), a sub-group of the Glen Innes Arts Council. As the founder and director, Julie is thrilled to lead this thriving youth drama academy into the spotlight at this year’s Glen Innes Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations.
A former teacher and now author, Julie Miller arrived in Glen Innes with a love of working with young people and quickly noticed something was missing.
“There were fantastic dance schools,” she says, “but nothing for drama. Nothing for kids who wanted to act, write, perform or explore stage and screen.”
Enter NESSA – the youth drama academy where young performers can learn, grow, express themselves and find confidence through stage and screen. This festive season, however, the budding performers will be taking to the streets at Glen Innes Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations, which is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program in association with Glen Innes Severn Council. Their number one goal? To bring carols, cheer and a whole lot of heart to the community celebration, with the kids leading the crowd toward the highlight of the night: the lighting of the Christmas tree. REGGIE writer Meg Miller recently caught up with Julie to find out more.
For those who may not know, what exactly is NESSA?
NESSA is a youth drama and performance group, but it’s also a little community within a community. We work across both stage and screen, which is where our name, the New England Stage and Screen Academy, comes from. We focus on training, inclusivity, real opportunities, and giving every child the chance to shine. Mentoring plays a huge part in that, too. Local artists, parents and creatives step in to teach the kids everything from singing to martial arts to recording, and the students mentor one another as well. It creates a great environment where young people feel supported, seen and encouraged.
How will NESSA be part of Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations this year?
Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations is such a magical event for our town. It kicks off at 3pm on Friday 29 November, right along Grey Street, with twilight markets, food trucks, live entertainment and the most beautiful light installations. NESSA will be performing a 20-minute set of upbeat Christmas carols at 7:30pm on the main stage, and our goal is to get everyone singing and dancing with us. The kids are so excited, it’s going to be a lot of fun! After our set, the students will lead the crowd to the Christmas tree for the lighting ceremony. Then we’ll guide everyone through the Illumination Trail. It’s such a beautiful event. Being a part of it feels really special.
What other things have the students worked on this year?
It’s been such a huge year! We performed twice at the Celtic Festival in the Stone Circle, and we rotated the cast so every student could step into a starring role – that’s really important to us. In term two, the students competed in the Eisteddfod and absolutely blew us away – every single one scored in the 80s. One student won the Junior Championship, and another earned a perpetual trophy for the highest score in her age group across all performance categories, including acting, dance, music, and singing. It was just incredible. This term, we filmed a web series over the school holidays. We spent around 80 hours filming and we’re premiering the first episodes at The Chapel Theatre on 12 December – red-carpet and all. The kids are so excited. They’ve been planning their outfits for weeks.
What changes have you seen in the kids since joining NESSA?
Every week, a parent will tell me, “I can’t believe how much my child has come out of their shell – they would never have done this six months ago.” So, it makes a huge difference to confidence levels. We’re also big on teamwork and support. The kids cheer each other on and give each other feedback, they get excited together, they face their nerves together, and they help each other through every challenge.
Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about NESSA?
Absolutely. We’ve only achieved what we have this year because of the incredible support from our community. Nigel Brown, former President of the Glen Innes Arts Council, backed the idea from the start, and our parents have helped with everything from set building to cameras, sound and mentoring. Local businesses like Desert Moon, the Masonic Lodge, Karma Cowboys and Star Avenue have also opened their doors, shared skills and supported our filming. It’s been a true team effort, I couldn’t do it alone.
Let the festivities begin!
You can see NESSA’s young performers in all their glory at this year’s Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations.
📅 Saturday 29 November 2025, 3pm
📍 Glen Innes CBD, NSW
🎨 🎨 Supported by: Christmas in the Highlands – Illuminations is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, in association with Glen Innes Severn Council. Presented by project partners Arts Northwest, and LM vs ML Consultancy.
Keen to join NESSA?
The easiest way is to email youth@giac.com.au. The crew are always keen to welcome new faces and ensure newcomers feel included and supported.
Meg Miller
Digital Marketing Manager. Adventure seeking writer, free spirit, smitten aunt and dog mum.
