The Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) has crowned its Rising Stars for 2024, naming the actors they believe have the potential to break out on the world stage.
The tenth annual list comprises Alyla Browne, Courtney Monsma, Danny Ball, Felix Cameron, Grace Chow, Janet Anderson, Lee Tiger Halley, Megan Wilding, Michael Logo, and Michael Theo.
They follow in the footsteps of alums such as Milly Alcock, Eliza Scanlan, Katherine Langford, Yerin Ha, Ayesha Madden, Zoe Terakes, Olivia De-Jonge, James Majoos and Alexander England.
CGA President Thea McLeod said the guild was “truly amazed” by the Australian talent on display in the past year.
“The Casting Guild of Australia is proud to present the Rising Stars of 2024,” she said.
“Thank you to all CGA members for your nominations and collaboration in selecting this year’s top 10 exceptional performers on the rise.
“Congratulations to the talented recipients of the Rising Stars of 2024 — we can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make on the entertainment industry, both here in Australia and internationally, as you continue to flourish. We are thrilled for you and will continue to nurture and support your careers as you soar to new heights.”
This year’s Rising Stars will be officially unveiled at this year’s CGA Awards on November 15 at Sydney’s Establishment Hotel.
Find more information on this year’s Rising Stars below:
Alyla Browne: An award-winning actress whose career spans both film and television in Australia
and abroad. Her television credits include playing Nicole Kidman’s daughter in Nine Perfect Strangers, as well as roles in Eden, Mr Inbetween, and ‘Young Alice’ in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. Browne is best known for sharing the titular role in George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and has starred in feature films such as Children of the Corn, Three Thousand Years of Longing, True Spirit, Sting, Three Thousand Years of Longing, and the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
Courtney Monsma: Currently appearing as Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked, Courtney Monsma is known for starring as Princess Anna in the Australian tour of Frozen the Musical and as Lillian Milton in drama series Paper Dolls. Her other theatre highlights include roles in Six the Musical, Aladdin, Mamma Mia! and Kiss Me, Kate. Courtney released her debut album In the Light in 2022, featuring some of her favourite and career moment songs as well as her original track ‘The Light That You Are’.
Danny Ball: Having graduated from NIDA in 2016 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting), Ball’s credits include Home and Away, Totally Completely Fine and A Beginner’s Guide to Grief. He was the recipient of the Award for Outstanding Performer at the 2023 Greenroom Awards for his critically acclaimed performance in Loaded. Ball’s own plays include The Italians and Scab and he is currently writing his third, Grove, which is being developed as part of Australian Plays Transform’s Rise Together, Write Together program.
Felix Cameron: After making his acting debut in Penguin Bloom, Cameron played the lead role of ‘Eli Bell’ in Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe, for which he won two Logie Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series and the Graham Kennedy Award for Best Newcomer. Felix has since played a guest role in CW, Roku and Stan series Good Cop/Bad Cop.
Grace Chow: An Asian-Australian playwright and actor known for playing Constable Cindy Chung in Mystery Road: Origins, while also appearing in season two of The Twelve. She will soon appear opposite Leighton Meester in Good Cop/Bad Cop for The CW and Stan. Chow was awarded the Griffin Award in 2022 for her play The Promise Land and was also the recipient of the National Studio Residency (AYPT), where her work Dance Ourselves to Death was published by Currency Press.
Janet Anderson: Having graduated from NIDA in 2022, Anderson was cast in the first series of Last King of The Cross in the same year. Her other television credits include Reef Break, Plum and the second series of Last King of The Cross. Janet starred in the one-woman play Collapsible and also performed in Mercury Fur, Overflow, and most recently All the Fraudulent Horse Girls. Her upcoming theatre projects include Sistren at the Old Fitz Theatre and Orlando for Belvoir. Anderson is also a changemaker and vocal advocate for transgender rights.
Lee Tiger Halley: Halley is known for his role as ‘Gus Bell’ in Netflix’s mini-series Boy Swallows Universe, for which he was nominated in 2024 for the Silver Logie for Best Supporting Male Actor and the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent. He can also be seen in Crazy Fun Park, The Heights, and is set to star as the lead role in the 2025 feature film The Kid From Harvest Road, based on the early life of Bon Scott. Lee recently completed filming Beast Of War, a WWII feature film also due for release in 2025.
Megan Wilding: a proud Gamilaroi woman, Wilding has appeared in many productions for main stage theatre companies, including Stolen, The Seagull, Banging Denmark and Blackie Blackie Brown for Sydney Theatre Company, and The Rover for Belvoir St Theatre. She wrote, directed, and performed in A Little Piece Of Ash for KXT and has won both the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award from Belvoir St Theatre and Griffin Theatre. Wilding’s screen credits include television productions such as Gold Diggers and Mystery Road: Origins, and feature film We Are Still Here. She will next appear in the Stan Original Series Sunny Nights.
Michael Logo: Logo is part of the main cast for Colin From Accounts and can also be seen in feature films Inside and Paper Champions, as well as TV series’ Swift Street, Fisk, Love Me, Buried, and Why Are You Like This?. He performed in the acclaimed experimental theatre piece This as part of Melbourne Rising in 202 and has worked on several short films including Eli The Invincible, Hiders, Burning of the Mekong, Is this the Real World, and A Good Boy. Logo collaborates regularly with Western Edge Youth Arts and has translated sections of classical text into Samoan for productions.
Michael Theo: A break-out star of Love on the Spectrum, Theo most recently played the leading role in the 8-part comedy series Austin. He made his professional acting debut in the Emmy award-winning kids drama Hardball and has recently recorded a character role for an upcoming Australian animation series. Theo uses his online platforms and successful podcast MR A+ to create a safe space and celebrate the differences in the world and invites fascinating guests from all walks of life to share their stories. He is also an ambassador for ‘Wable’, an app designed to help neurodivergent people facilitate connections for friendship and works as a consultant for Aspect Autism.