Curtis (Curly) Fernandez is an accomplished actor, director, and educator with over 15 years’ experience in Australian theatre, screen, and youth arts. He has performed with Bell Shakespeare (The Tempest), La Boite Theatre (Blackrock), and in national tours of The 7 Stages of Grieving and Yellamundie Festival Showcase. His screen work includes commercials for Telstra, Woolworths, and the NSW Government’s “Respect” campaign, as well as roles in short films River, Smoke, and The Frenzy, which screened at Flickerfest and Tropfest. Curl has worked extensively with young people across Australia. He has directed youth ensembles for Shopfront Arts Co-op, The Sydney Opera House, and co-facilitated ATYP’s Voices Project, and led performance intensives at NIDA and Q Theatre. In 2025 he created Into the Blue, a teen mental health and resilience program delivered in partnership with local councils and community centres, combining swimming instruction, theatre-making, and cultural storytelling. His primary school program Treasure Hunters used performance and team challenges to develop confidence, voice, and collaboration. Curtis brings a calm, constructive energy to adjudication. He values storytelling clarity, vocal technique, physical commitment, and emotional connection—and aims to support young performers to feel seen, challenged, and inspired.