Singapore-borne and raised, Deirdre Khoo (she/her) decided to pursue arts in Australia and moved to a foreign country by herself at the mere age of 16 years old.
Deirdre made her professional debut was in Darlinghurst Theatre Company's 2021 tour production of ONCE as Ex-Girlfriend/Swing/Dance Captain, straight after graduating from WAAPA's Music Theatre BA course in 2020. Prior to this, Deirdre also acted as the Assistant Director in VCA's production of The Hello Girls, under Jason Langley's direction.
In 2016, Deirdre originated the role Julia O'Brien in a new Australian musical, 2084: A Musical, with music by Nick Choo and book & lyrics by Sarah Courtis. She collaborated with Nick again on his next project in 2017. 4-in-50: A Musical Marathon, premiered at Perth's FringeWorld Arts Festival, and was nominated for a theatre award.
Deirdre's credits include Allison Vernon-Williams in Cry-Baby (dir. Chris Parker), Maggie Winslow/Vocal Captain in A Chorus Line (dir. Crispin Taylor), Rosie in Mamma Mia! (dir. Shaun Rennie), Scotty in Merrily We Roll Along (dir. Brent Hill), ensemble in Strictly Ballroom (dir. Crispin Taylor), the Oathtaker in the Wonderful World of Dissocia (dir. Michael McCall), Flute in Midsummers Night's Dream (dir. Nicola Bowman), and Pepper in Trash Pop Butterflies, Dance Dance Paradise by Maki Morita (dir. Amelia Burke).
Outside of performance, Deirdre co-founded a not-for-profit arts organisation, Future Oz Inc., that aims to works towards a greater inclusivity & diversity in the industry, while connecting music theatre students all across Australia. She is a skilled, diverse artist with training and lots of passion in theatre, film and television.
AWARDS
- Inaugural 2020 AOC Initiative: Semi-finalist
- Green Room Awards Nomination: Online performance of I Need You To See Me (produced by Vidya Makan)
