Pinchgut Patter with Mitch Riley

September 2026

Welcome back to Pinchgut Patter, our monthly feature where we introduce the exceptional artists and creatives bringing our productions to life.

This month, we're delighted to introduce Mitch Riley

Read on to get to know one of the wonderful artists bringing Coffee and a Dead Canary to life.

Introduce yourself to us!

I’m Mitch Riley, a performer and theatre-maker working across opera, contemporary music and physical theatre. Some years ago, I achieved an important milestone playing a giant cheese in an opera. In this production, I continue my distinguished career portraying oversized foodstuffs as a giant cappuccino, alongside my dramatic debut as a coffee-drinking canary.

What have you recently been up to?

I was recently singing and assistant directing Liza Lim’s The Oresteia at Carriageworks, and before that I was operating cameras for the live video in Pinchgut’s The First Murder. I’ve also been teaching acting at the Conservatorium of Music and workshopping new operas with three emerging composers. Basically, I just love being in the room when theatre is being made!

What has you most excited about this upcoming production of Coffee and a Dead Canary?

The playfulness of director Eugene Lynch’s vision. It’s strange and theatrical and a little bit ridiculous – all things I enjoy very much.

What keeps you coming back to the stage?

It’s a place of stories and images. A place of play. A place of intense experiences beyond the everyday. A place of magic.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received—on stage or in life?

Don’t become paralysed by all the possible consequences of a decision you know you need to make. Make the decision, and deal with the consequences when they arrive.

How do you take your coffee?

Preferably outside on a beautiful day! I miss the French terrasse culture, but I do not miss French coffee, which is mostly terrible!