Monica Stevens is mBabarum. She is a Bama woman of Walubarra Yidinji, Kuku Yalanji, Guugu Yimithirr, Muluridji and Lama Lama ancestry, born on Dulabed Malanbarra Yidinji Country and living in Gimuy (Cairns).

Monica Stevens, mBabaram and a 2020 Master of Arts (Research) recipient. She is a Bama woman of Walubarra Yidinji, Kuku Yalanji, Guugu Yimithirr, Muluridji and Lama Lama ancestry, born on Dulabed Malanbarra Yidinji Country and living in Gimuy (Cairns). Currently a Creative Producer with JUTE Theatre Company (JUTE) and she works across performance, cultural leadership, and community collaboration, bringing First Nations stories to stages across Queensland.

Monica is a graduate of NAISDA (1984), performed with the original Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre and is a co-founder of Bangarra Dance Theatre, touring nationally and internationally. Her art practice bridges tradition and innovation. Through collaborations with Deakin University’s MotionLab, she explored motion capture and digital embodiment, culminating in Coding Indigenous Dance and her Master of Arts (Research).

Monica’s career as a performer, choreographer, educator, mentor, manager, and producer has been life learnings of reinventions of self and society. She leads the JUTE’s Dare to Dream initiative touring First Nations award-winning theatre works through regional Queensland. She advises on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property protocols in various performing arts works. Her practice and energies are grounded in cultural integrity, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Currently, Monica is developing her Aboriginal-led production of The Brown Blouse, as she continues to shape powerful, place-based theatre that honours story, spirit, and community in Australia.