Candice Mitrousis’ vocation on the stage

This article was first published in The Melbourne Anglican on 22 October 2025.

For the Reverend Candice Mitrousis, community theatre is a vocation where she can connect with people who would not think about going to church. 

Whether directing the school play or community theatre, running a chapel service or teaching, she has learned ministry can be done anywhere. 

Mrs Mitrousis said her dream is to see young people connected into a faith community. 

“There are lots of young people of faith,” she said. “But what is decreasing is their connection into a faith community. My goal is to see those people connected again.” 

Mrs Mitrousis said the prevalence of neurodiversity in the theatre community opened up conversations about how people interacted with each other and how people processed information differently. 

She said there were a lot of people in the arts community who were part of the LGBTQI community and her connection with them was important in her ministry. 

“Through the history of the church as an institution there’s a lot of hurt there,” she said. 

She said she had the opportunity to connect with people in a safe environment for them and meet them with love and acceptance rather than anger and disapproval. 

“That’s where our calling and our vocation comes: when you combine those things you love and you get to glorify God, you get to minister to people.” 

By day she is chaplain at Yarra Valley Grammar, where she also directs the school theatre productions.  

At night she directs community theatre, most recently an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma with the Frankston Theatre Group. 

Her passion for community theatre began well before she pursued ordained ministry, and so when she was ordained, it made sense for Mrs Mitrousis to combine the two. 

The students at the school saw her as chaplain first and then the director, but in community theatre she was the director first and it would take a few weeks for members to get to know her and what she did. 

One of the best compliments Mrs Mitrousis received was that she was the least God-y minister the person had met. 

“What they meant…was that I was human and I was connecting with them,” she said. “I’ve had some amazing God conversation with people involved in community theatre because that barrier is broken down.” 

“I take that as a huge compliment because it means I’ve met them where they’re at,” she said. 

Image: Candice Mitrousis. Picture: supplied

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