Heather Fairbairn is a British-Australian stage director, with a creative practice spanning theatre, opera, film, and digital storytelling.

Working across Australia and Europe, Heather has developed work with companies including Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre, Schaubühne Berlin, Royal Court Theatre, Arcola Theatre, Royal Opera House - Covent Garden, Finnish National Opera, Royal Danish Opera, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Originally hailing from Nottinghamshire, Heather trained in classical music, dance, and musical theatre in London before relocating to Australia with her partner - acclaimed First Nations artist Anthony J. Walker.

CURRENT & FUTURE WORKS

In 2024, Heather will collaborate with Opera Australia on productions of ORPHEUS & EURYDICE and IDOMENEO.

PAST WORKS

Directing credits in 2023 include: contemporary Australian opera BIOGRAPHICA by Mary Finsterer for Lyric Opera of Melbourne (Theatre Works); TWELFTH NIGHT for Bell Shakespeare, with new music by Sarah Blasko (National Tour & Sydney Opera House); and, the stage adaptation of Australian novel TIRRA LIRRA BY THE RIVER (Queensland Theatre).

In 2021 and 2022, Heather directed Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (Queensland Theatre); THE WOLVES by Sarah deLappe (QUT, Brisbane); THE NORMAN MAILER ANECDOTE by Anthony Mullins (Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, rehearsed reading, Queensland Theatre); THE ALCHEMIST & WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN (rehearsed readings, Bell Shakespeare); REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN. by Alice Birch (National Institute of Dramatic Art); and, Jada Alberts & Anne-Louise Sarks’ ELEKTRA/ORESTES (The Hive Collective / Metro Arts, Brisbane).

Previous directing credits include: SISTER MOURNS BROTHER (creative development, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon); THE RIVER’S SECRET (creative development, ENOA & Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon); SILK MOTH by Bushra El-Turk (Arcola Theatre, London); THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR and ARIADNE AUF NAXOS conducted by Simone Young (Queensland Conservatorium); THE MUTANT MAN by Christopher Bryant in a “stylish production” [The Stage] with “glimpses of visual genius in its staging” (The Space Arts Centre, London); SNAPPY OPERAS (Mahogany Opera Group, London); SUNNYTOWN (La Boite); LITTLE NEMO AND THE ICE CREAM WITCH (Bayerische Theaterakademie, Munich); THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth (National Institute of Dramatic Art); ORPHANS by Dennis Kelly (Actors Centre Australia); YOUNG ARTIST CONCERT (Opera Australia); and, WINTERREISE (National Institute of Dramatic Art).

Heather’s popular adaptation of Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE has been revived in theatres and concert halls around Europe (Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Belgium; Grande Théâtre de la Ville, Luxembourg; Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon; Escuela de Música Reina Sofía, Madrid).

COLLABORATIONS

Heather regularly collaborates with renowned director Katie Mitchell, working on ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and ALCINA (Festival d’Aix), LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Royal Opera House - Covent Garden), OPHELIAS ZIMMER by Alice Birch (Royal Court Theatre & Schaubühne Berlin) and ZAUBERLAND (Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord). In 2019 and 2020, Heather directed the revival of Katie Mitchell’s ARIADNE AUF NAXOS with new casts at Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, and the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen.

Associate directing credits include: LORD OF THE FLIES directed by Kip Williams and ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST directed by Sarah Giles (Sydney Theatre Company); LE NOZZE DI FIGARO directed by Patrick Nolan and ORPHEUS & EURYDICE directed by Yaron Lifschitz (Opera Queensland); IL TROVATORE directed by David Bösch (Royal Opera House); LA CENERENTOLA directed by Naomi Edwards (Opera Australia); AS YOU LIKE IT directed by David Berthold and JOY, FEAR & POETRY directed by Natasha Budd (La Boite); and, 1984 directed by Michael Futcher (shake & stir / Queensland Performing Arts Centre).

Heather also previously held the position of Associate Director: New Work with CIRCA, developing a suite of new productions with the company including SHAUN THE SHEEP’S CIRCUS SHOW, HUMANS 2.0, SACRE, and CUBE STUDIES: SANTIAGO.

TRAINING

Heather holds a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art; a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Drama & Creative Writing) from the University of Queensland; and, a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts (Musical Theatre Performance) from the BRIT School for Performing Arts, London. She regularly lectures on the NIDA post-graduate directing course.

Heather is represented by Aurora Artists’ Management.
Agent: Justine Goss
+61 414 864 418
justine@auroraartists.com
www.auroraartists.com