Kip Williams is an Australian theatre and opera director. Williams is the current Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company. His appointment at age 30 made him the youngest artistic director in the company's history.

Biography

Williams has been a resident artist with Sydney Theatre Company (STC) since 2012. He was appointed Directing Associate in 2012 by then Artistic Directors Cate Blanchett and

Andrew Upton Andrew Upton (born 1 February 1966) is an Australian playwright, screenwriter and director. He has adapted the works of Gorky, Chekhov, Ibsen and others for London's Royal National Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Company. He wrote the original p ...

. He was then appointed Resident Director in 2013, before being named Artistic Director and Co-CEO in November 2016. Williams won the 2015 Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play for his production of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

's '' Suddenly Last Summer'' for Sydney Theatre Company. He won the 2016 Green Room Award for Best Director for his production of ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' for

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

. He won the 2018 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director for his production of ''

The Harp in the South ''The Harp in the South'' is the debut novel by Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1948, it portrays the life of a Catholic Irish Australian family living in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, which was at that time an inner city slum. P ...

'' for Sydney Theatre Company. He won the 2021 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director for his production of '' The Picture of Dorian Gray'' for Sydney Theatre Company. He won the 2022 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director for his production of ''

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' for Sydney Theatre Company.

Theatre

Williams has directed for many of Australia's leading theatre companies and festivals, including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company,

Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD. A ...

, Adelaide Festival, Perth Festival, Auckland Arts Festival, and Rising Festival. Williams' first production for Sydney Theatre Company came in 2012, where at age 25 he directed Dylan Thomas's '' Under Milk Wood'', at the Sydney Opera House, starring Jack Thompson. In 2013 he adapted and directed a reimagining of '' Romeo and Juliet'', focussing the text on Juliet, again at the Sydney Opera House; as well as an all female production of William Golding's ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

'' at Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, as part of the Helium Festival. In 2014, for Sydney Theatre Company he directed productions of '' Macbeth'' starring Hugo Weaving and Maxim Gorky's '' Children of the Sun'' adapted by

. In 2015, Williams directed a radical staging of Tennessee Williams's ''Suddenly Last Summer'', using a blend of live video and stage action. The production earned him a Best Director nomination at the Sydney Theatre Awards, and won him the Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play. He also directed the Australian premiere of Caryl Churchill's '' Love and Information'' for Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, and the Sydney Theatre Company. The production garnered Williams a second nomination for the Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play, as well as Best Director nominations from the Sydney Theatre Awards, and Melbourne's Green Room Awards. In 2016, for STC Williams directed a revival of the Australian classic ''The Golden Age'' by

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

, Shakespeare's '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'', and

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's '' All My Sons'', for which he was nominated for Best Director at the Sydney Theatre Awards. He also adapted and directed a production of ''

'' for the Melbourne Theatre Company. It was his second time combining live video and stage action. The production was nominated for eight Green Room Awards, winning Best Production, Best Digital Media Design and Integration, and Best Director for Williams. In 2017, Williams directed the Australian premiere of Lucy Kirkwood's '' Chimerica'' for Sydney Theatre Company. The production featured an ensemble cast of 32, including a chorus of students from NIDA, with set design by David Fleischer. Hailed "a triumph" by ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'', ''Chimerica'' was nominated for two Helpmann Awards; Jason Chong for Best Actor, and Williams for Best Direction of a Play. This was followed by a staging of Caryl Churchill's '' Cloud 9'', Williams' second professional production of a Churchill play. The production was nominated for nine Sydney Theatre Awards, including Best Production and Best Director for Williams. It was also nominated for two Helpmann Awards, Best Director for Williams, and Best Supporting Actor for

Harry Greenwood Lieutenant Colonel Harry Greenwood, (25 November 1881 – 5 May 1948) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwe ...

. Later in 2017 he directed an adaptation by Andrew Upton of

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

's '' Three Sisters'' for the STC. In 2018, Williams directed Bertolt Brecht's '' The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'', starring Hugo Weaving in the titular role. The production was nominated for six Helpmann Awards, including Best Production, Best Director for Williams, and winning Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor for Anita Hegh and Weaving respectively. Later, it was nominated for a further nine Sydney Theatre Awards, again for Best Production and Best Director for Williams, and winning four awards including Best Actor for Weaving, Best Stage Design for Robert Cousins, and Best Supporting Actor for Mitchell Butel. Next Williams directed a 6 hour stage adaptation of ''The Harp in the South: Part One & Part Two'' by

Kate Mulvany Kate Mulvany (born 24 February 1977) is an Australian actress, playwright and screenwriter. She works in theatre, television and film, with roles in '' Hunters '' (2020–2023), ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013), '' Griff the Invisible'' (2010) and ...

. The highly acclaimed production brought to life

Ruth Park Rosina Ruth Lucia Park AM (24 August 191714 December 2010) was a New Zealand–born Australian author. Her best known works are the novels '' The Harp in the South'' (1948) and ''Playing Beatie Bow'' (1980), and the children's radio serial '' ...

's celebrated trilogy of novels, '' Missus'', ''

'', and ''

Poor Man's Orange ''Poor Man's Orange'' is a novel by New Zealand born Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1949, the book is the sequel to '' The Harp in the South'' (1948) and continues the story of the Darcy family, living in the Surry Hills area of Sy ...

'', using an ensemble of 18 actors to perform the marathon work across two nights of theatre. The production was nominated for 11 Sydney Theatre Awards, winning Best Production, Best New Australian Work for Mulvany, and Best Direction for Williams. It was nominated for a further six Helpmann Awards, including Best Production of a Play, Best New Australian Work, and Best Director for Williams. Williams finished 2018 with an operatic take on Patrick White's classic play

A Cheery Soul ''A Cheery Soul'' is a 1963 play by Australian writer Patrick White set in the fictional Sydney suburb of Sarsaparilla at the end of the 1950s. White described it as being about "the destructive power of good." Productions ''A Cheery Soul'' ...

, featuring his signature use of live video. Staged at the Sydney Opera House, the production starred Sarah Peirse, with an ensemble including Anita Hegh, Shari Sebbens, and Tara Morice. 2019 saw Williams take on

' masterpiece '' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof '', in a contemporary adaptation featuring Zahra Newman, Harry Greenwood,

Pamela Rabe Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'', ...

, and Hugo Weaving as Big Daddy. The production marked Weaving and Williams' third time collaborating. This was followed by a gender blind staging of William Golding's ''

''. Starring

Mia Wasikowska Mia Wasikowska ( ; born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut on the Australian television drama '' All Saints'' in 2004, followed by her feature film debut in ''Suburban Mayhem'' (2006). She first became known to ...

as Ralph, the production featured an ensemble including Joseph Althouse, Justin Amankwa, Nyx Calder,

Yerin Ha Yerin Ha is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role in the Paramount+ series ''Halo'' (2022–). She was named a 2021 rising star by the Casting Guild of Australia (CGA). Early life Ha was born in Sydney to Korean parents. Her gr ...

, Daniel Monks, Mark Paguio, Rahel Romahn,

Eliza Scanlen Eliza Jane Scanlen (born 6 January 1999) is an Australian actress. She rose to prominence portraying Tabitha Ford in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2016), before receiving critical acclaim by playing a troubled teenager in the H ...

, Contessa Treffone, and Nikita Waldron. In 2020 Williams wrote and directed an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel '' The Picture of Dorian Gray''. The one-person show saw actor Eryn Jean Norvill play 26 characters in a two-hour performance at the Roslyn Packer Theatre that incorporated Williams' signature use of live video. Hailed a "tour de force" by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', the show received a slew five star reviews and was extended twice. The production was reprised in 2022, first touring to the Adelaide Festival, then playing a sold out return season in Sydney, followed by a sold out ten week season in Melbourne at the Arts Centre Melbourne, opening in Rising Festival and presented by Michael Cassel Group. The production received further five star reviews in Melbourne and Adelaide, including from ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', which called the production a "dazzling masterpiece", and '' Time Out'', which declared it a "reinvention of theatre". The production was nominated for six Sydney Theatre Awards, winning Best Production, Best Director for Williams, Best Performer for Norvill and Best Stage Design for Designer Marg Horwell. In 2021 Williams reunited with playwright

to direct her adaptation of Ruth Park's cult classic ''

Playing Beatie Bow ''Playing Beatie Bow'' is a popular Australian children's novel, written by Ruth Park and first published on 31 January 1980. It features a time slip in Sydney, Australia. Plot summary Lynette Kirk has been a happy child, cheery about her paren ...

''. The production starred Catherine Văn-Davies and Sophia Nolan, with

Heather Mitchell Heather Lee Mitchell (born 1958) is an Australian actress, appearing in Australian productions of stage, television and film. She is a graduate of NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). She is best known for her leading role in the 1990s t ...

and Guy Simon in supporting roles, and was the reopening work of the Sydney Theatre Company's newly renovated Wharf Theatres. The production was nominated for two Sydney Theatre Awards, Best Production for Young People and Best Supporting Actor for Mitchell. Following Sydney's second lockdown, Williams reopened STC's theatres with an innovative production of William Shakespeare's ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

''. Adapted by Williams, the production was performed at The Wharf Theatre in-the-round by just three actors, Zahra Newman as Brutus, Ewen Leslie as Cassius and Caesar, and Geraldine Hakewill as Mark Antony, using live video filmed by the performers on mobile phones and displayed on a giant flying cube of LED screens. Time Out praised the work as bringing "Shakespeare's revered classic right up to the very minute", while

declared Williams a "technological innovator in theatre". In addition to the national tour of ''Dorian Gray'', 2022 saw Williams write and direct an acclaimed adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's ''

''. The production, starring Ewen Leslie and Matthew Backer, was the second part of Williams' trilogy of Victorian Gothic adaptations, further expanding his signature interweaving of live performance, live video, and prerecord video. The work received a rare five star review from the Sydney Morning Herald, which praised the work's "mind-boggling virtuosity". The production was nominated for six Sydney Theatre Awards, including Best Production and Best Original Score, and winning three awards including Best Director for Williams.https://limelightmagazine.com.au/news/sydney-theatre-awards-the-winners-on-the-night/ Williams also directed and adapted a new production of Shakespeare's '' The Tempest'' starring

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...

as Prospero. The production, featuring an ensemble including Guy Simon, Mandy McElhinney, Shiv Palekar, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Megan Wilding, and

Susie Youssef Susan Kathryn Youssef (born 1984) is a writer and actor who works in television, on radio and stage in Australia and the United Kingdom. Youssef performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fest ...

, was designed by Jake Nash and was praised by The Guardian for its "outstanding" performances and "revolutionary approach" to the script, which interpolated texts from other Shakespeare works including '' Richard II'', ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelo ...

'', ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' in order to amplify the voices of Caliban and Miranda. The production was nominated for six Sydney Theatre Awards, winning Best Supporting Actor for Peter Carrol's performance of Ariel. At the start of 2023, Williams revived his adaptations of ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' and ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. ''Dorian Gray'' played a sold out third season in Sydney, before touring to Auckland Arts Festival, playing the Tiri Te Kanawa Theatre. ''Jekyll & Hyde'' played to five star reviews and standing ovations at His Majesty's Theatre as part of the Perth Festival. It will next play the Adelaide Festival.

Opera

Williams has directed extensively for Sydney Chamber Opera (SCO) since 2011, including productions of

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...

's '' The Lighthouse'', Fausto Romitelli's ''An Index of Metals'', and stagings of J. S. Bach's cantata '' Ich habe genug'' and Jack Symmonds' ''Nunc dimittis''. He staged a

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...

for SCO and the 18th

Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

titled ''Through the Gates'', consisting of works from Shostakovich to Bach. In 2017 he co-directed with Elizabeth Gadsby a gender bending reinterpretation of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's chamber opera ''

The Rape of Lucretia ''The Rape of Lucretia'' (Op. 37) is an opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten, written for Kathleen Ferrier, who performed the title role. Ronald Duncan based his English libretto on André Obey's play '. Performance history The opera was fi ...

''. The production involved singers lip synching and performing multiple characters in a radical reframing of Britten's original piece. The production was a co-production between Victorian Opera, SCO, and Dark Mofo, and premiered in Sydney at Carriageworks. It was revived in June 2018 for Dark Mofo and played at the Theatre Royal, Hobart. Williams was set to direct Handel's ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

'' for

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

in the Spring of 2020, but the production was postponed due to Coronavirus.

Education

Williams is a graduate of the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

(NIDA), and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

Personal life

Williams is the grandson of actress Wendy Playfair who had a lead role in the cult Australian television series ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

''. Williams is also the nephew of Australian folk musician and composer Sean Cullip, of the popular 1960s duo ''Sean and Sonja''. Williams’s younger sister, Clemence Williams, is a composer who has written the score for many of his productions, including '' The Picture of Dorian Gray''.

Awards

References

External links

Kip Williams
Yellow Creative Management * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Kip Australian theatre directors Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Helpmann Award winners University of Sydney alumni National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni