Chris Edmund
Commenced his career in London where he directed for the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill, the Riverside Studios, the Kings Head and New End Theatres. He also directed for regional companies including the Crucible, Sheffield and Chesterfield Civic Theatre. He has also worked in the United States as Director and Teacher.
In his Directing career he has directed over 150 productions from new writing to the classical repertoire.
In 1985 he moved to Australia to take up the position of Head of Directing at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), which has produced many of the dynamic young actors who are now establishing high profile careers, here and overseas. Actors trained under Chris’s supervision include Hugh Jackman, Dominic Purcell and Frances O’Connor.
For the last 5 years he has been Course Co-ordinator of the Acting and Directing Dept.
In Australia he also continues to direct professionally, his production of Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party, winning several awards during its season at the Wharf Theatre, Sydney. He also directs Opera, most recently Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.. He has been both Dramaturg and Director for the Australian National Playwrights Conference. He has also been Visiting Fellow at the National University of Singapore, directing a new play by Singapore Playwright, Chua Tze Wei; taught a series of Master Classes at the Gaiety School Dublin, directed The Caucasian Chalk Circle for Middlesex University, London. His production of The Pillars of Society was performed at the International theatre School Festival in Amsterdam.
He writes for stage and screen and in August 2000 directed the highly successful premiere of his own play Paradise in Sydney. Also in 2000 he lectured on Theatre at the University of California, Berkeley.
In January 2001 he directed and designed the acclaimed production of Redemption for the Perth International Arts Festival. The production was performed in 2002 at the 6th Cultura Inglesa Festival Sao Paulo, Brazil. He directed an adaptation of Redemption for ABC Radio in July 2001.
In April 2002 he directed The Caucasian Chalk Circle (in Cantonese) for the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He returned to Hong Kong in March 2007 to direct ‘The Cherry Orchard’
In 2003 he directed The Unexpected Man for Black Swan Theatre Company and presented the controversial and critically acclaimed world premiere of his play The Devil’s Tunic.
In 2005 he wrote and directed a short film ‘Bang on the Head’ and directed ‘Crave’ for Black Swan BSX Company. His play Out of Here was performed by the Perth Theatre Company.
He visited Buenos Aires to research a new play about the Tango. The resulting play ‘The Butcher’s Dance’ had it’s premiere in March 2005. Review:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ozartsreview/Theatre/butcher.html
In 2006 he returned to Sao Paulo to give series of lectures at the University of Sao Paulo and to attend a reading of ‘The Butcher’s Dance’ which has been translated in to Portuguese.
His latest play ‘Before I get Old’ opened in August 2006. The Oz Arts Review described it as ‘a stunning achievement – a triumph”
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ozartsreview/Theatre/getold.html
‘The Butcher’s Dance’ The Devil’s Tunic’ and ‘Before I get Old’ are available from the Australian Script Centre. Website
http://www.ozscript.org/
Paradise has been published by playscripts.com in the USA. Web site:
http://www.playscripts.com/
