NAOMI EDWARDS – DIRECTOR

Naomi Edwards is a theatre and opera director and arts educator. Her directing practice spans opera, theatre, theatre for young audiences and community practices. After training at Rusden and VCA, Naomi has directed for companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, St Martins, Arena Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Red Stitch, RADA, Milkcrate Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, Lyric Hammersmith, Greenwich Theatre, VCAA, Victorian College of the Arts, NIDA, Deakin University, Monash University, working in both the mainstage and education contexts inside many of these companies.

She is currently creating three new works - The Waiting Room with writer Kylie Trounson about the history of IVF, an opera for 3 - 8 year olds with composer David Hobson and designer Adam Gardnir, in partnership with Victorian Opera, Art Play and Royal Children’s Hospital, and The Sound of Waves with cochlear implantee Jodie Harris.

Passionate about bringing the performing arts to a wider audience, in 2009-10 Naomi was Education Manager for Sydney Theatre Company and has consulted widely on engagement and education in a performing arts company context. She is currently co-authoring a Platform Paper about this area. Naomi was Creative Director on the ARC funded research project on vocal empowerment, which explored using actor voice training with young people with cochlear implants.

In 2012 Naomi was awarded Gloria Dawn/Gloria Payten Fellowship and the Mike Walsh Fellowship which allowed her to visit arts organisations in England, Scotland, Japan and USA to research their education and engagement programs. In 2013, Naomi was the first of Patch Theatre’s Artistic Director Residency Program.