JO TURNER Director

Jo works as a director, writer, dramaturg and actor. He is a graduate of Melbourne University and the Ecole Jacques Lecoq. As a director he has particularly specialised in new work, both written and devised, but loves a bit of good commercial theatre as well.

Directing includes: For Idiomatic Arts: Ubu Ekzotika. For Zeeko: The Whale and the Curlew. For Betoota Advocate/TEG Dainty/NICE Events: The Betoota Advocate Roadshow. For Belvoir/Sydney Opera House/Arts Centre Melbourne: Ruby’s Wish. For Steps and Holes/Sydney Fringe: Le Voyage. For Eternity Playhouse: Small Mouth Sounds, The Hypochondriac, Deathtrap. For City Recital Hall: Puss in Boots. For Darwin Festival: Prison Songs. For the Enmore Theatre: Avenue Q. For Bell Shakespeare: Macbeth Undone. For Kay and McLean: The Graduate, My First Time, Waiting for Godot (Assistant Director). For NIDA: 2014 Graduate’s Showcase. For Sydney Opera House: Peter and the Wolf, Darlingwood Tales. For Riverside and Clockfire: The Grief Parlour. For Sydney Theatre Company (Ed): Fools Island, Stolen (Workshop). For Poetry In Action: Rhyme and Punishment, The Citizenship Test. For CDP Theatre Productions: Snugglepot & Cuddlepie (Creative Development). For Tamarama Rock Surfers and Critical Stages: The Jinglists. For MakeBElive and Old Fitzroy: Cubbyhouse. For Darlinghurst Theatre: Don’t Stare too Much!, Mademoiselle Fif, The No Chance in Hell Hotel. For ATYP: House on Fire, Bookends, Mr Puntila and His Man Matti. For Short and Sweet: The Stallion of Death.

Awards/Nominations:

Nominated ‘Most Outstanding New Australian Performed Work’ Glug Awards – The Hypochondriac Winner ‘Critics Choice’ Sydney Fringe – Le Voyage Winner ‘Best Independent Design’ Sydney Theatre Awards – Deathtrap Nominated ‘Best Actor’ Sydney Theatre Awards – Fools Island Winner ‘People’s Choice Award’ Short and Sweet – The Stallion of Death Nominated ‘Best Show for Young Audiences’ Sydney Theatre Awards – House on Fire Ian Potter scholarship to train at Ecole Jacques Lecoq.

Writing Includes: In 2012, Jo was artist in residence at the Sydney Theatre Company where he was commissioned to write In a Heart Beat (Playlab 2014). Other writing credits include The Whale and the Curlew (Co-writer with Zeeko). Prison Songs (adaptation, Darwin Festival), Ruby’s Wish (Belvoir), Max Remy – In Search of the Time and Space Machine (Australian Theatre for Young People), Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs(ATYP and Riverside); The Window (co- author) (Arts Asia Pacific); Mademoiselle Fifi (Darlinghurst Theatre); Bookends (ATYP and Sydney Writers Festival); Don’t Stare Too Much! (Darlinghurst Theatre) and Dead on the Ground (co- author) (hoipolloi UK). Jo was also co-writer of the 2013 Helpmann Awards ceremony with Eddie Perfect.

Jo also teaches casually for the full time acting courses at NIDA and the Actor’s Centre.