Artistic Directors

Queensland Theatre Company has had five Artistic Directors: Alan Edwards AM MBE (1970-88), Aubrey Mellor (1988-93), Chris Johnson (1993-96), Robyn Nevin AM (1996-99), and Michael Gow (1999 to present).

Michael Gow

Michael Gow is the current Artistic Director for Queensland Theatre Company. As a director, Michael has worked with many of Australia’s leading performance companies including Sydney Theatre Company, where he was Associate Director from 1991 to 1993, Company B, Black Swan Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Australian Theatre for Young People, Playbox, Opera Australia, Sydney Festival and Adelaide Festival.

Michael’s writing credits for stage, screen and radio are extensive. His plays include the multi-award-winning Away, hailed as a modern classic of the Australian theatre and now one of the most performed Australian works written. His most recent play, Toy Symphony premiered at Company B in late 2007 and won seven categories at the Sydney Theatre Awards including Best New Australian Work. Other plays include - The Kid, On Top of The World, Europe, 1841, the award-winning Furious, Sweet Phoebe, also an award winner, and Live Acts on Stage. A number of his works have been produced and performed internationally including major seasons in the UK and US. For television he has written the mini-series Eden’s Lost, directed by Neil Armfield, and for ABC Television Art’n’Life; for radio, Michael adapted his play Europe for broadcast in Australia and Europe, and wrote The Astronaut’s Wife for ABC Radio. Artistic posts held by Michael include Chair of Griffin Theatre and Board member of the Australian Theatre for Young People. He is the patron of the Australian Theatre for Young People’s writing program Fresh Ink. He is the inaugural Chair of PlayWriting Australia. In 2008 Michael was appointed Adjunct Professor at Griffith University.

For Queensland Theatre Company Michael has directed The School of Arts, God of Carnage, The Importance of Being Earnest, Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary (co-production with Bell Shakespeare), I Am My Own Wife, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, John Gabriel Borkman, Private Fears in Public Places, Private Lives (co-production with State Theatre Company of South Australia), Away (co-production with Griffin Theatre), Oedipus the King, The Venetian Twins, The Cherry Orchard, The Real Inspector Hound, Black Comedy, Phedra, We Were Dancing, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony (co-production with Playbox), Cooking with Elvis, Bag O’ Marbles, The Tragedy of King Richard III (collaboration with Bell Shakespeare),The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, Buried Child, Dirt, Fred, Shopping & F$$$ing, Mrs Warren’s Profession, The Skin of Our Teeth and XPO – The Human Factor.