Wesley Enoch - Director & Dramaturg

Monday, November 10, 2008

Wesley Enoch has written and directed extensively for the stage. He is noted for his focus on Indigenous issues, a strong commitment to new work and new writing, strong community storytelling, his ability to communicate with an audience and his excellence in executing his craft.

In 2007, Wesley’s The Story of the Miracles at Cookie’s Table, was directed by Marion Potts for the Griffin Theatre Company. Wesley was the winner of the 2005 Patrick White Playwright’s Award for this play. Earlier that same year, he directed Howard Brenton’s Paul and Alana Valentine’s Parramatta Girls. Parramatta Girls earned Wesley a 2007 Helpmann award nomination for Best Direction and Best Production. He also worked with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre- Kite Program devising a new work for children called Boat, a new work with Erth based on Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson, and an Indigenous oral history project in Campbelltown Arts Centre with NAISDA.

Wesley directed Eora Crossing (2003), a spectacular outdoor event for Legs on the Wall, Museum of Sydney and the Sydney Festival, Riverland (2004) for Windmill Performing Arts and the Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane International Festivals, and The Sapphires (2004) for Melbourne Theatre Company which was remounted for the 2005 Sydney Festival. These works were all nominated for Helpmann Awards with Riverland winning Best Children’s Work, and Best Production and Best New Australian work for The Sapphires. Wesley was also nominated as Best Director for Riverland.

Wesley has also directed Rainbow’s End, Bitin’ Back, Headhunter, Black Medea, The Sunshine Club, Black-ed Up, The Cherry Pickers, The 7 Stages of Grieving, The Dreamers, Conversations with the Dead, Stolen, Romeo and Juliet, Shrunken Iris, Radiance, A Life of Grace and Piety, Murri Love, Capricornia, Maralinga, the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Adelaide Festival, Delicacy and working with the majority of the State Theatre companies, Major Arts Centres and Festivals in the country.

Wesley has been artistic director of Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts and Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre, an associate artist with the Queensland Theatre Company, resident director at the Sydney Theatre Company, director of the Indigenous section of the opening Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth, a member of the Hothouse Artistic Directorate and is currently the associate artistic director at Company B, a trustee of the Sydney Opera House, a member of the NSW Government Arts Advisory Council and numerous other committees.