Wayne Harrison (director)
| Wayne Harrison | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Wayne David Harrison 1953 (age 62–63) Australia |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
| Occupation | Director, writer, producer, performer |
Wayne David Harrison AM (born in East Melbourne in 1953) is an Australian director, writer, producer and performer.
Harrison was a child and teenage star performing on stage and television, including performing in J.C. Williamsons' musicals. He abandoned his career as a performer and moved to Sydney in 1975.
In 1977 Harrison enrolled at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Theatre Studies Department, and completed an Honours Degree.
In 1980 Harrison began working on the magazine Campaign; opening "The Bookshop" in Darlinghurst; visiting London in 1980, meeting with Richard Wherrett, then Artistic Director of the recently formed Sydney Theatre Company (STC) in Sydney. He became the literary adviser for the Sydney Theatre company and then took over from Wherrett as Artistic Director of the STC in 1990.
From 1999 to 2001, he was the Creative Director of SFX/Back Row and Clear Channel Entertainment (Europe).
From 1990 to 1999 he was the Director/CEO of the Sydney Theatre Company.
In 2005-2007 Harrison was the Creative Director of Sydney's New Year's Eve event. 2007 he was the director of the Helpmann Awards for Live Performance Australia, as well as the Spiegelworld circus cabaret sensation Absinthe which played in New York.
In 2006 he was the director of the 2006 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, held in Melbourne, as well as the director of the touring production of 2 Weeks with the Queen for Adelaide's Windmill Theater Arts and End of the Rainbow in Sydney, Melbourne and the Edinburgh Festival.
Career
- 1995: Directed Dead White Males by David Williamson (world première) for the Sydney Theatre Company.
- 1996: Directed Heretic, by David Williamson (world première) for the Sydney Theatre Company.
- 2002: Directed Mum's The Word Robert C Kelly Limited (English tour);[1] also directed Alone It Stands for Mollison Productions.
- 2004: Directed Through the Wire, National Theatre Connections.
- 2005: Directed The Return of Houdini (Variety Magic show), City Theatre, Reykjavík, Iceland.
- 2008: Director of Codgers[2] Directed and wrote Absinthe and Desir for Spiegelworld in New York and Miami.
- 2011: Directed and wrote Absinthe for Spiegelworld at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.[3]
Honours
On 11 June 2012, Harrison was named an Member of the Order of Australia for "service to the arts as a director, writer, producer and performer, to Australian cultural life, and as a supporter of emerging talent."[4]
References
- ↑ Sxw.org.uk
- ↑ Codgers.com
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam (6 August 2008). "Spiegelworld Returns to Manhattan with Absinthe Aug. 6". Playbill.
- ↑ "Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia - The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours Lists" (PDF). Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. 30 June 2012. p. 103.