STAGES Episode 634: WAYNE HARRISON

<p>Wayne Harrison is one of Australia’s most accomplished and sought-after theatre directors and creative producers, with an extensive career spanning Australia, the UK, Europe and North America.</p><p>As Director/CEO of Sydney Theatre Company from 1990 to 1999, he directed more than 40 productions, including <em>The Normal Heart</em>, A Little Night Music, <em>Dead White Males</em>, Into the Woods, <em>Medea</em> and <em>Two Weeks With the Queen</em>. His tenure was marked by bold programming and an ambitious expansion of the company’s artistic profile.</p><p>From 1999 to 2002, Harrison was based in London as Creative Director of SFX/Back Row and Clear Channel Entertainment (Europe), working on international hits including <em>Gumboots</em>, <em>Tap Dogs</em>, <em>Slava’s Snowshow</em>, <em>Fosse</em> and <em>Mum’s the Word</em>, directing productions worldwide.</p><p>His diverse directing credits range from <em>Sunday in the Park with George</em> at NIDA to <em>The One Day of the Year</em> in London, <em>Letter to Larry</em> in Paris and <em>For Crying Out Loud</em> in Canada. In Las Vegas he directed <em>Human Nature – The Motown Show</em> at The Venetian. Wayne co-wrote and directed Absinthe for Ross Mollison’s Spiegelworld in Las Vegas. The show, at Caesars Palace, is now in its 16th year. </p><p>Wayne was Creative Director of Sydney Harbour’s New Year’s Eve celebrations (2005–2007) and directed the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Other highlights include <em>Sunset Boulevard</em> for The Production Company (Green Room Award – Best Director), <em>End of the Rainbow</em>, <em>Just Macbeth</em> for Bell Shakespeare, and the acclaimed comedy <em>Codgers</em>, later adapted into a feature film.</p><p><br></p><p>Equally at home in intimate drama, large-scale spectacle and musical theatre, Wayne Harrison continues to shape contemporary performance with vision, wit and international reach.</p><p><em>The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts. Or from wherever you access your favourite podcasts. A conversation with creatives about craft and career. Follow socials on instagram (stagespodcast) and facebook (Stages).</em></p><p><a href="http://www.stagespodcast.com.au/">www.stagespodcast.com.au</a></p>