# John Bell (Australian actor)

John Anthony Bell (born 1 November 1940) is an Australian actor, theatre director and theatre manager. He has been a major influence on the development of Australian theatre in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

## Early life

Bell was born 1 November 1940 in Newcastle, New South Wales, to a bank manager father and elocutionist mother. As the oldest child, he grew up alongside three younger sisters and a brother.
At age 9 or 10, he moved with his family to the town of Maitland, New South Wales where he was educated at the Marist Brothers College. At school, he studied Shakespeare, where he developed and performed one-man stage shows. At the age of 15, he developed aspirations to become a Shakespearean actor after seeing Laurence Olivier as Henry V on screen.
Bell auditioned for National Institute of Dramatic Art's (NIDA's) first intake in 1958 and was accepted, but his parents and teachers convinced him to go to Sydney University instead, where he studied an arts degree. He graduated with English Honours in 1962.

## Career

In 1963, the year after his university graduation, Bell joined the Old Tote Theatre Company, where he played the title role in Hamlet.
Bell relocated to the United Kingdom in 1964, after winning a scholarship from the British Council, and was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent five years with them as an Associate Artist. He returned to Australia in 1969 and taught at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
In 1970, Bell co-founded the Nimrod Theatre Company in Sydney, and was Artistic Director, investing in producing Australian theatre. That same year, he directed the first production of The Legend of King O'Malley (a musical play based on the life of King O'Malley by Bob Ellis and Michael Boddy), featuring Robyn Nevin and Kate Fitzpatrick. He also directed plays by leading playwrights David Williamson, Ron Blair, Peter Kenna and Louis Nowra, including Williamson's Travelling North, The Club and The Removalists and Kenna's A Hard God. In 1985 he resigned from his role at Nimrod Theatre in order to freelance as a director and actor.
In 1990, he formed the Bell Shakespeare Company, performing and touring his own productions of Shakespeare's works. Amongst other plays, he has produced Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Richard III, Pericles, Henry IV, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, King Lear, and Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters.
His own roles for the company include Shylock, Richard III, Macbeth, Malvolio, Coriolanus, Leontes, Prospero, King Lear and Ulysses. He has also played Hamlet, Henry V, Berowne, Petruchio, Cyrano de Bergerac and Titus Andronicus. His performances in King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac and Uncle Vanya were met with critical acclaim.
In 2009, Bell directed the opera Madama Butterfly for Oz Opera, which toured throughout Australia.
In 2011, he published the book "On Shakespeare", detailing his thoughts and reminiscences of playing Shakespeare for more than 50 years.
In 2015, at the age of 75, Bell retired from running Bell Shakespeare, handing the reins over to his successor, Peter Evans. He has since engaged as a corporate speaker, performed poetry recitals with pianist Simon Tedeschi and taken on further stage roles, including the title role in The Father with Sydney Theatre Company. Additionally, in his spare time, he started the Bouddi Foundation, based on the NSW central coast, which assists emerging
In 2021, Bell delivered the Boyer Lecture on the themes of "Life Lessons from Shakespeare", "Order vs Chaos", "Shakespeare's Women", and "Imaginary Forces". The lectures demonstrate the relevance of Shakespeare's works to today's issues of need for good governance, the danger of political self interest, and the need for gender inequality.

## Honours and awards

In the 1978 New Year Honours, Bell was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1987, he was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). In the 2009 Australia Day Honours, he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
In 2001 a painting of Bell by artist Nicholas Harding won the Archibald Prize.
In 2003 the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, presented Bell with the Cultural Leader of the Year Award.
In 2016 he was awarded Australian Humanist of the Year (AHOY).
In 2019 Bell was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
His achievements in theatre have been acknowledged by the Universities of Newcastle (1994), Sydney (1996) and New South Wales, all of whom have awarded him honorary Doctor of Letters degrees.

### Awards

| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
| 1982 | Far East | AFI Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated |
| 1989 | John Bell | Mo Awards | Male Supporting Musical Theatre Performer of the Year | Won |
| 2002 | Richard III | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Play | Won |
| 2009 | John Bell | Producers and Directors Guild Awards | Lifetime Achievement | Awarded |
| 2009 | John Bell | Helpmann Awards | JC Williamson Award | Awarded |
| 2010 | John Bell | Sydney Theatre Awards | Lifetime Achievement | Awarded |
| 2011 | Uncle Vanya | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | Nominated |
| 2013 | Henry IV | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Play | Nominated |
| 2015 | As You Like It | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | Won |
| 2018 | The Father | Helpmann Awards | Best Male Actor in a Play | Nominated |
| 2021 | John Bell & Anna Volska | Equity Ensemble Awards | Australian Equity Lifetime Achievement Award | Awarded |

## Personal life

Bell attended the University of Sydney with Clive James and Germaine Greer. He is a contemporary and friend of Bruce Beresford (film director, with whom he shared a house and for whom he did some film acting), Ken Horler, Mungo McCallum, Bob Ellis, Richard Wherrett, John Gaden, Laurie Oakes (journalist), and Les Murray (poet).
His brother is the artist Michael Bell.
Bell met Polish-born Australian actress and NIDA graduate Anna Volska in 1963, when they performed in a production of The Cherry Orchard together. Volska followed Bell to the UK when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and they married in 1965 in Stratford-upon-Avon, where their two daughters were born.
The couple's daughters are playwright Hilary Bell (b. 1966) and Grass Roots actress Lucy Bell (b. 1968). Through their daughters, they have five grandchildren, the eldest of whom aspires to be a filmmaker.
Bell and Volska reside in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | The Devil to Pay | John Grey | Short film |
| 1963 | Clement Meadmore | Narrator | Short film |
| 1976 | Break of Day | Arthur | Feature film |
| 1977 | A Calendar of Dreamings | Narrator | Short film |
| 1982 | Far East | Peter Reeves | Feature film |
| 2014 | The Correspondent | | Feature film |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | Ballad for One Gun | Ned Kelly | TV movie |
| 1963 | The Long Sunset | Otho | TV movie |
| 1971 | The Comedy Game | Sean Crisp | Season 1, episode 2: "Nice Day at the Office" |
| 1972 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Arturo Ui | TV movie |
| 1973 | The Taming of the Shrew | Petruchio | TV play of Old Tote Theatre production |
| 1974 | Hamlet | Hamlet | TV play of STC production |
| 1975 | Explorers | William Wills | Miniseries, episode 4: "The Story of Burke and Wills" |
| 1984 | The Explorers | Wills | Episode 9: "South to North" |
| 1986 | Hunger | Romanian Consul | TV movie |
| 1989 | Mission: Impossible | Erik Vogel | Season 2, episode 8: "The Fuehrer's Children" |
| 1990 | A Country Practice | Peter Kerr | Season 10, episode 34: "All or Nothing: Part 2" |
| 2015 | Deadline Gallipoli | Lord Kitchener | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Lambs of God | Bishop Malone | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Diary of an Uber Driver | Ken | |

### As director

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | A Hard God | Director | TV movie |
| 1974 | Hamlet | Director | TV movie |
| 2014 | Tosca | Stage Director | TV movie |

## Stage
### As actor

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1959 | Dead Men Walking | | University of Sydney |
| 1960 | Twelfth Night | Malvolio | University of Sydney |
| 1960 | The Fairy Queen | | University of Sydney |
| 1960 | Him | | Broadway Theatre, Sydney |
| 1961 | Wet Blankets | | St Barnabas Church Hall with University of Sydney |
| 1961 | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore | | University of Sydney |
| 1961 | Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance: an Un-historical Parable | Serjeant Musgrave | University of Sydney |
| 1962 | The Rivals | | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1962 | Coriolanus | | University of Sydney |
| 1962 | Wakefield Mystery Plays | God | Cell Block Theatre, Sydney |
| 1962 | John Bell: Ring Around the Moon | | Genesian Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | The Cherry Orchard | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | The Fire Raisers | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | Hamlet | Hamlet | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | The Private Ear | | Phillip Theatre, Sydney |
| 1963 | The Private Ear and the Public Eye | | Phillip Theatre, Sydney |
| 1964 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1964 | Henry V | Henry V | Tent Theatre, Sydney, Tent Theatre, Adelaide for Adelaide Festival |
| 1964 | By Royal Command | | St James' Hall, Sydney |
| 1964 | The Soldier's Tale | The Soldier | Elizabethan Theatre, Sydney |
| 1965 | Timon of Athens | Soldiers, Beggars, Prisoners, Townspeople | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1965–1966 | Hamlet | Rosencrantz | Aldwych Theatre, London, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1966 | The Government Inspector | | Aldwych Theatre, London with RSC |
| 1966 | The Investigation | Dr Lucas | Aldwych Theatre, London with RSC |
| 1966 | Henry IV | Prince Humphrey / Travers | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1966 | Twelfth Night | Valentine | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1966 | Henry V | Duke of Gloucester / Governor of Harfleur | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1966–1968 | Macbeth | Lennox | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, National Theatre, Helsinki, Palace of Culture, Leningrad, Art Theatre, Moscow, Aldwych Theatre, London with RSC |
| 1967 | Coriolanus | Nicanor | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1967 | Romeo and Juliet | Paris | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford with RSC |
| 1968 | Green Julia | Jake | UK tour with RSC |
| 1968–1969 | The Country Wife | | Theatre Royal, Bath |
| 1971 | An Evening of Victorian Music Hall | | Paddington Town Hall, Sydney |
| 1971 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney, Canberra Theatre |
| 1971 | The Government Inspector | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1972 | The Taming of the Shrew | Petruchio | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney, Canberra Theatre |
| 1972 | Uncle Vanya | | UNSW Old Tote Theatre, Sydney |
| 1973 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Nimrod, Sydney, Pram Factory, Melbourne, Playhouse, Canberra |
| 1974 | The Seagull | | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1974 | Love's Labour's Lost | Berowne | Sydney Opera House with Old Tote Theatre |
| 1975 | Richard III | Richard, Duke of Gloucester | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1976 | Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know | Lord Byron | Nimrod, Sydney, Arts Theatre, Adelaide, Playhouse, Canberra, Playhouse, Adelaide |
| 1977 | Much Ado About Nothing | | Nimrod, Sydney, Space Theatre, Adelaide |
| 1977 | The Lower Depths | Satin | Sydney Opera House |
| 1978 | Henry IV | Henry, Prince of Wales / Fang | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1979 | Ubu Roi | Ubu | ABC Radio Sydney |
| 1979 | The Sea | Hatch | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1980; 1981 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano de Bergerac | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1980 | Volpone | Volpone | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1981 | Three Sisters | Alexandr Ignatyevich Vershinin | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1982 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1983 | Uncle Vanya | Astrov | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1984 | King Lear | King Lear | Bankstown District Sports Club, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod |
| 1985 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Arturo Ui | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod |
| 1985 | The Real Thing | Henry | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1986 | The Taming of the Shrew | Petruchio | New Fortune Theatre, Perth |
| 1986 | The Recruiting Officer | Brazen | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1986 | Wild Honey | Circus Style Performer | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod |
| 1986–1987 | Emerald City | Colin | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Adelaide, Canberra Theatre with STC |
| 1988 | Ghosts | Pastor Manders | Belvoir, Sydney |
| 1988 | Hedda Gabler | Brack | Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC |
| 1989 | Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | The Duke | Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1990 | The Tempest | | Belvoir, Sydney |
| 1991 | Shadowlands | C. S. Lewis | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 1991–1992 | The Merchant of Venice | Shylock | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1994 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1993 | Romeo and Juliet | The Prince | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1993 | Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Narrator | Sydney Opera House |
| 1994 | The Bard on Broadway | | Regent Hotel, Sydney with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1995 | Twelfth Night | Malvolio | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1996 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1996 | Coriolanus | Coriolanus | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1997 | An Evening of Romance | | Mayfair Ballroom, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1997 | The Winter's Tale | Leontes | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1997 | The Tempest | Prospero | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1998 | Spoken Word – John Bell | Storyteller | Sydney Opera House |
| 1998 | King Lear | Lear | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1998 | Is Shakespeare Literature or Theatre? | Presenter | Sydney Opera House |
| 1999 | Long Day's Journey into Night | James Tyrone | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1999 | John Bell AM | Storyteller | Sydney Opera House |
| 1999 | Bell Shakespeare Wants You: Free Lunchtime Forum | | Playhouse, Canberra with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2000 | Dance of Death | | Royalty Theatre, Adelaide, Theatre X (Cai), Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Playhouse, Canberra with STCSA & Bell Shakespeare |
| 2000 | Troilus and Cressida | Ulysses / Greek General | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2002 | Richard III | Richard, Duke of Gloucester | Australian tour with QTC |
| 2004 | Sydney Symphony Orchestra: A Lincoln Portrait / Fly / Henry V | | Sydney Opera House |
| 2006 | The Tempest | Prospero | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2006 | Moby Dick | Captain Ahab | Glen Street Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Hobart with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2007 | Sydney Symphony: Monuments Symphony No. 7 | Speaker | Sydney Opera House |
| 2008 | Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome: A Shakespeare Commentary | Titus Andronicus | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare & QTC |
| 2010 | King Lear | King Lear | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2010 | Uncle Vanya | Serebryakov, the Professor | STC, Washington & New York with Bell Shakespeare & STC |
| 2011 | Midsummer Shakespeare | | The Domain, Sydney with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2011 | Faustus | Mephistopheles | Brisbane Powerhouse, Sydney Opera House, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre with Bell Shakespeare & QTC |
| 2013 | Henry IV | Falstaff | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2015 | As You Like It | Jaques / Le Beau | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Canberra, Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2015 | Ivanov | Shabelsky | Belvoir, Sydney |
| 2016 | Mercy | Speaker | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2017 | John Bell and Simon Tedeschi | Narrator | Sydney Opera House |
| 2017 | Enoch Arden | Narrator | Space Theatre, Adelaide with Adelaide Festival Centre |
| 2017 | The Father | André | Wharf Theatre with STC & Fairfax Studio with MTC |
| 2018 | Bright Star | John Keats | Australian tour |
| 2018–2019 | Diplomacy | General Deitrich von Choltitz | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 2019 | The Miser | The Miser | Sydney Opera House, Canberra Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2019 | John Bell: A Few of My Favourite Things | Storyteller | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney & Edinburgh Festival |
| 2021–2022 | Grand Horizons | Bill | Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC |
| 2022 | A Christmas Carol | Scrooge / Crummles | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 2021–2022 | One Man in His Time | Storyteller | The Neilson Nutshell, Sydney, Arts Centre Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2022 | Words and Music | Reader | Blue Mountains Theatre |
| 2022 | With Love, Amadeus | Reader | Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Wagstaffe Hall, Ukaria Cultural Centre, Mt Barker |
| 2022 | John Bell: And Another Thing... | Storyteller | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 2022 | Haydn Speaks | Joseph Haydn | City Recital Hall, Sydney with the Australian Haydn Ensemble |
| 2024 | A Musical Tempest with John Bell | | With SSO |

### As director / crew

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | Coriolanus | Designer | University of Sydney |
| 1963 | Lunch Hour | Stage Manager | Palace Theatre, Sydney with Old Tote |
| 1964 | The American Dream | Stage Manager | Palace Theatre, Sydney with Old Tote |
| 1970 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Director | UNSW Old Tote, Sydney with NIDA |
| 1970–1971 | The Legend of King O'Malley | Director | Australian national tour with NIDA |
| 1970 | Biggles | Director | Nimrod, Sydney with Old Tote |
| 1971 | Macbeth | Director / Designer | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1971 | Flash Jim Vaux | Director | Nimrod, Sydney with Old Tote |
| 1971 | The Removalists | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1972 | Measure for Measure | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1972 | The Good Woman of Setzuan | Director | UNSW Old Tote, Sydney |
| 1972 | The Removalists | Director | Phillip St Theatre, Sydney with Harry M. Miller |
| 1972 | How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? | Director | UNSW Old Tote, Sydney, Canberra Theatre |
| 1973 | The Tooth of Crime | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1973 | President Wilson in Paris | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1973 | Hamlet | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, Pram Factory, Melbourne, Playhouse, Canberra |
| 1973 | Kabul | Director | UNSW Old Tote, Sydney |
| 1973–1974 | A Hard God | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, St Martins Theatre, Melbourne, Playhouse, Canberra |
| 1974 | The Bacchoi | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1974 | Don Giovanni | Director | Sydney Opera House with Opera Australia |
| 1974 | How Does Your Garden Grow? | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1975 | You Want It Don't You Billy? | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1975 | Singles | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1975 | Mates and Brothers | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, Playhouse, Adelaide |
| 1975–1976 | Mates | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, Playhouse, Adelaide |
| 1975–1976 | The Christian Brothers | Director | Australian tour |
| 1975–1977 | Much Ado About Nothing | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, Space Theatre, Adelaide |
| 1976 | The Speakers | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1976 | How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? | Adaptor | La Boite, Brisbane |
| 1976 | A Handful of Friends | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1977 | Inner Voices | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1977 | Twelfth Night | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1977 | Treasure Island | Designer | Ipswich Arts Theatre, UK |
| 1977–1980 | The Club | Director | Australian tour with Nimrod, Hampstead Theatre, London, The Old Vic, London |
| 1978 | Everyman | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1978 | Marxisms | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1978 | Perfect Strangers | Director | Theatre Royal, Hobart, Playbox Theatre, Melbourne with Northside Theatre Company & Nimrod |
| 1978–1979 | The Christian Brothers | Director | Australia & NZ tour, Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, Riverside Studios, London |
| 1978 | The Comedy of Errors | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1979 | In Praise of Love | Designer | Plymouth Athenaeum with Plymouth Theatre Company |
| 1979 | The Curse of the Werewolf | Designer | Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke |
| 1979 | Romeo and Juliet | Director | Octagon Theatre, Perth, Nimrod, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney |
| 1979 | Travelling North | Director | Australian tour |
| 1979 | The Venetian Twins | Director | Sydney Opera House with STC & Nimrod |
| 1979–1980 | Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something! | Set Design | UK tour with Plymouth Theatre Company |
| 1980 | The Club | Director | The Old Vic, London, Hampstead Theatre, London with Nimrod |
| 1980 | I Have Been Here Before | Designer | The Old Vic, London, Oxford Playhouse with Horseshoe Theatre Company |
| 1980 | The House of the Deaf Man | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1980 | The Oresteia | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1980 | Volpone | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1980 | How Could You Believe Me When I Said I'd Be Your Valet When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life? | Adaptor / Director | Townsville Civic Centre |
| 1980 | Celluloid Heroes | Director | Australian tour |
| 1981 | The Venetian Twins | Director | Australian tour |
| 1981 | Last Day in Woolloomooloo | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1981 | Black and Blue | Designer | Horseshoe Theatre, Basingstoke with Horseshoe Theatre Company |
| 1982 | Candide | Director | Melbourne with Nimrod |
| 1982 | Tristram Shandy | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1982–1983 | Variations | Director | Nimrod, Sydney, Seymour Centre, Sydney |
| 1982–1983 | Lady Chatterley’s Lover | Designer | Theatre Royal, Bath |
| 1983 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Designer | Belgrade Theatre, Coventry |
| 1983 | As You Like It | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1984 | The Servant of Two Masters | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1984 | The Boiling Frog | Director | Nimrod, Sydney |
| 1985 | Cheapside | Director | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod |
| 1986 | The Recruiting Officer | Director | Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA |
| 1986 | The Winter’s Tale | Director | NIDA, Sydney |
| 1987 | Joking Apart | Designer | Belgrade Theatre, Coventry |
| 1987 | Tartuffe | Director | Seymour Centre, Sydney with Nimrod |
| 1988 | Manning Clark's History of Australia – The Musical | Director | Princess Theatre, Melbourne |
| 1988 | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Director | University of Sydney |
| 1988 | Dinkum Assorted | Director | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC & STC |
| 1989 | Lost Weekend | Director | Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane with QTC |
| 1990 | The Venetian Twins | Director | Australian tour with QTC |
| 1991–1993 | Hamlet | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1992 | The Virgin Spring | Designer | Courtyard Theatre, London |
| 1992–1993 | Richard III | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1993 | Romeo and Juliet | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1994 | The Taming of the Shrew | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1995 | Pericles | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1996 | Much Ado About Nothing | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1998 | Henry IV | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1999 | Romeo and Juliet | Artistic Director | The Capital, Bendigo with Bell Shakespeare |
| 1999 | Henry V | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2000 | The Falls | Director | Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company |
| 2001 | Julius Caesar | Artistic Director | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2001 | Antony and Cleopatra | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2001 | The Christian Brothers | Director | Sydney Opera House with STC |
| 2002 | Hippolytus | Director | Government House, Sydney with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2002; 2004 | The Comedy of Errors | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2002 | The Soldier's Tale | Artistic Director | Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall, Brisbane with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2003 | Hamlet | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2003 | The Christian Brothers | Director | Australian tour |
| 2003 | The Bell Shakespeare Company Regional Tour of Tasmania | Director | Tasmanian tour |
| 2003–2005 | The Servant of Two Masters | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2004 | Twelfth Night | Director | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2005 | Measure for Measure | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2006 | The Comedy of Errors | Director | Theatre Royal, Bath, Blackpool Grand Theatre, UK with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2006 | Romeo and Juliet | Director | Australian tour Bell Shakespeare |
| 2006 | Moby Dick | Adaptor | Glen St Theatre, Sydney, Theatre Royal, Hobart with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2007 | Macbeth | Director | Australian tour |
| 2007 | The Government Inspector | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2008 | As You Like It | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2008–2009 | Madame Butterfly | Director | Australian tour with Oz Opera |
| 2009 | The Alchemist | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare & QTC |
| 2009 | Pericles | Director | Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2011 | Much Ado About Nothing | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2012 | The Duchess of Malfi | Director | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2012 | Romeo and Juliet | Director | Hamer Hall, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2013 | Henry IV | Director | Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2013; 2015; 2017; 2021 | Tosca | Director | Sydney Opera House with Opera Australia |
| 2014 | The Winter’s Tale | Director | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2014–2015 | Monkey: Journey to the West | Director | Australian tour with Kim Carpenter's Theatre of Image |
| 2015 | The Tempest | Director | Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare |
| 2015 | Romeo and Juliet | Director | Sydney Opera House with SSO & The Australian Ballet |
| 2016; 2017; 2020 | Carmen | Director | Sydney Opera House with Opera Australia |
| 2018–2019 | Diplomacy | Director | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 2018 | Madama Butterfly | Director | Australian regional tour with Opera Australia |