Lee Lewis
Lee Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre Company | |
| In office January 2020 – March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Strong |
| Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company | |
| In office 2012 – January 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1970 (age 55–56) Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Education | Columbia University, National Institute of Dramatic Art |
| Awards | Helpmann Award |
Lee Lewis OAM (born 1970) is an Australian theatre director. She has been artistic director of the Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney and the Queensland Theatre Company in Brisbane, and is the winner of a Helpmann Award.
Early life and education
Lee Lewis was born in 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, United States, of an English father and Zimbabwean mother. Her family emigrated to Australia in 1977, after spending six years in Zimbabwe.[1]
Lewis moved to New York to work in theatre,[1] and trained as an actor at Columbia University[2] while working for a brokerage firm.[1]
Returning to Australia, she completed a Masters of Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney in 2005.[3][4]
Career
In 2006 Lewis directed a play by New Zealand writer Matthew J. Saville about the Boer War entitled Kikia te Poa, which was performed at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Sydney.[5][6]
She was appointed artistic director of Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company in 2012.[7]
Lewis was appointed artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company in 2019, succeeding Sam Strong who was her predecessor at Griffin as well.[8] She resigned from Queensland Theatre in March 2024.[9]
In July 2025, Creative Australia announced funding from the new Creative Futures Fund for the production of Suzie Miller's new play Strong Is the New Pretty, to be delivered by Brisbane Festival in partnership with Sydney Theatre Company and Trish Wadley Productions, directed by Lewis.[10][11]
Productions
- Our Town (2004)
- Vicious Streaks (2004)[12]
- The Drowned World (2005)[13]
- Shopping and F***ing (2006)
- The Nightwatchman (2007)[14]
- Love Lies Bleeding (2007)[15]
- 2000 Feet Away (2007)[16]
- Stoning Mary (2008)[17]
- The Call (2009)[18]
- That Face (2010)
- Honour (2010)
- Twelfth Night (2010)
- Silent Disco (2011)
- The Winter's Tale (2011)
- A Hoax (2012)[19]
- The School for Wives (2012)
- This Heaven (2013)[20]
- The Bull, the Moon and the Coronet of Stars (2013)[21]
- Rupert (2013)[22]
- The Serpents Table (2014)[23]
- Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography (2014)[24]
- Emerald City (2014)
- Masquerade (2015)[25]
- The Bleeding Tree (2015)[26]
- A Rabbit for Kim Jong-il (2015)[27]
- Replay (2016)[28]
- The Literati (2016)[29]
- Gloria (2016)[30]
- Smurf in Wanderland (2017)[31]
- Hay Fever (2017)
- Darlinghurst Nights (2018)[32]
- The Almighty Sometimes (2018)[33]
- The Misanthrope (2018)
- Mary Stuart (2019)
- Prima Facie (2019)
- Splinter (2019)[34]
- First Love is the Revolution (2019)[35]
- Family Values (2020)[36]
- Return to the Dirt (2021)[37]
- Bernhardt / Hamlet (2022)[38]
- Tiny Beautiful Things (2024)[39]
- Gaslight (2024)[40]
- How to plot a hit in two days (2025)[41]
- Shirley Valentine (2025)[42]
- Art (2026)[43]
Awards
- 2016: Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play for Griffin's production of The Bleeding Tree[44]
- 2024: Honorary Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, for service to the performing arts as a theatre director.[45]
References
- ^ a b c Dow, Steve (19 October 2012). "Fire in the belly". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Theatre director Lee Lewis uses Top 100 influential women title to tackle domestic violence on stage". ABC News. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Sunday Brunch with Lee Lewis". ABC Sydney. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ All alumni – 2005, National Institute of Dramatic Art
- ^ Dodds, Troy (7 January 2010). "Belvoir kicks off 2010 season - News". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Dunne, Stephen (18 September 2006). "Kikia Te Poa". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Fulton, Adam. "Diversity a key issue for Griffin's new artistic director". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Lee Lewis is Queensland Theatre’s new artistic director" by Phil Brown, The Courier-Mail, 20 September 2019 (subscription required)
- ^ Brown, Phil (18 March 2024). "Shock resignation: Lee Lewis quits as artistic director of Queensland Theatre". InReview. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Bold and unexpected: Creative Futures Fund invests in new projects shaping our creative future". IFACCA. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Creative Futures Fund 2025". Creative Australia. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Vicious Streaks, Darlinghurst Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Drowned World, Darlinghurst Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 April 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Nightwatchman". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Lee Lewis". Seymour Centre. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Estelle (20 September 2019). "Griffin Theatre Company to Farewell Artistic Director Lee Lewis". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Stoning Mary". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Lee Lewis". Seymour Centre. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "A Hoax". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "This Heaven Belvoir Sydney 2013". Belvoir St Theatre. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Bull, the Moon & the Coronet of Stars". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Rupert". www.mtc.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Serpent's Table". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Masquerade". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Bleeding Tree". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "A Rabbit for Kim Jong-il". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Replay". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "The Literati". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Gloria". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Smurf In Wanderland". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Darlinghurst Nights". Hayes Theatre Co. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "The Almighty Sometimes". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Splinter". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "First Love is the Revolution". Griffin Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Digital, Carter. "Family Values | Queensland Theatre". Queensland Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Digital, Carter. "Return to the Dirt | Queensland Theatre". Queensland Theatre Company. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ Digital, Carter. "Bernhardt/Hamlet | Queensland Theatre". Queensland Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Digital, Carter. "Tiny Beautiful Things | Queensland Theatre". Queensland Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Digital, Carter. "Gaslight | Queensland Theatre". Queensland Theatre Company. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "HOW TO PLOT A HIT IN TWO DAYS". Ensemble Theatre. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Shirley Valentine | with Natalie Bassingthwaighte". Shirley Valentine. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ "Art the Play | Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide". Art the Play. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Rugendyke, Louise (25 July 2016). "Helpmann Awards 2016: Matilda the Musical sweeps the board with 13 wins". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Ms Lee Lewis [H]". Australian Honours Search Facility. Australian Government. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
External links
- Lee Lewis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
- Lee Lewis at Playbill Vault