Mr Russell Fewster

Russell has directed theatre for the past 20 years including work with professional actors, acting students and young people. He studied at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris in the early eighties thus beginning his theatrical journey. In 2000 he completed a Masters by Research in rehearsal decision making at the Centre for Performance Studies in the University of Sydney. He is currently a PhD candidate in Theatre Studies at the University of Melbourne, examining the use of video in performance and is a Lecturer in drama at the University of South Australia Magill Campus.

• Directing for the Stage
• Physical Theatre
• New Media Performance
• Verbatim/Political Theatre
• Opera for Young People
• Japanese Theatre

Member of Australasian Drama Studies Association

Member of Intermediality and Performance Research Group within International Federation for Theatre Research

Doctor of Philosophy by research and practice in Theatre Studies at the School for Creative Arts University of Melbourne. Commenced 2004 expected completion date 2008. Dissertation 50,000 words: An examination of the relationship between the live actor and new media in text-based theatre.

Masters of Philosophy by research at the Centre for Performance Studies in the University of Sydney. Completed 2000. Dissertation 50,000 words :A Rehearsal Analysis of the Production of ‘The Blind Giant is Dancing’ by Neil Armfield and the Company B Ensemble.

Preliminary Masters of Philosophy at the Centre for Performance Studies in the University of Sydney. Completed 1994. Dissertation 10,000 words: Decision Making in the Rehearsal Process: a comparative study of directors Adam Cook and Lindy Davies and the actor’s collective Public Works.

1982-1983 Certificate in Mime, Movement & Theatre Ecole Jacques LeCoq Paris, France

1976-1979 Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biological Sciences Flinders University of South Australia

• Directing for the Stage
• Physical Theatre
• New Media Performance
• Opera
• Japanese Theatre
• Verbatim/Political Theatre

'The Alive Actor and Live Media': Being There ADSA 2006 Conference Proceedings; accepted to be published online February 2007

'Honour Bound and the Intermedial Body': Culture, Language and Representation (Special issue on Intermediality) – submitted September 15 2007

'Neil Armfield and Company B in Rehearsal': Australasian Drama Studies (No. 40 April 2002: 106-118)

'Anzac Day':Primary School Textbook 2001

Theatre Direction: 'The Barber of Seville' by Gioacchino Rossini. A special one hour version for primary school children produced in association with 60minute Opera and the University of South Austral;ia. The production involved professional singers and musician, with 40 students from the university and 300 primary school students. Hartley Playhouse University of South Australia Novemeber 2007.

Theatre Direction:The World English language premiere of 'The Lost Babylon' by Takeshi Kawamura for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2006 in the Hartley playhouse at UniSA. A theatre work exploring real and virtual representations of violence. It combined video projection and video game software developed at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with actors from Japan, interstate & Adelaide.

Theatre Direction: 'Breath' by Dr Patrick Van Der Werf. Russell directed and produced the world premiere of this political thriller/satire by this award winning playwright from Melbourne. The production used video projection of text messages developed by a student at UniSA. The production premiered at the Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide in 2005.

Theatre Direction:The world premiere of 'X-ray' by Adelaide playwright Chris Tugwell—a play about Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks’ story which served as a great cathartic experience for the Hicks family. Presented at the AC Arts —second year level in the vocational performing arts course, 2003

Theatre Direction: 'The Private Visions of Gottfried Kellner' by Sydney playwright Timothy Daly, thriller exploring stolen holocaust victim’s monies. Bakehouse 2002.

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Performing Arts

• New Media Performance
• Contemporary Theatre
• Opera/Theatre for Young People
• Japanese Theatre