ICS Designers & Cinematographers

Richard Cottrell

Richard Cottrell was born in Britain, trained as an actor in France and after directing The Revenger's Tragedy for S.T.S.A. and Camino Real for Jane Street, became a resident of Australia in 1984. From 1985-7 he was Director of the Nimrod Theatre Company and received a Sydney Critics Award for his first season in which a permanent company of sixteen actors played a season of classical plays in repertoire. His work at Nimrod included The Winter's Tale, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, All's Well That Ends Well, Wild Honey, The Merchant of Venice and Arms and the Man.

For S.T.C. he has directed Lettice and Lovage and Vita and Virginia, both starring Ruth Cracknell. He has also directed for the NIDA professional season in 1992 his own translation, especially commissioned, of Racine's Britannicus.

For Belvoir Street – When the Wind Blows; and for the Marian Street Theatre Company Benefactors, Prin, Henceforward, Neville's Island and Things We Do for Love. For the Victorian State Opera he directed Andrea Chenier for which he won a Victorian Green room Award for Best Opera Production of the Year, and Tannhauser. For the Opera Theatre of St. Louis he directed The Merry Widow.

He has directed in Canada, in America and in Hong Kong as well as in Britain where recent work includes The Rivals at the Chichester Festival and in the West End, The School for Scandal, Lady Windermere's Fan, also at Chichester and Three Hours After Marriage for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has directed King Lear for the National Theatre of Portugal in Lisbon, The Uneasy Chair for Playwrights' Horizons in New York and Simone de Beauvoir's The Woman Destroyed at E59E, New York.

His most recent productions have been Ying Tong, A Walk with the Goons and Travesties for the Sydney Theatre Company. His book, Looking at Paintings: a Private View will be published by Murdoch Books in October 2009

He has taught and directed at all Australia’s leading theatre schools, at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, at the Hong Kong College of the Performing Arts, at Boston University, the University of California and at the Julliard School, New York.

— Download Richard's CV (PDF, 68kb)

Tom Gutteridge

Tom has more than twenty years experience in the performing arts as a director, actor, dramaturg, composer, musician, devisor and teacher.

As Artistic Director of Black Swan Theatre Company, Perth from 2004 to 2008, he directed 10 plays including the World Premieres of Jandamarra and The Carnivores, a new version of Uncle Vanya by Reg Cribb and an award winning production of The Crucible.

Other directing work includes the World Premieres of Birthrights and Charitable Intent both by David Williamson, The Sound Garden for Oz Opera, Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera, A Midsummer Night's Dream for WAAPA and Company for VCA School of Drama in 2002. Tom was Artistic Associate at Queensland Theatre Company from 1996 – 2001 where he directed for both the mainstage and Education Program. Highlights included The Forest (starring Bille Brown and Geraldine Turner) and Vertigo & The Virginia (World Premiere).

Tom graduated from the VCA as an actor in 1985. He was an original member of the innovative collective Whistling in the Theatre between 1986 and 1992, and was involved in devising, writing, directing, composing, producing, publicising and performing 13 original works including tours of the acclaimed The Country of the Blind, Ship of Fools and A Thousand and One Nights.

Tom also works in the corporate sector with innovative change management organisation, Primed.

— Download Tom's CV (PDF, 212kb)

Jennifer Hagan

Jennifer is a NIDA graduate and has performed throughout Australia, mainly with the Sydney and Melbourne Theatre Companies. She was memorable as Vita Sackville-West in the Sydney Theatre Company's Vita and Virginia with Ruth Cracknell.

In 1991 Jennifer joined NIDA for 6 years as the Acting Tutor. In 2001 she was awarded the Gloria Payten Foundation Fellowship to study theatre in San Francisco and Tel Aviv. For almost twenty years Jennifer has directed many plays, including Salt and Collected Stories for the Sydney Theatre Company and national tours of Last of the Red Hot Lovers (starring Max Gillies), The Shoehorn Sonata, President Wilson in Paris, Educating Rita, Jacki Weaver in The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead and Shirley Valentine.

She now divides her year directing, acting and teaching. In June 2009 she will play in a revival of Steel Magnolias which will open at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.

— Download Jennifer's CV (PDF, 88kb)

George Ogilvie

George Ogilvie's distinguished career began almost five decades ago with the Canberra Rep Theatre as an actor. Since then he has established a prestigious list of credits as one of Australia's most talented and diverse directors, working in all mediums; ballet, opera, theatre, television and film.

In 1965, George returned from training, teaching and acting in England and Europe to take up the position of Associate Director with the Melbourne Theatre Company. He was with the MTC for 6 years where he directed some 23 plays whilst continuing his workshop training for actors. During this time he won the Melbourne Theatre Critics' Award three times for Best Director. Following 4 years (1972-1975) as Artistic Director of the South Australian Theatre Company and 12 years as part of the subsidised theatre network, George became a freelance director working with the Australian Opera, the Australian Ballet Company and various Australian theatre companies. His teaching continued during this period with NIDA, the Eora Centre and other drama schools.

His television credits include The Dismissal, Bodyline, The Shiralee, Princess Kate, The Battlers, The Feds and Blue Heelers.

Film credits include, Mad Max III with George Miller, Short Changed, A Place at the Coast and The Crossing, Russell Crowe's first feature film.

Most recently, George has worked with the graduating students from VCA and with the Australian Ballet on the Sydney revival of his acclaimed production of Coppelia. George worked with the Sydney Theatre Company directing Nick Enright's play The Man With Five Children, starring Steve Bisley and Proof, starring Jacqueline McKenzie and Barry Otto. George directed a stunning version of Norma for Opera Australia in 2005 and was a regular director of the hit television show Blue Heelers for Network Seven.

George has been awarded, among others, the following prizes over his career: a three year Australian Creative Artists Fellowship; the Byron Kennedy Memorial Award from the AFI and three Best Director Awards from the Melbourne Theatre Critics Awards. George regularly teaches and directs at NIDA and the Actors Centre in Sydney where the development of the next generation of theatre performers is a particular passion. Additionally, Currency Press are set to publish George's autobiography in August 2006.

— Download George's CV (PDF, 88kb)

Steven Rassios

Steven graduated from NIDA in Acting (2000) and Directing (2004). Steven has experience in directing theatre, musical theatre and opera. Steven has worked both in Australia and overseas, for the STC, Company B, OA, NIDA and LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.

— Download Steven's CV (PDF, 68kb)