HEATHER FAIRBAIRN

​Director


Heather Fairbairn is an opera and theatre director. Heather has worked with companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Schaubühne Berlin, Royal Opera House, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, La Boite Theatre Company, and Opera Australia. 

Her popular staging of Mozart’s THE MAGIC FLUTE is regularly revived in concert halls around Europe, including Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Belgium), Grande Théâtre de la Ville (Luxembourg), Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon), and Escuela de Música Reina Sofía (Madrid). 

Directing credits include SILK MOTH by Bushra El Turk (Ruthless Jabiru) at Arcola Theatre London for Grimeborn Festival; ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (Queensland Conservatorium) conducted by Simone Young; THE MUTANT MAN by Christopher Bryant (The Space Arts Centre, London), SNAPPY OPERAS (Mahogany Opera Group), SUNNYTOWN (La Boite Theatre Company), LITTLE NEMO AND THE ICE CREAM WITCH (Bayerische Theaterakademie), THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth (National Institute of Dramatic Art), ORPHANS by Dennis Kelly (Actors Centre Australia), YOUNG ARTIST CONCERT (Opera Australia), and WINTEREISSE (National Institute of Dramatic Art).

Heather regularly collaborates with renowned theatre director Katie Mitchell, working on ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and ALCINA (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Royal Opera House), and OPHELIAS ZIMMER (Royal Court Theatre & Schaubühne Berlin).  In 2019, Heather was revival director for ARIADNE AUF NAXOS directed by Katie Mitchell, at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris.  For Sydney Theatre Company, Heather was assistant director for LORD OF THE FLIES directed by Kip Williams, and ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST directed by Sarah Giles.  She was assistant director for IL TROVATORE directed by David Bösch (Royal Opera House), and associate director for AS YOU LIKE IT directed by David Berthold (La Boite Theatre Company).

Upcoming engagements include: directing DIE LUSTIGEN WEIBER VON WINSOR at Brisbane Conservatorium; associate directing ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE at Opera Queensland directed by Yaron Lifschitz; and revival directing ARIADNE AUF NAXOS directed by Katie Mitchell at Grande Théâtre de la Ville, Luxembourg; Finnish National Opera, Helsinki; and Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen.

Heather holds a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art and a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Drama & Creative Writing) from the University of Queensland, and regularly lectures on the NIDA post-graduate directing course.

View Heather’s work at heatherfairbairn.com