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 WINTERREISE (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 directed the revival of Katie Mitchell’s ARIADNE AUF NAXOS at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, and Finnish National Opera, Helsinki. 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). She also directed DIE LUSTIGEN WEIBER VON WINDSOR at Queensland Conservatorium; and was associate director for ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE at Opera Queensland directed by Yaron Lifschitz.

Heather’s upcoming work includes revival director for ARIADNE AUF NAXOS directed by Katie Mitchell at Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen; director for the rehearsed reading of WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN for Bell Shakespeare; associate director on LUCIA DI LAMMERMOR at Royal Opera Covent Garden directed by Katie Mitchell; and associate director of a new production at English National Opera. She is also directing a new production for Metro Arts in Brisbane and co-writing and developing a new opera called O SEGREDO DO RIO with the support of ENOA and Gulbenkian Foundation.

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