IMARA SAVAGE
​
​Director

Imara Savage is a theatre and opera director.  She has directed award-winning productions for Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir Theatre, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera, and Griffin Theatre.

Her productions for Sydney Theatre Company (where she was resident director between 2016 – 2018) won multiple awards.  Imara received a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Director for her acclaimed adaptation of ST JOAN which was nominated for three Helpmann Awards including Best Female Actor for Sarah Snook in the title role.  ST JOAN received four Sydney Theatre Award nominations including Best Director and Best Production. 

Imara’s production of Caryl Churchill’s TOP GIRLS won two Sydney Theatre Awards.  AFTER DINNER won a Helpmann Award, Best Ensemble at the Sydney Theatre Awards, and was voted Best Revival by Sydney Morning Herald. MACHINAL won two Sydney Theatre Awards.  Imara also directed DINNER, THE TESTAMENT OF MARY, and HAYFEVER for the company.

Imara’s Helpmann Award winning production of MR BURNS for Belvoir and State Theatre Company of South Australia, received many award nominations including Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Director and Best Ensemble.  Imara directed DANCE NATION for State Theatre Company of South Australia and Belvoir as part of the Adelaide Festival. 

In 2022, Imara’s world premiere production of Mary Finsterer’s opera ANTARCTICA opens at the Holland Opera Festival in Amsterdam in a co-production with Sydney Chamber Opera and Asko|Schönberg.  Later this year, Imara will direct the Australian premiere of Britten and Styles’ AWAKENING SHADOW for Sydney Chamber Opera.  Earlier in 2022, Imara undertook a director attachment for Season 3 of the television series BUMP with Roadshow Rough Diamond and the ABC.

Her acclaimed production of Elliott Gyger’s opera FLY AWAY PETER for Sydney Chamber Opera was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Opera and toured to Melbourne Festival.  Other opera directing includes: Kaija Saariaho’s THE PASSION OF SIMONE (with Sydney Festival), Philip Glass' IN THE PENAL COLONY and Benjamin Britten's OWEN WINGRAVE for Sydney Chamber Opera which won Best Opera in the Time Out Awards.  

Imara’s other directing for theatre includes: for Belvoir, FOOL FOR LOVE; for Bell Shakespeare, A COMEDY OF ERRORS; for Griffin Theatre, THE BROTHERS SIZE which won Best Newcomer at the Sydney Theatre Awards; for Red Stitch, ORPHANS; for NIDA, WOYZECK, the Tom Waits/Robert Wilson musical, and PUNK ROCK.

Imara’s dramaturg work includes for Lucas Jervies’ ballet SPARTACUS for The Australian Ballet which toured to Finnish National Ballet in 2021.

Imara is a graduate of NIDA in Directing and the NIDA Playwriting Studio and holds a BA in Communications and International Studies from University of Technology Sydney. 

View Imara’s work at imarasavage.com