SARAH GILES

​Director

Sarah Giles is an award-winning opera and theatre director.  Sarah has directed productions for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre of South Australia, Malthouse Theatre, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Victorian Opera and Sydney Chamber Opera. 

In 2024, Sarah directed RUSALKA for The Opera Conference which opened at West Australian Opera, and transfered to Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, and State Opera of South Australia. In 2022, Sarah directed her acclaimed production of LA TRAVIATA for Opera Queensland, which transferred to State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera.  In 2024, LA TRAVIATA toured to Opera Australia for a sold out season at Sydney Opera House, and will return again in 2025.  Her world premiere production of LORELEI for Victorian Opera, was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Direction of an Opera, five Green Room Awards including Best Direction of an Opera, and won the Green Room Award for Best New Australian Work and Best Design. LORELEI was remounted at Victorian Opera and toured to Opera Queensland. 

Her smash hit production of Dario Fo’s NO PAY? NO WAY! for Sydney Theatre Company was met with rave reviews and packed houses, and was remounted at Sydney Opera House in 2024. Her highly successful, Helpmann Award nominated production of MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION had return seasons at Sydney Theatre Company. Her award-winning production of THE POPULAR MECHANICALS with State Theatre Company of South Australia and Sydney Theatre Company had return seasons and subsequently toured nationally.  Sarah’s production of ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST for Sydney Theatre Company was nominated for two Sydney Theatre Awards. Sarah won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Direction of an Independent Production for THE UGLY ONE at Griffin.

Theatre directing credits include: for Sydney Theatre Company, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, NO PAY? NO WAY!, ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST, THE POPULAR MECHANICALS (with State Theatre Company of South Australia, national tour), PERPLEX, MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION, MARRIAGE BLANC, MONEY SHOTS, RUBY MOON; for Melbourne Theatre Company, A VERY JEWISH CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE TRUTH, STRAIGHT WHITE MEN; for Malthouse Theatre, SS METAPHOR, BLAQUE SHOWGIRLS; for Griffin Independent, THE UGLY ONE, THE PIGEONS; for Red Stitch, THAT FACE; for New Theatre, THE HERBAL BED; for Theatre Forward, THE BEAR; for NIDA, THE FARM; THE BALD SOPRANO, FACE TO THE WALL; for WAAPA, VERNON GOD LITTLE; and for La Mama, THE MAIDS.

Opera directing credits include: RUSALKA (The Opera Conference), LA TRAVIATA (Opera Queensland, West Australian Opera, State Opera of South Australia, Opera Australia)  LORELEI (Victorian Opera, Opera Queensland); and O MENSCH!; PAS À PAS – NULLE PART and INTO THE LITTLE HILL (Sydney Chamber Opera and Sydney Festival) .  Other works include: KREUTZER VS KREUTZER for the Australian Chamber Orchestra performed with Janáček’s and Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonatas.

Sarah was Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company in 2013, the Richard Wherrett Fellow at Sydney Theatre Company in 2011, and Affiliate Director in Residence at Griffin Theatre in 2009.  She is a recipient of the Mike Walsh Fellowship and the Gloria Fellowship which she used to take part in the Lincoln Centre Director’s lab and attend the Theatretreffen in Berlin. In 2018, Sarah was awarded a Malthouse Theatre Tower Residency to develop new work.

Sarah also works as a dramaturg, writer and adaptor. She was dramaturg (as well as director) on LORELEI (Victorian Opera), and co-adaptor of ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST (Sydney Theatre Company).  

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Directing, Sarah also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne with a double major in History and Italian.