Jessica Arthur has been appointed Sydney Theatre Company’s new Richard Wherrett Fellow, succeeding Paige Rattray who vacated the post late last year for her new role as Associate Artistic Director at Queensland Theatre. The Richard Wherrett Fellowship is a career pathway opportunity for emerging and developing directors.

 

Jess joins other current STC resident artists; Imara Savage (Resident Director) who recently replaced Sarah Goodes following her move to Melbourne Theatre Company as Associate Director; Elizabeth Gadsby (Resident Designer); and Tommy Murphy (Patrick White Fellow).

 

Through its resident artists program, established during Andrew Upton’s tenure as Artistic Director, STC is committed to providing professional development opportunities for artists, access to key personnel and resources, and encouragement for professional development. STC’s Resident Artists also play key roles in the day-to-day artistic life of the Company and work closely with Artistic Director Kip Williams.

 

Jessica Arthur graduated from the NIDA directing course in 2014 and has directed a number of independent productions, including Intoxication (La Mama Courthouse), Unend by Harry Black for Never Never Theatre Company at Adelaide and Sydney Fringe Festivals, How Are You? by Laura Lethlean for Design Canberra Festival, The Sugar Syndrome by Lucy Prebble for The Kings Collective and Rausch with the guidance of Falk Richter, which led to an internship in Germany at the Schauspiel Frankfurt for Safe Places, by Falk Richter and Anouk van Dijk.

 

She worked as Andrew Upton’s assistant director on Endgame by Samuel Beckett and in 2016, assisted Kip Williams on the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Miss Julie, and Sarah Goodes on NIDA’s Scorched. Jess is co-founder of the theatre company The Anchor.

 

Previous STC Richard Wherrett Fellows are Paige Rattray, Imara Savage, Sarah Giles, Lee Lewis, Wayne Blair and Joseph Couch.