Olivia Ansell joins Regina on Stages.

She has recently been announced as the next Sydney Festival Artistic Director stepping into the role later this year and heading up the 2022 direction.  She is currently the head of the Contemporary Performance at Sydney Opera House.

A graduate of QUT, Olivia Ansell was voted one of VIVID Festival’s Top 100 creative catalysts. A producer, curator, choreographer and versatile artist, Olivia is the Head of Contemporary Performance at Sydney Opera House.

Formerly, she was the Artistic Director of Sydney Comedy Festival’s Sydney Town Hall program, Creative and Co-Executive Producer of the hugely popular immersive theatre experience Hidden Sydney, Curator of Kings Bloody Cross for Vivid Ideas, and Producer of large outdoor spectacular HOME, featuring Tim Minchin, for the 2016 Perth International Arts Festival.

She has produced and toured dance works across the United Kingdom including Sadler’s Wells, USA, Middle East, Asia, Europe and Australia. Previous appointments include Executive Producer for internationally acclaimed dance company Shaun Parker & Co, Program Director (Dance) for Riverside Theatres, Dance Education Writer for Sydney Opera House, Artistic Director of Short Sweet+Dance and curator of Shorter+Sweeter Dance national Australian tour.

Choreographic credits include productions for Belvoir Street, Ensemble Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Cracker Comedy Festival, Newtown Theatre, Darlinghurst Theatre, Luna Park Sydney, Somersault Productions, Dreamworld Theme Park, Melbourne Fringe and Sydney Olympic Park Authority’s Kids in the Park.

Performance credits include Opera Australia, Fox Studios Australia, The Glynn Nicholas Group, Disney Australia, ABC TV, Foxtel TV, Baz Luhrmann’s Bazmark, Opera Queensland, P & O/ Grayboy Entertainment, Marcia Hines, K.D. Lang, William A Forsythe and (MEI-Live).

Olivia has choreographed solos for dancers competing in the Youth America Grand Prix NY, Switzerland’s Prix de Lausanne and RAD’s Genee International Ballet Competition, with many former students now performing with The Royal Ballet, Houston Ballet, The Australia Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre, Danish Dance Theatre and Hamburg Ballet.

Olivia is also a lecturer in movement at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music- Con Opera School.

Photo credit:  Daniel Boud