Melanie Beddie is a professional actor, director, dramaturg and acting teacher. She has been working in Australia for over thirty years. She completed a BA in English and Philosophy at Sydney University from 1981-1984. It was here, through an association with Sydney University Dramatic Society and she acted in and directed numerous productions with the society. She was President of SUDS in 1983. Melanie moved from Sydney to Melbourne to train as an actor at the VCA School of Drama from 1985-1987. Since graduating she has worked nationally as an actor in film and TV, and across a wide range of professional companies such as Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox, Arena, Going Through Stages, Hothouse, and Playworks and at the Australian National Playwrights Conferences. In addition to working as an actor, Melanie has established two independenttheatre companies and was an artistic director of the $5 Theatre Company and also the Branch Theatre Company. Both companies have commissioned a large number of new works with Australian writers. Melanie has directed productions at The Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox, Hothouse, La Mama, Playworks, and Hit Productions as well as in smaller companies and in drama schools. She is the recipient of industry awards including the Director’s Choice Award for Infectious, which was a cross art form cabaret, and a Green Room Award for Best Director for Traitors by Stephen Sewell that also received four other Green Room nominations. In 2001, she directed an award-winning production of Raindancers at MTC and in 2009, she co-directed, with Rachael Maza, the highly acclaimed Sisters of Gelam which was nominated for a Deadly Award which are National Indigenous Arts and Community Awards. Melanie works widely as a dramaturg in professional theatre and was the resident dramaturg at the Melbourne Theatre Company in 1998-1999. She received the Inaugural Dramaturgy Fellowship from the Australia Council and a Gloria Award from NIDA.
