Moving in a Different Direction (Directing Downunder): the Evolution of Director Training into Studies of 'Creative Leadership' in an Australian Context

In Australia, formal training as a director is likely completed at university as part of an undergraduate bachelor’s degree, generally as a single unit of study within a broader acting/performance/drama studies programme. Conversely, countries such as the US and the UK, are understood to have healthy traditions of vocationally aligned MA and MFA programmes, initially emerging to develop advanced acting skills, later evolving to also provide specialist skills in directing (see: Zazzali 2016; Jackson 2001, 2004; Francombe 2002; Connolly 2013). Comparably, however, in Australia, despite the influence of the UK and US on many of the nation’s cultural institutions and historical guiding policies, practical options for conservatoire training for directors at postgraduate level are extremely limited.