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Alumni Award for Cultural Contribution
Excellence in arts and culture
This award recognises alumni who achieve excellence in arts, culture and creative sectors and/or whose efforts promote the understanding and value of cultural diversity.
To be eligible, nominees must meet the following selection criteria:
- Nominees must have graduated from the University of Sydney.
- Nominees must demonstrate contributions to creative arts and literature, elements of design and architecture, cultural education and other cultures, or to the understanding of them.
2024 winner
Kip Williams
Bachelor of Arts (Media & Communications) '09
Writer, director
What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
The most rewarding moments in my work have come from taking a big creative leap of faith into the unknown. My advice would be to pursue the ideas that stretch you beyond what you think you are currently capable of. We can be guaranteed a level of success in doing things we already know how to do well, but the greatest growth and inspiration comes from doing that which we do not yet know whether or not we can do.
My fondest memories of my time at the University of Sydney all took place in the Cellar Theatre creating shows for SUDS (Syndey University Dramatic Society). SUDS is such an extraordinary institution. It puts on a new show every two weeks and each show is programmed by a democratic vote. My time in SUDS gave me the invaluable opportunity to try my hand at all the various roles involved in making theatre: acting, writing, directing, designing and building sets, stage management, even running the SUDS publicity team. The shows we made ranged from new plays we wrote, to bonkers reinterpretations of classics, to long-form improvised narrative comedy. I ended up being involved in over 20 productions over my four years, and loved every second of it.
I’m in the process of developing a number of exciting screen projects and look forward to making my first film in the next year or so. I’m also working on the script for the next iteration of my cinetheatre work, following on from The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jekyll & Hyde and Dracula. Beyond that, I’d love to work on some large scale public events and explore visual storytelling on a mass scale.
Biography
Kip Williams is an award-winning writer and director of theatre and opera. Kip has revolutionised the stage with his ‘cine-theatre’ productions including the hugely critically acclaimed gothic trilogy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Dracula, which have been seen to date by a global audience of over 300,000 people.
Kip started writing plays in early childhood and began directing them in his early teens. His passion for theatre continued during his university studies where as a member of the Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) he took part in over 20 productions, directing, writing, acting, designing sets, rigging lights and running front of house. Following his studies at Sydney University, he was accepted into National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where he completed an MFA in Directing.
At age 25 he was appointed Resident Artist at Sydney Theatre Company (STC) by then Artistic Directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. At age 30 he was appointed as the Artistic Director of STC – the youngest person to hold the position in the company’s history - a role in which he served for 8 years. In this time he transformed the company’s production of new Australian writing, with over two thirds of the 101 shows he programmed written by Australian writers, whilst also achieving gender parity for writers and directors across all seasons for the first time in the company’s history.
The most rewarding moments in my work have come from taking a big creative leap of faith into the unknown.
Kip Williams
He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play for his production of Suddenly Last Summer, three Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Director for Kate Mulvany’s The Harp in the South and his adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, and two Green Room Awards for Best Director for Miss Julie and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In addition to his work with the STC, Kip has directed for many of Australia’s leading companies and festivals, including the Melbourne Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Chamber Opera, Victorian Opera, Adelaide Festival, RISING Festival, and Perth Festival.
Internationally he has directed for Auckland Arts Festival, Princeton Summer Theatre, Michael Cassel Group, Kindred Partners and Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End, where his production of Dorian Gray starred Sarah Snook and received two Olivier Awards, and a nomination from The Stage for Kip for Best Creative West End Debut. Kip is currently preparing for a Broadway transfer of The Picture of Dorian Gray and has a number of screen and stage projects in development.