Michael Futcher

Michael’s extensive career spans more than 20 years, during which time he has written, directed and acted in more than 50 professional theatre productions, collaborating with many of Australia’s finest arts practitioners. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2001 Green Room Award (for Best Director for the play A Beautiful Life) and the 2008 Matilda Award (for Best Director for The Wishing Well).

Michael’s directing credits include Rabbit Hole, The Glass Menagerie, Oz Shorts, Explosions and Assistant Director on Blithe Spirit (for Queensland Theatre Company), The Wishing Well, The King and the Corpse!, 1347 and Cutting Loose (for his own company Matrix Theatre), Walking by Apple Tree Creek (2009 tour remount), The Drowning Bride, James and Johnny and Salt (for La Boite Theatre Company), A Beautiful Life (a co-production between Matrix Theatre. La Boite Theatre Company and the 1998 Brisbane Festival) and The Kursk (for Metro Arts Independents). Other directing credits include Citizen Jane (for Queensland Arts Council), The Crucible, Three Sisters, The Duel, Outside In, The Cherry Orchard and Camille (for Queensland University of Technology), Jane Eyre (for University of Southern Queensland), Macbeth (at the Rheingold Club Theatre, London), What Are You Afraid Of? (at the Latchmere Theatre, London).

Michael collaborates with his wife and writing partner Helen Howard. As a writing team their credits include A Beautiful Life, The Drowning Bride, The Wishing Well (all published by Currency), Citizen Jane (Playlab Press), Disobediently Yours, Edmund Kean, Explosions, The King and the Corpse!, 1347, Cutting Loose, The Gypsy’s Gift, The Rise and Demise of Katie Who, Rapunzel, The Magic Jewel and The Bush Genie as well as adaptations of Anton Chekhov’s The Duel and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.