Belvoir St Theatre is one of Australia’s most innovative and acclaimed theatre companies. Belvoir engages Australia’s prominent and promising playwrights, directors, actors and designers to realise an annual season of work that is dynamic, challenging and visionary.
Since 2011, The Balnaves Foundation has been Principal Partner of First Nations theatre, supporting Indigenous-led productions at Belvoir. The First Nations theatre program gives voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander directors, designers and actors, helping to ensure that First Nations stories reach new audiences.
The program has included the following productions:
- 2011 – Jack Charles V The Crown and Windmill Baby
- 2012 – Beautiful One Day and Don’t Take Your Love to Town
- 2013 – The Cake Man and Coranderrk
- 2014 – 20 Questions and Brothers Wreck (Fellowship Commission)
- 2015 – Radiance and Kill the Messenger (Fellowship Commission)
- 2016 – The Drover’s Wife (Fellowship Commission) and Title and Deed
- 2017 – Barbara and the Camp Dogs (Fellowship Commission) and Which Way Home (Fellowship Commission)
- 2018 – My Name is Jimi and My Urrwai
- 2019 – Barbara and the Camp Dogs (Fellowship Commission) and Winyanboga Yurringa
- 2020 – Cursed! (Fellowship Commission)
- 2022 – At What Cost? (Fellowship Commission)
- 2023 – Blue (Fellowship Commission) and At What Cost? (Fellowship Commission)
- 2024 – TIDDAS and Healing Scars
- 2025 – Jacky and Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fellowship Commission)
In 2012, The Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwrights Award was launched, with the aim to encourage and support First Nations playwrights in their writing through to production. From 2018, the Playwright’s Award evolved into The Balnaves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellowship. Open to playwrights and directors or writer/directors, the expanded Fellowship accommodates applications from broad range of creative practitioners to lead the creation of a new stage work, whether that be a new play, an adaptation or through a devised process. Fellows receive wrap around support from the Belvoir team and an invitation to have a voice in Belvoir’s decision-making processes.
Initially a 12-month fellowship, in 2022 it was extended to an 18-month residency allowing for collaboration and mentorship between contemporary Balnaves Fellows. In 2025, this was extended further to allow each Fellow 24-months to embed themselves at Belvoir, collaborate with their peers and develop their work.
Programs such as this not only support the next generation of First Nation theatre makers but actively builds a pipeline for First Nations theatre on our stages.
Fellowship recipients include:
- 2012 – Nakkiah Lui
- 2013 – Jada Alberts
- 2014 – Leah Purcell
- 2015 – Katie Beckett
- 2016 – Ursula Yovich
- 2017 – Megan Wilding
- 2018 – Kodie Bedford
- 2019 – Nathan Maynard
- 2020 – Jorjia Gillis
- 2021 – Thomas Weatherall
- 2022 – Dalara Williams
- 2024 – Guy Simon
- 2025 – Hannah Belanszky
- 2026 – Bianca Hunt
Find out more about the Balnaves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellowship here.