http://rachelchant.com/I am a passionate arts programmer and theatre director.From 2015 - 2024 I worked as Festival Director of Waverley Council's headline annual arts event, Bondi Festival. In my time as Festival Director, I transformed what was a handful of shows in curtained-off meeting rooms into a major arts event showcasing incredible artists, drawing significant crowds to the beach in winter, and providing a vital boost for local businesses. I have cultivated relationships with artists, arts organisations, international sponsors and local businesses to ensure that Bondi Festival is both a creative and strategic success - as well as an incredible experience for artists and audiences alike.In my work as a Theatre Director and Dramaturg, I was the 2020 recipient of the Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Award and member of Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2019 Women in Theatre Program. I have worked as director, script assessor and dramaturg for Australia Plays Transform and Playwriting Australia, and as a guest director and teaching artist at NIDA.Recent productions include: The Memory of Water, Love Letters, Celebrating 50 Years of David Williamson (Ensemble Theatre); Cybec Electric (Melbourne Theatre Company); Good Dog (Kings X Theatre); Love (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Glengarry Glen Ross (NIDA); Intersection 2018: Chrysalis (ATYP @ Griffin); The Village Bike (Old Fitz Theatre); Moth (ATYP); Leaves (Kings X Theatre); When the Rain Stops Falling (New Theatre). As Assistant Director: Cosi (dir. Sarah Goodes; MTC + STC); Nearer the Gods (dir. Janine Watson), The Woman in Black (dir. Mark Kilmurry); Ensemble Theatre); Mortido (dir. Leticia Caceres; Belvoir + STCSA). Selected awards include: Rising Star Alumni Award | University of New England | 2020Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Male Actor in a Leading Role in an Independent Production (Justin Amankwah) | Winner | Good Dog | 2019Suzy Goes See’s Critic’s Choice Awards | Best Director | Winner | Love | 2018Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Production for Young People | Nomination | Moth | 2017Sydney Theatre Awards | Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in an Independent Production (Gabrielle Scawthorn) | Nomination | The Village Bike | 2017Broadway World Award | Best Director | Winner | Leaves | 2016Suzy Goes See’s Critic’s Choice Awards | Best Director | Winner | When The Rain Stops Falling | 2015GJ Borney Prize | Exceptional ability in the areas of scholarship, research and production | University of New England | 2010 Recipient