'Aubrey Mellor is a leading Australian Theatre Director, and was formally Director of Melbourne's Playbox Theatre - his fo[u]rth Artistic Directorship of a theatre company. He is well known as an acting teacher to a generation of acclaimed Australian actors and while renowned earlier in his distinguished career for translations and productions of the classics, is now [2005] a leading proponent of new Australian writing.
'He was brought up in variety and circus, trained as a dancer, visual artist and musician and graduated from the NIDA Production Course in 1969. In 1972 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study Asian theatre. He joined NIDA's staff first in 1973 as Acting tutor, remaining with the school until 1978. He directed plays at the Jane Street Theatre (Sydney) seasons 1978-9 and was Joint Artistic Director of Nimrod Theatre Company (Sydney) 1981-83. In 1985, he returned to NIDA as Deputy Director; a position he held until the end of 1987. Between 1988 and 1993 he was Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre Company and became Artistic Director of Playbox in Melbourne in 1993.
'He has directed hundreds of productions in all states of Australia and worked as guest director and teacher in the United Kingdom, USA and Asian countries. He has been a member of the NIDA Board of Studies and has served as director, member and advisor to numerous arts bodies including the Performing Arts Board of The Australia Council and The Australian National Playwright's Conference.
'He was awarded the OAM in 1992 for services to the arts and the community. His many other awards include the International Theatre Institute's Uchimura Prize.'
In 2005 Mellor took over from John Clark as Director Executive of the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
(Source: NIDA website, http://www.nida.unsw.edu.au/fulltime_courses/staff/Aubrey__Mellor_OAM.html)
