Neil Armfield

Neil Armfield AO is a leading Australian director of theatre, opera and film. He was Co-Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival (2017 – 2022) and Artistic Director of Belvoir St Theatre for 17 years, which he also co-founded. Having directed over 100 stage productions, including many world premieres, recent credits include: Andrew Bovell’s Song of First Desire, Handel’s Julius Caesar, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Joseph Twist’s Watershed: the Death of Dr Duncan, Rameau’s Platée and Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. International productions include Cloudstreet, Hamlet, Diary of a Madman, Exit The King, The Secret River, The Book of Everything, David Hare’s The Judas Kiss and I’m Not Running. Other highlights are; The Tempest, Hamlet, Up the Road, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Keating!, Aliwa, Angels in America, A Cheery Soul, Signal Driver, The Blind Giant is Dancing and Things I Know To Be True. Neil has directed for many of the world’s major opera companies and in addition to repertoire classics such as as Wagner’s Ring Cycle, OA’s Janáček cycle and Houston Grand Opera’s Britten cycle, Neil directed the premières of Frankie and The Eighth Wonder by Alan John, Whitsunday by Brian Howard, Love Burns by Graeme Koehne and Bliss and Hamlet by Brett Dean.

Neil’s screen credits are Candy and Holding The Man (features) and Edens Lost, The Fisherman’s Wake and Coral Island (television).

Over his distinguished career, Neil has received 2 AFI Awards, 12 Helpmann Awards and many Sydney Theatre, Victorian Green Room and Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Awards. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Adelaide, Sydney and NSW Universities, and in 2007 was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia.

Bio Updated September 2025