Andrew Ross AM was an award-winning theatre director whose work had encapsulated the story of regional Western Australia, and had been instrumental in bringing the stories of Aboriginal people to mainstream audiences through theatre.
His services to the State’s arts spanned more than four decades, since he was first appointed as the Youth Director of the National Theatre in 1976. Over the following years, Mr Ross established the Playhouse Theatre in Education Company which later became Acting Out and Barking Gecko (which toured throughout Western Australia, from the Great Southern to the Kimberley). During those trips, he developed a fascination for Western Australia, its landscapes, stories, art and history.
Returning to Western Australia in 1980 after completing a British Council fellowship in the UK, Mr Ross directed seminal Western Australian works including The Dreamers and No Sugar by Jack Davis, and Bran Nue Dae by Jimmy Chi and Kuckles. Following the success of Bran Nue Dae in the 1990 Festival of Perth, Black Swan Theatre was formed and Mr Ross was its artistic director. His productions have toured the UK and Canada, and won several awards including Melbourne’s The Green Room Award for Best Production in 1988 for a trilogy of Jack Davis plays and The Age Critics’ Award in 1996 for Best Production in the Melbourne Festival for Corrugation Road.
Mr Ross was a finalist in the Arts & Culture Award category of the 2019 Western Australian Of The Year Awards. Also in 2019, he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts.
Mr Ross passed away in March 2022.
