John Kachoyan

John Kachoyan
Born	Oatley, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Education	Newington College University of Sydney National Institute of Dramatic Art Central School of Speech and Drama Australian Film Television and Radio School
Occupation(s)	Theatre director, writer, producer, dramaturge

John Kachoyan is an Armenian-Australian director, writer, and dramaturg. He is a co-founder of Iron Bark, a theatre company in London, specialising in new Australian plays, and the former Creative Director of MKA: Theatre of New Writing, in Melbourne.[1][2][3] Kachoyan has been a Director In Residence at Bell Shakespeare.[4]

Education

Kachoyan was born and raised in Oatley, New South Wales. He attended Newington College (1995–2000) and graduated with BA (Media & Communications) from the University of Sydney, including a year studying at the University of Toronto. In 2004 he completed the National Institute of Dramatic Art Playwright's Studio and holds a Master of Arts (Advanced Theatre Practice) from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD).[5]

Career

Kachoyan spent 2007 to 2011 in London on a grant from the Australia Cultural Fund, where he co-founded IronBark[6] – his work at IronBark involved productions and developments with leading Australian playwrights including Ben Ellis, Tom Holloway, Jack Hibberd, Vivienne Walshe and Melissa Bubnic and was Resident Assistant Director at the Finborough Theatre.[7]

Returning to Australia he was appointed the 2012 Director in Residence for Bell Shakespeare[8] – working extensively with the company's development arm Mind's Eye; including his adaptation of The Winter's Tale directed by John Bell in 2014 at the Sydney Opera House.[9]

In 2013, Kachoyan was a Critical Stages Resident at the Seymour Centre,[10] and was recently assistant director for Simon Phillips on Joanna Murray-Smith's new play Pennsylvania Avenue for Melbourne Theatre Company (2014)[11][12]

Recent works

• "Play For Australia" (2016/17), Director, Vessel Theatre[13][14]
• "The River" by Jez Butterworth (2016), Director, Red Stitch Actors Theatre[15]
• "Elegy" (2016), Director, Lab Kelpie[16]
• "Lucky" (2015), Director & Dramaturgy, MKA: Theatre of New Writing[15]
• HYPRTXT Festival (2014), Festival Co-director, MKA: Theatre of New Writing[17][18]
• Tender Lands (2014), Director, Lyric Opera of Melbourne[19]
• Dogmeat (2014), director, MKA: Theatre of New Writing[20][21][22]
• The Winters Tale (2014) Dramaturg, Bell Shakespeare[23]
• Sweet Nothings (2013), Director, Australian Theatre for Young People + PantsGuys[24][25]
• Midsummer (2012), director, Red Stitch Actors Theatre[26]

References

1. "Theatre of New Writing". MKA. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
2. "co-creative director". MKA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014.
3. Kimberley Thomson. "MKA Theatre announce new line up". ArtsHub Australia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
4. "Crative Artists Programme – Bell Shakespeare". Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
5. "Central School Alumni Newsletter".^[permanent dead link‍]
6. "IRONBARK". Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
7. "Finborogh Theatre Archives 2010".
8. Bell Shakespeare (4 October 2012). "ISSUU – Bell Shakespeare 2013 Media Kit by Bell Shakespeare". Issuu.
9. "awinterstale". Bell Shakespeare. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
10. "2013 Critical Stages Residents". Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
11. "Theatre Alive – Live Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria". Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.
12. "Pennsylvania Avenue". Melbourne Theatre Company. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
13. "Play for Australia | Arts Review". artsreview.com.au. 29 September 2016.
14. "VESSEL | Arts Centre Melbourne".
15. "The River | Red Stitch". Redstitch.net.
16. "Elegy".
17. Bonnie Leigh-Dodds. "HYPRTXT 2014". Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
18. "HYPRTXT 2014-2". MKA.org.au. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014.
19. "Copland opera gets Aussie outing". Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
20. "dogmeat". MKA.org.au. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014.
21. "A savage beauty in MKA s Dogmeat – The West Australian". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
22. "Postcard from Perth: Fringe World (The Silo, The Night Guardian, MKA Dogmeat" Archived 6 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Daily Review. by Humphrey Bower
23. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
24. "Sweet Nothings". pantsguys Productions. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
25. "Australia Dispatch: Kachoyan's Star Ascends Down Under". Asbarez News. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
26. Andrew Fuhrmann. "Midsummer". Time Out Melbourne. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012.