David Berthold

Director
[stage]

David Berthold is one of Australia's most prominent theatre directors and cultural leaders. As a theatre director, he has directed for most of Australia's major theatres companies, as well as in London’s West End and Berlin. As an artistic director, he has led transformational changes at several significant arts organisations.

He was Artistic Director of Brisbane Festival (2015-19), Queensland’s highest attended event, and Artistic Director and CEO of La Boite Theatre Company (2008-14). He has also been Artistic Director and CEO of Griffin Theatre Company, Artistic Director and CEO ofAustralian Theatre for Young People, and Associate Director of Sydney Theatre Company. He sits on the Board of Australian Plays Transform (APT), is a Trustee of the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award, and is a member of the NSW Government's Theatre and Musical Theatre Arts Advisory Board. He recently chaired the judging panel of the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (NSW Premier’s Literary Awards). 

Since January 2020, David has been Artistic Director in Residence at NIDA, Australia’s premier dramatic arts training institution, where he leads artistic planning and programming and has responsibility for the NIDA Future Centre.   

His recent productions include three national tours of the rock concert drama Rolling Thunder Vietnam, the music theatre classic Falsettos, and Monteverdi’s opera The Coronation of Poppea in a new version by the Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.