Shaun Rennie

Bio

Shaun Rennie is a versatile director acclaimed for his work across opera, musical theatre, and theatre. He has been nominated three times for the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director and has twice won the Broadway World Award for Best Direction.

Shaun is the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Festival of Voices in Hobart, Australia’s premier celebration of singing and one of the country’s longest-running winter festivals.

Previously, Shaun served as Associate Director at Opera Australia, where his recent work included Guys and Dolls on Sydney Harbour, the Australian national tour of Rent, Gianni Schicchi, Switzerland (Ensemble Theatre), and the world premiere of The Lovers for Bell Shakespeare. He also directed the sold-out 25th Anniversary production of Rent at the Sydney Opera House.

For Opera Australia, Shaun directed The New Year’s Eve Gala (2023), Opera Up Late for WorldPride, Great Opera Hits, and Mad Scenes with Jessica Pratt. His work as Revival Director includes La Bohème and Aida, and he previously served as Assistant Director on The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour, The Tales of Hoffmann, and Il Trovatore.

Shaun’s broader theatre credits include premieres such as Jess and Joe Forever (Belvoir 25A), Tennessee Williams’ Baby Doll (Ensemble Theatre), and I Am My Own Wife (Redline). Other notable productions include The View Upstairs (Hayes Theatre), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Suddenly Last Summer (Ensemble Theatre), and Only Heaven Knows, which received nine Sydney Theatre Award nominations.

Shaun also created Light the Night, a large-scale annual benefit concert established in memory of his brother. Across its ten-year history, the event raised significant funds for leukaemia research while bringing together many of Australia’s most celebrated artists including Emma Pask, Katie Noonan, Lior, The Idea of North, Human Nature, Wendy Matthews, Anthony Callea, Casey Donovan, Queenie van de Zandt and many more. The project shaped Shaun’s approach to artistic leadership, community engagement, and collaborative programming.

His production of Rent returned to the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, and he concluded 2025 in Lyon, France, reviving Damiano Michieletto’s award-winning production of The Tales of Hoffmann for Opéra de Lyon.

“Directed by Shaun Rennie, whose productions consistently understand and emphasise the bittersweet emotion of yearning.” - TIMEOUT