NIDA is pleased to announce the appointment of one of Australia’s most respected judges, The Honourable Justice Michael Lee and internationally acclaimed live entertainment producer Michael Cassel AM to the NIDA Board.
NIDA Chair Catherine West said, “I am delighted to welcome Justice Michael Lee and Michael Cassel AM to the NIDA Board — two outstanding leaders whose combined skillsets will strengthen NIDA’s institutional governance as we continue to deliver world-class performing arts training and build on NIDA’s standing as a global leader in dramatic arts education. Justice Lee brings significant legal and governance expertise from a distinguished career at the highest levels of Australian law. Michael brings strategic commercial acumen and a deep understanding of the global entertainment industry.”
Justice Michael Lee graduated in law from the University of Sydney and began his legal career as a solicitor in 1989, becoming his firm’s youngest partner at age 29. He joined the New South Wales Bar in 2002, building a broad national practice and taking silk in 2011. As a barrister, he appeared in significant civil, criminal, commercial, and public interest matters across Australia, including major class actions, ICAC inquiries, and defamation and workplace disputes. He was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 2017 and serves as an Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT.
Beyond the bench, he has contributed extensively to legal scholarship and public life, including roles with the Australian Law Journal, the University of Melbourne, Western Sydney University, the Victor Trumper Society and the Bell Shakespeare Company.
The Honourable Justice Michael Lee said, “I am delighted to be joining the Board of NIDA, a remarkable Australian institution with an extraordinary record of developing creative talent. As someone with long standing interest in the arts, I look forward to helping NIDA build on that tradition of excellence and strengthen its place among the world’s leading dramatic arts institutions.”
Already a member of NIDA’s Foundation Trust, Michael Cassel AM is the Founder and CEO of the Michael Cassel Group, a global leader in theatrical entertainment.
He currently has Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical, The Castle and GRIM in development and recently produced the West End production of Dracula, starring Cynthia Erivo and directed by NIDA alum and Tony Award nominee Kip Williams (Directing, 2010).
Cassel was lead producer of the Broadway premiere The Picture of Dorian Gray starring NIDA’s own Sarah Snook (Acting, 2008), whose solo performance earned both Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actress. Following the record-breaking sold-out London’s West End season, the Broadway production earned six Tony Award nominations and won for Best Costume Design of a Play. He is a co-producer of MJ the Musical on Broadway, with other credits including Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dear Evan Hansen, Beetlejuice the Musical and Titanique.
Michael Cassel AM said, “NIDA has shaped so much of the talent I’ve had the privilege of working with, and no matter where I am in the world, it’s the institution that is referenced and admired most by people in the industry, proof of a reputation that travels far beyond these shores. I’ve been pleased to contribute to NIDA through the NIDA Foundation Trust, and to now join the Board feels like a natural next step in that commitment.
Everything I do as a producer is built on the extraordinary talent NIDA sends out into the world, and I’m honoured to play a role in shaping what comes next, ensuring NIDA keeps producing not just world-class artists, but the leaders that our industry will need in the years ahead.”
Lee and Cassel join NIDA Board members Ms Catherine West (Chair) Mr Darren Dale (Deputy Chair), The Hon Richard Refshauge AM SC (Deputy Chair), Mr Peter Ivany AO, Ms Sophia Zachariou, Professor Anna Reid, Professor Claire Annesley, Mr Anthony Kerwick and Ms Carole Campbell.
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