Dr Benjamin Schostakowski is an award-winning director, educator, and published playwright. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a Graduate Diploma of Dramatic Art in Directing in 2013 and holds a PhD in Creative Industries from Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Benjamin’s directing career spans theatre, opera, and interdisciplinary performance. He has directed and collaborated with leading institutions including Channel 7, Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, La Boite Theatre Company, NIDA, the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), and QUT. From 2009–2012, he served as Artistic Director of the Festival of Australian Student Theatre and was appointed Associate Artist of Queensland Theatre Company in 2011.

He is a regular director for major productions at NIDA, with credits including Reagan Kelly by Lewis Treston, Pool (No Water) by Mark Ravenhill, Carking It by Gretel Vella, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (adapted by David Farr and Gísli Örn Gardarsson), and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, which he adapted for the stage. He also directed and adapted The Seagull by Anton Chekhov and will direct a new adaptation of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Contains some adult material, including mild sexual references, and stylised violence with the use of blood, guns, and knives. Some scenes may be frightening for younger viewers. Lighting effects may affect photosensitive audience members. Content advice can change during a production’s development.