Gail Wiltshire

Gail Wiltshire is the director of Twelfth Night Theatre, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Arts educator

Wiltshire's background has been one long associated with the performing arts. She is as an experienced drama educator and theatre director. Wiltshire was the driving force behind the establishment of the educational drama theatre group, Oz People, originally based in the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield. Oz People not only ran drama workshops for young people but extended its work by touring both primary and secondary school with a variety of productions.

Theatre director and entrepreneur

Wiltshire acquired the Twelfth Night Theatre complex in Cintra Road, Bowen Hills after a long association with the company. When took over a theatre complex, it was threatened with closure and possible demolition. Wiltshire has not only directed her own highly successful productions such as "Picnic at Hanging Rock", an adaptation from the novel by Joan Lindsay, but has also been able through entrepreneurial skill to attract visiting productions to the theatre from interstate which would have otherwise bypassed Brisbane due to the lack of a viable performing arts venue. One such production was "Blithe Spirit" by Noel Coward which starred leading notable Australian performers June Salter and Rowena Wallace. Wiltshire as producer has been able to attract a range of top British stage and television comedy and drama performers such as John Inman from the classic television comedy, "Are You Being Served", Gorden Kaye, Sue Hodge and Guy Siner from "'Allo 'Allo!", Judy Cornwell and Geoffrey Hughes from "Keeping Up Appearances" and Dennis Waterman from "Minder" to appear in successful British comedies at Twelfth Night Theatre. Joining these established stars of the British stage have been an array of top Australian actors such as Tony Bonner, Paul Mercurio, Jon English, Joan Sidney, Ron Haddrick, Lucky Grills, Robert Coleby, Chris Betts, Katy Manning, Sheila Bradley, Steven Tandy and many others. Wiltshire's productions attract wide audiences due to their highly successful reputation and clever commercial marketing strategies. Twelfth Night theatre under Wiltshire's management is one of the few privately owned successful theatre complexes in Australia. It is well worth noting that Twelfth Night Theatre receives no Queensland state government or Australian federal government funding unlike the two other operating theatre companies in Brisbane, Queensland Theatre Company and La Boite Theatre.

Productions

* "'Allo 'Allo" - 2007
* "Dad's Army" - 2005
* "Bedside Manners" - 2003
* "It Runs In The Family" - 2002
* "Are You Being Served?" - 2001
* "Don't Dress For Dinner" - 2000
* "A Passionate Woman" - 1999
* "Noises Off" - 1998
* "Run For Your Wife" - 1997
* "Only When I Laugh" - 1996
* "Same Time Next Year" - 1995

References

External links

* [http://www.twelfthnighttheatre.com.au/ Twelfth Night Theatre website] Official theatre website.