Stuart Maunder
Director
For the last forty years, Stuart has been directing musical theatre and opera in Australia. He joined The Australian Opera as Stage Manager in 1978, becoming a Resident Director in 1981. In 1992 he joined The Royal Opera (UK) as a Staff Director whilst continuing to direct in Australia, UK, France and the USA.
In 1999 Stuart was appointed Artistic Administrator of Opera Australia, becoming Executive Producer 2004-2008. His OA productions include Tales of Hoffmann, Manon, Gypsy Princess, Don Pasquale, My Fair Ladyand A Little Night Music. From 2014 to 2018 Stuart was General Director of New Zealand Opera where he directed Candide, Tosca, Sweeney Todd and The Mikado.
From 2018 to 2023 Stuart was Artistic Director of State Opera of South Australia where his productions included Carmen, The Cunning Little Vixen, The Mikado, Boheme on the Beach, The Turn of The Screw and Voss.
Stuart was appointed Artistic Director of Victorian Opera in 2023. His productions have included La Rondine, English Eccentrics, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music and Cunning Little Vixen.
A specialist in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, Stuart has directed productions of the canon in England, America, and Australia. His Trial by Jury, HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance have been televised nationally on ABC TV. In 2022 he directed The Gondoliers for Scottish Opera, later broadcast on BBC. Stuart helmed the first Australian Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan in Adelaide in 2023.