John Senczuk
A graduate of NIDA, John Senczuk’s thirty-year career in the theatre has been extensive, with his work seen nationally and internationally in commissions for opera, dance and drama.
With over 180 productions to his credit, highlights of his career as a designer include L’Orfeo (Oslo); Sons of Cain (London); Into the Woods (Australian premiere), A Little Night Music, The Normal Heart, Burn This, Amy’s View, and Shadowlands, as well as national tours of Dead White Males and Heretic (Sydney Theatre Company).
His credits as director include Hamlet, After Dinner, Bouncers, Twelfth Night, Christian Brothers and The Time is Not Yet Ripe (Theatre South); Bony Anderson (Seymour Group); Flesh and Blood (Festival of Sydney); Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Hunter Opera); over half of Shakespeare’s canon; and the concert version of Annie Get Your Gun (Peach Productions).
His writing commissions include Sycorax has Cobwebs (Jigsaw) and Middle Kingdom Ballroom (ATYP); his produced plays include Prophesying Backwards (FCA), The Sugar Mother (Sydney Opera House Trust) and the book and lyrics for the musical Time, Gentlemen! (Theatre South). He co-wrote and designed Lush, starring Julie Anthony (Sydney Opera House); and with collaborator Gale Edwards, co-wrote book and lyrics for the $8million musical Eureka (Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne). Hi new musical, For All It’s Worth, was workshopped in Sydney in June directed by Gale Edwards (Kookaburra: the Australian National Music Theatre Company); a follow up workshop will be held in August.
John’s concurrent 18 year academic career was spent at the University of Wollongong where he lectured in Dramaturgy, Drama and Theatre.
As a freelance dramaturg he collaborated with many writers including Justin Fleming, Noël Hodda, David Williamson and Alex Buzo and was a script assessor for the National Playwrights Centre and Kookaburra: The National Music Theatre Company. John was script assessor for Sally Ayre-Smith (Seachange) and Serendipity films. John created the first three-year undergraduate course in Dramaturgy in Australia. He has also created courses in scenography and dramaturgy at Wollongong University; Toi Whakaari, New Zealand National Drama School; and WAAPA.
Recent work includes designs for the musical Satango (Griffin); Navigating Flinders (Ensemble) and End of the Rainbow (Sydney, Melbourne, Edinburgh); costumes for Wednesday to Come and Boston Marriage (Downstage, New Zealand); Life x 3 (Black Swan); and he was Event Designer for the City of Sydney 2005 New Year’s Eve Celebrations on Sydney Harbour. He wrote and directed A Coward in Vegas, Two Old Queens and the chamber opera African Queen (with composer Tim Cunniffe). In January 2008, he directed/designed the critically successful, sell-out season of Irene at His Majesty’s starring Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds.
He has lived in Perth for 2 years and is currently General Manager of Buzz Dance Theatre.