Helmut Bakaitis

 

 

 

For enquiries regarding Helmut Bakaitis please contact Sue Muggleton via email or on (02) 9319 7744.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of 2007, Helmut resigned as Head of Directing at NIDA after ten years in the position.

 

DIRECTOR

1965         Graduated from N.I.D.A. (Acting course)

1966-71   Resident actor with Melbourne Theatre Company.

1971           Actor, dramaturg and assistant director at Old Tote Theatre, Sydney.

1972-76   Director of Youth Activities, South Australian Theatre Company.
Member of the Artistic Directorate with George Ogilvie and Rodney
Fisher.

Established South Australian Theatre Company Youth  Team – to
establish and support integrated drama programmes in South Australian
schools.

Established the Saturday Company – a Youth Theatre ensemble of 100
teenagers.  Regular performances at The Space Theatre, the Stables
Theatre, and at outdoor venues during festival periods.

Director of Youth Programming, Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Founding Artistic Director, Carclew Arts Centre (Adelaide) – a drama
resource centre for S.A.teachers, and youth performance centre.

Director, “The Lady of Sir Orfeo” (cast of 80), Space Theatre, Adelaide.

Director, “Carlotta and Maximillian” (cast of 200), South Australian Theatre Co. and the Saturday Company co-production.

Conducted teachers’ drama-in-education workshop in Northern Territory and South Australia

Co-founder (with Chris Westwood) Come Out Festival, Adelaide – Biennial Youth Arts Festival.

1976-78  Drama-in-Education post-graduate course at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne University.

Worked on youth theatre projects at Round House Theatre University.

1978-83  Founding Artistic Director, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Melbourne.

Director, “The Sensational South Yarra Show” “Cain’s hand” (also for Nimrod Theatre and Adelaide Festival of Arts) “The Quick-Eze Cafe” “Abbatoir the Musical” “Sweaty Weather – A New-Age Rococo Bondage Musical” “Brunswick The Musical” “Spring Awakening” and “Snuff Bingo”.

Director and Translator, “La Dispute”, “Pierrot Lumaire”.

Co-director, “Rough Cut for Twelve Teenage Dancers”.

Director, “Two Fiddlers”, a new opera by Peter Maxwell Davies, for Adelaide Festival of Arts.

1983-86 Artistic Director (also a director) of New Moon Theatre Co., based in Central and North Queensland.

1984    Director, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” “Key Largo” “Beach Blanket Tempest” (for national tour).

1985   Director, “Guys and Dolls” “On our Selection” “Trumpets and Rasberries”.

1986   Director, “Agnes of God”, “Imagine – A Story of John Lennon”.

1987   Director, The Madrigirls’ shows “Radio D’Amour” at Belvoir St., and “Mistletoe Magic” at the Opera House.

1988   Director, “A Different Drummer”, Queensland Theatre Company.

1989-1997  Artistic Director of the Q Theatre Company.

1990   Director, “Rome Tremble”, Sydney Theatre Company.

1990-1997 Director, “Operation Holy Mountain”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “The Government Investigator”,  Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Beach Blanket Tempest”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “The Caretaker”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Christian Brothers”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Killing of Sister George”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Kenny’s Coming Home”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Better Know as Bee”,  Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Lipstick Dreams”, Q Theatre Co.
Director, “Daylight Saving” Q Theatre
Director, “Wet and Dry” Q Theatre
Director, “Lumps” Q Theatre
Director, “A Winning Day” Q Theatre
Director, “Working, A Musical”
Director, “Waiting for Godot”
Director, “Milo”

1998-2007  NIDA – Head of Directing
Director, “The Fall of the House of Atreus”
Director, “Glory and La Dispute et Le Legs”

 

ACTING CREDITS INCLUDE:

For Melbourne Theatre Company:-

“The Investigation”, “Moby Dick”, “Death of a Salesman”, “Burke’s Company”, “Three Sisters”, “A Long View”, “Six Characters in Search of an Author”, “The Crucible”, “The Magistrate”, “Henry IV Part One”, “Loot”, “The Devils”, “The Unknown Soldier and His Wife”, “A Flea in Her Ear”, “Major Barbara”, “Caucasian Chalk Circle”, “Man in the Glass Booth”, “The Man Who Shot The Albatross”, “King Lear”, “All’s Well That Ends Well”, “Rookery Nook”.

For Sydney Theatre Company:-

“King Lear”,  “Pentecost”, “Macbeth”, “Pygmalion”

 

For St. Martin’s Theatre, Melbourne:-

“The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Where’s Poppa”, “The Second Mrs Fraser”.

 

For Jane Street Theatre:-

“Halloran’s Little Boat”, “A Refined Look at Existence”, “Oedipus Rex”, “Pericles”.

 

For Old Tote Theatre:-

“Trelawney of the Wells”, “Good Person of Setzuan”, “Taming of the Shrew”.

 

For South Australian Theatre Company:-

“Occupations”, “The People Show”, “All Of Us Or None”, “Games After Liverpool”, “Ma Rainey – Queen of the Blues”, “Measure for Measure”, “Crete and Sergeant Pepper”.

 

For Belvoir Street Theatre:-

“Dead City”

 

For New Moon Theatre:-

Don’s Party”.

 

 

FILM AND TELEVISION CREDITS INCLUDE:
“Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens”, “Stork”.For Crawfords: “Homicide”, “Division Four”, “Matlock”.

ABC TV: “Outbreak of Love”, “Romeo and Juliet”.

1985   ”I can’t get Started”  Producer: Richard Brennan – Director: Rodney Fisher

1987   ”Melba” (Mini series) Producer: Errol Sullivan – Director: Rodney Fisher

1987-88 ”The Department” Elizabethan Theatre Trust Director: Rodney Fisher

“Home and Away” Channel 7

1988-89 ”Top Silk” Original Production Seymour Centre & tour. Director: Rodney Fisher

1993  ”Wet and Dry” Q Theatre – Director: Janis Balodis

1994  “Over The Hill” Channel 7 - Gary Riley Prods.

1997 “Police Rescue” A.B.C.- Southern Star/A.B.C.

1998 “A Difficult Woman” A.B.C.- Southern Star/ABC

1998-9 ”Home and Away” Channel 7 recurring character

2000 “The Farm” A.B.C.- Burberry Productions/A.B.C

2002 “Matrix Reloaded” –The Architect-Matrix 2 Productions
“All Saints” – Channel7 – Seven Productions

2004 “The Mysterious Geographic”

2005 “Explorations of Jasper Morello” – Claude Belgon – 3d Films
Nominated for an 2006 Academy Award

“What’s The Matter” Short Film – Millavich Productions – Director:  Lee Rogers

2005  “Surgery” Channel 10 – Southern Star

2006 “Happy Feet” Feature – Kingdom Feature Prods – Director:  George Miller

2008 “Home” Feature - Director: Kriv Stenders

 

WRITER

1966   ‘The Page of the Love Tree’, a children’s play. Melbourne Theatre Company at Russell Street Theatre and Victorian country tour.

1970 ‘The Little Lady Steps Out’. Melbourne Theatre Company at La Mama Theatre.

1971 ‘The Incredible Mind-blowing Trial of Jack Smith’ for Children’s Arena Theatre. Published by Heinemann.

1971 Co-author, ‘Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens’. Feature film directed by Jim Sharman.

1972 ‘Shadows of Blood’. Nimrod Theatre Company. Revised version at Jane Street Theatre (1976).

1973 ‘The One Show – Dialectic Rock ‘n’ Roll’. ‘King Kong Goes Bananas’. SA Youth Theatre.

Co-author: ‘All of Us or None’, ‘The People Show’, ‘The Brute Family Saga’, ‘The Sea-thing Child’, ‘Ma Rainey – Queen of the Blues’.

1975 ‘The Lay of Sir Orfeo’. A medieval music drama, at Space Theatre, Adelaide.

1976 ‘Carlotta and Maximillian’. South Australian Theatre Company/The Saturday Company co-production.

1978-83 At St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre, melbourne, co-author: ‘The Sensational South yarra Show’. ‘Cain’s Hand’ (also at Nimrod Theatre and Adelaide Festival).

1978-83 ‘The Quick-Eze Cafe’, ‘Abbatoir the Musical’, ‘When Lips Collide’, ‘Sweaty Weather – A New-Age Rococo Bondage Musical’.

1987 Script editor on the mini-series ‘Melba’. Co-writer with Julie Haseler on The Madrigirls’ shows ‘Radio d’Amour’ and ‘Mistletoe Magic’.