Chris Mead

Associate Professor Chris Mead serves as Head of Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne. Bringing over 20 years of professional experience in theatre as a dramaturg, director, and literary manager, he previously held the position of Literary Director at the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). In that role, he managed the development of approximately 20 plays each season, with two shows on stage and two in rehearsal at any given time, overseeing seasons that changed every six weeks. Mead led the MTC Next Stage Writers Program, raising $2.3 million to support emerging playwrights and producing significant works by Declan Furber Gillick, Merlynn Tong, and Patricia Cornelius. Earlier in his career, he worked at PlayWriting Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company, gaining deep insight into production conditions, rehearsal rooms, and stages.

At the University of Melbourne, Mead teaches into postgraduate coursework Masters degrees in Directing, Dramaturgy, and Playwriting, as well as undergraduate programs in Acting and Theatre Making. His contributions to scholarship include the book Wondrous Strange: Seven Brief Thoughts about New Plays, published by Currency Press, which examines the creation of new plays. He has also authored articles for Pursuit by the University of Melbourne, such as 'The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' (2022) and 'Succession: Ten reasons why you’ll (re)watch this modern TV masterpiece' (2023), offering perspectives on theatre and contemporary media. Through his leadership, Mead fosters innovation in Australian theatre by nurturing talent, providing resources for ambitious projects, and leveraging institutional connections to advance industry standards.

Professional Email: christopher.mead@unimelb.edu.au