Alexander Berlage is an award-winning director and lighting designer. He is co-artistic director of the Old Fitz Theatre. Alexander has twice won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Direction of a Musical for AMERICAN PSYCHO and CRY-BABY.
His smash-hit, sold-out production of AMERICAN PSYCHO won 9 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical, Best Male Actor in a Musical, Best Set Design of an Independent Production, Best Costume Design of an Independent Production and Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production and more. Alexander’s production of GLORIA was nominated for 2 Sydney Theatre Awards.
Alexander’s production of CRY-BABY received rave reviews, sold out and won 4 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Musical, Best Production of a Musical, Best Female Actor in a Musical and Best Set Design of an Independent Production. The same year, his productions of THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, HOME INVASION and CRY-BABY received a combined total of 12 Sydney Theatre Award nominations. For THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, Alexander was nominated for Best Direction of an Independent Production and Best Independent Production.
Alexander’s directing work includes: for Darlinghurst Theatre Company, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; for Sydney Chamber Opera, FUTURE REMAINS (with Sydney Festival), RESONANT BODIES, DIARY OF ONE WHO DISAPPEARED (with Sydney Opera House); for Hayes Theatre Co., YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRY-BABY; for NIDA, MR BURNS, THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, GLORIA (Outhouse Theatre Co); HAND TO GOD, (Red Line Productions); HOME INVASION (An Assorted Few/Old 505); THE VAN DE MAAR PAPERS (An Assorted Few/PACT); HYPNOPOMPIA (Gondwana Choirs). Alexander is developing Peter Ford’s new opera PETER PAN with Sydney Chamber Opera and Gondwana Choirs. In 2020, during lockdown when all the theatres were closed, he created and directed the smash-hit sold-out world premiere of SYDNEY THEATRE BUSES.
As a lighting designer, Alexander works with companies including: Sydney Theatre Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells, Opera Queensland, Circa, Sydney Chamber Opera, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Belvoir, Sydney Dance Company, Griffin Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Australian Theatre for Young People, Hayes Theatre Co. and Red Line Productions.
Alexander twice won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production – for his work on AMERICAN PSYCHO and on 4:48 PSYCHOSIS. He received Sydney Theatre Award nominations for his lighting design on RGB, THE WHALE, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT and DOUBT.
In 2019, Alexander made his debut with Birmingham Royal Ballet and London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre as lighting designer with a new ballet by choreographer Jack Lister, A BRIEF NOSTALGIA; and with Opera Queensland as lighting designer, in a new production of ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE directed by Yaron Lifschitz.
Alexander’s lighting designs include: for Pinchgut Opera, PLATÉE; for Sydney Theatre Company, HUBRIS AND HUMILIATION, RGB, LORD OF THE FLIES, CLOUD NINE, LETHAL INDIFFERENCE; for Birmingham Royal Ballet/Sadler’s Wells, A BRIEF NOSTALGIA; for Opera Queensland/Circa, ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE; for State Theatre Company of South Australia/Belvoir: DANCE NATION; for Sydney
Festival and Seymour Centre, MUSEUM OF MODERN LOVE; for Griffin, DEAD CAT BOUNCE, GOOD COOK. FRIENDLY. CLEAN., NOSFERATU, THOMAS MURRAY AND THE UPSIDE DOWN RIVER; for Ensemble Theatre: MAJORIE PRIME, UNQUALIFIED, BUYER AND CELLAR, THE KITCHEN SINK; for Sydney Chamber Opera, ANTARCTICA, AWAKENING SHADOW, FUTURE REMAINS, POEM FOR A DRIED UP RIVER, DIARY OF ONE WHO DISAPPEARED, BREAKING GLASS, LA PASSION DE SIMONE, RESONANT BODIES, VICTORY OVER THE SUN, AN INDEX OF METALS associate; for Belvoir 25A, THE OVERCOAT; for Sydney Dance Company, NEW BREED and PPY18-22, PPY15; at Old 505 Theatre, HOME INVASION, THE BLOCK UNIVERSE, HILT; for National Theatre of Parramatta, GROUNDED; for Australian Theatre for Young People, MOTH, WAR CRIMES, BETWEEN US, LUKE LLOYD: ALIENOID; at the Old Fitz, THE EFFECT, STALKING THE BOOGEYMAN, THERE WILL BE A CLIMAX, VERTICAL DREAMING, 4:48 PSYCHOSIS, DOUBT, CRIMES OF THE HEART, THE JUDAS KISS, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT, THE WHALE, MEN, FREAK WINDS, HOWIE THE ROOKIE; at Hayes Theatre Co, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, CAROLINE OR CHANGE, AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRY-BABY, HIGH FIDELITY, DOGFIGHT, EVERYBODY LOVES LUCY; for Critical Stages, SONGS FOR THE FALLEN, 4000 MILES, STONES IN HIS POCKETS; for Red Line, EXIT THE KING.
Alexander holds a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production) and a Master of Fine Art (Directing) from the National Institute for Dramatic Art, Sydney. In 2019, Alexander was awarded a Mike Walsh Fellowship.
View Alexander’s work at aberlage.com.
