Jeannie Haughton.
Regional playwright, performer, producer, and co-founder of Off The Leash Theatre which tours contemporary works into Gippsland, Victoria. Jeannie also freelances, with general articles, poetry and short stories published in magazines and anthologies.
She discovered a love for performing in theatre and progressed to writing in the late 90s. It has been a continuing and rather captivating journey with her next show always going to be her last…
In 2012 Jeannie was awarded an Australia Day Medallion by Baw Baw Shire for her contribution to the Arts. For many years she owned a small puppetry company, Fiddlesticks, which worked predominantly in kindergartens. Jeannie has also taught professional writing at a tertiary level.
Between 2017-18 Jeannie was employed as Co-Artistic Director and Creative on a Small Towns Transformation project in the Bass Coast Westernport Waterline towns.
Jeannie says:
I am deeply committed to our local community, choosing to work and raise a family here rather than the city. The rapid population growth and urbanisation of our regional area concerns me because I believe it is a great but wasted opportunity for the incorporation of sound environmental and sustainability values, and it is worth keeping eyes on the future we are creating for those who follow.
I am involved with several community advocacy groups around Drouin and served on Baw Baw Shire Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee for many years.
As co-founder and forever committee member of a small independent theatre company, www.offtheleashtheatre.com.au I find much of my time is taken with production, media and administration, however the creation of new works is my first love. Like all companies Off The Leash produces a mixed season of works, however social justice remains our constant core value.
Part of a world of women writers showcasing their work, I have attended three Women Playwright International Conferences in Athens 2000, Mumbai 2009, and Cape Town 2015, and was the chief selector for the Oceania region, for the 2018 conference in Chile. I will again attend in Canada as my play Nightshades has been selected for a reading (in 2022 or 2023).
I am immensely proud of Nightshades which is the first mainstream work at West Gippsland Arts Centre to feature local Indigenous stories. I continue to collaborate with Cheryl Drayton, Kurnai Elder, and have a continued interest in attaining greater recognition and support for our Kurnai People.
Other interests include family, the environment, fibre artworks, and creative use of lighting in artworks. You notice I didn’t mention housework!
My recent produced works include: Nightshades, 2019, Wild Dogs, 2013; Dear Warragul, an ANZAC Centenary Tribute, 2015 which involved almost 100 band members, singers actors and dancers on stage; Win Win 2014; The Trial Of Ellen Kelly 2013; Salute The Man, 2009; Quilting The Armour, Haughton/Johns 2006 with works in schools and for public spreading across decades.
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