Director

Devised and developed this new festival as a partnership between Gidarjil Development Corporation, Bundaberg Regional Council and Bundaberg Tourism. The Milbi Festival is a new arts and cultural festival designed to celebrate the beginning of Bundaberg’s famous loggerhead turtle breeding season. The project has included commissioning a First Nations designer to work with the community to develop the brand and working with Traditional Owners, the CQ Language Centre and First Nations artists as well as other feature artists in commissioning new work to launch in November 2019. 

Produced and directed seven short documentaries about arts projects for Regional Arts Australia in seven states/territories. I was subcontracted to Natalie Fisher (NSF Consulting) on this project. 

Commissioned by Opera Queensland as part of Arts Northern Rivers’ “If These Halls Could Talk” project. 12 month collaboration with Lindy Hume (Artistic Director) and Jason Barry-Smith (Co Creative Producer). Rod wrote the script for and directed this project. 

Wrote, produced and directed this verbatim theatre play focusing on survivors of domestic and family violence. Script published by Playlab. https://playlabtheatre.com.au/shop-publications/playlab-indie/it-all-begins-with-love-by-rod-ainsworth/ 

Video documentary about creative recovery work in Wide Bay Burnett and Central Queensland following flooding events of 2011 and 2013.

Commissioning of the conversion of a tractor into a large percussion instrument by artist Steve Langton, commissioning of a new song cycle for community bands, singers and the tractor by composer Peter Rankine and the production of a major community event. This show involved hundreds of community members and featured the premiere of work written by composer Peter Rankine for the tractor and community forces. By a strange twist, the event ended up on the same night as the local football grand final but got a bigger audience. 

A play to commemorate 401st show of The Playhouse Theatre (Bundaberg) – Australia Council for the Arts funded. 

Theatre Production based on prejudice against LGBTIAQ+ communities.  With Fringe Benefits Theatre (USA) and regional tour. Co-produced and directed this project. This project forms one chapter in the book Staging Social Justice: Collaboratively-Developed Activist Theatre. Norma Bowles and Daniel-Raymond Nadon (eds), published by Southern Illinois University Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/23324