Neel Banerjee is an intercultural theatre practitioner based in Parramatta, Australia. A creative leader in his mid-career from Western Sydney, Neel was born in India and currently lives on the Dharug land as a 1st generation settler. His work involves cultural development, engaging theatregoers, community capacity building, education, and training through live performing theatre. Neel works extensively amongst culturally and linguistically diverse actors, creatives, and audiences. His creative development combines personal and political, ritualistic and physical theatre. As an artist, Neel is interested in a collaborative and interrelational approach to theatre development.
Under his creative leadership in the last decade, Nautanki Theatre Company has presented a body of work that validates the South Asian diasporic experience in Australia. Neel was awarded Parramatta Citizen of the Year-Highly Commended 2024 for his contribution to the arts & local community. Neel has completed his international residency in Bangladesh (FEB 2023), International Producers Training jointly offered by Powerhouse Museum and Factory International-UK (AUG 2023). Neel was selected for the prestigious Emerging Leadership Program, offered by McKinsey & Company through the Australian Scholarship Federation (OCT 2023). Neel is a proud alumnus of the Shifting the Balance Leadership Program with Diversity Arts Australia. Neel’s effort was recognised by the International Film and Entertainment Festival Australia (IFEFA) through the Abled Hero Award 2024 for championing CaLD creatives in the arts. Neel sits on the board of Nautanki Theatre, Voxstep and Parramatta Council’s Arts & Cultural Advisory Committee.
Currently, Neel is a resident artist at the Think+DO Tank Foundation. He is upskilling in Capacity Building as an NFP Board Member, offered by the Institute of Community Directors and funded by Creative Australia. He works locally as well as joining forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
Neel’s work involves:
(a) spreading theatre among the South Asian diaspora community,
(b) bringing untold stories to the Australian stage using South Asian Theatre aesthetics, and
(c) using theatre as a device to propagate awareness of various issues affecting communities.
