Piumi Wijesundara is a theatre director, teaching artist, playwright, and performer specializing in devised and physical theatre, with particular expertise in Biomechanics and ensemble work. She holds an MA in Theatre Directing from East 15 Acting School (University of Essex, UK) and received specialized training in Stanislavsky and Biomechanics at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, Moscow. Her practice spans over ten years of professional theatre experience across Sri Lanka and internationally, focusing on research-based devised theatre, physical theatre, and ensemble performance. Piumi has directed award winning productions in Sri Lanka and has directing and acting credits in the UK, Rwanda and Australia.
As former Co-Artistic Director of Stages Theatre Group (Sri Lanka), she has consistently developed work that engages with sociopolitical themes through innovative theatrical approaches. She was also a former visiting lecturer in Applied Theatre at the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo Sri Lanka. In Sydney, she served as Program Manager at NIDA Open (Sydney 2023- 2024). Currently based in Canberra, she combines her creative practice with roles at Canberra Youth Theatre and Canberra Museum and Gallery, while continuing to explore the intersection of physical theatre and social commentary. Her work consistently emphasizes collaborative devising processes. She strongly believes in arts advocacy and the power of young people as the next generation of coscientious artists and storytellers.
