Kamarra Bell-Wykes

Kamarra Bell-Wykes (Yagera/Butchulla) is a theatre maker and arts specialist working across professional, academic and community arts sectors including currently serving as Queensland Theatres resident First Nations dramaturge.

Kamarra served as ILBIJERRI Theatre’s Education Manager and Creative Director from 2014-2019 and Malthouse Resident Artist 2020-2022. In 2022, Kamarra joined forces with Carly Sheppard as Co-Artistic Directors of A DAYLIGHT CONNECTION, a motley crew of independent theatre-makers dedicated to smashing performance binaries; their credits include CHASE (Malthouse Theatre/Hot House), A NIGHTIME TRAVESTY (Yirramboi/Asia TOPA/Malthouse Theatre) and ECLIPSE (Rising), a collaboration with First Nation Queens Cerulean and Stone Motherless Cold. 

In 2021, Kamarra was awarded the Patrick White Award for Whose Gonna Love ‘Em? I am that i AM (FCAC/ ILBIJERRI). Kamarra has co-authored a range of award-winning arts-education resources including Teaching First Nations Drama Concepts in the Classroom and Healing Stories – Australian First Nations Theatre for Health Equity. Kamarra’s other significant theatre credits include A Wake -A Woke Mob (Melbourne Theatre Company/ILBIJERRI); Romeo and Julie (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre); Because the Night (Malthouse Theatre), The Score, Scar Trees, Viral, North West of Nowhere, Body Armour, Chopped Liver, Shrunken Iris (ILBIJERRI), Crying Shame (NEXT WAVE); Mother’s Tongue (YIRRA YAAKIN ) and assistant director on 37 (Melbourne Theatre Company).