Jamila Main

Hello

I live and make art on Wurundjeri land in so-called Melbourne, and on various other colonised First Nations lands across Australia. I extend my respects to Indigenous Elders, Peoples, and Storytellers.

Always Was, Always Will Be, First Nations Land. Saying sorry and paying respects isn’t enough, please join me in paying the rent at www.paytherent.com

Jamila Main is an Actor and award-winning Playwright, working additionally as a Disability Inclusion Consultant and Dramaturg. Jamila returns to themes of autonomy, creating accessible spaces to craft delight and community connection, and tells stories through queer, disabled methodologies.

Since graduating from the Acting Program at Adelaide College of the Arts in 2018, Jamila has swiftly become a prolific and respected artist working across Tandanya/Adelaide, Gadigal land of the Eora Nation in Sydney, and lands of the Kulin Nation in Naarm/Melbourne. Jamila is an active contributor to the contemporary creative landscape as an artist but also through sitting on various artistic committees and panels, and mentoring emerging artists.

Jamila Main makes performance works where love and ferocity meet candor, joy, and humour; and has been described as a “delightfully fresh powerhouse of talent” (The Advertiser Adelaide) and “one heck of a theatre innovator” (Time Out Sydney).

Jamila has been writing and performing for the stage, screen, and livestream since 2017; working with Sydney Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre Company, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Arts House, Back to Back Theatre, Vitalstatistix, Midsumma Festival, La Mama, ActNow Theatre, First Draft Gallery, Embrace Disability Arts Festival, Alter State Festival, Riverland Youth Theatre, Geelong Arts Centre, and Carclew.

Jamila is a proud disabled advocate. Jamila was a 2020-22 Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee, and is a freelance access and inclusion consultant. Discussing disability in the arts, Jamila has been featured in Frankie magazine and interviewed Kate Mulvany for Playwriting Australia’s This Is How We Do It podcast. Jamila was also commissioned for the ground-breaking article On the Precipice: Theatre for the Isolated Audience (ArtsHub, 2020) and it’s follow up Why We Need Online Theatre After Lockdown (ArtsHub, 2021).

In 2022 Jamila collaborated with award-winning visual artist Solomon Kammer on a series of visceral oil paintings depicting Jamila’s disabled body, with the series exhibited in Yavuz Gallery in Singapore, and selected portraits a finalist in the 2022 Archibald Prize and exhibited at Carriageworks for Sydney Contemporary.

Notable acting roles include Lover in the Squealing Pig x Australian Open X Sydney World Pride campaign (dir. Amber Mealing, the Producers, 2022-23); Phoebe in the development of Curiosity (dir. Shari Sebbens, Sydney Theatre Company, 2021); Sita in Shadow (Back to Back Productions, winner People’s Choice Award SXSW 2022), and Karin in a development of Set Piece by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon (Vitalstatistix, 2019). Other stage roles include L’Hotel (Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2021); Aleppo. A Portrait of Absence (Adelaide Festival, 2020); and Butterfly Kicks (RUMPUS, 2021).

Jamila also performs as Ivy Drip, a wheelchair dancing diva, with award-winning appearances in Singin’ in the Pain (Adelaide Fringe 2022 and 2023). Jamila has an extensive resume of leading roles in the independent and experimental film scene, and is dedicated to incorporating creative online viewing options for their live perfomances.

Working as Pillow Fight Theatre, Jamila created and performed sell out seasons of Benched (4 stars Time Out Sydney) at Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Midsumma Festival, FELTspace, Carclew, SALA Festival, and Headspace Berri. Pillow Talk, originally commissioned for First Draft Gallery in 2022, with seasons presented at Alter State Festival and Abstract Thoughts Gallery, is an intimate examination of queer, disabled pain that straddles live and remote performance. Jamila will further developed Pillow Talk in the Warehouse Residency at ArtsHouse in 2024, with a second development at Arts House directed by Liv Satchell in 2025.

In 2022, Jamila researched and wrote a report into the inclusion of disabled people in the Australian screen industry for Back to Back Theatre, with their research platformed at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Jamila was a pep talk writer and co-writer with Virginia Gay for Hey Lemonade, and a commissioned writer for the Ruby award-winning Decameron 2.0 (STCSA and ActNow Theatre). Jamila’s play Butterfly Kicks was a finalist in the Queer Playwriting Awards (Midsumma Festival, 2020) and winner of the Queer Short Story Award (Feast Festival, Writers SA, 2018); winning again in 2019 for Queer Utopia is on the Roof of a Westfield. STCSA has awarded Jamila’s plays Immaculate (2017) and How to Eat Rabbit (2019), with Griffin Theatre Company also awarding How to Eat Rabbit (2021). Jamila’s sapphic pain poems have been presented by Hail Lilith, New Balance by Dr Christopher Bryant, and many more publications.

Jamila is a mentor to various emerging queer, disabled artists, and has previously worked as a teaching artist with Carclew, True Ability, Urban Myth, and SAYarts. Jamila is also a frequent guest speaker, with a focus on embedded access and meaningful engagement with disabled artists and audiences.

Jamila made their interstate debut as a Dramaturg working on Cat Piss by Jordyn Fulcher at Darlinghurst Theatre Company, and was mentored in writing for the stage and screen by Kate Mulvany 2020-22.

Jamila has been Carclew Fellow and Artist-in-Residence and previously sat on the National Performer’s Committee at MEAA.

Jamila is represented by Loom Arts and Management.

Accessibility for audiences and artists, queer joy, and safe modes of working are all key components of Jamila’s practice.

“Jamila Main has a breathtaking ability of taking theatre and turning it into something completely unique and unexplored.“
Kate Mulvany

Projects

Training

In 2025 Jamila undertook a Masters of Theatre (Writing) at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Jamila holds an Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting) from Adelaide College of the Arts, 2018; as well as a Bachelor of Arts in the Enhanced Program for High Achievers (Drama and International Relations) from Flinders University, 2015.

While completing the BA, Jamila spent a semester at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada specialising in Interdisciplinary Devising.

A fan of ongoing professional development, Jamila has participated in ATYP’s National Writers Studio; Midsumma Festival’s Pathways Program; and Geelong Arts Centre’s Artist Intensive.

Jamila has trained in Voice Over Acting (Lizzy Falkland and BestFX Studio), Screen Acting (Don Kontouris), Bouffon (Frank Theatre), Singing (Rosie Hosking), and Stage Combat (Ruth Fallon MASK Course).

Jamila has been trained in writing for the stage with Kate Mulvany, Patricia Cornelius, and Lachlan Philpott. Jamila is an alumnus of the ATYP National Studio, 2019.

Jamila has undergone training in facilitating workshops on disability inclusion with JFA Purple Orange.

Grants

Pride Foundation Australia, Small Grants Program: How to Eat Rabbit Creative Development at La Mama Explorations. 2023.

Adelaide City Council, Arts and Culture Grant: Autorabbit Creative Development at Carclew. 2022.

Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Arts and Culture Grant: Butterfly Kicks at RUMPUS. 2021.

Carclew, Fellowship. 2020.

ANZ and Mardi Gras, Community Grant: Butterfly Kicks at RUMPUS. 2021.

Helpmann Academy, Last Minute Grant: Butterfly Kicks Reading at TheatreWorks. 2019.

Carclew, Project and Development Grant. Butterfly Kicks Creative Development. 2019.

Residencies

Arts House, development residency: Pillow Talk. 2025.

La Mama and Midsumma Festival, development residency: How to Eat Rabbit. 2025.

Arts House, Warehouse Residency: Pillow Talk. 2024.

Carclew, Sharehouse Residency. 2021.

The Mill, creative development: How to Eat Rabbit. 2020.

Awards

Griffin Award, Commendation: How to Eat Rabbit. 2021.

Ruby Awards, Best Work Outside of a Festival: Decameron 2.0. 2020.

Gasworks Arts Park and Midsumma Festival, Queer Playwriting Award: Butterfly Kicks. 2020.

State Theatre Company of South Australia and Flinders University, Young Playwright’s Award, Merit Award: How to Eat Rabbit. 2019.

Feast Festival, Queer Short Story Award: Queer Utopia is on the Roof of a Westfield. 2019.

Feast Festival, Queer Short Story Award: Butterfly Kicks. 2018.

State Theatre Company of South Australia and Flinders University, Young Playwright’s Award, Commendation: Immaculate. 2016.

Pay Me

Engage me as an actor for productions, developments, and readings across stage and screen.

Commission a play from me or license an existing play for performance.

Commission an opinion piece from me.

Pay me as a dramaturg to work on your script development through mentor sessions or creative developments.

Hire me as a consultant on your script development (stage and screen). I provide consultancy on access, inclusion and representation of disabled and chronically ill people, queer people, and nonbinary people.

Employ me to run workshops on disability awareness and inclusion, grantwriting, devising theatre, and playwriting.

Hire me as a speaker for panels and keynotes.

Employ me as a teaching artist with primary and high school students for after school programs or holiday workshops featuring drama games, devising shows, writing from your lived experience, rehearsing and performing plays. For tertiary students I also teach playwriting, devising, and grant writing.

Pay me to develop an access guide for your performance or event.

Pay me for mentorship sessions. Perfect for emerging performing artists and playwrights who are chronically ill and disabled and/or queer, or for artists wanting to move into live performance writing and/or performance.

Engage me as a host or MC at your event.

Sliding scale of pay rate available based on your level of funding and financial situation.