about jacob

Jacob Boehme is an award-winning theatre maker, choreographer and cultural leader from the Narungga and Kaurna Nations of South Australia. Renowned for his bold, multidisciplinary practice, Jacob creates work that moves effortlessly across stage, screen, and large-scale public ceremonies—shaping some of Australia’s most iconic arts events and festivals.

An alumnus of the Victorian College of the Arts (MA Playwriting, MA Puppetry) and NAISDA Dance College, Jacob’s career is defined by innovation and First Nations sovereignty in storytelling. As the founding Creative Director of YIRRAMBOI Festival, he received the 2018 Green Room Award for Curatorial Contribution to Contemporary and Experimental Arts, reshaping Australia’s creative landscape through a global First Nations lens. He has held key positions at major institutions including the National Institute of Dramatic Art (inaugural Lecturer, First Nations) and Carriageworks (inaugural Director, First Nations Programs).

Jacob has helmed opening ceremonies for landmark national and international events—from Melbourne Festival and Cairns Indigenous Art Fair to FINA World Swimming Championships, the AFL and Cricket World Cup—bringing together ceremony, spectacle and contemporary First Nations storytelling at an unparalleled scale.

His critically acclaimed solo work Blood on the Dance Floor earned the 2017 Green Room Award for Best Independent Production, while Wild Dog, commissioned by Tarnanthi at the Art Gallery of South Australia, received the 2023 Ruby Award for Outstanding Community Event or Project.

A published writer and arts commentator, Jacob’s work appears in Witness Performance, The Australian and The Saturday Paper. He is an Australia Council Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellow and currently serves on the Art Gallery of South Australia First Nations Advisory Committee, Birraranga Film Festival, and The Festival Academy.

Jacob’s practice continues to expand across continents through groundbreaking collaborations and large-scale creative exchanges—amplifying Narungga and Kaurna stories on stages around the world.