Emily Steel

"(Housework) is a deft capturing of a socio-political moment in time, undeniably Australian and gloriously uncompromising. Dare I say it, this a future Australian classic." - The Conversation

Emily Steel an award-winning playwright, dramaturg, screenwriter and director. Emily’s work spans from drama to comedy and often explores intersections of macrosocietal influences such as sex, class and politics, lightened with her quick wit and sharp humour.  She is a immersive storyteller, and is drawn to stories that explore the complexity of human experience resulting in work that is layered, authentic and often crafted with meticulous research.

Emily is currently Artistic Director at Theatre Republic, an independent theatre company, and was also selected for the SBS Emerging Writers’ Incubator through which she spent 2024 working as Development Associate at JOY Studios (fka KOJO Originals).

HOUSEWORK, Emily’s dark comedy about women in Australian politics, has been announced for Sydney Theatre Company’s 2026 season, after critical acclaim as the first mainstage play in State Theatre Company South Australia’s 2025 season. 19 WEEKS, Emily’s autobiographical play, won the Best Theatre Award at the Adelaide Fringe, the Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award at the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, an AWGIE award and was a finalist for Best Original Single Drama at the BBC Radio Drama Awards. Emily’s other work includes the AWGIE award-winning play EUPHORIA, and the original storytelling concept for the Ruby Award winning DECAMERON 2.0.

Emily is currently in post-production as writer/director on her short film ANANAB ANANAB, funded by the South Australian Film Corporation through the Quicksilver program.

Emily was born in Wales, originally trained in acting and holds a degree in English from Oxford University and a Master’s in Science and Society from UCL/Imperial College London.