RYAN ENNISS

Ryan grew up in a rural town in the south of Tasmania, and took up several creative practises very early on in his life. These eventually led him to move to Sydney in the pursuit of a life as a
professional artist.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Contemporary Art (Theatre) from the University of Tasmania in
2018, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in
2021.

Ryan began his journey as a playwright in 2017, and won the ‘Community Theatre Judges’ Award’
at the 2018 Tasmanian Theatre Awards for his play Watching.

His play Drizzle Boy won the 2022 – 2023 Queensland Premier's Drama Award, and was the first mainstage show in Australian history to feature an autistic lead, as well as be written by an autistic
playwright.

It was also nominated for several awards at the 2023 Matilda Awards including ‘Best Mainstage
Production’, and the ‘Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work’. Drizzle Boy was published by Currency Press early in 2024, and had a regional tour with Queensland Theatre later that year.

He was awarded the ‘Writer’s Space Fellowship’ at Varuna, the national writer’s house in 2024 for
his play Minutes to Midnight.

Diagnosed as autistic at the age of 19, and with a chronic illness at the age of 24, he is keenly interested in telling stories from the perspective of neurodivergent and chronically ill people. He currently works as a voice-over artist, a playwright, and an actor based on the lands of the Bidjigal
and Gadigal people of the Eora nation.

In his spare time he enjoys drinking tea, listening to heavy metal music, and tending to his garden.