Ellie Nielsen has been involved in the performing and creative arts since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, drama school, in the early 1980s.  She has worked variously as a performer, dramaturg and writer.  Her dramaturgy experience includes; seven years work at the Playbox Theatre Company in Melbourne (working with the company’s Literary Editor, Malcolm Robertson), freelance script assessment for other theatre companies and individuals and twice participating on the judging panel for the Wal Cherry ‘Play of the Year’ Award.  Although Ellie is now concentrating on her own writing – she is currently completing a Master’s degree in Creative Media at RMIT – she continues her dramaturgy work as a freelance.  Through this work she hopes to contribute to the development and fostering of new Australian theatre.