In a boost for the town’s burgeoning theatre scene, Sydney stage icon Sandra Bates will serve as Cootamundra’s Australia Day ambassador for 2018.
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A respected and talented thespian both on and off the stage, Ms Bates is most famous for her service to the Ensemble Theatre.
After more than three decades at the helm as Ensemble Theatre's artistic director, the 79-year-old stepped down in 2016 for health reasons.
However, Sandra was not always in the limelight, having originally trained as a speech and drama teacher.
She then studied Pharmacy at Sydney University and worked as a Pharmacist for 25 years.
However, that all changed when she joined Ensemble Theatre founder Hayes Gordon’s acting classes in 1968.
She made rapid progress and became the founding Artistic Director of the Studios Rep Theatre in 1983, directing eight productions at the Rep before being invited to take over from Hayes Gordon on his retirement in January, 1986.
Sandra is also Member in the Order of Australia for her services to Theatre and the Arts (awarded 2001).
