The last time Wayne Blair was inside the Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) acting studio it was as a graduating student with an acting degree behind him and a hopeful but unsure future.
This week, when he stepped back inside the studio, it was with an impressive list of credits under his belt and a sea of eager faces before him.
Wayne Blair belongs to a rare breed of artists having achieved accomplishment as an actor, writer, producer and director.
He returned to QUT as Artist in Residence this week to tell students of his firsthand experiences that include directing The Sapphires a major feature film that will be released in August.
Co-written by fellow Indigenous actor/writer and friend Tony Briggs, The Sapphires tells the story of the MacCrae sisters, an all-girl Indigenous group who performed for the troops in Vietnam in 1969.
AFI award-winning actress Deborah Mailman, also a QUT acting graduate, stars as Gail in the film.
"The Sapphires is the most recent in a line of Indigenous films as is Catriona McKenzie's debut feature film, Satellite Boy," Wayne Blair said.
"Indigenous film has been slowly evolving to a point where it is now very much in demand."
Mr Blair said he was happy to be back at QUT to give to students who were hungry for information.
"Looking for and taking opportunities that come your way and learning how to manage your time effectively are keys to success, especially when you're juggling multiple disciplines, such as writing, while at the same time acting or directing," he said.
A man whose career provides him with many stories to tell, Mr Blair considers playing Bernado in West Side Story to be a highlight of his time as a student at QUT, while being directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in True West at the Sydney Theatre Company is a definite high-point of his career to date.
Manager of QUT's Acting Studios Dianne Eden said QUT promised students the 'real world' and bringing former students like Wayne Blair back as Artists in Residence delivered exactly that.
"We make sure to the best of our ability that our students leave us knowing exactly what is ahead of them and what they have to do to survive," Ms Eden said.
"Nothing is left to chance. We teach them to stay on course no matter how discouraging things get."
Ms Eden said she hoped students would learn from Wayne Blair's breadth of experience.
"They will see his joy and passion and his love of work and realise the stamina they need to follow his pathway to professional success," she said.
"Wayne exploded out of this course and immediately did it all: writing, producing, directing and acting. That's the secret - diversification.
"We love to honour those who are bringing honour to QUT," Ms Eden said.
Mr Blair undertook the 2012 Artist in Residence at QUT with support from the Rainbow Reid Foundation.
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Media contact: Rose Trapnell, QUT media officer, 07 3138 2361 or 0407 585 901 rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au
