Rhoda Roberts

Rhoda Roberts AO (b. 1960) is a Bundjalung woman from northern New South Wales, and a producer, director, writer, broadcaster, performer and arts executive. The daughter of politically active parents, Roberts grew up in Lismore and has recalled experiencing discrimination from a young age. Discouraged from undertaking the Higher School Certificate, she left school after Year 10 and moved to Sydney to study nursing, graduating in 1979. She became involved in theatre in the mid-1980s, co-founding the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust in 1988. In 1990 she joined SBS as a presenter on Vox Populi, and between 1992 and 2012 she was a producer and broadcaster for the national radio program Deadly Sounds. In addition, she held roles with Network Ten and ABC Radio; appeared in stage shows such as Please explain (1998) and Bible Boxing Love (2008); and wrote, produced and directed several documentaries including In the gutter no way (1989) for SBS. Her numerous credits include roles as a creative director of the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony and Sydney New Years' Eve; and she was co-founder and artistic director of the Dreaming Festival. Roberts has also served on the boards of organisations such as the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, Australia Day Council, Actors Equity and the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association. From 2012 to 2021 she was Head of Indigenous Programming at the Sydney Opera House. She is also art curator of the Parrtjima Festival in Alice Springs, and director of Boomerang, the First Nations segment of Bluesfest.