The Sydney Theatre Company director hopes to capture the heady thrill of escape and the dangers of sexual control.

A church chorister from age nine until his voice broke, Kip Williams grew up in a family of singers with a great appreciation of music. When his adult voice failed to match the beauty of his boyish treble, he stopped singing but music has always played a crucial role in his work as a stage director.

“I am most excited about a play when I look at it and it’s like an operatic score or a symphony that needs to be interpreted like a conductor. The Miller was an extraordinary exercise in conducting in that sense,” he says, referring to his recent, shattering production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons for Sydney Theatre Company. “I’ve directed four operas now (for Sydney Chamber Opera) and I think I direct operas like they’re plays and plays like they’re opera,” he adds with a smile.

Aged 30, Williams is currently Resident Director at STC, where his career has been nurtured ever since he was invited to assist Andrew Upton on The White Guard immediately after graduating from the NIDA directing course in 2010. A...