Esther Dougherty is a playwright and director from Magandjin (Brisbane). Since graduating a BFA Drama at QUT they have written and independently produced four original plays, The Moon Men (2015), Pawpaw Dog & Other Dog (2021), Slippery (2022) and Zagazig (2023).

In 2022 Esther’s play Pawpaw Dog & Other Dog was published by Playlab Theatre. In 2025, Esther’s play Slippery was nominated for three Matilda Awards (Best Costume, Best Ensemble, and The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work).

Esther’s practice orbits comedy, absurdity, and queerness, with interests in experimental design for stage, collaboration, and community. They run their own theatre company, Curtain World, and perform in drag as Small Paul. They are currently studying a Masters of Fine Arts (Directing) at NIDA, which they will graduate in June of 2026. They recently presented their NIDA graduate work, a production of Timothy Conigrave’s Like Stars In My Hands.