Jane Ahlquist trained in drama at Flinders University. In her early years, Jane worked in Sydney in various unconventional theatre spaces and presented cabaret as part of the underground scene. She toured in political theatre as songwriter, choreographed rock presentations, directed children’s theatre and acted in a variety of stage and television gigs.

In the 1990s, Jane began adapting traditional stories for the stage, including fairy tales and the Sufi parable The Bird Parliament. Jane wrote and directed a performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art on William Blake and later, directed indigenous students in a performance for the International Year of Peace. She toured a one-woman version of Medea and was twice Guest Director at the Port Macquarie festival.

In 2002, Jane went “bush” for 19 years, where she painted, wrote musicals and published her first book. Jane’s exhibition Angels and Waratahs opened at The Queanbeyan Hive in 2020. Since moving to Queanbeyan, Jane has collaborated with two local composers on her “bush” musicals and she appeared in The Actress at The Rep in 2024. Jane is glad she has made the move and is enjoying the fellowship of the local arts community.