Petra Kalive, who has directed, supported and developed work across a range of Australia’s leading mainstage and small-to-medium theatre companies, has been announced as the next Artistic Director and co-CEO of State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA).
In taking up the position, she becomes only the third female Artistic Director at STCSA since the company was founded in 1965, following in the footsteps of Chris Westwood (1994 to 1997) and Rosalba Clemente (2000 to 2004).
Kalive commences at STCSA later this month, succeeding outgoing Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, who is taking over the creative helm of Sydney Theatre Company (STC).
“I am thrilled to come on board as the Artistic Director and co-CEO of State Theatre Company South Australia and I am so excited to join a company [the] values [of which] align so closely with my own and look forward to building on the incredible legacy that Mitchell Butel leaves behind,” Kalive says.
Butel says Kalive is an exceptional choice to lead the company. “I am so happy to hand the artistic reins of the Company over to Petra. I’ve been bowled over by the work that she’s directed; I’ve admired the way she’s fostered so many great new projects; and I’ve been delighted to watch her activate communities to create wonderful and empowering art. Her intelligence, kindness and talent will help shape a wonderful new era for State Theatre Company South Australia.”
A former Associate Director at Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) and Artistic Director of Union House Theatre at the University of Melbourne, Kalive has worked with a wide range of Australian companies, including STC, Belvoir and the MTC, as well as companies working with and for young people such as Arena Theatre Company and St Martin’s Youth Arts.
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Kalive’s theatrical work ranges from reimagined classics to new Australian plays; she is interested in a range of dramatic forms and driven to build broad and deep engagement with theatre across diverse communities.
“I believe that the stories we tell define, connect and transform us, and I can’t wait to work with South Australian artists to create daring, transformative and entertaining theatre that amplifies lesser-heard voices and tells great and surprising stories,” Kalive says.
“I hope to explore stories that speak to the heart of who we are and who we strive to become, weaving connections that resonate across the communities of South Australia and nationally too. In short, I’m so pumped!”
A stand-out candidate
STCSA Chair Joe Thorp says, “From a field of outstanding candidates Petra stood out for her compelling approach to fulfilling our vision for making and presenting phenomenal, transformative and inclusive theatre. With [her] track record of artistic excellence, community building and strong leadership in prestigious arts companies, we are genuinely excited that Petra will continue to build on the considerable artistic momentum of Mitchell Butel’s time with us.
“The Board is confident that the Company, its staff, supporters, partners and audiences will be in very good hands under the leadership of Petra as Artistic Director and co-CEO alongside our highly respected Executive Director Julian Hobba.”
Kalive has worked in leadership roles at MTC, La Mama, Union House Theatre at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Playback Theatre, and held Board positions at Outer Urban Projects, Melbourne University Theatre and Complete Works Theatre Company. She recently completed a Churchill Fellowship exploring the creation of professional ‘public theatre’ with, for and by community.
Hobba says, “Petra is a substantial Australian theatre-maker who will bring rigour to our work and a spirit of exploration and broad engagement to our programs. She has learned and thought deeply about the role of theatre in our contemporary world and I know she will bring that thinking to her conversations with South Australian artists and audiences in a really constructive, collaborative way. I think Petra will suit Adelaide well, and vice versa.”
Kalive’s notable works include a 2023 production of Beckett’s Happy Days for MTC (which ArtsHub reviewer Vanessa Francesca said had “timely resonances with climate change”), a “nuanced” Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes for MTC and Belvoir, and the 2017 MTC Education production Melbourne Talam, an original play by Australian-Indian writer Rashma N Kalsie about contemporary multicultural Australia.
Kalive has also directed Taxithi, a celebrated independent production with sold-out seasons at fortyfivedownstairs and a national tour, and Oil Babies, which she wrote and directed, and saw shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her acclaimed adaptation of Peter Goldsworthy’s novel Three Dog Night toured nationally in 2009.
She has worked as an artistic strategy consultant and a skills coach focused on speaking and public presentation, and she has studied at a range of institutions including the University of Melbourne, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Edith Cowan University) and Victoria University.
Kalive’s notable awards and fellowships include being shortlisted for the inaugural Helen Noonan Prize (Outstanding Contribution to Female-driven Storytelling), the Drama Victoria Award for Best Performance by a Theatre Company for VCE Drama for Melbourne Talam, and multiple Green Room Award nominations.
State Theatre Company South Australia’s 2025 season is now on sale. The company’s current production, Jack Maggs, plays until 30 November 2024.
