2011 Associate Positions Announced
Catherine Fitzgerald and Cassandra Backler are the successful respective recipients of the State Theatre Company Associate Director and Design Associate positions for 2011.
Both positions were publicly advertised and attracted a wide range of very high calibre applicants.
Catherine is well-known to Adelaide audiences and has worked as an actor, writer and director since graduating from Flinders University Drama Centre in 1982. She has been Artistic Director of Mainstreet Theatre and Vitalstatistix National Women's Theatre and has directed over forty productions and events, including in 2008 the OzAsia Festival performance Once Upon a Midnight and State Theatre Company's The Memory of Water in 2009. She will also direct The Give and Take for State Theatre Company from 29 October – 21 November 2010.
Cassandra is a graduate of the Centre for the Performing Arts (now AC Arts) where she currently lectures in Design. She has designed sets and costumes for a wide range of companies, with recent highlights including The Share with five.point.one; the inSPACE creative development of Caleb Lewis's Rust & Bone with Corey McMahon; My Name is Rachel Corrie with Daniel Clarke; Rhinoceros for Urban Myth Theatre of Youth and operas The Telephone / Cox and Box for No Tenors Allowed in the 2010 Fringe Festival. She has worked extensively as a director and as a secondary school performing and visual arts teacher, and as a Project Manager at the SACE Board of South Australia. She is also studying for her Masters in Education at Flinders University.
During their time with State Theatre Company both Catherine and Cassandra will work on the 2011 Education production, which will have a season in the Space Theatre during May/June before embarking on a South Australian suburban and regional tour.
"With Catherine's illustrious career in bringing brilliant productions to the State Theatre Company stage, and Cassandra's very impressive portfolio, we will enter 2011 eagerly anticipating what will happen when we get the two of them together! They will both be great assets to the Company and we are thrilled to have them on board", said State Theatre Company Artistic Director Adam Cook.
Oh behalf of the Company Adam also thanked outgoing Associate Director Geordie Brookman for his contribution over the past three years, including directing the extremely popular and much-discussed recent production of romeo&juliet. Geordie will return to the Company as a guest director in 2011.
The full State Theatre Company program for 2011 will be announced on 8 October 2010 at the Festival Theatre.
