Brink Productions has announced that Chris Drummond will be stepping down from his role as Artistic Director on Friday25 August 2023, after a career-defining tenure with the South Australian-based theatre company.
Recognising that it is time for a change, Chris said “I’ve been extremely fortunate to be the custodian of a tenacious and ambitious theatre company committed to telling new stories in new ways. I’m so proud of the work we’ve made and all the artists we’ve worked with,” he said.
“However, I’m also incredibly excited to be heading into this new phase of my own career, with all the amazing opportunities that are now opening up. I want to thank Brink for all that they’ve given me, and I know there are exciting days ahead,” said Chris.
A multi-award-winning director, Chris joined Brink in 2004 where his artistic vision and passion has led the company to commission and create ambitious new work in collaboration with leading creatives and arts professionals on and off stage, nationally and internationally, producing a host of significant theatre productions that have garnered national and international acclaim.
“Chris is a unique and extraordinary human being and practitioner who has contributed a lifetime of passion and phenomenal capability to Brink,” said Brink’s Chair, Trish Hansen. “We are pleased that Chris will continue to work part time on specific projects for the next 6-12 months.”
“This is an incredibly exciting and important time for Brink, and we look forward to welcoming a new Artistic Director in the coming months. There is such outstanding artistic talent in Australia, so it’s intriguing to wonder what Brink might become in this next era.”
“What we know is that we will continue our legacy of telling important stories that engage, inspire, enchant and shift audiences in deeply meaningful ways,” said Trish.
Chris’ directing highlights, from more than 20 productions, include the celebrated When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell, with design by visual artist Hossein Valamanesh and music by Quentin Grant; and The Hypochondriac adapted from the Moliere by Paul Galloway, featuring an all-star South Australian ensemble led by the late great Paul Blackwell.
Skip Miller’s Hit Songs by Sean Riley, created in collaboration with newly arrived African asylum seekers; Thursday by Bryony Lavery in an international collaboration with English Touring Theatre inspired by the story of South Australian Gill Hicks who survived the London bombings; The Aspirations of Daisy Morrow, an innovative theatricalisation of Patrick White’s short story Down at the Dump, and Ancient Rain with Paul Kelly and Camille O’Sullivan – both productions touring internationally with Far & Away Productions.
Memorial by Alice Oswald with music by Jocelyn Pook and choreography by Yaron Lifschitz, starring Helen Morse and featuring a 200-strong community chorus, garnering multiple 5-star reviews in seasons at the Adelaide and Brisbane Festivals and the Barbican, London; and most recently, Symphonie de la Bicyclette by Hew Parham which sold out in January 2023 as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s 50th Anniversary celebrations and the Tour Down Under’s program of events.
“I congratulate Chris on his decision to leave the company he has loved, nurtured and developed over many years,” said Brink’s Patron, Robyn Archer. “His courage and tenacity both as a director (of so many memorable works on stage) and as artistic director (insisting on adventurous programming in tenuous times) are an inspiration to so many of us, and he has set a very high benchmark for the notion of true independence. Toi Toi Toi Chris for all the great stuff yet to come.”
Additionally, Chris’ commitment to maintaining a thriving local theatre ecology was critical to the establishment of the Brink Production Hub in 2020 in direct response to the devastating impact of COVID. The Hub was designed to support and enable more of South Australia’s independent artists to create, present and tour their own work.
Productions included The World is Looking for You by Finegan Kruckemeyer (with Control Party, Country Arts South Australia and inSPACE AFC); The Photo Box by Emma Beech (with Vitalstatistix and Adelaide Festival); Following George Walker by Rory Walker (with Country Arts South Australia); Shore Break by Chris Pitman (with ninety-five theatre) and BÁRBAROS by Lina Limosani (with Limosani Projekts and Adelaide Festival Centre), with still more in development and continuing after Chris’ tenure.
Brink’s Board and Executive Director, Karen Wilson, will now undertake a recruitment process for a new Artistic Director to lead and drive the creative direction of the company into a new and exciting chapter. The recruitment will be managed by industry specialists Richard Evans and Vanessa Duscio of RE? Consulting, with applications to open in late July. For more information, visit: www.brinkproductions.comhttp://www.brinkproductions.com for details.
Image: Chris Drummond – courtesy of Brink Productions