Arts sector appointments – quick links
Performing Lines announces new Chair
National production company Performing Lines has announced the appointment of Natalie Jenkins as Chair of the Performing Lines Board, following the planned transition of outgoing Chair Robi Stanton, who has stepped down after eight years of exceptional service.
Jenkins joined the Board in 2023 and was appointed Deputy Chair in 2025. A respected national arts and not-for-profit leader, she brings more than 30 years’ experience across the arts, culture, community and commercial creative sectors.
With Jenkins based in Perth/Boorloo, this appointment marks a historic milestone for Performing Lines – the first time the organisation’s Chair is based outside Sydney/Warrane, reflecting the organisation’s reach, diversity and impact across Australia.
‘I’m honoured to step into the role of Chair at Performing Lines. I would like to sincerely thank outgoing Chair Robi Stanton for her remarkable leadership, which has helped shape Performing Lines into the truly national organisation it is today,’ Jenkins said in a statement.
‘Looking ahead, I’m excited to build on this strong model for championing bold, artist-led work and unique sector support programs that connect communities, seed ambitious new performance, and nurture the next generation of Australian cultural leaders.’
Executive Producer/CEO Simon Wellington welcomed Jenkins’ appointment, saying, ‘Natalie brings a depth of experience, strategic thinking and national perspective that will be invaluable as we continue strengthening Performing Lines’ impact, while navigating the many challenges currently faced by our sector.’
The Board and staff extended their deep gratitude to Robi Stanton for her leadership, commitment and generosity. Stanton guided Performing Lines through periods of change and challenge – including Covid – and played an instrumental role in securing the organisation’s successful application to the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework (NPAPF).
Reflecting on her tenure, Stanton said, ‘As Chair of Performing Lines, I’ve had the honour of working alongside an extraordinary team of artists, producers and board members who care deeply about the future of contemporary performance in Australia.
‘I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together – from navigating profound industry challenges to strengthening our national footprint and joining the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework. Performing Lines is a courageous, values led organisation, and I leave knowing it is in exceptionally capable hands.’
Performing Lines also announced the appointment of lawyer Emily Shen as a Board Member, following a year of engagement through the Board Observership Program, further strengthening the national expertise of the Board.
ACCA welcomes three new Board members
Artist Maree Clarke, communications and governance specialist Lisa Bowman, and organisational development leader Elisa Clements have joined the board of Melbourne’s Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.
Maree Clarke is an internationally celebrated Yorta Yorta Wamba Wamba Mutti Mutti Boonwurrung artist dedicated to the revival and continuation of south-east Australian Aboriginal cultural practices. Growing up in Mildura and now based in Naarm Melbourne, Clarke is widely recognised for her leadership in nurturing and promoting the diversity of contemporary south-east Aboriginal art.
Known for her open and collaborative approach, she works across generations to revive dormant cultural knowledge and engages new audiences through innovative uses of technology.
Clarke has exhibited nationally and internationally, including the major survey exhibition Ancestral Memories at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2021. Recent commissions include projects for the Metro Tunnel, narrm ngarrgu Library, Footscray Hospital and the City of Melbourne Stolen Generations Marker.
She has undertaken artist residencies in Florence in 2024 and at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma and Pilchuck Glass School in the United States in 2023. Her accolades include the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture in 2023 and the Australia Council Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Fellowship in 2020.
Read: Australia’s ‘first 3D tapestry’ took over 10,000 hours and used 270 kilometres of wool
Lisa Bowman is a communications and community engagement specialist with extensive experience working across large scale government and private sector infrastructure development and digital transformation projects.
Across her career, Bowman has led corporate affairs, issues management, communications, stakeholder engagement and media teams within complex operating environments. She is recognised for her ability to manage sensitive stakeholder and community issues and to develop reputation management strategies for both public and private sector organisations.
Trained as a journalist, Bowman began her career in print and radio before moving into public relations and change management. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has served on a number of boards across public health, transport and ex offender rehabilitation sectors.
Elisa Clements, Group Executive Talent and Culture at ANZ, brings more than 25 years’ experience in organisational development across global organisations in banking, automotive, fast-moving consumer goods (FFCG), pharmaceutical and professional services sectors.
Prior to her current role, Clements was General Manager Talent and Culture for ANZ’s Institutional Division, where she played a key role in a multi-year transformation across 21 geographies. She has held senior talent and culture roles across corporate and commercial banking and group technology services and operations, and was previously Human Resources Manager for Toyota.
Her experience includes workforce strategy, leadership development and cultural transformation within large scale institutions.
ACCA Chair Dr Terry Wu said Clarke would bring significant cultural leadership to the ACCA Board, while Bowman and Clements would contribute deep organisational and communications expertise.
‘Maree is an internationally celebrated and highly respected Indigenous artist and cultural leader. Alongside our Artistic Director and CEO Myles Russell-Cook and ACCA Board Member Sarah Lynn Rees, and with the support of ACCA staff, Maree will play an important role in championing ACCA’s Indigenous cultural strategy and ongoing engagement with First Nations communities,’ he said.
‘Lisa brings highly developed governance, communications and stakeholder expertise. Her experience navigating complex public and private sector environments will strengthen the board’s oversight of reputation, community engagement and organisational accountability.
‘Elisa brings exceptional organisational development experience. Her leadership in talent and culture will support ACCA’s artists and staff to realise their professional potential, particularly as the organisation continues to evolve.
‘Together, Maree, Lisa and Elisa bring tremendous leadership and skill to the Board at a dynamic time for ACCA. With a vibrant program ahead under our Artistic Director and CEO, their contributions will be instrumental as we continue to champion artistic risk taking and cultural leadership,’ Dr Wu said.
Clarke, Bowman and Clements join existing ACCA Board members Charlotte Day, Lisa Fox, Sarah Lynn Rees, Patricia Piccinini, Dr Theresia Spencer, John Tuck and Gordon Thomson.
Sydney Dance Company announces new Ensemble members for 2026
Five dancers have been appointed to the Sydney Dance Company Ensemble ahead of the company’s 2026 performance season. Under the direction of Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, the new appointments will contribute to the SDC’s physicality and to the quality of its performances.
Caità Ellen Carpenter and Jai Fauchon join the ensemble alongside trainee Mahalia Adamson. Finn Armstrong and Ali Dib, who made their company debuts in late 2025, continue with the ensemble in 2026. The announcement follows a period of heightened international profile for SDC shaped by several years of extensive touring across some of the world’s major stages.
UK-born Caità Ellen Carpenter trained at Rambert School under Amanda Britton, graduating in 2020 and joining Rambert2 that same year. In 2021 she accepted a position in Rambert’s main company, working with choreographers including Alonzo King, Ben Duke and Wim Vandekeybus.
Since 2023 she has collaborated with independent artists and companies as a freelance performer across the UK and Europe, also appearing as an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Born in Sydney on Dharug Country, Jai Fauchon discovered dance at the age of eight after moving to Chile. Returning to Australia, he trained at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and Van Loon Dance Academy.
He joined The Australian Ballet School in 2020 and in early 2023 travelled to Switzerland to perform in Goyo Montero’s Bold as part of the Prix de Lausanne Partner School Choreographic Project. Before graduation he performed as part of The Australian Ballet’s 2023 and 2024 national tours, and in 2024 Fauchon premiered his first choreographic work for the ballet school’s 60th Anniversary Gala.
In 2025 he joined Queensland Ballet as a Jette Parker Young Artist.
Originally from the land of the Bundjalung people on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Finn Armstrong began his formal dance training at the age of 14, attending Amanda Bollinger Dance Academy. In 2022 he relocated to The Netherlands to further his training, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine
Arts from Codarts Rotterdam. During the 2024-2025 season, Armstrong was offered an apprenticeship with Danish Dance Theatre in Copenhagen under Marina Mascarell and performed in the company’s Denmark and Europe tours. Armstrong made his Sydney Dance Company debut in October 2025 with the Continuum and New Breed seasons.
Born and raised on Gadigal Land, Ali Dib is of Lebanese heritage and began his dance training at age eight at the Dorothy Cowie School of Dance and Brent Street Studios. He furthered his dance training at Alegria Studios and in 2024, Dib was the recipient of the Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix and in 2025 won the Contemporary Dance Open.
Dib graduated from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts in 2025, completing his HSC while making his Sydney Dance Company debut in the Continuum and New Breed seasons.
Read: 2026 season announcements: our rolling guide to the performing arts
Born on Biripi Country, Taree, New South Wales, Traniee Mahalia Adamson began her dance training at the age of three at Andrea Rowsell Academy of Dance. She joined Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year in 2024, graduating in 2025 with an Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance).
During her time with PPY, she performed in James Batchelor’s Sydney season of Resonance and in works by Zee Zunnur, Emma Harrison, Thomas ES Kelly, Cass Mortimer-Eipper and Rafael Bonachela’s Lux Tenebris.
SDC Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela said: ‘The ensemble is at the heart of Sydney Dance Company, and these remarkable artists arrive at a time of reflection as we mark 40 years in our iconic harbourside home and look forward with fresh creative impetus.
‘Each dancer brings a distinct perspective, depth of training and curiosity for their work, and together they reflect the unique alchemy that continues to define us. I’m excited to see what they contribute to the studio and how it inspires the diverse choreographic collaborations we bring to the stage this year,’ he concluded.
YIRRAMBOI welcomes new Advisory Group members
YIRRAMBOI, the City of Melbourne’s international First Nations arts festival, has welcomed a new cohort of creatives, innovators and change-makers from across Victoria to its advisory group.
Representing a breadth of practices and generations at the intersection of cultural sovereignty and creative leadership, the eight new members of the YIRRAMBOI Advisory Group – Stacie Nicholson-Piper, Glenn Shea, Worrin Williams, Sky Thomas, Kamarra Bell-Wykes, Caleb Verdell Thaiday and J-Maine Beezley – bring experience across theatre, music, visual arts, curation, activism and academia.
A Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illum-Wurrung woman, Stacie Nicholson-Piper is a curator, dancer, cultural leader, and mentor. Her work goes beyond roles – she honours Country through action, stewards story with integrity, and creates space for truth-telling and First Nations visibility.
Wathaurong and Ngarrindjeri man Glenn Shea is a producer, writer, director, and actor whose practice is grounded in cultural leadership and creative sovereignty. His work moves fluidly across theatre, screen, and community-led institutions, carrying story with responsibility and purpose.
Worrin Williams is an enthusiastic Gunnai/Gunditjmara/Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri community-minded woman with a deep connection to community and collective growth. She’s passionate about creating spaces where Aboriginal voices are uplifted and respected, and where collaboration leads to meaningful change.
Sky Thomas, known as Soju Gang, is a creative whose work spans music, fashion, nightlife and cultural advocacy. As YIRRAMBOI’s Music Producer for four years, she shaped a bold sonic program that centred First Nations excellence – amplifying emerging artists, elevating established voices, and driving an experimental sound that shifted the festival’s energy.
Yagera/Butchulla woman Kamarra Bell-Wykes is a theatre maker and arts specialist working across mainstage, academic, education and community arts sectors.
Caleb Verdell Thaiday is a Meriam theatre maker and drag artist, also known as Cerulean, living and working on Kulin country since 2018. In 2025 they debuted a new experimental horror production called Three Blak Ravers as a commission for YIRRAMBOI 2025.
Wakka Wakka/Kabi Kabi man J-Maine Beezley is a creative leader with over 15 years of experience across the arts sector, spanning Brisbane Festival, Melbourne Festival, ILBIJERRI Theatre Company and his work as Co-Founder of Ouss Entertainment. As former Co-Lead of YIRRAMBOI Festival, he helped shape the platform’s sovereign, future-facing vision.
Grounded in strong connections to community and Country, the advisory group brings care, integrity and collective wisdom to YIRRAMBOI’s work – championing First Peoples’ stories, honouring legacy and strengthening the ways YIRRAMBOI carries culture forward.
YIRRAMBOI also thanked the outgoing members of its inaugural advisory group: Mandy Nicholson, Robbie Bundle, Maryanne Sam, Cienan Muir, Sofii Belling-Harding, Nazaree Dickerson, Harley Lee-Dunolly and Jackie Sheppard.
La Mama welcomes new General Manager
Julian Dibley-Hall has joined the team at Melbourne’s La Mama Theatre as its new General Manager.
‘Julian has a long history with La Mama, both as artist and advocate, and we’re extremely pleased to have him take on this really important role at a crucial point in our story,’ a La Mama spokesperson said in a statement.
‘He has an extensive background in creating, presenting and producing theatre in the independent sector, and has been the Co-Artistic Director of Melbourne independent company VIMH (the voice in my hands) since 2018.’
