Award-winning director, performer and arts leader Petra Kalive has been appointed as the new Artistic Director and Co-CEO of State Theatre Company South Australia.
A former Associate Director at Melbourne Theatre Company and Artistic Director of Union House Theatre at the University of Melbourne, Petra has directed, supported and developed work across a range of Australia’s leading mainstage and small to medium theatre companies including Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Arena Theatre Company and St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre.
Across her work, from reimagined classics to new Australian plays, Petra has shown herself to be a forward- thinking artistic leader who makes exceptional, relevant theatre from complex cultural conversations and themes. She is interested in a range of dramatic forms and driven to build broad and deep engagement with theatre across diverse communities.
“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 whose values align so closely with my own and look forward to building on the incredible legacy that Mitchell Butel leaves behind.”
With a career spanning commercial, subsidised, independent, community-engaged and educational work and contexts, Petra has an unwavering belief in the power of storytelling on stage to transform, inspire and bridge cultural divides.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Chair of the Board of State Theatre Company South Australia Joe Thorp said, “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 a 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 artstic 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 Melbourne Theatre Company, 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 has recently completed a Churchill Fellowship exploring the creation of extraordinary professional ‘public theatre’ with, for and by community.
STCSA Executive Director Julian Hobba said, “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.”
Outgoing Artistic Director Mitchell Butel said Kalive was 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.”
Kalive’s notable works include a 2023 production of Happy Days, starring Judith Lucy, for Melbourne Theatre Company, the critically acclaimed Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, for Melbourne Theatre Company and Belvoir St Theatre, and Melbourne Talam, an original play by Australian-Indian writer Rashma N Kalsie about contemporary multicultural Australia.
Petra 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 was shortlisted for the NSW Premier Literary Awards. Her acclaimed adaptation of Peter Goldsworthy’s novel Three Dog Night toured nationally in 2009.
Her notable awards and fellowships include being shortlisted for the inaugural Helen Noonan Prize (Outstanding Contribution to Female-driven storytelling), Drama Victoria Award for Best Performance by a Theatre Company for VCE Drama: Melbourne Talam, and multiple Green Room Award Nominations.
Kalive joins State Theatre Company South Australia this month.
State Theatre Company South Australia’s 2025 Season is on sale now statetheatrecompany.com.au.
