The Australian

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BLACK SWAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY

March 20, 2013

In the five years that Kate Cherry has been at the helm of Black Swan State Theatre Company, she has asserted the company as the undisputed home of mainstage drama in Perth.

When Cherry arrived in 2008, development of the new State Theatre Centre was already underway (the $100 million venue finally opened in early 2011), and Black Swan had been elevated to flagship status with an accompanying increase in funding.

But it was up to her to raise the dramatic pitch at the company. She wanted to give WA’s theatremakers reason to stay and not migrate to the eastern states. She wanted to see more local stories on the stage.

Cherry’s 2013 season may encapsulate the high production values she has brought to the company. A working stage director as well as artistic head of the company, she has just opened a new production of the Oscar Wilde classic, The Importance of Being Earnest. Later in the year she will direct a modern American classic, Jon Robin Baitz’s family drama Other Desert Cities. It is a co-production with Queensland Theatre Company, being an example of the strategic partnerships that Cherry has sought for her outfit.

And Cherry has demonstrated a high-profile commitment to telling WA stories at Black Swan. In 2011 she presented Tim Winton’s first original stage work, Rising Water, and followed up last year with Signs of Life. Cherry will direct a third play by the popular author, Shrine, in August.

Cherry’s improvements at the company were recognised last week in the Creative Australia national cultural policy launched by Arts Minister Simon Crean. Black Swan was one of six major performing arts companies to share a funding package of $9.3 million, with additional contribution from the state government. Cherry says the funding will enable the company to increase the number of plays it presents at the State Theatre Centre, and continue such projects as its live broadcasts.

Before taking up her role in Perth, Cherry worked as a freelance theatre and opera director, and was previously associate director at Melbourne Theatre Company and artistic associate at the former Playbox (now Malthouse) Theatre.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER PUTS NIDA IN TOP 10 WORLD DRAMA SCHOOLS AS NEWLY-APPOINTED AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS CHAIR SAM WALSH AO ADDRESSES GRADUATING STUDENTS

June 2018

Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where award-winning actors like Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann and Miranda Otto learnt their craft, has been named in the top 10 of The Hollywood Reporter’s world’s best drama schools. The Reporter’s international ranking of acting schools places NIDA in the top echelons, along with London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and New York’s Juilliard School.

The Hollywood Reporter canvassed alumni, instructors and top theatre and Hollywood pros to arrive at its list of the top 10. The rigorous ranking took into account management and staff, guest mentors and visiting artists, recent graduates notable film, TV and theatre credits, and buildings and facilities.

‘The vision for the school remains the same, with rigorous artistic practice at the heart of the ‘conservatoire’ system’ said NIDA Director/CEO Kate Cherry, speaking at the recent Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2017. Newly-appointed Australia Council Chair Sam Walsh AO and former NIDA Academic Board member and alumni Alana Valentine also delivered an inspirational Occasional Address to the future creatives.

For The Hollywood Reporter, NIDA was proud to list its recent achievements. These include appointing an accomplished and active theatre director and arts leader as Director/CEO in Kate Cherry, who brings renewed artistry and industry networks to NIDA. Director of Acting, John Bashford, is the former Head of Acting and Vice Principal at London Academy of Music and Dramatic

Art (LAMDA). Iconic Australian actor Sigrid Thornton and NIDA alumnus and Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director, Kip Williams have recently been appointed to NIDA’s Board of Directors to help shape the future of the institute. And this year Gavin Robins, NIDA Head of Movement, is working on King Kong the musical on Broadway.

In 2017, award-winning actress and director Judy Davis directed a student production of Love and Money. One of the most recognised names in the field of voice training for actors, Kristin Linklater, was engaged to work with our Acting students and in March 2018, the award-winning actor and producer Margot Robbie, Australian filmmaker George Miller and Australian composer and performer Tim Minchin spoke to students about their careers and industry experience.

At the Graduation Ceremony, Sam Walsh AO spoke about his life in business at Rio Tinto and offered advice to the next generation of artistic practitioners. ‘You must learn to take charge and pursue with energy those things that will help you fulfil your goals. Nobody gets a career break just sitting back and waiting for some miracle to happen. You must create your own opportunities.’

The Hollywood Reporter looked at notable movies and TV credits that our graduates have appeared in. The list includes acting alumni in Winchester, Steve Jobs, Alien Covenant, Thor: Ragnarok, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Hacksaw

Ridge, Brittania, Superman meets Batman, Berlin Syndrome, and Netflix series Orange is the New Black, Outlander, Narcos, Black Mirror, The Wrong Girl, Cleverman and Barry.

Our graduates have also appeared in leading theatre productions including The Book of Mormon, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, Alice in Wonderland, Diving for Pearls, Three Sisters, Miracle City, Jasper Jones, The Wind in the Willows and Chimerica.

The world-class facilities were also a feature of the Reporter ranking, where in addition to its six dedicated performance venues, NIDA has continued to make improvements including a $14 million graduate school housing purpose-built Directing, Design and Writing studios. The award-winning NIDA campus is equipped with state-ofthe-art facilities, including large-format digital screen technologies, and the Rodney Seaborn Library – one of Australia’s leading performing arts-based libraries with over 30,000 drama and theatre-related books and play scripts.

Leading Artists Challenge Nida Students To Drive Change In The Arts

6 February 2018

The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) this week proudly welcomed its new and returning Bachelor of Fine Arts and VET students, joining its Master of Fine Arts students who began last week.

The energy was palpable throughout NIDA’s Nancy Fairfax Foyer as fresh faces and returning students arrived to begin the next stage of their performing arts training. NIDA Director/CEO Kate Cherry, who was celebrating the completion of her first full year at the helm of NIDA, reaffirmed her vision for the institute with an inspirational speech to all the students in the Parade Theatre.

‘I want you to think of yourselves as having arrived at NIDA because someone here believes that you have the possibility of being a peak performer. In order to perform at a top level, you need focus on resilience, core purpose and the ability to work in teams, while knowing yourself incredibly well as an individual,’ said Cherry.

‘We are so diverse,’ she continued. ‘We have a massive diversity of talent and skills. People from different parts of the world, different belief systems. We are just very lucky that we get to come from a whole lot of different thoughts, ideas and belief systems, because that is what makes us strong.’

Cherry was joined on stage by NIDA Board chair Jenny Bott AO and board member and award-winning Australian actor Sigrid Thornton, former Circus Oz director Mike Finch and head of NIDA’s student body, SCON, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) year two student, Jazz Laker, as well as Donna Ingram, who welcomed the students to Bedegal land.

Finch had some timely and powerful words about diversity in the arts in Australia. ‘I challenge all of the women in the room to aspire to [top level] positions [in the arts],’ said Finch. ‘I challenge the men in the room to step aside and let the talented women have those positions and I challenge the white people in the room to make room for people of colour, and the straight people to make room for homosexual people.’

‘Work together and kindly with each other,’ continued Finch. ‘The world wants you to be in competition with each other, in a thing called “the industry”. The industry has 12 smoke stacks belching smoke and production lines where raw materials go in one end and sellable materials come out of the other. You’re not an industry, this is not an industry, you’re a community of people, of individual humans who all need to collaborate to survive.’

Finch implored students to think ‘about the bubbles that you’re in. The bubbles of designers, the bubbles of actors, the bubbles of technicians, the makers. And think about how you’re going to hop bubbles during this next three years. Think about how you’re going to work together as teams, because truly amazing things can happen when you get out of your own personal ghetto.’

From this week on, all the new students will become part of the nearly 60-year-old legacy of teachers, performers, designers, writers, producers and directors who have experienced NIDA. The students come from all over Australia with a wide range of experience in the performing and other arts.

Collaboration, diversity, integrity and resilience were consistent themes during the opening of Welcome Week.

Thornton discussed risk-taking and said that the perfect environment for that to happen is at NIDA. ‘Taking risks and failing in those risks will teach you another important lesson in resilience, which is one of the most important qualities an actor can have. You will find that out in your course at NIDA. And you’ll find it out even more keenly when you enter the wider world outside,’ she said.

‘Make work that makes the world better, make work that has heart, resist calling it industry, be open – say yes,’ said Finch. ‘You are the path to change in the arts, people in this room. Real success comes with the shine and good of others not just yourself,’ he concluded.

Kate Cherry has one very important job –she is the artistic director at WA’s premier theatre house, Black Swan State Theatre Company. BSSTC have just released their program for the 2013 season, and boy is it exciting. We think they’ve outdone themselves! High on the list is the WA premiere of Joanna Murray-Smith’s comedy Day One, A Hotel, Evening, directed by none other than Australian film legend Bruce Beresford. Wow! I also can’t wait to see the third new play by Tim Winton, Shrine, which will star acclaimed actor John Howard under the direction of Kate Cherry herself. We take some time to chat with Kate and find out what goes into preparing a season. I think Kate does such a fantastic job and is one of the most influential people working in the arts in Western Australia… I’m quite chuffed to be interviewing her! Claire.

Official job title: Artistic Director, Black Swan State Theatre Company

Summarise your career background and how you’ve come to where you are now:

My father was a theatre director, and my grandfather, aunts, uncle and sister were all scenic artists so you might say theatre is in my blood. I took the Australian equivalent of an honours degree at Bard College in New York in creative writing and a MFA in directing at UCLA. I have freelanced as a director in the US and Australia. I was the Associate Director at MTC and I have also worked in various universities here and in the States.

What is the best thing about your job?

Going into a rehearsal room with a play I am passionate about, with actors and creative