State Theatre announces new artistic director
State Theatre Company South Australia has appointed its first female artistic director in 20 years, with arts leader Petra Kalive promising to ‘explore stories that speak to the heart of who we are and who we strive to become’.
Petra Kalive, who joins the company this month and will also be co-CEO alongside executive director Julian Hobba, is a former associate director at Melbourne Theatre Company and artistic director of the University of Melbourne’s Union House Theatre.
She said in a statement that she is excited to join a company “whose values align so closely with my own”.
“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,” Kalive 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!”
Kalive will be only the third female artistic director of the company in its 52-year history. The most recent was Rosalba Clemente, who held the role from 2000-2004.
State Theatre Company board chair Joe Thorp said Kalive was selected from a field of “outstanding” candidates and has a track record of “artistic excellence, community building and strong leadership in prestigious arts companies”.
She has directed and made work with companies such as Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir St Theatre, and recently completed a Churchill Fellowship exploring “the creation of extraordinary professional public theatre with, for and by community”. Her works include a production of Happy Days for Melbourne Theatre Company starring Judith Lucy, an adaptation of Peter Goldsworthy’s Three Dog Night, and a play she wrote herself called Oil Babies that was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
Petra Kalive.Kalive takes over the reins from Mitchell Butel, who has been State Theatre Company’s artistic director for the past six years. He finishes up this week to take up the role of artistic director at Sydney Theatre Company, but will return to Adelaide in July to direct the State Theatre and Melbourne Theatre Company co-production of American playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo.
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Butel described Kalive as “an exceptional choice”.
“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.”
The company released its full 2025 season at the start of this month, and is currently presenting a new adaptation of Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs at the Dunstan Playhouse.