The Sydney Theatre Company Board has appointed actor, director and writer Mitchell Butel as its new Artistic Director and Co-CEO. He takes the reins from Kip Williams, who steps down at the end of the year.

Mitchell Butel. Photo @ Ken Leanfore

Butel joins STC from State Theatre Company South Australia, where he has been Artistic Director since 2019. His broad experience in musical and ‘straight’ theatre and his popularity will be harnessed to help bring STC finances back into line and repair key philanthropic relationships strained by the company’s handling of a Gaza solidarity protest at the opening night of its production of The Seagull in 2023.

While Queensland Theatre continues its search for a new Artistic Director, it has announced two executive appointments. Isaac Drandic has stepped into the newly created role of Head of First Nations Theatre, while former Executive Director Criena Gehrke has become Chief Executive. Drandic, a Noongar man from the southwest of Western Australia, was previously QT’s Associate Artistic Director, First Nations. He will continue to be based in Cairns, working across Queensland and the nation...