Black Swan State Theatre Company has appointed theatre maker Matt Edgerton as its next Artistic Director. The award-winning director, dramaturg, writer and actor will take up the role full time at the beginning of 2027.

Current AD Kate Champion, who announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down from the role, will complete the company’s 2027 artistic program before concluding her tenure at the end of 2026.

A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Edgerton brings more than 25 years’ experience across the Australian theatre sector. His previous leadership roles include Head of New Work at Melbourne Theatre Company, Artistic Director of Barking Gecko Theatre Company, Resident Artist at Bell Shakespeare and Senior Lecturer in Acting at WAAPA.

Matt Edgerton in rehearsal for Black Swan State Theatre Co’s The Shepherd’s Hut.

Edgerton has directed productions for Melbourne Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Barking Gecko, The Last Great Hunt, Monkey Baa and Sport For Jove, among other companies. He also has longstanding ties to Black Swan, having directed The Seed, The Shepherd’s Hut and Fully Sikh, while appearing as an actor in productions of Plainsong and Speaking in Tongues.

Black Swan Chair Francois Witbooi said Edgerton’s appointment marked “an exciting new era” for the company.

“Matt is one of Australia’s most respected theatre artists and leaders,” Witbooi said. “His remarkable ability to champion new voices while reimagining classic works makes him an exceptional choice to lead Black Swan into its next chapter.”

Edgerton’s artistic ambition, commitment to developing artists and focus on audience engagement aligned strongly with the company’s vision for the future, Witbooi added.

Said Edgerton: “Black Swan gave me my first professional break in the epic Plainsong, directed by its founding Artistic Director Andrew Ross,” he said. “Nearly 30 years later, it is the greatest honour of my career to be appointed as the company’s fifth Artistic Director.”

He said he looked forward to working with the Black Swan team and Western Australian artists to create “bold, eclectic and unmistakably our own” theatre for audiences in WA and around Australia.

Edgerton will work with the company during the transition period before officially commencing in early 2027, building on the artistic legacy established under Champion while shaping Black Swan’s next chapter.