Fraser Corfield has announced he will step down as Artistic Director and CEO of the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) in February, ending a 16-year tenure.

Corfield describes his time at the helm of ATYP as “the greatest honour” of his career.

Under Corfield’s leadership, ATYP presented productions on professional stages nationwide, in partnership with mainstage companies, including Sugarland, M.Rock, Spring Awakening, A Town Named Warboy, Cusp, Follow Me Home, Saplings, Fangirls (which opened in London this year) and The Deb.

The Queensland Theatre, Belvoir and ATYP coproduction of Fangirls. Photo © Brett Boardman

“This job has given me the chance to meet exceptional people,” said Corfield. “Playwrights who have opened my world to different perspectives; Dramaturges who take the ‘good’ to the ‘astounding’ often unnoticed; Teaching Artists who walk into rooms of strangers and build trust and self-confidence, purely through play; and colleagues who keep the wheels of the industry turning because of a belief in the importance of what we do.”

Corfield’s career in the arts spans 26 years, beginning with roles as Artistic Director of Backbone Youth Arts in Brisbane, Riverland Youth Theatre in South Australia, and as Associate...