Australia’s longest running First Peoples theatre company, ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, has appointed playwright and director Andrea James as its new Artistic Director and co-CEO, following the departure of Rachael Maza after 18 years at the helm.

James, a Yorta Yorta/Gunaikurnai woman, was chosen after a national search. She will share leadership with Executive Director and co-CEO Ping Flynn.

James said she was honoured to build on Maza’s legacy.

“Rachael Maza leaves a legacy that has taken ILBIJERRI to the national and international stage with community and cultural integrity at the core,” she said. “In these dangerous times, if ever we’ve needed a company that celebrates Boldness, Blakness and Brilliance in all its full power, it is now.”

L to R: Eugenia Flynn, Andrea James, Rachael Maza and Ping Flynn. Photo © Jacinta Keefe

ILBIJERRI Chair Dr Eugenia Flynn said James brought “exceptional experience, deep cultural grounding and an exciting artistic vision” to the company. Flynn described the appointment as a milestone for the organisation, which is grounded in Koorie communities of Victoria.

James has a distinguished career as a playwright, director and producer. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, her works include Yanagai! Yanagai!, Sunshine Super Girl, Winyanboga Yurringa and Big Name, No Blankets.

James also co-created Coranderrk: We Will Show The Country. Her awards include the Mona Brand Award for women stage and screen writers (2021) and a National Theatre Award (2024).

ILBIJERRI was founded in 1991 on Kulin Country by a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists seeking to tell their own stories. Over three decades it has built a body of work including landmark productions such as Jack Charles V The Crown, Black Ties, Heart is a Wasteland and Chopped Liver.