Director, performer and arts leader Petra Kalive has been appointed as the new Artistic Director and co-CEO of State Theatre Company South Australia.

Kalive steps into the role recently vacated by Mitchell Butel, who was announced as Sydney Theatre Company’s Artistic Director and co-CEO in August.

Petra Kalive. Photo supplied

A former Associate Director at Melbourne Theatre Company and Artistic Director of Union House Theatre at the University of Melbourne, Kalive has directed and developed work in several companies including STC, MTC, Belvoir St, Arena Theatre Company and St Martin’s Youth Arts Centre.

Said Kalive: “I am so excited to join a company whose values align so closely with my own and look forward to building on the incredible legacy that Mitchell Butel leaves behind.”

“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 added. “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...