The End of an Era
A note from Fraser Corfield, ATYP’s Artistic Director & CEO
Dear friends,
Next February I’ll have served sixteen years with ATYP. Very few in our industry get the extraordinary opportunity to set the creative vision for a company as an Artistic Director, let alone hold the role for so long. It came after four years as the Artistic Director of Backbone Youth Arts in Brisbane, two in the same role with Riverland Youth Theatre in South Australia and four years as the Associate Director of La Boite Theatre. I have been resident in theatre companies for twenty-six years.
So, I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise that I am announcing that I will be stepping down from ATYP in the New Year.
Leading the national youth theatre has been the greatest honour. This company is integral to our cultural identity. I would challenge any Australian theatre company to demonstrate a more important role within our national industry. ATYP gives voice to generations of artists who shape our nation and develops the plays that introduce young people around the country to the joy of performance.
ATYP’s alumni boasts over a million young Australians who have had their creativity nurtured and celebrated by working with professional artists. And we have seen those young people achieve amazing things. Some have their talents recognised on screen and in the media, and so many others have taken their spark into other careers.
This job has given me the chance to meet exceptional people: 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.
But most of all, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with phenomenally talented young people. And I’ve been doing this long enough now to see so many grow into exceptional humans.
When I started at ATYP I nurtured some ambitious goals. I wanted to see the national youth theatre represented at professional industry awards. I wanted the company to develop relationships with venues around the country and tour regularly. I wanted to see children and teenagers playing characters their own age, in published plays by leading writers, developed in partnership with young people. I wanted to see a generation of young playwrights that recognised writing for their own age could reinvigorate the artform. And I wanted to see the company in a venue that reflects its importance in our cultural landscape.
Astonishingly, I have been afforded the opportunity to stay long enough to see these things happen.
I am extremely proud of the theatre we have made over the years. Productions like The Spur of the Moment, Sugarland, M.Rock, The Big Dry, Spring Awakening, Patrice Balbina’s Chance Encounter with the End of the World, Medea, A Town Named Warboy, Cusp, Follow Me Home, Saplings, Fangirls and The Deb set a benchmark for what theatre with young people can achieve. In the same way, the ATYP Foundation Commissions and playwright development programs have generated a body of work that young Australians will perform for years to come.
I am deeply indebted to the succession of ATYP Board members who have supported me throughout my tenure. It is a rare honour to be given the opportunity to run your course in a role like this. I’d like to acknowledge and pay my thanks to Andrew Johnson and the Board for their commitment to the company and the countless hours they have contributed to its survival. And I acknowledge their predecessors who shouldered that responsibility with equal generosity and grace. In particular, I am grateful to Popsy Albert and Angela Bowne for their decades of support across the Board and the ATYP Foundation.
I will be finishing my journey with ATYP in February next year. It’s been a wonderful ride.
As with most things, the experience is best expressed by Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Of course, there are many things to do between now and then. We can leave the fond farewells to next year. There will be plenty of opportunities to catch up at an ATYP event between now and then. So I hope to see you at ATYP before I go.
Best wishes,
Fraser.
Statement from the atyp board
After nearly 16 years of service, we bid a grateful and fond farewell to Fraser Corfield as CEO and Artistic Director of ATYP.
ATYP is integral to our cultural identity and ATYP’s contribution has been enormous under the leadership of Fraser over the last 15 years. During this time ATYP continued to give voice to generations of artists who shaped our nation and develop the plays that introduced young people around the country to the joy of performance.
ATYP’s role in developing and providing opportunities for new and emerging playwrights has been immense. Providing opportunities to teaching artists in NSW and all over the country has been an important part of the work that has been undertaken.
There have been so many amazing productions during Fraser’s period, too numerous to mention, but the highlights include Fangirls, Sugarland, Follow Me Home, Saplings and the upcoming production of Converted! He also saw us successfully move into new premises and innovatively navigate the difficult times of COVID.
Ultimately, after 15 years, what we are most thankful to Fraser for is the thousands of young people who have been provided an opportunity to gain confidence, have their voices heard and be provided opportunities to write, direct, perform and launch their careers in the arts and beyond.
The Board will begin the process of recruitment over the coming months with the goal of recruitment being concluded in early 2025.