Our Board
CfAT is registered as an Incorporated Association with the Queensland Department of Fair Trading and as a non-profit arts organisation (DGR status) with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. We have a purpose-specific Constitution and conform to the governance processes appropriate for an organisation of our scale.
Chair: Peter Cleary
Peter has forty years experience in the arts sector. His primary work was with performance and community arts and cultural regeneration in remote Aboriginal communities of the Gulf of Carpentaria and Central Australia. In that time he organized and managed hundreds of national and international performance touring projects. More recently this experience was extended with four years in government service, managing funding programs for Indigenous Art Centres in FNQ. Program and project management are his forte and he is seeking to develop new business models that will empower creativity with purpose and social meaning. He maintains a wide engagement with the arts community of the region with particular interest in bringing forward new and diverse cultural expression and intergenerational and intercultural collaboration. Peter understands budgets, funding, business planning, governance and accountability. He also questions and embraces a great diversity of sector and interpersonal networks and thinking through different historical perspectives. He hopes that his experience can prove useful for business planning and structuring of CfAT as an organisation that can bring to Australia a renewed social grace and meaning through intercultural theatre.
Treasurer: Paul Barrett
Paul Barrett is an accomplished Certified Practicing Accountant with extensive experience in senior financial and management roles with Indigenous organisations enhanced by over a decade at Senior Executive level in the Commonwealth Public Service.
Secretary: Catherine Hassall
Catherine is a contemporary performance maker, director, writer and co-Founder of CfAT. As a a member of various collective theatre companies for more than 30 years, she has developed experiential capacities in all aspects of performance making and production with a focus on interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration. She is also skilled in community cultural development & social ecology practises, group facilitation, publicity, IT, administration, catering and event management. She has a BA in Communications from UTS, Sydney and was secretary of Culture Lab International from 2000-2007.
General Manager: Kay Mays
Kay brings important skills in organisational, operational, strategic and financial management. She is well-informed regarding board & committee governance practices, project & event management, grant writing, sponsorship development, networking, cross cultural relationships, and community and cultural development practices. She is a strong advocate for regional arts development and sits on the board of Regional Arts Australia. She as a BA Creative Industries in Visual Art and Digital Media; GradDip Community Cultural Development, Artist & Designer; Cert 1V Community Development - Intercultural Exchange (Working effectively in a cross cultural context with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders People and Organisations); Cert 1V Community Development - Intercultural Exchange (Maintaining Effective Networks); Diploma Solution Orientated Counselling.
Guillame 'Willem' Brugman
Guillaume ‘Willem’ Brugman, theatre practitioner (theory & practice) of 40 years international experience. Co-founder of Centre for Australasian Theatre Inc. - Cairns (March 2012 – ongoing). Founder/Director of Culture Lab International Inc, Cultural Research Theatre Laboratory - Sydney/Blue Mountains/Central Victorian Highlands (1998-2008). Artistic Director ESTA - English Speaking Theatre Amsterdam/the Netherlands (1988-90). Director International Performance Actions -NYC (1982-85). Historical Artist-in-the-1st-Person, Plexus International -NYC/Roma/Dakar/Amsterdam/Australia (1985-ongoing). Actor/Dramaturge “KISS” International Performance Research Group - Europe/USA/Australia (1999-83). Co-founder/Director 'De Tuinfluiter' - Leeuwarden/Friesland (1981-1983). Actor/Dramaturge ‘Tie 3’ – Theatre of the Third World – Europe (1976-79). Theatre Academy – Maastricht/the Netherlands (1973-75).
CULTURAL ADVISOR: WARREN CLEMENTS
Warren Clements is an Indigenous Australian from the Wakaman and Kunjen. Warren has spent 21 years as a senior dancer and cultural knowledge keeper in a key position within the internationally acclaimed Cairns-based company, Tjapukai. He has experience in all aspects of performance including acting, dance, music, presenting, stage management, theatre and film directing, video production and theatre design. Warren has undertaken a wide range of International professional performance engagements and independent theatre projects.
DGR CONSULTANT: DEE NEWTON
Dee Newton is experienced in both public and corporate accountancy with 18 years experience, 14 with a Big Four firm. She has a passion for accounting for the arts and has worked with theatrical enterprises in New Zealand and Cairns. She is knowledgeable in employment taxes, work cover, superannuation, non-for profit companies, GST and international tax.
DGR CONSULTANT: JOHN BRISBIN
John is a social change practitioner with over three decades experience in applications of novel media, communications, and networked knowledge systems for public benefit. In 2004 he earned postgraduate qualifications in complex systems theory and organisational development.