The Australian Theatre Festival is an annual celebration of Australian stories and artists in New York City. It aims to create opportunities for an exchange of culture through the presentation of diverse theatrical content. By showcasing Australian artists, the festival will cultivate their development on a global stage as well as connect Australians living in New York. This year, many Columbia alumni and students appeared in the Festival.
Artistic Directors Mark Barford ’19, Connor Delves & Jillian Geurts helmed five commissioned short plays, an online cabaret, and an industry panel. Dramaturgy alumna Anchuli Felicia King ’18 and Directing alumna Benita de Wit ’16 served on the Advisory Committee for the festival. Barford wrote and directed Stranded which starred Acting student Rebecca Ho. Permanent Fixtures was directed by de Wit. The Window featured Acting alumna Anya Banerjee ’20. All performances were streamed online on the Australian Theatre Festival webpage and continue to be available for viewing.
The Australian Theatre Festival aims to create opportunities for an exchange of culture through the presentation of diverse theatrical content, cultivate the development of Australian artists and their work on a global stage, and connect Australians living in New York to foster a sense of community within a festival setting. In addition to the annual festival, The Australian Theatre Festival provides an Artist Hub section of their website for Australian artists to use as a promotional space.
The 2020 Australian Theatre Festival is available for viewing on the 2020 season website.
