Renaissance in the Regions: The HotHouse Theatre Artistic Directorate

Abstract

In its nine year life to date HotHouse Theatre has become one of the leading regional theatres in Australia with a varied program of work, consistently high audience numbers, well-developed management practices, and a steadily expanding range of activities. The launch of HotHouse Theatre in Albury/Wodonga in 1997 marks, however, not so much the nascence of a new company, but rather the rebirth of an existing company in a fundamentally restructured form. This paper examines the unique structure that governs the Artistic Direction of HotHouse Theatre; a structure that was developed as a response to a crisis in the life the Murray River Performing Group, a regional theatre company which after 17 years of existence, found itself confronting declining artistic standards, shrinking audience numbers, cuts in funding, and an inability to source the necessary leadership to deal with these issues. Instituted in 1997, the HotHouse Theatre Artistic Directorate is a body of leading theatre professionals who provide the strategic and artistic vision that would conventionally be the duty of a solo artistic director. This paper will outline the factors leading to the institution of the HotHouse Theatre Directorate, provide an overview of its operating procedures and practices and attempt to assess the critical elements of its success, through the reflections of key-players involved in setting up, serving on and implementing the vision of the Artistic Directorate. It is hoped that the paper will serve as the starting point for a broader discussion on the issues of current theatre company management and regional theatre in Australia.