State Theatre Company Welcomes Elena Carapetis as 2017 Resident Artist

State Theatre Company announced Elena Carapetis as the incoming Resident Artist in 2017. Elena Carapetis will take over the reins from the Company's existing Resident Director Nescha Jelk who will complete her second and nal contract with State Theatre Company at the end of 2016.

Artistic Director Geordie Brookman made the announcement at the Opening Night of Gorgon - a collaboration between Nescha Jelk and Elena Carapetis. Written by Elena Carapetis and directed by Nescha Jelk, Gorgon is State Theatre Company's Education show that opened at the Space Theatre last Tuesday night to audience and critical acclaim. Elena and Nescha have previously worked together on Othello, State Theatre Company's 2013 production directed by Nescha, in which Elena appeared.

"I'm thrilled to be given this opportunity to join the team at State Theatre Company. I attended State Theatre Company shows as a teenager and they gave me my rst main-stage job after graduating from NIDA. This truly is a dream job and I can't wait to again work with Geordie, an exceptional artist, and all the talented people at the Company," Elena said.

Since graduating from NIDA, Elena has worked extensively as an actor in lm, television and theatre. Over recent years she has become an on-stage favourite at State Theatre Company, most recently appearing in Machu Picchu. Her work as a playwright has developed more recently, with her debut work The Good Son attracting excellent reviews and audience responses.

Geordie Brookman said "It's enormously exciting to be bringing a multi-disciplinary artist of Elena's calibre into the Company for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Elena is much loved by our audiences for her work onstage and I hope this will provide opportunity for her to continue to develop as one of our most important South Australian actors as well as an upcoming playwright and director."

Elena will take the reins from Nescha Jelk who is looking forward to working as a freelance artist and as co-director of new local theatre company Tiny Bricks.

"Nescha has had an enormously successful tenure, marked with highlights like her blistering version of Othello and her powerful production of Elena's play Gorgon. She has also been responsible for furthering the progress of a new generation of artists within the Company, frequently collaborating with exciting talents like Phillip Kavanagh, Will Spartalis and Chris Petridis." Geordie said.

Nescha said "I've had an amazing time working at State Theatre over the past four years and I feel truly blessed to have worked on some wonderful projects and collaborated with many beautiful people during this time. I am thrilled to be 'passing the baton' onto Elena - an immensely brave and talented artist. I am certain that she will make an invaluable contribution to the Company."

While grateful and indebted for my time as Resident Director, I'm very much looking forward to returning to the Independent sector of Adelaide's theatre community to continue exploring ideas and opening conversations with audiences." Nescha said.

Nescha Jelk and award-winning Adelaide playwright Philip Kavanagh launched their theatre company Tiny Bricks in 2016 with a production of Philip's play Deluge, which was part of the Adelaide Festival. Her nal production as Resident Director at State Theatre Company will be Straight White Men which premieres in July.

NESCHA JELK

Nescha is the current Resident Director at State Theatre Company. She graduated from the Flinders Drama Centre directing course in 2010 with First Class Honours and a University Medal. In 2010 she won Helpmann Academy's Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Award.

For State Theatre Company, Nescha has directed Gorgon, Volpone, Krapp's Last Tape, Othello, Jesikah and Random. Other directing credits include Deluge (Tiny Bricks) as part of 2016 Adelaide Festival, Alice and Peter Grow Up (Milk Theatre Collective), Hamlet (The Actor's Folio), and Sepia (RiAus) which was awarded the 2012 Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award. Nescha has worked extensively as an assistant director for numerous companies including State Theatre Company, Eleventh Hour, Brink Productions, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare Company and Sydney Theatre Company. She assistant directed Masquerade (STCSA/Gri n Theatre Company) which premiered in the 2015 Sydney Festival and featured in Adelaide's 2015 Come Out Festival.

ELENA CARAPETIS

Elena is the incoming Resident Artist at State Theatre Company in 2017. Since graduating from NIDA, Elena has worked extensively as an actor in lm, television and theatre. Elena Carapetis' rst play The Good Son was produced by The Other Ones, a creative partnership between Elena and director Corey McMahon. It premiered with a sell-out season at the Bakehouse Theatre in 2015 and earned her an Adelaide Critics Circle Award as the writer.

Her second play Helen Back was shortlisted for the 2012 Adelaide Festival Jill Blewett Award
for Playwriting. In 2014 Elena directed second year actors in her own adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae at the Adelaide College of the Arts. In 2007, Elena wrote an episode of Marx and Venus titled Bedroom Therapy, for SBS TV. Elena was commissioned by State Theatre Company to write a play for State Theatre Company's 2016 education program. The result is Gorgon, which will tour extensively throughout South Australia following this season in the Space Theatre. Playwriting Australia invited Elena to develop Gorgon during its 2015 National Play Festival as part of the 'Homegrown' program.

Elena Carapetis' credentials as a playwright came later in her career; she has long been an on- stage favourite at State Theatre Company, recently appearing in Machu Picchu. Her other acting credits for State Theatre Company include Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Othello, Between Two Waves our 2014 State Umbrella production, The Comedy of Errors, Features of Blown Youth, Uncle Vanya, Hot Fudge, Central Park West, and The Things We Do For Love. She hopes to continue her career as actor / playwright for a long time to come.

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