Thom Browning Named Patch Theatre Company's Final Associate Director in Residence

Leading South Australian children's theatre company, Patch Theatre, has appointed their third Associate Director for their Artistic Director Residency Program, securing another talented arts all-rounder, Thom Browning. Thom is the final of the Associate Director appointments and has the opportunity to work with renowned children's theatre producer and current Artistic Director, Dave Brown, as he heads into his final18 months at the helm of Patch Theatre.

The position provides Thom with seven weeks exposure to Dave and the detailed workings of Patch. During this time he will share his knowledge and expertise within the industry while learning first-hand how a successful children's theatre company operates.

Thom is an innovator and like Dave, is passionate about providing children with quality live theatre experiences. Similarly to Dave his ultimate goal is not to demonstrate to children what adults have imagined but to stimulate children to imagine for themselves. He is excited to accept the role as Associate Director and said,

"I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Patch in this residency as Associate Director. Patch produces some of the best theatre for children in Australia, and shares it's work with audiences widely in South Australia, nationally and internationally. The work that Patch makes is sophisticated, rich and totally grounded in the child's world. I have travelled across the globe to see the best children's theatre being made in anywhere in the world at the moment, and Patch's work is right up there.

Patch's Artistic Director Dave Brown is an inspiring figure to be working alongside. This opportunity to join Dave and the team at Patch gives me the chance to see the inner workings of a children's theatre company performing at the top of their game, and I am looking forward to learning from and contributing to the work Patch do. Patch's Associate Director Residency program is a truly unique leadership development opportunity within the highly specialist field of children's theatre, and I am very excited to have been selected to be a part of it".

Competition was fierce for the final Associate Director position. Thom was a standout candidate and was selected for his past experience as a multidisciplinary artist, producer and director with a specialist practice in creating contemporary theatre and arts experiences for and with children.

He is a graduate of the QUT Creative Industries faculty majoring in Performance Studies and over the past ten years has worked in Australia and Asia as a director, performer, devisor, sound and multimedia designer, composer, musician, DJ, VJ, arts worker and producer. Thom is a founding member and Associate Director of Brisbane's Imaginary Theatre, and has worked freelance across multiple disciplines, creating work as a solo artist as well as with organisations and individuals including Circa, LATT Children's Theatre (South Korea), KITE Arts Education Program at QPAC, State Library of Queensland, Human Ventures, deBase Productions, Restaged Histories Project, Offset Art, Motherboard Productions, Skye Gellman, Daniel Santangeli, Kieran Law and Genevieve Trace.

'Look', Thom's directorial debut performance work for Imaginary Theatre, was presented in sold out seasons at Brisbane Powerhouse, at the ASSITEJ Korea Summer Festival in Seoul, South Korea, and at the 'Aha! International Theatre Festival for Children' in Bangalore, India. In 2013 Thom undertook a three-month program of professional development through attending residencies and festivals, after receiving a Brisbane Lord Mayor's Young and Emerging Artist Fellowship.

Thom is an innovator in every sense of the word and was a natural choice for Patch, who is recognised nationally and internationally as a pioneer in creating outstanding theatre work specifically for children and is considered a leader in this highly specialised field. Selected from a pool of highly successful and qualified candidates, Thom was chosen for his commitment to directing across multiple arts genres as well as his clear passion for and respect of children's' theatre.

Patch Theatre Artistic Director Dave Brown says, "It's fantastic to have talented artists immerse themselves in our company's activities with an objective eye and discover "what is" and imagine "what could be". I look forward to having Thom challenge us with his thoughts and ideas."

To post a comment, you must register and login.