Role of the Board of Management

The Theatre Guild Board is responsible for the ongoing health and viability of the Theatre Guild. It is the Guild's highest-level decision-making body, and has legal responsibility for the Guild's resources and activities. The Board has ultimate responsibility for establishing the Guild's purpose, mission and vision. It oversees the management and implementation of the Guild's affairs. It fosters the Guild's progress and development, secures the support of members and friends, and promotes the identity of the Guild in the community. The Board is a working Board, and Board members have practical input into the Guild's progress towards achieving its goals.

Members of the Board of Management

Matthew Agius, Elected Student Member
Matthew is a final year Bachelor of Media/Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Adelaide and splits his finite time between work for the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure and Umpiring Department of the South Australian National Football League, triathlons and freelance journalism.  Matthew studied drama throughout his secondary schooling, including performing in Michael Gow's Away, David Holman's The Small Poppies, Rob John's Living with Lady Macbeth and a distinctly masculine turn as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. His first (hopefully of many) Theatre Guild credit began in 2010 with his involvement in Cassandra Backler's student production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Jennie Blackwood, Elected Member
Jennie has come to the Board after three solid years of stage management with REDchilli Theatre Company and the Guild under the directorships of Geoff Brittain and also June Barnes. Her heritage is from dramatic and musical theatre as well as landscape painting and  ...  accountancy. However, Jennie’s artistic world includes years of classical ballet, choirs, theatre, poetry and also graduating with what was earlier known as an Associate Diploma Photography (Creative Photography) from UniSA. Her Flinders Uni grad. and post grad. studies led her to the day to day world of managing and developing one of Adelaide’s large housing associations for people with disabilities. In her ‘spare’ time Jennie sings with women’s a cappella choir, ‘Allegria’, and is the Music Librarian for the Norwood Symphony Orchestra.

Karen Burns, Elected Member
Under the careful direction of her older brother, Karen's early theatrical inclinations manifested themselves in self-devised plays performed for family at parties in the back garden.  She is now a Bachelor of Arts student at Flinders University studying Drama, Italian and Screen Studies.  Devoting a large part of her childhood and university life to theatre has left her with lingering memories of performing in shows such as Accidental Death of An Anarchist and Oh What A Bloody Circus.  Besides theatre, Karen devotes her time to creative writing, dance, art, playing competitive tennis and managing the canteen for her club's General Committee and going for drives in her Dad's 1959 FC Holden Sedan.  Since becoming a member of the Theatre Guild in 2010, Karen has been the sound operator for Influence, performed in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Adumbrations and attended to the lighting/sound for Some Girl(s).

Joshua Coldwell, Elected Student Member
Joshua is currently finishing off a Science/Arts Double Degree here at Adelaide, spreading himself thin across the faculties of Pharmacology, Wildlife Biology, Philosophy and History.  In his three years with the Guild he has appeared in six productions starting out in 2009's First Time Out: Altered States of Consciousness.  A dedicated member of the church of Shakespeare, Joshua has been part of the Guild's last three Shakespearean productions, King Richard II, A Midsummer NIght's Dream and Macbeth, breaking them up with a theatrical holiday in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.  With his partner-in-crime Matthew Agius, he will help to direct Last Time Out as well as many other student based projects in the hopes of building a solid University orientated theatre community.

Michael Eustice, Elected Member
Michael Eustice has a Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from the University of London and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Educational Theatre) from the University of Adelaide Drama Department.  Michael was Director-in-Residence for the Guild in 1995.  This is his second year as an elected member of the Board following 15 years living interstate and overseas.  Michael played 'Ziggi' in the Guild's 2010 production of David Williamson's play Influence which won the 2010 Adelaide Theatre Guide's Curtain Call Award for Best Ensemble (Amateur).  In 2011 he is directing the Guild's production of Macbeth.  During the daytime Michael manages the national contact centre operation for a large insurance company.

Patrick Alan Feeney, Elected Member, Deputy Chair and Member of Board Executive
Patrick Alan completed an Arts degree majoring in English Literature at the University of Western Australia. he later undertook studies in art history at Flinders University. Currently he is completing a Master of Arts in art history at the University of Adelaide.  He became involved in theatre at university in Perth, building and designing sets.  A teacher by profession, one aspect included involvement with drama in the areas of directing, designing and stage management.  His design work with the Guild includes La Mandragola, King Lear, Electra, Hedda Gabler, Tartuffe, The Threepenny Opera and Oh What A Lovely War!  Patrick Alan is also actively involved with front of house management for the Guild. He is a member of the Executive of the Board.

Melanie Hibberd, Administrator, Member ex officio
In her former life, Melanie ran her own theatrical administration business in London, and worked in various roles such as Production Co-ordinator, Casting Director, Marketing Manager and Publicist on numerous West End productions, Broadway transfers, national and international tours. She toured as General Manager with comedy acts such as Dave Allen and Smith & Jones before eventually leaving her base in the big smoke to become Marketing Director at a regional repertory theatre. She was convinced she would remain working in professional theatre in the UK but love is a weird and wonderful thing and she now finds herself happily married and working in amateur theatre in the other hemisphere!

Ben McCann, Elected Chair and Member of Board Executive
Ben is a Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Adelaide.  He arrived from the UK in 2006 with a long history of  theatre directing and acting.  He was awarded the Sunday Times Student Actor of the Year Award in 1999 for his role as George Jones in David Hare's The Absence of War.  He has appeared in the Theatre Guild's productions of The Real Inspector Hound in 2006, The Custom of the Country and Marat/Sade in 2007 and What The Butler Saw in 2008.  In 2009 he directed Oleanna for the Guild.

John Wells, Elected Member

Paul Wilkins, University Council Nominee and Member of Board Executive
Paul did his undergraduate degree at Kings College London (BD Hons 1977), which is located in the Strand opposite Australia House and right in the middle of theatre land.  Some of his most memorable London theatrical experiences are Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud on stage together in Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkmann at the National Theatre; the original production of Peter Shaffer's Equus by the Royal National Theatre at The Old Vic in 1973, with Alex McGowan as Dysart and Peter Firth as Alan Strang; and Ben Kingsley as Hamlet at the Roundhouse.  Paul came to Australia in 1982 and held a number of positions in the University of New South Wales Library. He also enjoyed the theatrical life of Sydney, including many NIDA performances.  While at UNSW he studied in the School of Librarianship and Information Studies to gain the MLib (Management) qualification.  In 1994 he was appointed to a senior position at Monash University Library.  While at Monash he gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Computing. In 2001 Paul was appointed Deputy University Librarian at the University of Adelaide, where one of his interests has been to develop a strong Friends of the Library Chapter of Development and Alumni.  Paul also had a founding role in the Walkerville Residents Association and was elected to the Walkerville Council in 2006.  Paul is frequently assisting with front of house at Guild productions.

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Edwin Kemp Attrill - Artistic Director - Recipient of Artistic Director Grant 2011/2012
Edwin is a theatre director and producer, founder and former Artistic Director of ActNow Theatre.  He has worked as a freelance artist and producer for various companies including Brink Productions, Vitalstatistix and No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability.  His directing credits include Urban Myth's Nineteen Eighty Four and  ActNow's The Revolution Starts Here and An Enemy of the People.  He has been described as the '2007 Best Youth Performer', '2008 Best Young Director' and Director of the 2010' Best Independent Production' (Sunday Mail).  He received an Emerging Artist Commendation in the 2008 Adelaide Fringe Awards and has been a finalist in 2009 and 2011 South Australian Young Achievers Award.  Edwin was an actor in the Urban Myth tour of The Pirate Ship to Mumbai and a facilitator in interactive performance ExpectRespect across metropolitan and regional South Australia. He holds a Diploma of Theatre Arts through Victoria University and has trained in Forum Theatre techniques in Canada.