Staff and Board

Matthew is a theatre director, opera director, and artistic director. He established his own independent theatre company in Perth in 2001 and was consequently invited to be Associate Director at Black Swan State Theatre Company (2006), and then Malthouse Theatre’s Associate Director (2011) in Melbourne. From 2015 to 2025 he was Artistic Director/co-CEO at Malthouse Theatre, Australia’s most daring theatre company, producing premier productions of theatre, dance, and contemporary opera.

As a director, many of his productions have premiered internationally, including Picnic at Hanging Rock to the Barbican (UK) and Royal Lyceum Theatre (Edinburgh) and been co-produced with international companies such as Lyric Hammersmith (London) and Royal Lyceum Theatre with Solaris. He directed the Australian premiere of Tom Waits’ musical The Black Rider and numerous new Australian works including John Harvey’s The Return with Melbourne’s RISING festival. During the pandemic, Matthew directed and created Australia’s largest immersive theatre production, Because the Night, which ran for nine months at Malthouse Theatre. Matthew has directed over 40 productions in Australia with companies ranging from Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Griffin Theatre Company, and Black Swan State Theatre Company.

His opera credits include Strauss’ Elektra with Opera Australia, West Australian Opera, and the Perth International Arts Festival; new contemporary opera Make No Noise at the Bavarian State Opera in Munch; Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman for New Zealand Opera; and Kurt Weill’s Happy End for Victorian Opera.

In 2023 Matthew was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the arts as a director.

Matthew commenced as Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival in March 2025.

Julian is an arts leader and executive with approximately 25 years of experience across a range of roles in the Australian theatre and arts industry. He has worked as an Executive Director, Senior Program Manager, and Creative Producer in a variety of organisations across Australia, including Malthouse Theatre, the Centenary of Canberra, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Craft ACT, and The Blue Room Theatre.

Prior to joining Adelaide Festival, Julian served as Executive Director of State Theatre Company South Australia (STCSA), the flagship professional theatre company in South Australia and a statutory authority of the South Australian Government. Before STCSA, he was Executive Director at The Blue Room Theatre, a highly regarded theatre company supported through recurrent funding from the Australia Council, the Government of Western Australia, and the City of Perth.

In these leadership roles, Julian has been responsible for managing the resources of major cultural institutions, exercising executive, business, and artistic judgment to oversee significant programming output, government and stakeholder engagement, and fundraising activities.

He maintains extensive networks across the Australian arts sector through his experience managing commissions, co-productions, events, and the casting and contracting of creatives and performers. Julian is motivated by the transformative power of the arts to reflect and expand the human experience and by the collaborative relationships that underpin the sector’s vitality.

Julian commenced as Executive Director of Adelaide Festival in September 2025.