Adelaide Festival executive director Rob Brookman to retire in 2020

Adelaide Festival is on the search for a new executive director to succeed Rob Brookman AM.

The festival board announced he is retiring after the 2020 instalment in March.

Brookman’s arts career spans 45 years, and included leading the Adelaide Festival Centre, WOMADelaide, National Festival of Australian Theatre, New Zealand International Festival of Arts, Sydney Theatre Company and the State Theatre Company of South Australia.

Brookman said: “It has been a singular privilege to spend 20 of the last 45 years engaged in the task of helping make our festival one of the best in the world. And it is.

“The festival has had a profound effect on the culture and identity of our city and will continue to do so for many, many years to come.

“We are about to release another brilliant program from (artistic directors) Neil Armfield and Rachel Healy, which will further cement their era as one of the festival’s finest.

“I look forward to leading the delivery of the 2020 festival and handing over to my successor at a time when the festival is on an absolute high.”

Brookman attended the very first Adelaide Festival in 1960 as a six-year-old, performed in one as a child chorister at 12 years old and worked on nine festivals from 1976 to 1992, eventually as artistic director.

He returned in 2017 as executive director.

Adelaide Festival chair Judy Potter commented: “Rob has dedicated his career to the service of the arts industry and is one of the most successful and experienced arts administrators in Australia.

“I would like to acknowledge and thank him for his significant contribution as executive director to the success of the 2018, 2019 and the upcoming 2020 Adelaide Festivals.

“Under his leadership the Adelaide Festival has experienced a period of enormous change and growth, breaking box office records in each of the years he has been executive director.

“His contribution has been outstanding and we owe him a huge debt of thanks.”

This year, the festival posted its highest box office result in its 59-year history, drawing 316,129 to its events including WOMADelaide, and 72,000 tickets sold.