Bluesfest congratulates Boomerang curator Rhoda Roberts on outstanding achievement award
Bluesfest has congratulated one of its family, Boomerang festival curator Rhoda Roberts AO, for being awarded the 2017 centenary Sue Nattrass Award.
It acknowledges outstanding achievement in live performance, and was presented as part of this week’s Helpmann Awards in Sydney.
Bluesfest director Peter Noble said, “[Rhoda’s] commitment to assist Bluesfest in staging the most potent and inclusive series of Boomerang ‘festival within a festival’ at Bluesfest each year is one more testament to her outstanding achievements in the indigenous arts community worldwide.”
Roberts made her contribution to media, performing and Indigenous arts as journalist, broadcaster, actor, producer, writer, arts advisor and artistic director.
A proud member of Bundjalung Nation, Wiyebal Clan of Northern NSW and Southeast Queensland, Roberts is also currently head of First Nations programming for the Sydney Opera House, creative director of the Parrtjima festival in Alice Springs, and associate artist of the Northern Rivers Performing Arts.
Bluesfest acknowledged, “In addition to becoming a director of the Boomerang festival in 2013, Rhoda was the founder and director of the Festival of Dreaming 1995 – 2009.
“She has written, produced and directed some of Australia’s most important public productions and has also been involved with large-scale events including as the creative director for the Awakening segment Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony, the opening of the Musee Du Quai Branly in Paris, the Athens Olympics handover ceremony, World Youth Day and as director of the Garma Festival, produced by the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
“Rhoda co-founded Australia’s first national Aboriginal theatre company, the Aboriginal Nation Theatre Trust (ANTT) and has worked on programs for SBS, ABC TV and Radio and commercial television.
“Rhoda has been a board member for Indigenous Tourism Australia, Playwriting Australia and the Australian International Cultural Council (AICC) and in 2016 received an Order of Australia.”
The others also receiving the Sue Nattrass Award for their contribution to Australia’s live performance sector were:
Carrillo Gantner AO
As an actor, he performed in 40 productions and toured through Asia, and brought Asian artists and performing companies to Australia.
Currently chair of the Sidney Myer Fund, he has been GM of Melbourne Theatre Company, founding director of Playbox Theatre Company (now Malthouse Theatre), chair of the Melbourne International Comedy festival, president of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust, president of The Melbourne Festival and primary initiator of the Asian Triennial of Performing Arts (“Asia TOPA”) in Melbourne earlier this year.
Ian McRae AO
Currently chair of the Australian National Academy of Music and a chair of the Australian Frontotemporal Dementia Association, he set up Hamer Hall the concert venue as administration manager at Arts Centre Melbourne.
He has also been a board member of Victorian College of the Arts, Malthouse Theatre, Bangarra, Bell Shakespeare and Melbourne Recital Centre.
Susan Provan AO
As the longest-serving director of the annual Melbourne International Comedy festival, she made it one of the best events of its kind in the world and also widened its appeal and increased funding for it.
Previous roles included associate producer of South Australia’s State Theatre Company and general manager of Circus Oz.
Frank Van Straten AM
A writer and researcher specialising in Australian performing arts history, he was founding curator of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Performing Arts Museum and later became its director.
He has published six books on Australian theatre history. In 2007 he was appointed Live Performance Australia’s official historian, and researched and wrote LPA’s Hall of Fame.