Krystalla Pearce Appointed Artistic Director and CEO of Melbourne's Theatre Works

Krystalla Pearce has been named the new artistic director and CEO of Theatre Works, a St Kilda institution in Melbourne. Pearce's path to the role was unconventional: after studying Italian literature, social theory, and Islamic studies at Melbourne University, she worked at the Department of Defence in Canberra and later at the UN in New York, which she disliked. A Masters of Performance Studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts rekindled her theatre career. In New York, she co-founded the experimental feminist company Rat King Theatre with Tessa Allen, creating works like 'Ants Go Marching' performed while eight months pregnant. Returning to Melbourne in 2018, she collaborated with director Bridget Balodis on 'She is Vigilante' at Theatre Works in 2019, leading to the She Writes program. Pearce then worked at Red Stitch as a producer, championing education partnerships and the Doll Trilogy. She plans to scale back Theatre Works' program from 60 shows annually, appoint a panel of four artists for programming input, and provide more dramaturgical support. Pearce acknowledges a two-year funding gap but is optimistic. She succeeds outgoing executive director Diane Toulson, who served eight years.