News & MediaThe Board of Theatre Network Australia is delighted to announce its new Executive Leadership team, Co-CEOs Erica McCalman and Joshua Lowe.
Interim Chair Sue Giles AM said, “As we thank Nicole Beyer for her tenure as TNA’s founding director, the Board is excited to be ushering in a new co-leadership model which continues the work Nicole has been driving on next generation leadership. A rigorous recruitment process was managed by the TNA Board, which included calling for expressions of interest in different models of leadership that could steward the organisation’s commitment to our Equity Action Plan.
Erica is a highly regarded producer and arts sector leader who has worked across the country with major festivals, local government and many small to medium performing arts organisations. Most recently she was Producer (Special Projects) at Melbourne Fringe. Josh is TNA’s current General Manager and has been leading much of TNA’s advocacy work, particularly for the performance with/for/by young people sector. He was previously CEO/Artistic Director of DRILL in Tasmania.
Both Erica and Josh are already deeply respected by independent artists and the small to medium sector, and very well qualified to lead TNA at this time. This partnership takes TNA into the next years of our strategy with knowledge, care and connection and we are excited to work with their shared vision and perspective. No better partnership could drive the delivery of TNA’s key objectives of justice and equity.”
Erica and Josh will start their Co-CEO roles in January 2024.
For further information please contact Sue Giles AM, Interim Chair: chair@tna.org.au.
Erica McCalman
Erica McCalman (she/her) is an independent creative producer with more than 15 years of contemporary and experimental performing arts practice working across Australia and internationally. She has produced for Melbourne Fringe, Sydney WorldPride, the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM), Next Wave, Sydney Festival, Performance Space, Darwin Festival and others. She is dedicated to facilitating arts outcomes which are rigorous, relevant, and reflective of the communities they serve. She is a recipient of the Green Room Award for Innovation in Curation and Programming and the George Fairfax Memorial Award for Excellence.
As a consultant and facilitator, she is an active advocate for a strong creative sector. Erica initiates online spaces for discourse around class, power dynamics between artists and institutions, and interrogating what a healthy, inclusive arts practice can be. Since 2022 she has been a member of the Arts Wellbeing Collective’s Lived Experience Advisory Group. Born and raised on Wurundjeri country in Naarm (Melbourne) Erica is a proud Ballardong Noongar woman with Irish Convict, Scottish and Cornish heritage. She is a Graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (Bachelor of Production) and a 2024 candidate of Small Giants Academy’s Mastery of Business and Empathy program.
Joshua Lowe
Joshua Lowe (he/him) is an artist and creative business leader with sixteen years of experience as an executive leader of arts organisations and a passion for supporting and connecting people. Born and raised in Lutruwita/Tasmania, from 2007 to 2020 Joshua was the founding CEO/Artistic Director of DRILL, a national leader in youth dance, dedicated to fostering the growth of contemporary dance in Tasmania. He is a Graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts (Bachelor of Dance), and current MBA candidate at Melbourne Business School.
Joshua has been the General Manager of TNA since 2021, in that time leading the design and implementation of TNA’s Equity Action Plan, creating the LeaderShift program, driving national political advocacy, and providing increased support for the performance with/for/by young people sector. Joshua is guided by strong principles of justice and equity, informed by his queer identity and regional, working-class background.