TNA is thrilled to announce Callan Purcell as the nominated Australian delegate for the Directors in TYA Exchange 2027 in Germany.

TNA received EOIs from many outstanding artists and leaders from the Children, Young People and the Arts (CYPA) sector. Three members of TNA’s CYPA Advisory assessed the EOIs and made recommendations to TNA.

Following this, there will now be an international selection process. ASSITEJ will receive applications from directors from all over the world, with support from their respective national centres. TNA will put forward our strongest recommendation for Callan, and the final outcome will be announced in the coming months.

Callan Purcell is a Wiradjuri theatre-maker, actor and youth arts facilitator. He is Associate Creative Director at Shopfront Arts Co-op where he contributes to artistic programs spanning youth ensembles, new work development, artist mentorship and large-scale participatory projects.

Originally trained in Collaborative and Devised Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Callan has performed with companies including Belvoir, Griffin Theatre Company, Frantic Assembly, State Theatre Company South Australia and Opera Australia, most notably in Hamilton the musical in the Australian and international tours.

His directing practice combines devised theatre, physical theatre and immersive storytelling; centring young people at the heart of the process. Alongside his artistic practice, Callan founded Rad Kid Mob; a collective breaking down financial, geographical and social barriers that young people from historically marginalised backgrounds face every day when engaging with the arts. He leads the charge to occupy public arts and wellbeing spaces with people of all genders, ages, nationalities, abilities, experiences and interests. He was a top three finalist in Creative Australia’s 2026 First Nations Arts Awards category Youth Award for Achievement in the Arts.

Some key ideas that Callan wants to bring to the exchange includes Shopfront’s youth-led governance to embed young people in organisational decision-making; co-design over consultation so that young people are positioned as collaborators from conception to evaluation; First Nations ways of working as methodologies of theatremaking with young people; and balancing artistic excellence with participation so that works are both artistically ambitious and genuinely collaborative.