Leading a community company

ORGANISATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Building the company behind the work.

As President of Bendigo Theatre Company, I led a transformation in how a long-established volunteer organisation operated. Alongside an increasingly ambitious artistic programme, the company needed clearer responsibilities, stronger governance and a way to sustain its work beyond the people holding office at any particular time.

I brought professional arts-management experience into that community setting, developing a structure that gave people ownership of distinct areas of the company. The work connected governance, member development, financial stewardship and long-term planning—and depended on bringing volunteers with different skills and experience along with it.

STRUCTURE & RESPONSIBILITY

Giving people the authority to lead.

I designed and introduced a new governance structure, moving BTC from a general committee model to defined portfolios. Committee members took responsibility for areas such as production and operations, programming, member engagement, facilities, systems and governance. Terms of reference, position descriptions and subcommittees made the scope of each role clearer and opened up ways for more members to contribute.

The structure evolved through use. We combined or separated portfolios as workloads and needs changed, rather than treating the first organisation chart as a finished answer. My role was to set direction, support the people leading each area and make sure the parts worked together.

The structure gave people the authority and support to lead improvements within their portfolios, while documented processes helped knowledge carry across changes in personnel. My aim was to build shared capability and responsibility throughout the company.

ACCOUNTABILITY & STRATEGY

Telling members the whole story.

I introduced more comprehensive annual reporting to explain the company’s direction, activity and impact alongside its finances. Members could see what each part of the organisation was doing, what had been achieved and where further work was needed.

Our strategic priorities brought that reporting into focus: excellence in process, development of members and improvement of facilities. The Shed Roadmap connected the future of our home with scoped projects, budgets and responsibilities, giving successive committees a basis for continued development.

The reports also made a wider argument for the company’s value. Financial performance mattered, but so did the opportunities to learn, the relationships formed and the contribution theatre made to community life.

As the company’s operations evolved, its visual identity evolved with them. We refreshed the familiar theatre-curtain logo to reflect a clearer, more cohesive organisation while retaining a recognisable connection to BTC’s history. It gave public expression to the changes taking place within the company.

PEOPLE & CONTINUITY

A company people wanted to contribute to.

In a volunteer company, leadership depends on people feeling that their contribution is valued and their time is well spent. I worked to build a committee culture of support, transparency, honest discussion and respectful disagreement, with clearer expectations and space for people to develop their own areas of responsibility.

Succession planning became part of everyday practice. Documented processes supported handovers, while subcommittees and mentoring created opportunities to learn before taking on a larger role. The marketing portfolio’s documented handover in 2020–21 was one practical example of this approach working.

During my leadership, the company reached record attendance and record-high membership, with an elevated public presence. These were collective achievements, supported by a more deliberate approach to how the company worked.

CRISIS LEADERSHIP

Protecting the company’s future.

The pandemic changed the demands of the presidency. From March 2020, I convened joint crisis meetings of BTC and Tribe Youth Theatre as the company faced cancellations, restrictions and an uncertain future. Working with both committees, I led difficult decisions about cancellations and postponements, and spoke directly to members to explain those decisions and the responsibilities we held to performers, volunteers and audiences.

Financial stewardship became critical. Alongside Treasurer Maureen Fleiner and the committee, we curtailed non-essential spending and took a conservative approach to future production budgets. The hard work of the preceding years—successful productions, disciplined financial management and sustained fundraising—had strengthened the company’s reserves and helped us absorb the disruption. Colleagues maintained connection through online activities while essential governance work continued.

The responsibility was to preserve the institution and its capacity to make theatre again. That meant difficult decisions, supporting a committee whose term extended to 19 months, and preparing a sound handover when I stepped down in 2021.

RECOGNITION

A lasting connection.

I joined BTC in 2004, aged eight, and went on to become its youngest committee member, youngest Vice President and youngest President. In 2021, in my eighteenth year with BTC, I became the company’s youngest Life Member.

The Life Membership nomination credited me with designing a structure that empowered committee members to lead their portfolios, establishing succession planning and progressing the company’s long-term direction. It also recognised the introduction of season launches, stronger relationships between local theatre organisations, and a welcoming culture that encouraged people to contribute. The nominators noted growing membership and increased interest in committee service during my presidency.

That recognition brought together the different strands of my contribution: the work on stage, the organisation behind it and the people who would carry it forward. The experience continues to shape my leadership: building clarity around the work, trusting people with responsibility and creating the conditions for an organisation to thrive beyond any one person.