Theatre ushers in new era

AUSTRALIA’S longest-running professional theatre company for young audiences, McCrae Street’s Arena Theatre Company, has announced the appointment of Harriet Devlin as creative producer.

The new role was created following artistic director Christian Leavesley’s recent departure from the Company after 17 years.

Ms Devlin brings impressive credentials to the role, having spent the past three years as artist development manager and producer at Midsumma Festival.

She curated the landmark 2025 Signature Program Queer Imaginings for Midsumma, returning all-ages programming for children and families to the festival, and commissioned multiple new works including Ben MacEllen’s The Placeholder, which premiered at fortyfivedownstairs in 2026.

Since 2023, she has also served as executive producer of Flow Festival Australia, working with artistic director Sigrid MacDonald and deaf producers to transform the two-day festival into a national two-week festival across major Melbourne venues.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Harriet to Arena,” CEO Debra Allanson said.

“Her track record in festival curation, artist development and creating truly inclusive, all-ages work makes her the perfect fit at this moment in Arena’s evolution.

“The fact that she has recently relocated to Castlemaine highlights hergenuine commitment to the regional arts ecology.”

Ms Devlin, who is bilingual in English and Auslan, said she is thrilled to be joining Arena.

“The company’s commitment to research-informed creative practice, its partnerships with organisations like Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and the success of Creativerse all point to a bold and important future for theatre for young audiences in Australia,” she said.